Semicolon

The Namesake: A Story of King Alfred

Reviewed by Sherry Early
The title refers to the narrator of most of the story, a young boy who has lost one of his legs in a Danish incursion and whose name happens to be Alfred, just like the king. This happy coincidence, along with a rather mystical vision that that the boy has, both serve to form a connection between peasant and king that lasts through battles and sickness and captivity among the Danes and eventually ends in the boy’s becoming a scribe to King Alfred. Read the full review

Napoleon and the Battle of Waterloo

Reviewed by Sherry Early
Winwar tells the story of Napoleon well, and with the semblance of objectivity. She goes through the events of his life from his birth in 1769 to a Corsican rebel lieutenant and his wife to his defeat at Waterloo and his exile and death on another island, St. Helena. Napoleon's father was a rebel against the French occupation of the island of Corsica, and Napoleon himself became the personification of French identity and patriotism. Read the full review

New Found World

Reviewed by Sherry Early
I found New Found World to be a fascinating and engrossing look at the history of Latin America from Texas in the north to the tip of Argentina in the south. Shippen writes about the Inca, Aztec, Maya, Carib, Arawak, and other groups of Native Americans, with respect and as much detailed information as would fit into an overview of the region. Read the full review