Jane Stevenson Boeken

The one-eyed mercenary soldier Federico da Montefeltro, lord of Urbino between 1444 and 1482, was one of the most successful condottiere of the Italian Renaissance: renowned humanist, patron of the artist Piero della Francesca, and creator of one of the most celebrated libraries in Italy outside the Vatican. From 1460 until her early death in 1472 he was married to Battista, of the formidable Sforza family, their partnership apparently blissful. In the fine palace he built overlooking Urbino, Federico assembled a court regarded by many as representing a high point of Renaissance culture. For Baldassare Castiglione, Federico was la luce dell'Italia - 'the light of Italy'. Jane Stevenson's affectionate account of Urbino's flowering and decline casts revelatory light on patronage, politics and humanism in fifteenth-century Italy. As well as recounting the gripping stories of Federico and his Montefeltro and della Rovere successors, Stevenson considers in details Federico's cultural legacy - investigating the palace itself, the splendours of the ducal library, and his other architectural projects in Gubbio and elsewhere.

Edward Burra never followed the fashion: in the thirties, when modern art was dominated by abstraction and landscape, he painted people; Inventive, entertaining and unique, his writing expresses a man who combined profound personal loyalty with distaste for any kind of emotional grandstanding.

A collection of four novellas, it was unashamedly erudite, marvellously witty and just a little bit cruel. It revived a neglected form quite brilliantly. Now, after four acclaimed novels, she returns with another sparkling novella collection.

Every writer aspire to create a character like Hamlet or a Love story like Romeo and Juliet. But how did Shakespeare create characters of such compelling psychological depth? What makes his stories so romantic, funny, heartbreaking, and gripping? Why have his creations stood the test of time? Shakespeare for Screenwriters is the first book to use Shakespeare's works to examine the fundamentals of screenwriting, breaking down beloved characters, stories, and scenes to uncover timeless storytelling secrets. Book jacket.

The story of the railway has never been told in such a charming voice as in these letters by Bernice Medbury Martin. Bernice Medbury married railroader Leslie Martin in 1912 and arrived later that year in Prince Rupert at the height of rock blasting and railroad building. Lonely for her family in Wisconsin, Bernice wrote frequent letters home in which she described in striking detail the machinery and mudslides, the weather and the wilderness, the local characters and the outrageous cost of supplies. She wrote of her frustration at the slow pace of the railway work and her happiness at an invitation to a social event many miles away. She lived in a tent at Kitselas, a hotel in Hazelton, a shack in the Bulkley Valley and a hand-hewn log cabin at Decker Lake. Bernice's letters span the two final years of Grand Trunk Pacific Railway track building and are neatly woven together by Jane Stevenson's well-researched narration. A stunning collection of photographs illustrates the enormous task of constructing a railway along the Skeena River, through the Bulkley Valley and on to Burns Lake. Bernice travelled to a land her friends and family could not imagine, where she experienced the challenges and joys of the Canadian western frontier and witnessed the construction of the truly "Grand" Trunk Pacific Railway, until the last spike was driven near her home early in the spring of 1914.

An illustrated history of Siena, one of the most-visited cities in Italy.

London Bridges, her first novel, evokes the mood and sheer enjoyability of classic English detective fiction, though it is set in the London of the 1990s. A young lawyer comes across a treasure lost in the Blitz, and is tempted into a series of crimes which end eventually in murder. Meanwhile, a very contemporary cast of characters assembles to confound him. The denouncement of the intricate plot occurs in the Cotswolds, and involves teddy bears, Greek monks, New Age bikers and the source of the Thames, but before we get there, there is humour, satire, social observation, occasional moments of paths, and the scintillating wit and intelligence that distinguished Several Deceptions.

Set in the late seventeenth century, the story follows Balthasar Stuart, a biracial doctor grappling with his complex identity as the illegitimate son of a Bohemian queen and an African prince. After fleeing the plague in Holland, he navigates the morally ambiguous landscape of Restoration London, crossing paths with the enigmatic Aphra Behn. His journey leads him to colonial Barbados, a society rife with slavery and racism. The novel vividly portrays historical details, including speech, cuisine, fashion, and medical practices, creating an immersive experience.

Set in the Netherlands in the 1640s, Astraea tells of the relationship between two royal exiles, Elizabeth of Bohemia, daughter of James I, and Omoloju/ Pelagius, erstwhile heir to the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo, now a freed slave with shamanic gifts. They meet, fall in love, and marry clandestinely. Secretly, Elizabeth gives birth to a boy Balthasar Stuart, whom both come to see as a hope for a new age. As ever with Stevenson's work, Astraea appeals to both the head and the heart. An utterly convincing picture of seventeenth-century life and politics, it is also an immensely moving account of a strange, magical love affair.

Exploring the themes of identity, intellectual arrogance, and the consequences of cleverness, this collection features four intricately plotted novellas. Each story is narrated by a unique voice and concludes with an unexpected twist, showcasing the human propensity for deception and self-deception. With its rich storytelling and assured writing, the work offers a captivating examination of the complexities of human nature and the impact of time on our lives.