Bøker av Hugh Walpole

John Durward and John Trenchard are two Englishmen who join a company of Russian doctors, nurses, and orderlies working on the Russian side of the Eastern Front at the height of World War I. Durward, the primary narrator, is a detached and seemingly-objective observer of events; his friend Trenchard is a dreamy, clumsy, and naive man whose fiancee, Marie Ivanova, is serving alongside him as a nurse.The narrative follows the unlikely group as they are embedded in the Front, treating casualties and cholera victims while dodging shellings and enemy ambushes. At first the group seems to get along well enough, until Semyonov, a dark, charismatic, hyper-masculine doctor in their company, sets his romantic sights on Ivanova.As the medics desperately try to fulfill their duty among the brutal backdrop of the war, their intricate relationships become the centerpiece of a complex emotional narrative that winds through the dark forest, a symbol of the confusing shadows that can lie between even two people bonded by wartime.Walpole served in the Russian Red Cross on the Russian-Austrian front during World War I, and his real-life experiences are reflected in the narrative. On its publication The Dark Forest was called ¿the best picture of life in a field-ambulance on the Eastern Front that has yet been written¿ by the Saturday Review, and it was popular enough for Walpole to write a sequel, The Secret City, which went on to win the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction.

The Secret City is Walpole¿s sequel to his earlier book about Russian life, The Dark Forest. John Durward, the English protagonist from that book and a semi-autobiographical stand-in for Walpole, is visiting St. Petersburg (then Petrograd) when he runs in to some old friends from England. Through them he meets Vera and Nina, two young and bourgeois sisters, and Nicolai Markovitch, a downtrodden and ridiculous inventor. Semyonov, a brooding doctor who is the sisters¿ uncle and a character from The Dark Forest, returns as a dark, viperous thread weaving through the story.Durward narrates the lives of these bourgeois Russians as they love each other and fight amongst themselves in equal measure. But as they obliviously carry on their cozy, lamp-lit lives, the Russian Revolution breaks out around them. St. Petersburg quickly changes from a comfortable, elegant, and gently mysterious city to a bloody and cold scar across the face of civilization. As the air fills with the sound of gunfire and the smell of smoke and soot, Durward and his English and Russian friends become a microcosm of the chaos they find themselves engulfed in.Walpole lived some years in Russia during the Revolution, working as a journalist, then at the Russian Red Cross, and later as the Head of British Propaganda in St. Petersburg. His intimate knowledge of both the city and of the turbulent early days of the Revolution give The Secret City a more than convincing air. It¿s the first book to have won the prestigious James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction, and is considered to be Walpole¿s most delicate and insightful work.

The first part of the prequel to The Herries Chronicle period drama by Hugh Walpole.A historical romance novel first published in 1940, The Bright Pavilions gives fans of the Herries family a glimpse into their life before Francis Herries' move to the idyllic Lake District. Written after the release of the four Herries Chronicles novels, this prequel adds a new layer to the period drama.Read & Co. Books has proudly republished The Bright Pavilions for the enjoyment of a new generation of historical family saga fans.

The final part of Hugh Walpole's The Herries Chronicle prequel, this historical romance novel completes the family saga.First published in 1944, the final book in The Herries Chronicles series aims to bring the period drama to a close. Although the author, Hugh Walpole, passed away before completing the novel, the historical romance ties the saga together. Katherine Christian has been republished by Read & Co. Books, and should not be missed by lovers of The Herries Chronicles.

Comedic and tragic, Judith Paris is the second volume in Hugh Walpole's family saga, The Herries Chronicle.Judith, daughter of Francis Herries and Mirabell Star, is an ambitious woman with a love for the Lake District's gorgeous scenery and a burning desire for more than the countryside's charm. She has her father's pride and passion, and is determined to make a name for herself in the French capital. First published in 1931, this book explores life in revolutionary Paris.Judith Paris has been republished by Read & Co. Books, and is the perfect family saga for fans of historical novels.

The final instalment in Hugh Walpole's tumultuous The Herries Chronicle, the family saga has entered the early twentieth century.Judith Paris' granddaughter, Vanessa, regales the passionate woman's story, beginning with her hundredth birthday in the 1870s. The dramatic Lake District setting welcomes you back to the grand life of the Herries family. First published in 1933, Vanessa introduces new characters and tragic backstory to the period drama. Proudly republished by Read & Co. Books, Vanessa is a must-read family saga for fans of historical novels.

Judith Paris returns to the Lake District to settle a family feud in this third volume of Hugh Walpole's, The Herries Chronicle.Now middle-aged, Judith must return to her countryside home to help resolve a dispute between two branches of her family. Grandeur, drama, and violence have always been at the focal point of the Herries family. First published in 1932, this third instalment of the saga tells the story of the marvellous family house, The Fortress.Proudly republished by Read & Co. Books, The Fortress is a great addition to the bookshelves of historical fiction readers.