[HPforGrownups] "I Capture the Castle" and other things to read...

[heidi tandy]

No: HPFGUIDX 482

I have a copy of I Capture The Castle but haven't had time to read it 
so far - after all these positive comments, I think it's next on my  
list.
My recommendation is a combination of historical fiction and fantasy -
 it's called The Eight by Katherine Neville (no, not THAT Neville!). 
It's at 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345366239/o/qid=967560750/sr=8
-1/ref=aps_sr_b_1_3/002-4807228-4988832
It takes place in both the late 1700's/early 1800's AND 1972 - in the 
1972 portion, Catherine Velis is a computer expert with a flair for 
music, painting, and chess who, on her way to Algeria at the behest 
of the accounting firm where she is employed, is invited to take a 
mysterious moonlighting assignment: recover the pieces of an old 
chess set missing for centuries. The French Revolution portion 
involves a young nun who discovers that her abbey is the hiding place 
of a chess set, once owned by the great Charlemagne, which allows 
those who play it use it for alchemical purposes. She eventually 
comes into contact with the major historical figures of the day, from 
Robespierre to Napoleon, (with figures as diverse as Newton, Bach, 
Ben Franklin, Marat and Cassanova) - everyone an agenda! 
The book is great for anyone who enjoys chess, music, mystery, 
alchemy or the logic puzzle Snape concocted in Book 1. There's some 
sexy stuff in it, but I read it when I was a teenager, so I'll just 
say it's a book for the Over 14s.