Books
A selection of books from the authors at Pat Oakley Publishing
New Release
Louisa's Lament
Annie Graham
How did Louisa Ingle go from being a hard-working nurse at London’s Guy’s Hospital to despised outcast, shunned and condemned for manslaughter?
Caught in a bitter dispute between the hospital’s modernisers and traditionalists, she was a scapegoat for the warring factions when the conflict tumbled out of control in the summer of 1880.
This is the story of that struggle and her downfall, and how she learned of the conspiracy that entangled her and drove her into deep despair at the rank injustice of her betrayal.
But it is also the inspiring true story of a group of pioneering women as they stepped out of Florence Nightingale’s shadow to establish the value of nursing as a profession for independent women.
llustrations by June Schneider, read more about their creation here.
Published: April 2023
Engrossing Read! Read More
The book transports you to Victorian times in London through very detailed descriptions of the streets and interiors. It describes well how the religious and social conflicts of the time feed into the story. Also very interesting are the internal power struggles at the hospital. It gets into the heads of the protagonists. The author used to work in Guy's and has a strong background in Organisational Psychology and Victorian Studies - all of this feeds into providing an engrossing read.
A Great Read Read More
A fascinating and important story told in a very engaging way. The author paints very vivid pictures of life in London during that period in history giving a fascinating context to the early struggle for nursing to be able to rise above social norms and power structures of that time to develop the skill and professionalism that we know today. She writes so well about each of the characters involved that you get drawn in to their individual stories and lives. A very good read.
Review of Book Received As A Gift Read More
I received this book as a family gift and read it for a book club meeting. it is a mixture of novel and medical history .. A sort of Hilary Mantel style approach. The research is well conducted and the author ( who writes under a pen name) is highly qualified to write about the subject. The minutae of domestic life in Victorian times is possibly as interesting as the account of the Guys Hospital events which are the main focus.
The structure of the book is, i gather, to possibly enable a film adaption (again in the style of Mantel). It is to be hoped that this may happen.
An absorbing read based around real events and healthcare 'politics' in the late nineteenth century Read More
This was a well told story based on real events highlighting how 'tribal' allegiances in healthcare can have terrible consequences. It also demonstrates the difficulty in affecting change especially as women in a male dominated environment and the influence of religion in people's perceptions and actions. I found it intriguing and would thoroughly recommend it.
Beautifully written account - Perfect illustration of the patriarchy. Read More
Beautifully written account of the state of nursing and female “rights” in 19th Century London.
The illustrations are lovely and bring the story further to life.
Previous
Next
New ReleasE
An English Tradition
by Jonathan Duke-Evans
For hundreds of years the British people have claimed that sportsmanship is at the core of their national identity. Jonathan Duke-Evans traces the origins of fair-play, tracing it back to The Dark Ages through stories of chivalry and popular legend, manifesting itself in literature, law, religion and family.
Daily Telegraph Read More
"This book is a pleasant surprise. Most academic historians would be inclined to “deconstruct” and debunk the idea that fair play was truly a British characteristic... Jonathan Duke-Evans, perhaps because he came to academic writing late, has taken a much more ambitious and wide-ranging approach"
Read More
"Delicate, thoughtful analysis of the relationship between fair play and British national identity"
Read More
"A style at once rigorous and personable...fluently navigating potentially dry or finicky subject matter"
Read More
Duke-Evans has committed himself to providing a global overview of a hazily defined ethical concept from virtually the beginning of recorded human history to the present. It is messy at times and ridiculously interesting at others
Read More
...fascinating, scrupulous and occasionally puckish survey of fair play through the ages.
Read More
"An original, scholarly and extremely readable history of what is often regarded, by the English anyway, as an essential attribute of their national character"
Read More
This is an ambitious undertaking that Duke-Evans tackles with verve and skill…
Duke-Evans makes an excellent case for taking [fair play] seriously as a core component of the values that the British claimed – and still claim – for themselves.
Read More
There are plenty of big questions about who we are as a nation to chew on here. To make your own mind up you’ll have to read the book – a highly enjoyable process...
Patrick Nash Read More
The book is leavened throughout with the lightness of touch and wry humour of an escaped academic and career civil servant; it succeeds in every respect.
Read More
This is an extraordinary book with a wide-ranging exploration of the concept of fair play in Britain going back to the eighth century and Beowulf. It also perceptively considers the role of ancient Greece and Rome in forming the idea of fair play. There is a rich discussion of the idea in works by authors such as William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, Philip Sidney, Walter Scott, and others.
Read More
Given the breadth of topics covered, An English Tradition? will appeal to a wide range of readers, including those interested in literature, politics, sport and culture, and history.... one can find no better foundation for studying this idea than An English Tradition?.
Previous
Next
Our authors create the content through which our shared vision is brought to life. Read more about their background, credentials and interests.
