Swingate is a page turning, cannot put down, exceptionally well written, informative and compelling historical novel. In the tradition of such literary giants as Herman Wouk, Leon Uris and James Michener, Dennis Carstens has authored an exceptional, marvelously well written and historically accurate novel of the time when Britain stood alone against the Nazis in WWII. Swingate is an accurate and graphic historical novel. One that will equally appeal to all readers of history and quality novels.
The book is a fictional account of life of two main characters. One is an American man and the other is a British woman. Jeffrey Bartlett is a mostly dilettante New Yorker from a rich Gold Coast family. And a bit of a ladies-man playboy. He is also a very good reporter for a fictional New York newspaper, The Gazette.
In April of 1940, a few weeks before Hitler's armies attack the British and French, Jeff is sent to London to report on the war. Shortly after arriving, he is stabbed straight through the heart when he gets look at a woman in Parliament. He is there for the debate that will make Winston Churchill the Prime Minister. Jeff sees, meets and falls head over heels for a British woman, Catherine Hartley, a reporter for the BBC. This is their story and the story of their lives and the trials they, and the people of England, faced to save humanity.
Jeff and Catherine are fictional characters. Theirs story is set in London during Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and the first phase of the London bombing known as the Blitz. The main historical events and the main historical figures are real. Many, not all, of the wartime occurrences took place as written. The significant dates, times, places and historical figures are real. The serious student of history will be able to tell which are real and which are for effect to give the reader a sense of what the people of London lived through.
The book is a fictional account of life of two main characters. One is an American man and the other is a British woman. Jeffrey Bartlett is a mostly dilettante New Yorker from a rich Gold Coast family. And a bit of a ladies-man playboy. He is also a very good reporter for a fictional New York newspaper, The Gazette.
In April of 1940, a few weeks before Hitler's armies attack the British and French, Jeff is sent to London to report on the war. Shortly after arriving, he is stabbed straight through the heart when he gets look at a woman in Parliament. He is there for the debate that will make Winston Churchill the Prime Minister. Jeff sees, meets and falls head over heels for a British woman, Catherine Hartley, a reporter for the BBC. This is their story and the story of their lives and the trials they, and the people of England, faced to save humanity.
Jeff and Catherine are fictional characters. Theirs story is set in London during Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and the first phase of the London bombing known as the Blitz. The main historical events and the main historical figures are real. Many, not all, of the wartime occurrences took place as written. The significant dates, times, places and historical figures are real. The serious student of history will be able to tell which are real and which are for effect to give the reader a sense of what the people of London lived through.
Used availability for Dennis Carstens's Swingate