Michael McGirr

James Cowan has a gift for writing about shadowy figures. His previous book, Francis: A Saint’s Way (which I reviewed in ABR, August 2001), probed the many myths that have gathered over the centuries around the figure of Francis of Assisi. It returned to the relatively small number of facts that are known about Francis, and worked with them to distil something of the essence of a character who h ... (read more)

On his sixteenth birthday, Peter Hithersay discovers that his father is not his father. His mother’s husband, Rodney, has wanted to dispel this misunderstanding for a long time, but it has taken years for Henrietta to say what has needed to be said. In 1960 Henrietta was sent as a substitute to compete in a Bach festival in Leipzig, one of the most musical cities in the world. Bach lived there ... (read more)