Description

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.

‘A delicious history of music, power, love, genius, royalty and adventure. Unforgettable.’ SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE

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 mesmerizing journey through one of the most fascinating and creative moments in human history’ AMANDA FOREMAN

‘Riveting’ The Times Book of the Week

‘Fascinating . . . cinematic . . . truly informative, imaginative and engaging’ Financial Times

‘An absolute delight’ PETER FRANKOPAN

Publisher Review

A mesmerizing journey of musical genius. There is only one Handel, and only one Messiah, and to understand how each was created is to become immersed in one of the most fascinating and creative moments in human history — AMANDA FOREMAN A delicious history of music, power, love, genius, royalty and adventure, beautifully told. Unforgettable — SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE A book of power and glory, brimming with emotion and dazzling in its reach — STACY SCHIFF A lovely story, beautifully told – and featuring a veritable Who’s Who of the Georgian era. An absolute delight’ — PETER FRANKOPAN Charles King shows how Handel’s epic work, the Messiah, sprang not from one solitary composer’s genius but from the dramatic interplay of eighteenth-century lives and their times. Fascinating and accessible to all — HENRY LOUIS GATES JR