George Hamilton

George Hamilton has a very readable style and like many a good indie writer, he isn't tied down to a single genre. I always find his work thought-provoking.

The Disease

Amazon.com The Disease

My review -

This tells the story of Ludmilla, a doctor is an Eastern Bloc country and her dissident student daughter, Olga. Ludmilla is working hard to treat and inoculate people who are suffering from a worldwide plague. Her countrymen have discovered a cure but can't produce it in sufficient quantities. Perhaps a western country could do so? Olga and her student friends are determined to steal some to hand over to the West. This is a severe test of Ludmilla's loyalties. There is more to the drug than meets the eye, though, and this causes her more problems.

The story is gripping and exciting, challenging the reader's beliefs about the well-being of family versus the greater good. I felt drawn into the characters' dilemmas as the plot writhed its way to the end via several twists. I also felt that the title could convey another meaning. The dis-ease or discomfort experienced by someone wanting to do the right thing but finding that she has been lied to and the foundations of her belief and trust in her government have been shaken. A great story, well told.

George Hamilton

This is a story based in the history of the Indies and their sugar plantations. Gripping and thought-provoking, it's a great read.

Road to Rebellion

Amazon.com Road to Rebellion

My review - 

Charles Morley runs the Morley Estate sugar plantation in the West Indies. His father, now largely retired, wants him to marry but he's only interested in one of the slave girls. She doesn't feel the same about him. He's taken to London to find a wife but prefers the mulatto girl. He marries a woman who owns a rival plantation and both bear him sons. The story includes much of the history of the Indies and the shameful way a treaty between the British crown and the Maroons was broken.

It's full of action, excitingly told and the birth of the babies is particularly memorable and significant in the story. There was a lot of history in the text but it was necessary to the story and I didn’t find it intrusive. I began by like Dianna’s character very much then being turned off her by her attitudes, though I suspect they were common at that time. I also found my view of who was a weak and who was a strong character shifted as I went through the story. I was engaged by it all the way through and can really recommend it.

George Hamilton

This is the first of George's books I've read but I doubt it will be the last!  It's a classic of its genre and will stay with you if you read it.

Secrets from the Dust

Amazon.com Secrets from the Dust

My review - 

This is the stunning story of Margaret, a mixed race Australian Aboriginal girl, who is captured from her family.  She is brought up initially in a school which trains girls in domestic service but is eventually placed with an adoptive white family who have baggage of their own.  It’s a sensitive telling of a shocking tale, which respects the native Australians and their beliefs.  Margaret chooses to be baptised, seeing it as a way to marry a white person and improve her own children’s lot in life.  We see her gradually change her views and try to emulate those who are successful in society.  The change is a sad one, as she cannot be accepted, society’s views being as they are. 

This is a beautifully written, suspenseful novel and it shocked me in the same way the The Help did.  It reminded me that people of differing race and culture had treated one another this way in my own lifetime.  No doubt in places people still feel like this but thankfully it isn’t considered acceptable by most of us now.  I heartily recommend this novel.  It’s a brilliant read!