Ford Madox Ford

The combined four novels are the story of Christopher Tietjens and his progress from the secure world of Edwardian England into the First World War and beyond. Tietjens embodies the values of that ordered, predictable, hierarchic society of pre-1914. Contrasted with him and portrayed with equal clarity and depth is his wife Sylvia--beautiful, arrogant, reckless--a symbol of the new times.

Privy Seal: His Last Venture (1907) is a novel by Ford Madox Ford. The second installment of Ford's The Fifth Queen Trilogy is set during the reign of Henry VIII, a tumultuous time of political and religious oppression in a land at the mercy of a murderous King. Ford's trilogy recreates Tudor England in a masterful story of court intrigue, romance, and betrayal. Focusing on the tragic figure of Katharine Howard, the fifth wife of the King, Ford investigates...

The Fifth Queen: And How She Came to Court (1906) is a novel by Ford Madox Ford. The first installment of Ford's The Fifth Queen Trilogy is set during the reign of Henry VIII, a tumultuous time of political and religious oppression in a land at the mercy of a murderous King. Ford's trilogy recreates Tudor England in a masterful story of court intrigue, romance, and betrayal. Focusing on the tragic figure of Katharine Howard, the fifth wife of the...

"Kat Howard--intelligent, beautiful, naively outspoken, and passionately idealistic--catches the eye of Henry VIII and improbably becomes his fifth wife. A teenager who has grown up far from court, she is wholly unused to the corruption and intrigue that now surround her. It is a time of great upheaval, as unscrupulous courtiers maneuver for power while religious fanatics--both Protestant and Catholic--fight bitterly for their competing beliefs. Soon...

When Arthur, a writer-turned-journalist, meets a mysterious and alluring woman, he is drawn into the world of the Fourth Dimensionists, a societal faction that uses political power to break down traditional values in the name of expedience. As Arthur's obsession with the woman grows, he yearns to capture her attention and her affections, only to learn that he has been brutally used and, as a result, has betrayed those who are closest to him. One of...

Two wealthy, handsome couples--one English, one American--meet at a German spa and forge an immediate bond. Through nine seasons at the spa, the splendid foursome share the same tastes, the same desires, and the same elegantly perfect lives. But in a series of startling time and perspective shifts, we learn, little by little, just how far short of perfection their lives really were.