Mr Urban expands his hero's achievements with some first-class descriptions of the campaign and its battles, but he might have done better to have remembered that patient cobbler in Irun and written a book describing the whole intelligence apparatus available to Wellington.

ECONOMIST: Napoleon and Wellington

The strongest elements are the descriptions of working-class life and the tender portrayal of maternal and filial love.

ECONOMIST: Non-fiction

Downward doggers will appreciate her pose descriptions and the window into a teacher's thoughts about students during the quiet intensity of a class.

NPR: Review: Om Is Where The Heart Is