Rebecca Stott biography

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Readalikes

Rebecca Stott
Photo © 2004 Bruce Robertson

Rebecca Stott

Rebecca Stott Biography

Rebecca Stott is a professor of English literature and creative writing at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. She is the author of Darwin's Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution, the novels The Coral Thief and the national bestseller Ghostwalk, and a biography, Darwin and the Barnacle. She is a regular contributor to BBC Radio and lives in Norwich.

Rebecca Stott's website

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Interview

In three separate pieces Rebecca Stott discusses the real historical mystery about Newton's involvement in alchemy that she uncovered while researching Ghostwalk (2007); and The Coral Thief (2009), set in Paris 20 years after the Revolution.

In three separate pieces Rebecca Stott discusses
The Coral Thief and Ghostwalk


A Conversation with Rebecca Stott about The Coral Thief

The novel takes place soon after the defeat of Napoleon by the British Navy at Waterloo. What was it that drew you to this particular sliver of time in French history?

1815 was a remarkable turning point – a vortex in history. It was twenty years or so after the French Revolution. The French had established a republic and then Napoleon Bonaparte had risen to power, appointing himself initially as First Consul, then later Emperor of France. He'd been cock-of-the-roost in Europe for more than ten years, conquering one European country after another. He'd made Paris the centre of everything, politically and culturally, literally transforming the map of Europe. He and his men had plundered hundreds of palaces across Europe and he'd sent back all his spoils of war to Paris so that, by 1815, the museums, libraries and galleries in Paris were full to the rafters with paintings, rare books and unique natural history collections. Then all of that power came crashing to an end when Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo; the Allied armies marched into ...

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Books by this Author

Books by Rebecca Stott at BookBrowse
Dark Earth jacket In the Days of Rain jacket Darwin's Ghosts jacket The Coral Thief jacket
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Readalikes

All the books below are recommended as readalikes for Rebecca Stott but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose readalikes

  • Monica Ali

    Monica Ali

    Monica Ali is the daughter of English and Bangladeshi parents.

    She came to England at the age of three, and her first home was Bolton in Greater Manchester. Ali later studied at Oxford University.

    Her first novel, Brick ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Ghostwalk

    Try:
    In the Kitchen
    by Monica Ali

  • Pat Barker

    Pat Barker

    Par Barker is the author of Union Street, Blow Your House Down, Liza's England, The Man Who Wasn't There, the Regeneration trilogy (Regeneration, The Eye in the Door, and The Ghost Road, which won the Booker Prize), Another ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Dark Earth

    Try:
    The Women of Troy
    by Pat Barker

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