Every Valley
The Story of Handel’s MessiahSelect a format:
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
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.
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.
Evoking a pivotal moment at the birth of modernity, a time of fear, conspiracy and uprising, and featuring some of the most unusual and brilliant personalities of the eighteenth century, Every Valley is a cinematic and moving account of hope in the darkness and the entangled lives that shaped a masterpiece.
‘A delicious history of music, power, love, genius, royalty and adventure. Unforgettable.’ SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE
‘A mesmerizing journey through one of the most fascinating and creative moments in human history’ AMANDA FOREMAN
‘A book of power and glory, brimming with emotion and dazzling in its reach’ STACY SCHIFF
'An absolute delight' PETER FRANKOPAN
© Charles King 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024
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.
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.
Evoking a pivotal moment at the birth of modernity, a time of fear, conspiracy and uprising, and featuring some of the most unusual and brilliant personalities of the eighteenth century, Every Valley is a cinematic and moving account of hope in the darkness and the entangled lives that shaped a masterpiece.
‘A delicious history of music, power, love, genius, royalty and adventure. Unforgettable.’ SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE
‘A mesmerizing journey through one of the most fascinating and creative moments in human history’ AMANDA FOREMAN
‘A book of power and glory, brimming with emotion and dazzling in its reach’ STACY SCHIFF
'An absolute delight' PETER FRANKOPAN
© Charles King 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024
Reviews
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*
