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BelEdit Book Reviews

Tag: classics

The greatest stories ever told: Victorian fiction

September 24, 2025 Nanni 5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Leave a comment

For many lovers of the novel, Victorian fiction represents the apogee of English literature and the noble art of storytelling.

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Portrait of the author J. S. Fletcher

J.S. Fletcher – Classic detective fiction influencer

September 23, 2025 Nanni 5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Leave a comment

Hailed as a leading writer of Golden Age crime fiction, J.S. Fletcher was, rather, a Victorian-style writer and detective fiction influencer

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Arbie Swift series

January 20, 2025 Nanni 4 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Leave a comment

by Faith Martin — Murder by Candlelight and The Last Word is Death are the first two novels in a delicious new series of cozy detective stories.

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The Red House Mystery

September 12, 2024 Nanni 4 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Leave a comment

by A.A. Milne — The Red House Mystery has it all; the country house, the witty dialogue, the tight plotting, superb writing, … Oh it’s a proper treat!

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Journal of the Plague Year

Journal of the Plague Year

December 23, 2020 Nanni 4 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Leave a comment

by Daniel Defoe — An intimate, readable, day-to-day account of life in London during the plague of 1665, remarkably similar to life during a pandemic today.

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The Forsyte Saga | John Galsworthy

The Forsyte Saga

November 27, 2020 Nanni 5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Leave a comment

by John Galsworthy — An incisive depiction of the decline of the Victorian era and the rise of the Modern era, and a gripping multi-generational family saga.

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Portrait of Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Mary Elizabeth Braddon – The Queen of Victorian sensation fiction

October 26, 2020 Nanni 5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Leave a comment

Best known for her sensationalist novels, Mary Elizabeth Braddon (née Maxwell) published more than 80 wonderful novels between1860 and 1910.

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The Thorn Birds

March 13, 2020 Nanni 4 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Leave a comment

by Colleen McCullough — Life on a big Australian farm in the early 20th century and an engaging love story. Readable and enjoyable.

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Penhallow Georgette Heyer

Penhallow

June 27, 2016 Nanni 3 ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Leave a comment

by Georgette Heyer — A dysfunctional family of mostly unlikeable people. When one of them is finally bumped off, everyone is a suspect.

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Short reviews: I didn't love these but you might

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About me

Hi, I'm Fiona, aka Nanni. Welcome to my book blog! My ambition is to share and promote the books I've loved and help readers discover great books to read. I cover a wide range of book genres, topics, styles and eras, with particular (but not exclusive) focus on novels written by and about women.

I also publish reviews on NetGalley, Goodreads, Amazon, Waterstones, etc.

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