The Soldier, the Gaoler, the Spy and her Lover
Format:Paperback
Publisher:SPCK Publishing
Published:16th Feb '17
Should be back in stock very soon
Seventeenth century England, vividly brought to life . . .
For fans of Historical Fiction. Are you looking to escape back to a time when many people thought they knew exactly what God wanted them to do? Enjoy some satisfying research and a transformation of an historical turning-point to lively effect. In this brilliantly atmospheric novel called ' The Soldier, the Gaoler, the Spy and her Lover', Simon Parke explores one of the most gripping tales in English history. He weaves together the four coinciding stories of Charles, including his extraordinary year-long imprisonment on the Isle of Wight. Robert Hammond, the poor man who found himself the king’s gaoler , Charles’ remarkable mistress (written out of the records), the super-spy Jane Whorwood and of course, the brilliant and depressed Oliver Cromwell, who is working through his own demons of religion, politics, love and death. January 30th 1649. England is not a country that wishes to execute its divinely-appointed king. Yet Charles 1 finds himself shivering on a scaffold in Whitehall, with the axe man by his side . . .
Simon Parke's well-written and absorbing story of [King Charles I's] final years dramatises the political chicanery, the shifting loyalties and an unexpected love story before his execution in 1649. -- Elizabeth Buchan * Daily Mail *
A terrific book, smart and very readable * Karl French, writer and editor *
An extraordinary story has found an extraordinary storyteller. The truth of Charles I and his mistress-spy Jane Whorwood was hushed up and overlooked for centuries, but Simon Parke opens up the story so vividly that you are not only in the room, but in the heads and hearts of the characters. A wonderful, compelling read. -- Simon Jenkins, founder and editor of Ship of Fools
You’ve really gripped my imagination, Simon. So firmly I could get obsessive. I’ve got Mr and Mrs Cromwell living in my head, and I want to dive down the rabbit burrow of every historical detail to know more! Some of the writing is the best you’ve ever done. Vivid, immediate, deft. Funny, too. * Paul Carter, deputy editor of the Daily Mail *
. . . conjuring an atmosphere or a moment in a single brief line, a single piece of dialogue – the second half of the book particularly draws the reader in and builds very satisfyingly. I’m in awe of the research which seems impeccable. * Mike Jones, former publishing director at Simon & Schuster and Profile books *
Parke’s book retells and reimagines this historical turning-point to lively effect. * Church Times *
well-written and absorbing * The Daily Mail *
ISBN: 9781910674468
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 235g
304 pages