Books by Elizabeth Bowen
“It’s such a great book, a noir-ish masterpiece of intrigue and atmosphere. Everyone in the book is such a complex and alluring character. It’s set during the tail end of the Blitz. It starts at the end of 1942, and Elizabeth Bowen started writing it in 1944, so it was written very close to the events that she’s describing in the novel. She hasn’t had the t distance of time. We also know that a lot of it overlapped with Elizabeth Bowen’s own life—the main characters Stella and Robert are the same age as Bowen and her lover. Stella’s home is clearly Elizabeth Bowen’s house in Regent Park. It’s a great novel on its own, but it’s also a kind of eyewitness account of the war.” Read more...
Lori Inglis Hall, Novelist
Interviews where books by Elizabeth Bowen were recommended
Books by Irish Authors
Home to the Blarney Stone — said to bestow “the gift of the gab” — and with a long tradition of valuing bards and wandering storytellers, it is no surprise that Ireland has produced some of the most recognised names in the English language canon. Considering the small population, Irish authors continue to punch well above their weight in publishing. Here we bring you a selection of Irish authors that have been recommended on Five Books by experts, from bestselling and award-winning contemporary writers to both famous and less well-known classic authors.
The Best World War II Novels, recommended by Lori Inglis Hall
World War II forced people of many nationalities into extraordinary circumstances, says Lori Inglis Hall—who works in the archives of WW2 photographer Lee Miller and whose new novel follows twins forced apart by conflict. Here, she recommends five of the best novels set during World War II, both historical fiction and novels written immediately after or during the war by eyewitnesses.
