historical detail. Adrian's talent for breathing life into odd characters as well as his skill at painting a compelling portrait of the time make him a writer to watch. However, each character's story is told in fragments and vignettes that diffuse any dramatic tension. The parallel histories of the characters not only tend to confuse, but Adrian settles for an ending that is too enigmatic to be satisfying, thereby weakening what is otherwise a strong first effort.

Don Evans is a newspaper editor and the author of Locust Alley: A Novel of the Civil War (2000).At least seven people have been killed in the Tennessee wildfire and hundreds of homes have been destroyed.

The Gatlinburg Fire Department had ordered mandatory evacuations in the Tennessee mountain resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.Reuters

American music star Dolly Parton's Dollywood Foundation in Tennessee is helping all those families who lost their homes in the wildfire by donating $1,000 per month, the organisation announced on Wednesday.

The Gatlinburg Fire Department had ordered mandatory evacuations in the Tennessee mountain resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge after wildfires swept through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Fire crews were battling to contain around 14 blazes, but were hindered by wind gusts of up to 70mph. The fire department ordered the evacuations after the blaze became unpredictable and dangerous.

At least seven