From the Middle Ages to the Regency era, with some horror along the way, discover the best things to watch and read in Bath this month…
Heading OUT
Starve Acre (2023) + Director and Author Q&A at The Little Theatre, 10 April
Dig in to a slice of modern folk horror in 2023’s Starve Acre, starring Matt Smith and Morfyyd Clark. In the rural setting of 1970s Yorkshire, a young couple find that there’s evil lurking in the land… Join The Little for a post-film Q&A with director Daniel Kokotajlo and author Andrew Michael Hurley as part of the Bath Archaeo-Heritage Film Festival. 10 April, 8.45pm–11.30pm BAHfilmfestival.co.uk; bathboxoffice.org.uk
Spring Talk – The Shaker Way at The American Museum & Gardens, 23 April
Visit the museum for a free, fascinating talk to find out more about the Shaker way of life and how Shaker design was a forerunner to architectural and design modernism in the 20th century. The talk will share more about Shaker design and their innovative workshop practices in making a range of domestic products, and their dominance in supplying garden and horticultural seed and herbal concoctions for small-scale buyers across the whole of rural America.
23 April, 2.30pm, The American Museum & Gardens, Claverton Manor, Bath. americanmuseum.org
Staying IN
The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography by Janine Barchas
In celebration of Jane Austen’s 250th Birthday, this is a thoroughly 21st-century take on what we know of the Regency icon. This vivid and compelling narrative illustrated by Isabel Greenberg beautifully celebrates the author’s challenging and triumphant life. Sprinkled with Easter eggs and witty references to popular screen adaptations of Austen’s novels, this is the perfect book for both casual and avid Austen fans.
Publishes on 24 April, Greenfinch, £20
Flawed by JP Blake
Ruined by Marion, a wealthy and ruthless woman, Persy Adelard has been controlled since the moment she was adopted. Flawed is a fascinating, darkly humorous debut thriller set in Bath, which delves into the twisted mind of Persy, who is trapped in a deceitful web by her ruthless adoptive mother. With dark humour and suspense, it explores family loyalty, murder, and the thirst for revenge, captivating the reader until the very end.
Troubadour Publishing, £10.99
Two Inches of Ivory by Malcolm Day
The recently released Two Inches of Ivory is a vivid imagining of the lives of Austen and her family within a novel. A fictional narrative carefully woven from letters, memoirs and biographies brings to life the world of Jane Austen in its most intimate expression. From birth to untimely death Jane’s path to becoming a successful novelist is constantly choked by unpredictable circumstances. The war with Napoleonic France, the press of poverty, fashionable Regency life and the romantic urge all shape the Austens’ lives and fuel Jane’s imagination. Questions of love, feelings and freedom for women are continually thrown up, while she strives to balance family duties with the ups and downs of her fortunes in publishing.
Troubadour Publishing, £12.99