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The Old PlaceTwixt Thames |
This well-designed book is the story of a little old cottage and its environs in the Chiltern Hills, set almost centrally between Henley and Wallingford, Watlington and Reading. However, it differs from most 'factional' histories in that it starts in the future and then, through a clever literary device, immediately reverts to the Mesolithic Age.
It proceeds from there to the Beaker Folk, the Celts, Romans, and Anglo-Saxons before continuing with the Normans, Black Death, Civil War and Georgian periods. From this point it tells of Victorian and more modern times, until it reaches the present day, when the partly autobiographical link with the first chapter becomes clear.
Although it begins fictionally in 2068, much research has gone into known facts about the area and these, together with imaginative and captivating stories, have been skilfully woven by the author into a fascinating historical novel with an interesting difference.
Bibliographic details: Robert Boyd Publications: Witney. 2007. ISBN 978 1 899538 83 2. 170 x 25 cm (8" x 12"); 473 pages, with 4 line-drawn maps.
Winter 2014-15: Copies of this book are readily available by post from the author, the sole distributor: