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A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo
by Walter LordThe #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Miracle of Dunkirk tells the story of the Texans who fought Santa Anna&’s troops at the Battle of the Alamo. Looking out over the walls of the whitewashed Alamo, sweltering in the intense sun of a February heat wave, Colonel William Travis knew his small garrison had little chance of holding back the Mexican army. Even after a call for reinforcements brought dozens of Texans determined to fight for their fledgling republic, the cause remained hopeless. Gunpowder was scarce, food was running out, and the compound was too large to easily defend with less than two hundred soldiers. Still, given the choice, only one man opted to surrender. The rest resolved to fight and die. After thirteen days, the Mexicans charged, and the Texans were slaughtered. In exquisite detail, Walter Lord recreates the fight to uphold the Texan flag. He sheds light not just on frontier celebrities like Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, but on the ordinary soldiers who died alongside them. Though the fight ended two centuries ago, the men of the Alamo will never be forgotten.
A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo
by Walter LordThe #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Miracle of Dunkirk tells the story of the Texans who fought Santa Anna&’s troops at the Battle of the Alamo. Looking out over the walls of the whitewashed Alamo, sweltering in the intense sun of a February heat wave, Colonel William Travis knew his small garrison had little chance of holding back the Mexican army. Even after a call for reinforcements brought dozens of Texans determined to fight for their fledgling republic, the cause remained hopeless. Gunpowder was scarce, food was running out, and the compound was too large to easily defend with less than two hundred soldiers. Still, given the choice, only one man opted to surrender. The rest resolved to fight and die. After thirteen days, the Mexicans charged, and the Texans were slaughtered. In exquisite detail, Walter Lord recreates the fight to uphold the Texan flag. He sheds light not just on frontier celebrities like Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, but on the ordinary soldiers who died alongside them. Though the fight ended two centuries ago, the men of the Alamo will never be forgotten.
A Toast to Tomorrow
by Adelaide Frances Oke Manning Cyril Henry ColesOUT OF THE VIOLENT, INTRIGUE-PACKED BERLIN—THE HOTBED OF SPIES AND COUNTERSPIES—INTO THE HEART OF EVERY LOVER OF AUTHENTIC SUSPENSE FICTION, COMES THIS MAGNIFICENT YARN ABOUT A MYSTERIOUS HIGH OFFICIAL WHO CHANGED SIDES AND CAUSED A WHIRLWIND LOVE AFFAIR…YOU’LL MEET: Dashing Tommy Hambledon—British Intelligence fears he is dead: Nazi officials are trying to make it a fact.YOU’LL MEET: rugged Charles Denton, agent extraordinary, who can handle a love affair and serve his country with equal zest.YOU’LL MEET: luscious Elizabeth Weber, who saves a man’s life, has a tense moment in a tenor’s bedroom, and trips her way into the heart of one of England’s leading spies.YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO PUT DOWN THIS FANTASTIC THRILLER—not for one minute, not until you’ve reveled in every single heart-pounding page!
A Touch of Magic
by Betty CavannaIt’s strange that Hannah Trent and Nancy Shippen should be such friends—Hannah, the quiet Quaker, daughter of the Shippens’ seamstress, dreamer of dreams made of homespun; Nancy, landed gentry, child of caprice and privilege, a reigning beauty in damask and lace. And how differently too they are touched by what is happening in Philadelphia, by the commotion in all the Colonies set off at the signing of a paper on a fourth day of July!For Nancy, as for her glamorous older cousin Peggy Shippen, the Revolution means beautiful clothes, gay parties, dashing young officers whose hardest battles are those in pursuit of imperious little hands. To the belles, the protected darlings of the great families, the Revolution means the most brilliant social life the staid old Quaker town has seen.A life, Hannah discovers, in bitter contrast to the privations of more humble citizens, to the sick and wounded in Carpenter’s Mansion, to the livid fear of patriots deserting the city, to the fever-bright eyes of the ragged Rebels at Valley Forge.For one whole morning at Valley Forge Hannah dares to hope that when the war is on Mark Allen will think of her as someone more than the girl who lives next door, back home in Elfreth’s Alley. Mark is a spy for General Washington and uses Hannah to help him get information about activities of the British.When the war is over, happiness for the Shippen girls is ended too, as history of course records.Peggy, brightest of the bright butterflies whose every breath seemed to Hannah drawn in magic, is the wife of the traitorous Arnold, and Nancy, once so eager for love, is married to a man of wealth she loathes.Hannah’s own fate is this book’s secret alone, a story of adventure and romance that every girl will find as magical in turn as only the Cavanna touch can make it.
A Tour of the Arnhem Battlefields: 17-26 September 1944
by John WaddyAlthough the Battle of Arnhem was fought over sixty years ago. It still evokes such interest that it would seem to rank with the great victories of Agincourt, Trafalgar, Waterloo and the Battle of Britain, all of which proved to be turning points in the history of our nation. Arnhem was not a victory, but its outcome may have had results equally vital to the more recent history of the world. To many people the Battle of Arnhem was the Battle of Arnhem Bridge, which has now passed into history as "The Bridge Too Far". This is understandable, for the bridge was the main objective of the 1st British Airborne Division. The north end was captured and held for three days, thus denying its use to the Germans, which proved crucial to the success gained by the rest of Operation Market Garden. As a battle guide this book leaves nothing out, illustrated with maps and photographs, the author takes the reader through the battle with extensive use of first hand accounts.
A Tour of the Bulge Battlefields (Battleground Special)
by Karl Cavanagh William C. CavanaghA fascinating photographic trip through the site of the last great battle of World War II. Most Americans are patriotic, their interest in World War Two having been stimulated by such movies as Saving Private Ryan. Hundreds of thousands are the descendants of men who saw service in the Battle of the Bulge. This battle still holds the record for the highest number of American troops engaged in any single pitched battle in the history of the United States Army. Americans of the postwar generations are taking an interest in what their fathers and grandfathers did during the war. Those whose relatives served in the Ardennes often visit Belgium and Luxembourg in an attempt to learn more about those now legendary days of World War Two. This guidebook serves as a memorial to those who served. It will enable those who didn&’t to learn something about the hardship endured by a previous generation in the name of freedom.
A Town Built to Build Ships: The History of Pembroke Dock (Through Time Ser.)
by Phil CarradiceThe story of Pembroke Dock is one of triumph and disaster, of hope and terrible failure. Nearly three hundred ships were built in the yards, including some of the most powerful ships in Queen Victoria’s navy – as well as four famous Royal Yachts. Then in 1926, the dockyard was suddenly closed, leaving the town without reason for existence. What followed was a brutal battle for survival.The history of Pembroke Dock is a fascinating social study, taking a community from its raw beginnings to full and accepted standing in the world. It makes compulsive reading for anyone who has an interest in history.Accent Press was founded in Pembroke Dock in 2003. Our first quayside offices overlooked the Gun Tower in the dock which is known as one of Palmerston’s Follies.
A Tragedy of Democracy: Japanese Confinement in North America
by Greg RobinsonThe confinement of some 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, often called the Japanese American internment, has been described as the worst official civil rights violation of modern U. S. history. Greg Robinson not only offers a bold new understanding of these events but also studies them within a larger time frame and from a transnational perspective. Drawing on newly discovered material, Robinson provides a backstory of confinement that reveals for the first time the extent of the American government's surveillance of Japanese communities in the years leading up to war and the construction of what officials termed "concentration camps" for enemy aliens. He also considers the aftermath of confinement, including the place of Japanese Americans in postwar civil rights struggles, the long movement by former camp inmates for redress, and the continuing role of the camps as touchstones for nationwide commemoration and debate. Most remarkably, A Tragedy of Democracy is the first book to analyze official policy toward West Coast Japanese Americans within a North American context. Robinson studies confinement on the mainland alongside events in wartime Hawaii, where fears of Japanese Americans justified Army dictatorship, suspension of the Constitution, and the imposition of military tribunals. He similarly reads the treatment of Japanese Americans against Canada's confinement of 22,000 citizens and residents of Japanese ancestry from British Columbia. A Tragedy of Democracy recounts the expulsion of almost 5,000 Japanese from Mexico's Pacific Coast and the poignant story of the Japanese Latin Americans who were kidnapped from their homes and interned in the United States. Approaching Japanese confinement as a continental and international phenomenon, Robinson offers a truly kaleidoscopic understanding of its genesis and outcomes. The confinement of some 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, often called the Japanese American internment, has been described as the worst official civil rights violation of modern U. S. history. Greg Robinson not only offers a bold new understanding of these events but also studies them within a larger time frame and from a transnational perspective. Drawing on newly discovered material, Robinson provides a backstory of confinement that reveals for the first time the extent of the American government's surveillance of Japanese communities in the years leading up to war and the construction of what officials termed "concentration camps" for enemy aliens. He also considers the aftermath of confinement, including the place of Japanese Americans in postwar civil rights struggles, the long movement by former camp inmates for redress, and the continuing role of the camps as touchstones for nationwide commemoration and debate. Most remarkably, A Tragedy of Democracy is the first book to analyze official policy toward West Coast Japanese Americans within a North American context. Robinson studies confinement on the mainland alongside events in wartime Hawaii, where fears of Japanese Americans justified Army dictatorship, suspension of the Constitution, and the imposition of military tribunals. He similarly reads the treatment of Japanese Americans against Canada's confinement of 22,000 citizens and residents of Japanese ancestry from British Columbia. A Tragedy of Democracy recounts the expulsion of almost 5,000 Japanese from Mexico's Pacific Coast and the poignant story of the Japanese Latin Americans who were kidnapped from their homes and interned in the United States. Approaching Japanese confinement as a continental and international phenomenon, Robinson offers a truly kaleidoscopic understanding of its genesis and outcomes.
A Traitor Among Us
by Elizabeth Van SteenwykIn occupied Holland in 1944, thirteen-year-old Pieter becomes increasingly involved in the work of the Dutch Resistance even though he knows the risk of being discovered by the Nazi informer who lives in his village.
A Traitor in Whitehall: A Mystery (Evelyne Redfern #1)
by Julia KellyFrom Julia Kelly, internationally bestselling author of The Last Dance of the Debutante, comes the first in the mysterious and immersive Evelyne Redfern series, A Traitor in Whitehall."Kelly spins an Agatha Christie-esque mystery . . . thoroughly delightful and well-researched."—Susan Elia MacNeal1940, England: Evelyne Redfern, known as “The Parisian Orphan” as a child, is working on the line at a munitions factory in wartime London. When Mr. Fletcher, one of her father’s old friends, spots Evelyne on a night out, Evelyne finds herself plunged into the world of Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s cabinet war rooms.However, shortly after she settles into her new role as a secretary, one of the girls at work is murdered, and Evelyne must use all of her amateur sleuthing expertise to find the killer. But doing so puts her right in the path of David Poole, a cagey minister’s aide who seems determined to thwart her investigations. That is, until Evelyne finds out David’s real mission is to root out a mole selling government secrets to Britain’s enemies, and the pair begrudgingly team up.With her quick wit, sharp eyes, and determination, will Evelyne be able to find out who’s been selling England’s secrets and catch a killer, all while battling her growing attraction to David?
A Traitor's Touch: Unwed And Unrepentant Return Of The Prodigal Gilvry A Traitor's Touch
by Helen DicksonAWAKENING A FORBIDDEN DESIRE After a lifetime spent hating the cause, loving a Jacobite is out of the question for Henrietta Brody. But with Scotland ready for battle, her only chance for survival is to journey with her enemy, the dangerously handsome Lord Simon Tremain. His protection awakens a forbidden desire in Henrietta. But torn between her past and her future, the Jacobite and the man, reason and passion, she must fight to resist this traitor's touch. "A fun, entertaining read." -RT Book Reviews on Beauty in Breeches
A Transformation Gap?
by Theo Farrell Terriff Terry Osinga FransThis study, edited by Terriff (American security policy, U. of Calgary, Canada), Osinga (war studies, Royal Netherlands Military Academy) and Farrell (war studies, King's College London, UK), examines the extent to which there are gaps in the military transformation being led by the United States between various European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Case studies are presented for Britain, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Poland. The case studies follow a common analytical framework that breaks transformation down into network-enablement, effects based operations, and expeditionary warfare and, for each of these, in terms of their respective technological, doctrinal, and organizational elements. These elements are further considered in light of the scholarly literature on military innovation, norm diffusion, and alliance theory. Stanford Security Studies is an imprint of Stanford University Press. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)
A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages: The World Through Medieval Eyes
by Anthony BaleA captivating journey of the expansive world of medieval travel, from London to Constantinople to the court of China and beyond. Europeans of the Middle Ages were the first to use travel guides to orient their wanderings, as they moved through a world punctuated with miraculous wonders and beguiling encounters. In this vivid and alluring history, medievalist Anthony Bale invites readers on an odyssey across the medieval world, recounting the advice that circulated among those venturing to the road for pilgrimage, trade, diplomacy, and war. Journeying alongside scholars, spies, and saints, from Western Europe to the Far East, the Antipodes and the ends of the earth, Bale provides indispensable information on the exchange rate between Bohemian ducats and Venetian groats, medieval cures for seasickness, and how to avoid extortionist tour guides and singing sirens. He takes us from the streets of Rome, more ruin than tourist spot, and tours of the Khan’s court in Beijing to Mamluk-controlled Jerusalem, where we ride asses across the holy terrain, and bustling bazaars of Tabriz. We also learn of rumored fantastical places, like ones where lambs grow on trees and giant canes grow fruit made of gems. And we are offered a glimpse of what non-European travelers thought of the West on their own travels. Using previously untranslated contemporaneous documents from a colorful range of travelers, and from as far and wide as Turkey, Iceland, North Africa, and Russia, A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages is a witty and unforgettable exploration of how Europeans understood—and often misunderstood—the larger world.
A Traveller in War-Time: With An Essay On The American Contribution And The Democratic Idea (The World At War)
by Winston ChurchillA Traveller in War-Time is a non-fiction book by American author Winston Churchill recounting his travels in Europe during World War I. Released in July 1918 with the full title A Traveller in War-time with an Essay on the American Contribution and the Democratic Idea, the essay comprises about half of the book. It was Churchill's first non-fiction book.(Excerpt from Wikipedia)
A Trenchard Brat at War: Stirling, Lancaster and Stalag IVB
by Stuart Burbridge Thomas LancashireThis is the story of Thomas Lancashire who joined the RAF in 1936 and became one of the famous 'Trenchard Brats' at RAF Halton to be educated and learn the trade of fitter. He was first posted to 7 Squadron in 1939, at that time flying Whitley bombers but decided to advance himself to become a flight engineer on the new Stirling heavy bomber. He was posted to 15 Squadron at Wyton and completed a full tour that included the famous Lbeck raid, the Thousand Bomber assault on Cologne and the follow up on Essen during which he was almost shot down over Antwerp. In July 1942 he was rested and became an instructor until being posted to 97 Squadron flying Lancasters. On his ninth raid of this tour, 11 August 1943, the aircraft was attacked by a night fighter over Belgium but he successfully baled out and was eventually picked up by the Resistance and handed to an escape line.Eventually the group of evaders was betrayed by a German agent and placed in captivity, ending up in Stalag Luft IV at Mhlberg. During this time he escaped but was eventually recaptured and he was forced to share the growing despair and hardships in late 1944, enduring overcrowding, hunger and cold, until the Russian Army liberated the camp and he was airlifted back to the UK.His post-war career took him to Canada where he was employed on the Avro Arrow project until it was abandoned and he was forced to seek work in the USA. He worked with Boeing until his retirement .
A Triumph of Souls
by Alan Dean FosterEtjole Ehomba and his companions brave the Kraken haunted waters of the impassable Semordria. Then they must cross yet another continent in their search for the kidnapped Visioness - past berserk giants, skeleton armies, a desert prospected by Hell's demon and at the end of the world waits Hymneth the Possessed: the sadistic necromancer of unspeakable horror. But Ehomba already knows the prophecy: His quest is doomed to failure, and Hymneth will kill him. Unless somehow, the simple herdsman can ask the questions that even Death must answer...
A Troubled Peace
by L. M. ElliottMarch 1945 World War II may be ending, but for nineteen-year-old pilot Henry Forester the conflict still rages. Shot down behind enemy lines in France, Henry endured a dangerous trek to freedom, relying on the heroism of civilians and Resistance fighters to stay alive. But back home in Virginia, Henry is still reliving air battles with Hitler's Luftwaffe and his torture by the Gestapo. Mostly, Henry can't stop worrying about the safety of those who helped him escape--especially one French boy, Pierre, who, because of Henry, may have lost everything. When Henry returns to France to find Pierre, he is stunned by the brutal after-math of combat: starvation, cities shattered by Allied bombing, and the shocking return of concentration camp survivors. Amid the rubble of war, Henry must begin a daring search for a lost boy--plus a fight to regain his own internal peace and the trust of the girl he loves. L. M. Elliott's sequel to Under a War-Torn Sky is an astonishing account of surviving the fallout from war.
A Troubled Peace: U.S. Policy and the Two Koreas
by Chae-Jin LeeIn A Troubled Peace, Professor Chae-Jin Lee reviews the vicissitudes of U.S. policy toward South and North Korea since 1948 when rival regimes were installed on the Korean peninsula. He explains the continuously changing nature of U.S.-Korea relations by discussing the goals the United States has sought for Korea, the ways in which these goals have been articulated, and the methods used to implement them. Using a careful analysis of declassified diplomatic documents, primary materials in English, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, and extensive interviews with American and Korean officials, Lee draws attention to a number of factors that have affected U.S. policy: the functions of U.S. security policy in Korea, the role of the United States in South Korea's political democratization, President Clinton's policy of constructive engagement toward North Korea, President Bush's hegemonic policy toward North Korea, and the hexagonal linkages among the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and the two Koreas.Drawing on concepts of containment, deterrence, engagement, preemption, and appeasement, Lee's balanced and thoughtful approach reveals the frustrations of all players in their attempts to arrive at a modicum of coexistence. His objective, comprehensive, and definitive study reveals a dynamic—and incredibly complex—series of relationships underpinning a troubled and tenuous peace.
A True Account Of The Battle Of Jutland, May 31, 1916
by Captain Thomas Frothingham U.S.N.R.As the battle of Jutland was the only major naval engagement of the First World War, both of the belligerent powers have made claim to the plaudits for winning the battle. The experts and officers of the Royal Navy have argued back and forth with their opponents on the German side. It is refreshing that the battle is described in an unbiased book by a naval officer who is free from the nationalism commonly found. This was the purpose behind this volume by the American naval captain Thomas Frothingham, who writes in his preface that due to the mass of contradicting documents that "the Battle of Jutland has become one of the most misunderstood actions in history". He sets out the action in clear and concise terms, aided by a number of maps, to show the actual manoeuvres and clashes between the Royal Navy and the German High Seas Fleet.
A True Account: A Radio 2 Book Club Pick for Autumn 2023!
by Katherine HoweFrom New York Times-bestselling author Katherine Howe comes this daring account of one woman's adventure as one of the most feared sea rovers of all time, perfect for fans of Kate Mosse and Jess Kidd 'An absolute page turner, full of unexpected twists and turns.' Celia Rees, author of Pirates! In Boston, as the Golden Age of Piracy comes to a bloody close, Hannah Masury – bound into service at a waterfront inn since childhood – is ready to take her life into her own hands. When William Fly is hanged for piracy in the town square, the teenage Hannah is watching. Forced to flee for her life, Hannah disguises herself as a cabin boy and joins the pitiless crew of another notorious real-life pirate, Edward "Ned" Low. To earn her freedom and finally change the tide of her own future, Hannah must hunt down William Fly's lost treasure. Meanwhile in 1930, Professor Marian Beresford pieces this bewitching story together, seeing her own lack of freedom reflected back at her as she watches Hannah's transformation. At the centre of Hannah Masury&’s account, however, lies a centuries-old mystery that Marian is determined to solve. It soon becomes clear that Hannah was once just as determined to take this secret to her grave.A True Account tells the unforgettable, interleaved stories of two women in different worlds, both shattering the rules of their own society, both daring to risk everything to go forge their own adventure. 'A feast for the sea-loving senses.' - Sarah Penner, author of The Lost Apothecary
A Trust Betrayed: The Untold Story of Camp Lejeune and the Poisoning of Generations of Marines and Their Families (A Merloyd Lawrence Book)
by Mike MagnerWhile the big bad corporation has often been the offender in many of the world's greatest environmental disasters, in the case of the mass poisoning at Camp Lejeune the culprit is a revered institution: the US Marine Corps. For two decades now, revelations have steadily emerged about pervasive contamination, associated clusters of illness and death among the Marine families stationed there, and military stonewalling and failure to act. Mike Magner's chilling investigation creates a suspenseful narrative from the individual stories, scientific evidence, and smoldering sense of betrayal among those whose motto is undying fidelity. He also raises far-reaching and ominous questions about widespread contamination on US military bases worldwide.
A Truth To Lie For (Elena Standish Book 4)
by Anne PerryThe fourth novel in Anne Perry's breathtakingly tense and exciting spy thriller series, featuring young British photographer and secret agent Elena Standish, who will need every ounce of her strength and ingenuity to survive what lies ahead...It is the summer of 1934 when MI6 receives intelligence that two German scientists have made a breakthrough in germ warfare. British agent Elena Standish must return to Berlin to prevent unimaginable horror and, with the help of her trusted friend, Jacob Ritter, embark upon a mission fraught with fear and uncertainty. Meanwhile, her grandfather's old adversary Johann Paulus has risen to power as an adviser to Hitler. By his side is his loyal supporter Hans Beckendorff, who is married to Elena's childhood friend. But when Hans witnesses the bloodshed and atrocities of the Night of the Long Knives, he is torn between ambition and the realisation that he must protect his family from harm.
A Truth To Lie For (Elena Standish Book 4)
by Anne PerryThe fourth novel in Anne Perry's breathtakingly tense and exciting spy thriller series, featuring young British photographer and secret agent Elena Standish, who will need every ounce of her strength and ingenuity to survive what lies ahead...It is the summer of 1934 when MI6 receives intelligence that two German scientists have made a breakthrough in germ warfare. British agent Elena Standish must return to Berlin to prevent unimaginable horror and, with the help of her trusted friend, Jacob Ritter, embark upon a mission fraught with fear and uncertainty. Meanwhile, her grandfather's old adversary Johann Paulus has risen to power as an adviser to Hitler. By his side is his loyal supporter Hans Beckendorff, who is married to Elena's childhood friend. But when Hans witnesses the bloodshed and atrocities of the Night of the Long Knives, he is torn between ambition and the realisation that he must protect his family from harm.(P) 2022 Headline Publishing Group Ltd
A Truth to Lie For: An Elena Standish Novel (Elena Standish #4)
by Anne PerryA lethal new weapon endangers all of Europe—unless Elena Standish can rescue an ingenious scientist from Hitler&’s clutches—in this action-packed suspense novel by bestselling author Anne Perry.&“Unbearably suspenseful . . . pushes the envelope and succeeds on nearly every level.&”—BookreporterIt is the summer of 1934, and Hitler is nearing the summit of supreme power in Germany. When Britain&’s MI6 gets word that a German scientist has made a key breakthrough in germ warfare, they send Elena Standish on a dangerous mission to get him out of Germany before he&’s forced to share his knowledge and its destructive power with Hitler&’s elite.But the British soon learn that the new head of Germany&’s germ warfare division is an old enemy of Elena's grandfather Lucas, the former head of MI6. And he&’s bent on using any means to avenge his defeat at Lucas&’s hands twenty years before.What starts as an effort to save Europe from the devastation of disease becomes an intensely personal fight. As Elena and the scientist make their way across Germany, they confront not only the Gestapo but also a group of unpredictable Nazi supporters. With Elena&’s every decision challenged, this compelling thriller takes a searing look at what it means to make the right choices in a world rife with so much evil.
A Tuscan Childhood
by Kinta Beevor'Wonderful ... I fell immediately into her world' Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan SunKinta Beevor was five years old when she fell in love with her parents' castle facing the Carrara mountains. She and her brother ran barefoot, exploring an enchanted world. They searched for wild mushrooms in the hills with Fiore the stonemason, and learned how to tickle trout. The freedom and beauty of life at the castle attracted poets, writers and painters, including D.H. Lawrence and Rex Whistler. The other side to Kinta's childhood was very different, for it was spent with her formidable great aunt, Janet Ross, in a grand villa outside Florence. But soon the old way of life and Kinta's idyllic world were threatened by war.Nostalgic, yet unsentimental and funny, A Tuscan Childhood is a book which transports the reader to bohemian, aristocratic Italy and the sound of bells from a distant campanile.