Thanks to this thread, I've almost finished Tey's clever novel. It has certainly revealed to me how wanting is my knowledge of British history! The book presupposes a detailed knowledge of the Wars of the Roses,and various kings and queens, plus the lineage is confusing, despite the charts. Surely I'm not the only American who finds all the Richards, Edwards, Georges, etc. a conundrum.... Inspector Grant is quite convincing in his arguments and has only whetted my appetite for more on the topic. My question: what should I tackle next? Which author is the most clear, the most readable? Weir? Penman? Peters?

I have read all of the Wilderness books as well as the Outlander series. I enjoyed both but much prefer the Outlander books. They seem to have a more natural flow to them. I like that they stay with the same main characters through all the books. Sarah keeps the same characters but changes main character in the later books. The historical references in both are good but I think Diana's are much better.

Georgia, there is a 3 volume history of Henry of Navarre by George James and Queen of Hearts: Marguerite of Valois by Charlotte Haldane, both in English, although I haven't read them so cannot say how good they are. Have just ploughed through The Forge and the The Store by Thomas Stribling and Lawdy Ladwy I'm all dun tucker'd out with 'Flaunce' Alabama and its down-trodden black population, its failed white planters in their collapsing 'manors', KKK members, elopements, po' trash, lynchin's, less than virtuous Southern Belles, Baptist preachers . . . as Stribling won the Pulitzer prize for these books I presume they paint an accurate picture of the South during and after the Civil War. These Foolish Things by Deborah Moggach. I always enjoy D M's books. She is one of those writers who can cover a range of subjects/characters and always comes up with a good 'story'. This one is about a group of 'pensioners' who, unlikely as it may seem, decide to leave England and take up residence in a Home for Elderly people in India and how the quality of their new lives in such a outwardly poor country is changed, sometimes for the better. Full of interesting well-drawn characters. It might be a bit too English for US readers! Nobody's Child by the BBC correspondent Kate Adie. KA was adopted as a baby and this is an interesting look at the history of 'foundlings' in Western Society and the early attempts to deal with the problem in London (Coram's Foundling Hospital), Paris and later New York. The huge number of deaths of these children when in 'care' and later attempts at adoption and the hurdles placed by the various religious bodies are well recorded. Although the book is inclined to ramble here and there it would be a fascinating read for anyone who was adopted or maybe who's ancestors (up to WWII) were sent 'out West' from east Coast USA or to Australia from the UK. I am on the point of giving up on The Sea by John Banville. I suppose as it was the winner of the Booker Prize I should have known better than to start it. The author looks back on a childhood holiday at the Irish 'sea-side' and his relationship with a family visiting the area. I don't enjoy reading about school boy erotic fantasies especially over-written passages describing female smells and find I don't care what happened to him when young or his failed relationships as a middle-aged man. I shall look out for something more wholesome to read.

The Quilts of Gee's Bend - John Beardsley , William Arnett, Pauljane Arnett, Jane Livingston, Alvia Wardlaw (This was an amzing exhibit I saw recently.)