Every Valley by Charles King

Every Valley by Charles King

Every Valley is a glittering narrative history of intertwined lives that tells the story behind one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, Handel's Messiah.

‘A delicious history of music, power, love, genius, royalty and adventure. Unforgettable.’ SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE

London - Dublin, 1741-42.
An actress mired in scandal plans her escape from an abusive husband.
A penniless sea captain sets out to rescue the city’s abandoned infants.
An African Muslim and former captive in the colonies becomes a celebrity.
A grieving political dissident seeks release from his torment.
And a great composer to kings – George Frideric Handel – now ill and straining to keep an audience’s attention, faces a decision that will secure his place in history.

This is the extraordinary story of Handel's Messiah.

‘A mesmerizing journey through one of the most fascinating and creative moments in human history’ AMANDA FOREMAN

‘Riveting’ The Times Book of the Week

'Fascinating . . . cinematic . . . truly informative, imaginative and engaging' Financial Times

'An absolute delight' PETER FRANKOPAN

Much closer to the teeming panorama of a novel like War and Peace than the narrow focus of most books about music history. . It takes a rare blend of scholarship, ingenuity and empathy to weave together the stories of the mostly distressed souls who, one way or another, were connected with Messiah’s creation . . . King expertly juggles these individuals’ stories and a lot more besides . . . riveting -- Richard Morrison * The Times, *Book of the Week* *
A mesmerizing journey through one of the most fascinating and creative moments in human history -- AMANDA FOREMAN
This book reveals . . . fascinating historical truths . . . By following the links between individuals who are connected by varying degrees of separation with the work’s original creation and promotion, the author discovers that this one musical piece can stimulate joined-up insights into almost every significant aspect of its period: cultural, political, social, economic . . . His technique is often cinematic, focusing in and then panning out . . . In every case the macro picture is made vivid through the micro stories of individuals. Anyone who has ever written a historical narrative will know how hard it must have been for King to keep all the strands so expertly in play. The result is a truly informative, imaginative and engaging work * Financial Times *
An absolute delight, beautifully told – and featuring a veritable Who’s Who of the Georgian era -- PETER FRANKOPAN
Charles King’s fascinating history of Handel’s most famous work shows it in a whole new light . . . his book humanises the work’s exalted creators and demonstrates that the Messiah is not a pompous manifesto of faith but a troubled, often desperate quest for consolation . . . King . . . does a fine job of implicating Handel in the conflicts and contradictions of an unsettled society -- Peter Conrad * Observer *
Engaging and enthusiastic . . . King handles a very large cast of characters and source material with energy, intelligence and aplomb -- Freya Johnstone * Literary Review *
Fascinating . . . King's narrative is wide-ranging, taking in not just the ailing composer and his circle – such as Thomas Coram, instigator of London's Foundling Hospital – but . . . how the Messiah coincided with the birth of the Enlightenment . . . In King's telling, the "Hallelujah Chorus" is just one rousing highlight among many -- Michael Prodger * New Statesman *
An adroitly threaded account of Handel’s life and achievements [that] opens out to a colourful gallery of 18th-century personalities who played a part in making Messiah what it was . . . lively . . . readable, well researched and rich with detail . . . an engaging narrative . . . full of understanding, setting a good example for any who would write about music . . . thoughtful and wide-ranging * Gramophone *
A splendid writer . . . a meticulous researcher, [King] delivers surprises . . . fine and vivid sentences . . . fascinating * The Atlantic *
Compelling. King transforms Handel's world into a place we can all recognise and understand as the foundation for our own * Washington Post *

Charles King is Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University, Washington DC. His numerous books include the New York Times bestseller The Reinvention of Humanity (published in the US as Gods of the Upper Air), which was winner of The Francis Parkman Prize and shortlisted for the British Academy Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award; Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul; and Odessa: Genius and Death in a City of Dreams, which was winner of a National Jewish Book Award. His writing has appeared in the TLS, New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, The New Republic and other publications.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781529942873
ISBN 10	152994287X
Title	Every Valley
Author	Charles King
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Vintage Publishing
Year published	2025-11-06
Number of pages	352
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.