There's a place for historical fiction in your life!

Our historical fiction section is growing.  Not with cheesy romantic novels that have little solid content but books with real history, gripping fiction, and faithful gospel messages. I can't talk about historical fiction without mentioning Douglas Bond - a favourite author in this shop who has written great historical fiction for a variety of age ranges. Deborah Alcock is another well known writer of deeply historical, excellent fiction titles. And there are many more to go at! (Just ask us if you need some advice as to where to start). New to our shelves is author Christina Eastwood who has recently written 'Trasna Na Dtonna: A Tale of Three Cities'. This covers a period of the Reformation in Italy and Ireland through a story of the life and times of Willian Bedell (1570 - 1642). We received a review copy a few months ago and one willing teenager has devoured the book for us and written this review...

Christina Eastwood here weaves an enjoyable, well written story with the very real yet relatively unknown history of the reformation in Venice and Ireland.  The story follows Samuele throughout much of his life, his childhood in Venice in the Servite Monastry, his education in Geneva and then his travels in England and Ireland.  Eastwood links real people and real events with Samuele's story. She develops both these and her fictional characters, making the happiness and grief throughout the book very real and poignant.  I think it is a compelling book, and I would recommend it, mainly to teenagers with an interest in history, but I am sure that any young person would find it enjoyable.
Matthew (age 14)

Trasna Na Dtonna: A Tale of Three Cities by Christina Eastwood, £9.99