Nicholas Shakespeare – författare

“A story as brooding and insular as the Tasmanian town in which it is set. . . . Expertly crafted, the novel illuminates love’s craggy depths.” —Publishers Weekly  Shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize   Torn by tragedy from his early life on a remote farm in Tasmania, Alex Dove has returned to the rugged island off Australia’s southern coast years later to start over. A chance encounter with quiet, alluring Merridy Bowman—a young woman caring for her ailing father and similarly haunted by a tangled and catastrophic history—results in marriage, as two damaged souls unite to build a home, family, and livelihood far removed from civilization’s bustle.   Soon they are drawn into the unpredictable dynamics of small-town island life—and into the destructive orbit of an unscrupulous real estate agent who maintains a secret hold over both Doves. But when a shipwreck off the shore thrusts a troubled, possibly criminal teenage castaway into their world, Alex and Merridy’s tenuously forged happiness is suddenly at grave risk, as they are forced to confront deeper questions about the true meaning of fulfillment.   “Gripping . . . exhilarating . . . cathartic.”—The Times   “Elegant and enjoyable.” —The Spectator   “A very good novel indeed.” —The Scotsman

When Nicholas Shakespeare stumbled across a box of documents belonging to his late aunt, Priscilla, he was completely unaware of where this discovery would take him and what he would learn about her hidden past. The glamorous, mysterious figure he remembered from his childhood was very different from the morally ambiguous young woman who emerged from the trove of love letters, photographs, and journals, surrounded by suitors and living the dangerous existence of a British woman in a country controlled by the enemy. He had heard rumors that Priscilla had fought in the Resistance, but the truth turned out to be far more complicated.

As he investigated his aunt's life, dark secrets emerged, and Nicholas discovered the answers to the questions over which he'd been puzzling: What caused the breakdown of Priscilla's marriage to a French aristocrat? Why had she been interned in a prisoner-of-war camp, and how had she escaped? And who was the "Otto" with whom she was having a relationship as Paris was liberated?

Piecing together fragments of one woman's remarkable and tragic life, Priscilla is at once a stunning story of detection, a loving portrait of a flawed woman trying to survive in terrible times, and a spellbinding slice of history.

The astonishing true story of a young woman''s adventures, and misadventures, in the dangerous world of Nazi-occupied France.''A most strange and compelling book driven by the writer''s unsparing search for truth: now an optimistic hunt for a family heroine, now a study in female wiles of survival, now a portrait of one very ordinary person''s frailty in the face of terrible odds.'' John le Carré When Nicholas Shakespeare stumbled across a box of documents belonging to his late aunt he was completely unaware of where this discovery would take him. The Priscilla he remembered was very different from the glamorous, morally ambiguous young woman who emerged from the many love letters and journals, surrounded by suitors and living the dangerous existence of a British woman in a country controlled by the enemy. He had heard rumours that Priscilla had fought in the Resistance, but the truth turned out to be far more complicated. As he investigated his aunt''s life, dark secrets emerged. Nicholas discovered the answer to the questions he''d been puzzling over: what caused the breakdown of Priscilla''s marriage to a French aristocrat? Why had she been interned in a prisoner-of-war camp and how had she escaped? And who was the ''Otto'' she was having a relationship with as Paris was liberated? Priscilla''s story shows us the precariousness of life in occupied France, when loyalties were compromised and life could change in an instant. It gives us an intimate insight into women''s lives in times of conflict and asks us to consider what we might do to survive in similar circumstances.

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Six Minutes in May by Nicholas Shakespeare, read by Peter Noble.London, May 1940. Britain is under threat of invasion and Neville Chamberlain’s government is about to fall. It is hard for us to imagine the Second World War without Winston Churchill taking the helm, but in Six Minutes in May Nicholas Shakespeare shows how easily events could have gone in a different direction.It took just six minutes for MPs to cast the votes that brought down Chamberlain. Shakespeare moves from Britain’s disastrous battle in Norway, for which many blamed Churchill, on to the dramatic developments in Westminster that led to Churchill becoming Prime Minister. Uncovering fascinating new research and delving into the key players’ backgrounds, Shakespeare gives us a new perspective on this critical moment in our history.*** Selected as a 2017 Book of the Year in the Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Observer and The Economist ***‘A gripping story of Churchill’s unlikely rise to power’ Observer‘Totally captivating. It will stand as the best account of those extraordinary few days for very many years’ Andrew Roberts