Francesca Simon
American-born British children's author; wrote the Horrid Henry series and the novel The Monstrous Child, which she also wrote as an opera libretto for the Royal Opera House.
Grendel by John C. Gardner
Grendel was published in 1971, and I was absolutely astonished by the idea that you could take a poem like Beowulf and tell it from a different point of view.
on fivebooks.com · 28 Mar 2025 · Report
House of Names by Colm Tóibín
House of Names is a retelling of the story of Clytemnestra, Iphigenia and Agamemnon.
on fivebooks.com · 28 Mar 2025 · Report
The Once and Future King by T H White
You know, there are some books that you read last month and you can barely remember what they were about, but I remember very specifically reading The Once and Future King.
on fivebooks.com · 28 Mar 2025 · Report
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
It’s called The Song of Achilles.
on fivebooks.com · 28 Mar 2025 · Report
Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
Barchester Towers as well, because it introduces you to a lot of his most famous characters.
on fivebooks.com · 16 Oct 2020 · Report
Miss Mackenzie by Anthony Trollope
In one of the books, Miss Mackenzie, Miss Mackenzie is trying to decide between three suitors and one suitor, sadly, is wearing bright yellow kid gloves.
on fivebooks.com · 16 Oct 2020 · Report
The American Senator by Anthony Trollope
I was thinking about this today with the first book I chose, The American Senator.
on fivebooks.com · 16 Oct 2020 · Report
The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope
The Eustace Diamonds is part of the Palliser sequence, but I read the Pallisers out of sequence and it was not a problem.
on fivebooks.com · 16 Oct 2020 · Report
The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
The Way We Live Now is about a swindler or confidence trickster, Augustus Melmotte, who bears a strong resemblance to Robert Maxwell, if you remember him.
on fivebooks.com · 16 Oct 2020 · Report
Everything Francesca Simon recommends — not just books — on rcmnd →