11 July 2004

What Barbara Taylor Bradford has by her bed

I am a big fan of Bernard Cornwell's novels, and I have just finished Heretic (HarperCollins), the third in his Grail Quest series. Not only was the story fascinating but I also learnt a lot about British history--with Cornwell, it is the diligence of his research that gives his books their authenticity. I can't wait for his next, which will be about the Vikings. I have now moved on to Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens by Jane Dunn (Harper Perennial). I am a huge admirer of Elizabeth I, and this intriguing biography gives a wonderful picture of the era and of the relationship between the two women. Just after Ronald Reagan died, I started The Reagans: Portrait of a Marriage by Anne Edwards (St Martin's Press), because I wanted to know more about the couple. It is completely engrossing and I find I'm reading it like a novel. It tells me so much about their extraordinary marriage and also shows just how misinformed the public were about Nancy, who comes over quite differently in Edwards's version.

Barbara Taylor Bradford's new novel, Unexpected Blessings, is published this month by HarperCollins

(C) Times Newspapers Ltd, 2004

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