Bøker av Robert Hart

As the Cold War rages, twelve-year-old Colette (Col) Schmidt, flees Leipzig with her mother after they discover her secret policeman father is a Nazi war criminal. Settled in England by MI6, the lies Col must tell to hide her true origins weigh down her budding friendships. She makes inadvertent slips that expose her origins to her friends, but these reinforce and deepen their relationships. After MI6 use the pair as bait to lure out communist agents, they ship Colette and her mother to Australia. There, she is forced to use her linguistic skills to spy on the migrant communities. The risk of exposure causes the lies to proliferate and her internal conflict intensifies. Masking her truth in necessary lies, she finds support from a school friend, a Russian émigré and a first World War Scottish soldier. But the lies she must tell and their cargo of guilt take her to the brink of a breakdown. Can Colette find a way past the lies - without bringing the communist assassins to her door? Finalist in the 2023 PageTurner Awards

Twice Born- Love, Loss and a Miracle -By Robert HartBased on the testimony of Thomas, Naomi, and Willow ArcherAn elderly couple live in a cottage on the banks of the River Dart in Devon, in the shelter of the Hoodown Woods. But their lives have been overshadowed by a family tragedy, that tore them apart, long ago. On a sunny day in spring, their granddaughter, Willow, runs in from the garden. "Come Papa, Grandma. Come quick. See what I've found!" What they discover in the woods will change their lives forever.Papa Tom is drawn into a quest for learning, but Grandma Naomi has reason to fear the truth he might unleash. The Archers are pulled back two decades, to confront their painful family loss, then back another five generations to the terrible murder of an innocent young mother.On their spiritual and emotional journey through loss, blame, guilt and despair, they discover the miracle of a love that can transcend death. This is a story of the power of prayers and promises, and how enduring love can heal the deepest wounds.Robert Hart had a distinguished career as a pioneering professional educator. He now lives by the sea and writes stories.

A game of cat and mouse in which the cost of losing is death. Eighteen-year-old Colette's peaceful life in France is shattered when the Nazi panzers steam-roll across her country. As her world crumbles around her, Colette escapes to England and is thrust into the dangerous world of espionage. She undergoes intensive training to become a radio operator in France, a perilous role and one for which her superiors - and Colette herself - doubt her aptitude. It seems impossible that she will ever receive her first mission, until one moonlit night she's infiltrated into France. During her mission, Colette overcomes her fears and self-doubts and her work saves countless lives. However, as D-Day approaches, she is given a new mission in France, where her worst fears are realised. She is captured. In the hands of the enemy, Colette faces the ultimate test of her training and courage. A gripping tale of bravery and self-sacrifice. Winner of the Bookshelf Editors' Chioice award, 2023

It is 1962 and Will Johnstone is sent back to his twelve-year-old body. What's more, he is about to escape his abusive father … by committing suicide.Will recoils from the act, resuming his troubled but jarringly changed life. Helped by unexpected allies, he sets out to rescue himself. Through his friendship with Col, the son of an East German defector, Will is swept into events at the edge of a different Cold War - events that threaten to rip apart his life - and heart.A timeslip novel set in Europe during an alternative Cold War.

It is 1962 and Will Johnstone is sent back to his twelve-year-old body. What's more, he is about to escape his abusive father ... by committing suicide. Will recoils from the act, resuming his troubled but jarringly changed life. Helped by unexpected allies, he sets out to rescue himself. Through his friendship with Col, the son of an East German defector, Will is swept into events at the edge of a different Cold War - events that threaten to rip apart his life - and heart!A timeslip novel set in Europe during an alternate Cold War

These journal entries continue the sequence begun in Entering China's Service and cover the years when Hart was setting up Customs procedures, establishing a modus operandi with the Ch'ing bureaucracy, and inspecting the treaty ports. They culminate in Hart's return visit to Europe with the Pinch'un Mission and his marriage in Northern Ireland.

Hart's forty-five year administration of China's customs service was a unique achievement. In these letters Hart speaks to us directly from a time long past in China, but a time that may seem only yesterday to a Western reader. The result is a primary source for the history of modern China and the era of foreign privilege there.

The integration of tree and other farming can establish a sounder ecological balance and greater productivity of food and materials for clothing, fuel and shelter. The book suggests planting and cropping methods, and a range of potentially useful trees.

Forest gardening is a way of working with Nature which is not only productive, requiring minimal maintenance, but creates great environmental benefits. Robert created a magnificent garden which had a profound influence on the way people cultivated their land. It was a garden dedicated to human needs for fruit, nuts, vegetables and plant medicines.