Whitcoulls Recommends: The Unselected Journals of Emma M.Lion and Agrippa

The Unselected Journals of Emma M.Lion by Beth Brower. This is a series of journals published by a writer purporting to be a 20 year old woman, in 1883 London, writing about her family, her housing situation and the events of her days. They’re charming and whimsical and become quickly very moreish with two books in the series just published and many more apparently to follow. Emma’s father has left her his London house in his will but her cousin Archibald is entitled to live there until she comes of age and he’s not best pleased at her inheritance. The books have a touch of An Unfortunate Series of Events, along with Anne of Green Gables and the Victorian era of Georgette Heyer. Once you start it’s hard to stop.  Agrippa by Robert Harris – who is one of the finest contemporary writers, known also for his trilogy of Roman novels about Cicero. This new one is subtitled A Novel of Ancient Rome’s Descent into Dictatorship. Julius Caesar is dead, and the lives of two teenaged boys are about to be changed forever. One is Caesar's 17-year-old nephew, Octavius, whom he has made his heir; the other is Octavius's closest friend, Agrippa. Now aged 50, Agrippa presents this novel as his memoir remembering their eventful lives which were so intertwined, for better or worse, with fascinating history and insight.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.