Isabel Colegate Livres

"Orlando King is a trilogy about a beautiful young man, raised in a remote and eccentric wilderness, arriving in 1930s London and setting the world of politics ablaze. In a time of bread riots and hunger marches, with the spectre of Fascism casting an ever lengthening shadow over Europe, Orlando glidingly cuts a swathe through the thickets of business, the corridors of politics, the pleasure gardens of the Cliveden set, acquiring wealth, adulation, a beautiful wife, and a seat in Parliament. But the advent of war brings with it Orlando's downfall; and his daughter Agatha, cloistered with him in his banishment, is left to pick through the rubble of his smoking, ruined legacy. Elegant and muscular, powerful and razor-sharp, Orlando King is a bildungsroman, Greek tragedy and political saga all in one; a glittering exorcism of the inter-war generation's demons to rival the work of Evelyn Waugh and Muriel Spark."--Provided by publisher

'Just the right mixture of doomed fun, melancholy and faintly lascivious despair' Observer 'I am afraid I have something to tell you. It is that we are all about to be destroyed.' 1914. The old standards are going. There is bitterness in politics, talk of civil war in Ireland. But all this means little to Cynthia Weston, attractive wife of cabinet member Aylmer Weston, and her nephew by marriage Philip. They are caught up in the charmed, perilous toils of a mutual passion that will destroy all they hold most dear - while the shadow of war lengthens and darkens, ready to swallow their world whole. A captivating portrait of a lost world, Statues in a Garden is a rediscovered masterpiece by one of the most important and neglected British female writers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

It is 1913 - just prior to England's entry into World War I - and Edwardian England is about to vanish into history. A group of men and women gather at Sir Randolph Nettleby's estate for a shooting party. Opulent, adulterous, moving through the rituals of eating and slaughter, they are obtuse and decorative finale of an era.

Anthony Lane is dead, a casualty of the Korean War, and at home in England he is praised a hero. But Baldwin Reeves, who served with him, knows the truth: Lane, a traitor and a coward, was executed ignominiously by his own men. Envious of the wealth and social position Lane possessed, Reeves decides to put his knowledge to good use by blackmailing his widow Judith. Anxious to prevent a scandal and protect Lane's elderly mother from the disclosure of his disgrace, Judith seems to be wholly into Reeves's power. But when the blackmailer finds himself falling in love with his victim, the balance of power shifts, and the stage is set for an ironic and surprising conclusion. Darkly humorous, with a wonderfully offbeat cast of characters and featuring the distinguished style for which she is known, The Blackmailer (1958) was the first novel by Isabel Colegate, author of the modern classic The Shooting Party. This edition, the first in 30 years, includes a new foreword by the author.

Set against the backdrop of a rural English farm, the story explores the complex relationship between Alfred Ashby, a celebrated photographer in his fifties, and his determined sister, Edith. As they navigate their past sorrows and mistakes during a winter visit, they confront their differing views on life and family. The narrative delves into themes of aging, forgiveness, and the hope for reconciliation, all while blending humor and a poignant reflection on their intertwined lives. Isabel Colegate crafts a compelling tale of personal growth and familial bonds.