The Content Reader

Is this not the most beautiful cover? Designed by Leona's son Nicholas Maxson-Francombe Some years ago I read Leona Francombe's first book The Sage of Waterloo . As the title hints it is a story about the Battle of Waterloo. Not the usual tale though, but from the views of a rabbit. A wonderful book that has so much to say, not only about rabbits, but also about the minds of people. When Leona asked if I wanted to read her new book, I did not hesitate. This time the story starts with an abandon piano in the street.  "When a mysterious World War II piano appears on a Brussels street one winter’s night, no one could have imagined the events it would set in motion—least of all Audrey Nightingale, the pianist who comes across it. The instrument, of finest rosewood, bears the name of an obscure Czech manufacturer, and inside it, someone has carved a Pythagorean symbol. Audrey convinces two musician friends to help her make sense of this portentous discovery. At the heart of the...

In 2016 I reviewed a book by Leona Francombe, The Sage of Waterloo .  A wonderful tale, and a different perspective on the battle of Waterloo, from the view of a white rabbit. Leona's new book is out;  The Universe in 3/4 Time, which I am currently reading (review will follow).  Leona is not only a writer but also a classical pianist and composer, so when she enters into the musical world in her story, she knows what she is talking about. When a mysterious World War II piano appears on a Brussels street one winter’s night, no one could have imagined the events it would set in motion—least of all Audrey Nightingale, the pianist who comes across it. The instrument, of finest rosewood, bears the name of an obscure Czech manufacturer, and inside it, someone carved a Pythagorean symbol. Audrey convinces two musician friends to help her make sense of this portentous discovery. At the heart of their quest is an extraordinary man: Konstantine Zar, charismatic philosopher-musician...

This is a lovely and wonderful book, written by one of my Brontë friends, Leona Francombe. Leona is a very talented lady; not only does she write books but she is also a classical pianist. Inspired by the battle of Waterloo which took place on 18 June 1815, on the huge plains outside Brussels, it has survived as one of the most famous battles. Leona has found a different angle  to describe the battle and the various people involved in it. She tells it from the point of view of William, a white rabbit, today living at Hougoumont, the farmhouse which held an important stand during the battle. ”Odors that I knew well - dandelions, for example - flooded the senses. Even with my dim vision I could see why: just beyond the fencing lay an entire, hallucinatory lawn of them. Ah, yes… How well I remember my dandelion lesson. ”Life cannot be lived secondhand, William! (Old Lavender again.) ”No one can truly describe a dandelion. You must experience one yourself - even if it means taking ...

Leona Francombe is a fellow member of the Brussels Brontë Group. She has written a book! Is it not fantastic! She is a classical pianist and now also a novelist. The book is called  The Sage of Waterloo. Here is how it is described. On June 17, 1815, the Duke of Wellington amassed his troops at Hougoumont, an anciet farmstead not far from Waterloo. The next day, the French attacked - the first shots of the Battle of Waterlo - sparking a brutal, day-long skirmish that left six thousand men either dead or wounded. William is a white rabbit living at Hougoumont today. Under the tutelage of his mysterious and wise grandmother Old Lavender, William attunes himself to the echoes and ghosts of the battle, and through a series of adventures he comes to recognise how deeply what happened at Waterloo two hundred years before continues to reverberate. "Nature," as Old Lavender says, "never truly recovers from human cataclysm." The Sage of Waterloo is a playful retelling of...