I finally got my pre-publication copies of 'A Remembrance of Death' and opened the Amazon parcel like an expectant parent. I was not disappointed. I just want to thank everyone so much who gave up their time to help me along this path, and I am so proud of the novel that I have been able to publish.
Already I am getting fantastic feedback and my first editorial review came in from the Historical
Fiction Company, which I thought I would share.
Editorial Review: “A Remembrance of Death”
Author: Andrew G Tweeddale
“She spent most of the afternoon with her arm tucked through her fiancé’s as if they had been conjoined at birth and started nearly every conversation with the words, “When Peter is in the House of Commons” and ended them with, “Don’t you think he would make a wonderful prime minister?” “I’m so very pleased you were able to come,” she said to Basil. “I was just thinking the other day that we only ever met once or twice – at your mother’s New Year’s Eve ball and, of course, when I married Adrian.” Basil decided not to correct her that he had not been at the wedding, as he had been taking school examinations at the time. Peter Grayson, who was ten years older than Jane, looked indifferent when she mentioned her previous husband. He handed Basil a gin and tonic. “You know everyone here, I assume?” said Jane."
Basil Drewe studies to become an eminent barrister, in the aftermath of the loss of his brother Adrian. But that is only part of this intriguing and unexpected story. In “A Remembrance of Death”, Basil wends his way through life and society, engaged in conversation with his sister-in-law Jane and a myriad of other characters. Despite Andrew G Tweeddale’s novel being set a century ago all personalities are instantly identifiable and confirm that human nature does not change much! The conversations are realistic and will cause many a reminiscent smile or roll of the eye as readers identify similarities in their own social circle. Basil’s discussion with his brother Christian about living up to parental pressure will be familiar to siblings everywhere. But this novel is more than simply a vignette of social interactions. There is a deeper meaning, as each character and storyline reflects on death, or the death of love or of a dream, to greater or lesser degrees. The plot is both intricate and international. Much of the narrative is set in England, and centers around the building of Castle Drogo in Devon, although the characters have strong fictional elements, or are wholly fictional. The story also moves to India, Africa and Europe at various times, with references to the United States of America.
“Oxford was a city of lost souls and forsaken beliefs as the Great War endured into its fourth year. The spectres of the fallen were everywhere; in the college bars, cycling down the Banbury Road, and punting on the Isis. They blended into the grey stone buildings and their deafening silence rang out. In deference to the dead, the university authorities cancelled the inter-collegiate rowing regatta, the Head of the River, for the first time since it started just over a hundred years ago.”
Basil renews his acquaintance with the enigmatic Celia Lutyens, and their push-pull relationship becomes a focus of the novel. The depiction of this relationship is highly relatable as families and everyday pressures cause friction. The historical background of the times is also an integral part of the story. In the inter-war period, Celia becomes involved in the children’s care group Barnardo’s, and then, with World War Two looming, she becomes involved in helping Jewish child refugees. Later again she assists with UNICEF. Basil is embroiled in a successful legal career, but also in family concerns, with an ill-timed trip to Europe that makes him realize the extent of the refugee crisis. After the war, Basil becomes involved in the Nuremberg trials, confronting the horrors of the Nazi regime. Celia remains a complex character; the reader will long for both her and Basil to somehow find their way back to one another.
““I’ll tell you a secret,” continued Laxman. “All my Indian friends would have left me where we had dinner and cycled back to their halls. However, if an Englishman says he will walk beside you, then he will do exactly that, irrespective of how arduous the journey is. We Indians laugh at that, telling each other it is naivety, but really in our hearts, we admire that determination. It is perhaps why your country rules half the world and why my country is still ruled.”
“A Remembrance of Death” covers several decades of the world’s most tumultuous history and social change. Tweeddale’s balancing of a fragile family life with the world falling apart in the background is expertly done, and the reader will be thoroughly immersed in finding out whether either can heal. The novel has chapters set in several different countries and eras. These are well-written, but some readers may find it jarring to move from a narrative with a strong focus on both world wars to, for example, the spirituality of India or 1950s Kenya. “A Remembrance of Death” by Andrew G Tweeddale is an intriguing book to read, with a complex plot and complex characters, set in a complex world. The suggestion of a disturbing family secret will provoke considerable anxiety in the reader and a silent hope that it remains buried (truth is sometimes overrated!). The characters are not straightforward but they are certainly relatable and the author’s depiction of Basil’s marriage (and personality) is painfully realistic. At several points through the narrative this reviewer experienced considerable angst at the choices made, and found herself shaking her head either in commiseration or frustration. It’s been a while since a novel has created such emotion…a thought provoking, poignant, five star read.
*****
“A Remembrance of Death” by Andrew G Tweeddale receives 5 stars from The Historical Fiction Company
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