Wonderful book I must recommend to you

[Clary]

Quite unexpected too.

It?s called This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson.

It?s my book group book and I sighed when I saw it, it?s huge and looked like a real ?boy? book ? it?s about the voyage of the Beagle by Fitzroy and Darwin (I knew almost nothing about this).

But actually it?s excellent, I am racing through it and really enjoying it. There are a lot of characters to take in and some of the conversations are done with an eye to what is later discovered (lots of debates about Noah?s flood etc) and thus seem a bit unlikely, like people in the 1950s discussing how there will never be very small computers, but overall I am loving it.

Sadly the author died just after writing this, his only novel. It?s a wonderful achievement though.

[Clary]

Anyone else read it?

[LadyG]

Sounds good! Just the sort of thing DH would love. May buy it for him and then pinch it .

[Clary]

Ah yes now it is a boy book. I only like girl books.

That's how you know it must be good .

[hocuspontas]

I loved it. And always recommend it to others. I feel differently about Darwin now though - I will always think of him as a baddie!

[JeffVadar]

Yes, and I absolutely loved it too, so did DH. I felt so sorry for Fitzroy the way he was treated at the end.

[janeite]

It's fab. I recommend it to everybody but so far only one person has taken me up on it: she loved it too. Others have been put off by its size and say it looks too 'weighty' in terms of content - fools!

[Overmydeadbody]

[Orangesarenottheonlyfruit]

ooh it's brilliant isn't it? I read this a while back and felt like a smug expert on all things Darwinian around the anniversary celebrations. Also quite obsessed with sun
spots...

[mimsum]

yes, it's brilliant and I even went to find Fitzroy's grave after reading it (he's buried quite near us so that's not quite as obssessive as it sounds!)

[Isobel1234]

I'm a big fan of historical fiction books, and this was a great read. Thompson has written a well researched, knowledgeable and entertaining novel here, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone.

Isobel
Books Quarterly

[wendyhappysmile]

It's brilliant! I don't get this 'boy' and 'girl' book thing; but then, I just read anything at all!

[TheGoddessBlossom]

Do you think it would be good for well read Dads? Mine is 63, and I am always looking out for what to buy him for Christmas...aren't men impossible to buy for? Women are so easy!