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The BequestEditions
ReviewRather than review my own book, let me tell you what it is about. In fact, here is the jacket blurb (for which I am responsible): ‘After three years of service in the Russian navy and a gruelling expedition to Greenland, Captain Fredrik Ziege of the Royal Danish Navy is enjoying a season on the Riviera with his mother, sister and two marriageable nieces. There he meets Emmeline Leslie, the young Australian widow of a bush pioneer. The differences between their complex histories enrich the ensuing romance, but frustrate their search for a home. The Bequest takes the reader from Italy to France, North Africa, Greece, Siberia, Australia, Denmark, Greenland and, finally, to England. It is a novel about identity and belonging, about the place of history and memory in uprooted lives and the almost talismanic role taken on by certain objects. But at its heart The Bequest is the story of a passionate love affair.’ And here are some of the things that other people have written about it: ‘A fine. elegant novel flawlessly executed… The only near neighbour I know is W.G.Sebald’ – David Mitchell ‘This complex and original novel explores the historical forces that shape, and uproot, the lives of two Victorians... The Bequest is a stimulating novel about courage, love and an instinctive belief in the values of European civilization.’ (Jeremy Worman in the Times Literary Supplement.) ‘An engaging, valuable and interesting book... an intriguing and intelligent novel that celebrates the fleeting connections that the past bequeaths to us.’ (Michael Newton in the Guardian.) ‘A limpidly written, perfectly pitched story of interlocking families... Its power is measured and filtered through a calm and objective narrative voice but, all the same, the book resonates with deep feeling and an impressive veracity.’ (William Boyd in the Mail on Sunday.) ‘A tremendously powerful and superbly written tale of love.’ (Andrew Roberts in the Sunday Telegraph.) - review by Johnny de Falbe |
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