Reay Tannahill Libri

Set between 1856 and 1898, this is the story of two women - rivals for the inheritance of a Scottish castle and the love of one man. The action takes place on both sides of the world, from eventful, bustling Hong Kong to the misty, mysterious Highlands of Scotland.

An enthralling world history of food from prehistoric times to the present. A favorite of gastronomes and history buffs alike, Food in History is packed with intriguing information, lore, and startling insights--like what cinnamon had to do with the discovery of America, and how food has influenced population growth and urban expansion.

Brought up in France, Mary returned to Scotland as a widow at eighteen to take up her throne. Beautiful, clever, with immense personal charm, she was totally unprepared for the brutal realities of ruling a country just emerging from civil war. In an era when religion and politics were one and the same, the inevitable clash between Catholic queen and Protestant subjects was intensified by the most bitter personal rivalries, and Mary found herself in ever-increasing danger: from the fearsome John Knox, who preached damnation to queens and death to Catholics; from her sanctimonious and ambitious brother; from her brilliant secretary of state; and from Elizabeth I, dazzling and unscrupulous, who feared Mary as a threat to her own throne ...

"From the day she left in 1803, Vilia fought to repossess her birthright - whatever it cost. Reay Tannahill's full-blooded, sweeping story spans ninety years and myriad backdrops of the bustling, far-flung Victorian empire - at its heart the call of the mist-decked Scottish Highlands and the indomitable will of an unforgettable woman born long before her time." -back cover.

Leaving her home in the sunbleached courts ofAvignon, gently nurtured, seventeen-year-old Ninian rides into the darkness and strife of Scotland to marry a stranger. Her path crosses that of Gavin Cameron of Kinveil, priest and Chancellor of Scotland. Laconic, ambitious and handsome, he is the one man the Stewart king dares to trust, the one man strong enough to save the kingdom from the civil war planned by the charming, implacable Archdeacon Columba Crozier and his bastard sun, Adam de Verne. Tied by blood on one side and by an overwhelming -- and forbidden -- love on the other, Ninian, growing from her careless girlhood into a beautiful woman and an artist of brilliance and power, is precipitated into violence and tragedy, in which she, too, has a vital part to play.

Království za koně... tímto výrokem, ostatně nikoli historicky podloženým, se proslavil hrdina románu Sedmý syn Richard, vévoda z Gloucesteru, pozdější anglický král Richard III. Reay Tannahillové se podařilo již mnohokrát zpracovaný námět uchopit z nečekaného úhlu; nepopisuje Richarda jako bezectného surovce, kráčejícího přes mrtvoly za svým cílem - anglickou korunou, ale jako muže, jemuž byl jeho osud do značné míry vnucen okolnostmi. Přisuzuje Richardovi i laskavost a lidskost; ukazuje nám jej nejen jako válečníka a chladnokrevného intrikána, ale také jako věrného manžela a milujícího otce, schopného politika... Jeden za druhým umírají následníci trůnu; až zbývá jen sedmý syn...