About the book

Sometimes it feels like only men have shaped the history of Malta. Is it possible that over the centuries there were no women who were brave, talented and who left a mark on Malta?

Of course there were! Right from the very beginning till today!

All the women in this book have one thing in common: they followed their heart and let no one dampen their determination. It’s time to discover the Amazing Maltese Women and let them inspire you!

My honest review

This is a small book, yes. It’s meant for children, with lovely illustrations by Marisa Attard, and the stories are short and simple. But don’t let that fool you. I’m a Maltese woman in my fifties, and I still learned things. Which says a lot, considering how long we’ve been hearing the same old names in our history lessons.

Because let’s face it: Maltese history has always been full of men shouting orders, fighting battles, making speeches… and women quietly disappearing into the background. Usually cooking, praying, or being “the wife of”.

So what I appreciated here is that Kristina Chetcuti does the opposite. She puts women right in the centre where they belong. Some of these stories really made me stop and think. Clara La Spatara, a woman blacksmith during the Great Siege? Imagine that. While the men were busy being heroic, she was probably there forging swords like, “Move along, I have work to do.”

Then there’s Mary Ellul, helping the wounded during the war – strong, practical courage, the kind Maltese women have always had, even if nobody wrote songs about it. And yes, Daphne Caruana Galizia is included too. That’s not an easy subject, especially for a children’s book, but I respect that the book doesn’t pretend she didn’t exist. Malta can be very good at silence when it’s uncomfortable.

The tone of the book is light, sometimes funny, and it doesn’t lecture you. It just tells these women’s stories in a way that makes you think: Why didn’t we grow up hearing about them? My only complaint – and this is the typical Maltese auntie in me – is that it’s too short. I wanted more. Some women get only a page or two, and you feel like saying, “Wait, that’s it? Tell me properly!”

But maybe that’s the point. It’s an introduction. A door opening. Overall, I think Amazing Maltese Women is a lovely little book with a big message. It’s the kind of thing you give to your daughter or granddaughter and think, “Here. Know where you come from.”

Because Maltese women have never been small. We were just not always written down. And it’s about time someone did.

Book details

• ISBN:978-9990918458
• Print length: (<)40 pages
• Other info: see tags below (author, location language & year of publication)

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About the book

The Jukebox Queen of Malta is an exquisite and enchanting novel of love and war set on an island perilously balanced between what is real and what is not.

It’s 1942 and Rocco Raven, an intrepid auto mechanic turned corporal from Brooklyn, has arrived in Malta, a Mediterranean island of Neolithic caves, Copper Age temples, and fortresses. The island is under siege, full of smoke and rubble, caught in the magnesium glare of German and Italian bombs.

But nothing is as it seems on Malta. Rocco’s living quarters are a brothel; his commanding officer has a genius for turning the war’s misfortunes into personal profit; and the Maltese people, astonishingly, testify to the resiliency of the human spirit. When Rocco meets the beautiful and ethereal Melita, who delivers the jukeboxes her cousin builds out of shattered debris, they are drawn to each other by an immediate passion. And, it is their full-blown affair that at once liberates and imprisons Rocco on the island.

In this mesmerizing novel, music and bombs, war and romance, the jukebox and the gun exist in arresting counterpoint in a story that is a profound and deeply moving exploration of the redemptive powers of love.

My honest review

The story takes place during the war, when Malta was being bombed day and night. It follows Rocco, an American radio man who ends up stationed here, and Melita, a young woman who delivers jukeboxes to bars and cafés. The idea of jukeboxes playing music while bombs fall all around sounded strange at first, but it works in the story. It shows how life somehow goes on, even in terrible times.

I liked how Rinaldi described the island — the narrow streets, the dust, the sea always close by. You can tell he did his homework. I could picture it all quite clearly, though sometimes it felt like he lingered a bit too long on the scenery. I found myself wanting the story to move along faster.

Rocco and Melita’s relationship is touching in parts, but I didn’t always feel very connected to them. Maybe it’s because we don’t really get to know them deeply — they seem to fall in love more because the story needs them to than because we see it happen naturally. Some of the other characters are funny or strange, but not always believable.

The book reminded me a bit of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, which also mixes war and love on a Mediterranean island. But The Jukebox Queen of Malta doesn’t quite have the same warmth or emotion. It’s quieter, and sometimes a bit slow. The ending left me wondering what happened next, as if the story stopped before it was really finished.

Still, I enjoyed it enough. It’s not a bad book — just one that didn’t completely pull me in. I liked the mix of war and ordinary life, and the idea that music can survive even when everything else is falling apart. If you like gentle war stories with a bit of romance and don’t mind a slower pace, this one is worth a try.

So yes, three stars from me — good, but not unforgettable.

Book details

• ISBN: 978-1476766485
• Print length: 368 pages
• Other info: see tags below (author, location language & year of publication)

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About the book

Father Salvatore was a simple, lumbering priest, a Kappillan serving the poor Valetta, when war came out of the blue skies to pound the island to dust.

Now amid the catacombs discovered by a chance bomb, he cared for the flood of homeless, starving, frightened people who sought shelter from the death that fell unceasingly from the sky.

His story, and the story of Malta, is told in superbly graphic pictures of six days during the siege. Each of those days brought forth from the Kappillan a message of inspiration to keep them going – the legendary tales of six mighty events of Malta’s history which shone through the centuries and gathered them together in a fervent belief in their survival.

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My honest review

When I picked up The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monsarrat, I expected a sweeping story of our islands in wartime, and in many ways that is what I got. The opening scenes of people huddled in the catacombs while bombs rained down are unforgettable raw, tense, and deeply Maltese. Father Salvatore himself is drawn with tenderness, a man of contradictions: once from privilege, now a shepherd to ordinary people, carrying their fear and their faith. And the way Monsarrat threads Malta’s history into the narrative: St Paul, the Knights, the sieges, it gives the book a grand sense of continuity, as if all of our past was pressing into that one terrible moment of 1942.

But for all its ambition, I found the novel often heavy going. Monsarrat lingers on historical digressions that, after a while, feel like lectures rather than story. Convoys, naval battles, whole passages of background—impressive research, yes, but at times they bury the human voices that should carry the novel. The pace slows, and the urgency of the characters’ lives slips away under the weight of history.

I also struggled with the characterisation beyond the kappillan himself. Too many figures felt thin or predictable: the aristocratic mother, the idealistic youths, the inevitable love story between a Maltese girl and a British pilot. These threads didn’t convince me. They seemed there to tick boxes rather than to deepen the novel’s truth. Even Salvatore’s own inner conflicts, which could have made him a far more complex figure, were hinted at more than explored. By the end, I was left with the sense of a powerful idea not quite fulfilled, a portrait of Malta during the war that wanted to be both epic and intimate but didn’t manage to sustain both at once.

There are passages of beauty and undeniable pride here, moments that remind you of what our people endured. But there are also long stretches where the story loses its hold, weighed down by a style that hasn’t aged well and a view of Malta and its people that sometimes feels too neat, too heroic, too uncomplicated. It’s an important book, certainly, and one I’m glad I read, but it left me with as much frustration as admiration.

Book details

• ISBN: 978-0304358441
• Print length: 464 pages
• Other info: see tags below (author, location language & year of publication)

If you love this, you might also enjoy…

The Lost Guardian of Malta – Steven Bogaerts

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About the book

Malta, 1943. The war in the air above Malta is over, but the battle for Europe is about to begin. Margarita, a young singer in a Valletta nightclub, has not seen her former lover Henry Dunn since breaking off their affair. His wife Vera, an enigmatic archaeologist, arrives at the club to tell her that Henry has disappeared, presumed dead. While investigating, Margarita stumbles upon the hunt for a notorious and dangerous Nero. As an unlikely bond develops between the two women, and strange secrets emerge, an urgent quest to unmask Nero starts – before he can enact a deadly plan that may threaten the course of the war.

My honest review

I’ve just finished Secrets of Malta by Cecily Blench, and I thought I’d share some honest thoughts here, in case anyone is curious about picking it up. As someone who has lived on this island all my life, I always approach books set in Malta with a bit of suspicion. Too often they make us look like nothing more than a giant fortress floating in the Mediterranean, forever stuck in the middle of a war. Now, of course, war is a big part of our history—you can’t walk through Valletta without feeling that—but it’s not the whole of us. We also have busy modern lives, Sunday lunches that last forever, and plenty of arguments about parking.

The good news is that Blench does get a lot right. Her descriptions of the streets and the atmosphere were familiar without being exaggerated, and I appreciated that she made the island feel alive rather than just a backdrop. The story itself has some strong moments. The pace picks up nicely when the plot leans into secrecy, betrayal, and survival. There were sections where I stayed up later than I meant to because I was genuinely hooked—always a sign the author is doing something right. The characters are also one of the book’s strengths. They feel fleshed out, they have real motives, and they’re not just there to decorate the scenery.

That said, I did find that parts of the book dragged. There were moments where the descriptions or the “set-up” went on too long, especially in the first half. I found myself waiting for the story to really get moving, and during those stretches, my attention wandered. Sometimes the dialogue felt a bit heavy, as though it was trying to explain too much instead of letting the story flow naturally. The pacing overall was uneven—very gripping in some chapters, then slower than needed in others. Still, in the end, it’s a worthwhile read. If someone wants a novel that combines a strong sense of history with believable human drama, this delivers.

I liked that it acknowledged Malta’s war-torn past but also let the characters exist outside of it, as people with their own struggles, secrets, and choices. I came away feeling that Blench gave us something a bit more layered than the standard “Malta equals war story,” and for that, I’m grateful. It’s not perfect, but it’s engaging, atmospheric, and definitely worth picking up if you’re interested in our little island and its stories.

Book details

• ISBN:978-1804181782
• Print length: 400 pages
• Other info: see tags below (author, location language & year of publication)

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About the book

Ward Gibson knew what was expected of him by the village folk, and especially by the Mason family, whose daughter Daisy he had known all his life.  But then, in a single week, his whole world had been turned upside down by a dancer, Stephanie McQueen, who seemed to float across the stage of the Empire Music Hall where she was appearing as The Maltese Angel.  To his amazement, the attraction was mutual, and after a whirlwind courtship she agreed to marry him.

But a scorpion had already begun to emerge from beneath the stone of the local community, who considered that Ward had betrayed their expectations, and had led on and cruelly deserted Daisy.  There followed a series of reprisals on his family, one of them serious enough to cause him to exact a terrible revenge; and these events would twist and turn the course of many lives through Ward’s own and succeeding generations.

My review

I picked up The Maltese Angel because, well, how could I resist the title? Anything with “Maltese” in it immediately makes me curious, and knowing it was written by Catherine Cookson made it even more tempting. She’s such a remarkable writer—one of the most published and beloved British novelists ever—and I’ve always admired the sheer number of books she managed to produce in her lifetime.

The story itself, though, surprised me. I expected a little more light and hope, but instead I found it much darker and heavier than I thought it would be. The characters live through hardship after hardship, and the mood of the book is often depressing. It’s not badly written—on the contrary, Cookson’s talent shines through in every page—but as a reader I sometimes struggled to keep going because it felt like the weight of the story pressed down on me.

What I did enjoy were the little connections to Malta. Even if small, just seeing my island referenced gave me a thrill. It reminded me of how often Malta appears in literature in ways you don’t expect, and how it sparks a sense of recognition that always feels personal.

So, while I admire Cookson deeply and respect her legacy, The Maltese Angel wasn’t really my cup of tea. For readers who like darker, more tragic family sagas, it will be worth it, because the writing is strong and the emotions are real. But for me, it was too heavy, and I closed the book feeling more drained than uplifted.

I’m still glad I read it, though—partly because of the Maltese link, and partly because even when her stories aren’t for me, Catherine Cookson remains a writer I can’t help but admire.

Book details

• ISBN:978-0593021323
• Print length: 480 pages
• Other info: see tags below (author, location language & year of publication)

If you love this, you might also like…

The Kapellen of Malta – Nicholas Monsarrat

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About the book

Beneath the sunlit stones of Malta lies a secret older than civilization—one that could rewrite history. For Ceti, a sharp-witted orphan drifting through life, a routine delivery plunges him into a hidden world of ancient relics and dark conspiracies.

Shadowed by unseen enemies, Ceti’s journey sweeps him from the neon chaos of Paceville to the depths of Malta’s catacombs, where whispers of a forgotten power pulse through the underground. As he uncovers a secret stretching across the island, Ceti learns that his own past is deeply entwined with mysteries hidden for millennia.

But he’s not the only one seeking the truth. Ruthless forces are on the hunt, and as Ceti races to stay ahead, he must confront the question: Will he risk everything to unlock Malta’s darkest secret?

Fast-paced and riveting, The Lost Guardian of Malta plunges readers into a Maltese labyrinth of myths and revelations, where every twist brings them closer to a truth buried deep beneath the island’s ancient bones.

My honest review & opinion

As a Maltese woman who’s lived her whole life surrounded by the beauty and mystery of these islands, I can honestly say The Lost Guardian of Malta made me fall in love with my home all over again.

From the first chapter, I was hooked—not just by the suspense and pace of the story, but by how vividly the author brings Malta’s ancient sites to life. Ħaġar Qim, the Hypogeum, St. Paul’s Catacombs… they’re not just mentioned, they breathethrough the pages. It was like walking familiar paths with completely new eyes.

The story itself is thrilling, with a perfect mix of modern intrigue and deep historical echoes. I especially loved how the narrative balances fiction with respect for Malta’s real heritage. You can tell the author has done his research HERE, but also that he has a real emotional connection to this place.
If I had one complaint, it’s that I’m left wanting more. I truly hope there’s a sequel coming—I’m thirsty for the next chapter in this story!

Highly recommended to anyone, local or tourist, who loves stories that linger with you—and to every local or visitor who wants to see Malta through a lens of wonder and ancient memory.

Book details

• ISBN: 978-9082716221
• Print length: 318 pages
• Other info: see tags below (author, location language & year of publication)

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About the book

Unputdownable’ – GUARDIAN

‘Gripping’ – SUNDAY TIMES

Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, 118 cardinals are meeting in conclave to cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election.
They are holy men. But they are ambitious. And they have rivals. Over the next 72 hours, one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth. Who will it be?

My opinion & book review

When I first came across Conclave by Robert Harris, I had already seen the film. Usually I prefer to read the book before watching the movie, but this time it happened the other way around. And I have to say, while the film was fine, the book is in another league entirely. Harris manages to create a story that feels both suspenseful and intimate, and it stayed with me long after I turned the last page.

Living in Malta, Rome feels very close. As a Catholic, the setting of the book felt familiar in a way I think readers from our part of the world will understand. The Vatican, the rituals, the secrecy of the conclave… it’s a world we often see on television, but Harris takes you right inside it, behind the closed doors. I could almost hear the bells of St. Peter’s when I was reading.

What struck me most is how believable it all felt. The cardinals are not cardboard figures in red robes; they’re men with ambitions, fears, and flaws. Harris doesn’t mock the Church, but he doesn’t idealize it either. Instead, he gives us a story about power, faith, and human nature.

Compared to the film, the book has so much (much much much) more depth. Unlike the movie, which leans on visual trickery, the book evolves slowly and thoughtfully, layering politics, faith, and personal stuff with a tension that builds.

I enjoyed Conclave much more than I expected. It’s a smart, fast read that still leaves you thinking about big question about faith, about leadership, about what makes someone truly worthy. Oh my God, My Nanna shoot hear me talk now.

If you’ve only seen the film, I’d strongly recommend reading the book. It’s richer, sharper, and gives you a real sense of being inside the Sistine Chapel during one of the most secretive processes in the world. If you haven’t seen the film, just read the book. The final twist struck me harder in print than on screen. Reading it after the film felt like uncovering the roots of a story I thought I already knew, but… the book is better :-).

Book details

• ISBN: 978-1804947814
• Print length: 400 pages
• Other info: see tags below (author, location language & year of publication)

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About the book

Spanning over sixty years, from an island torn apart in the Second World War, to what is now a tourist’s paradise, the story intertwines three separate love stories. The focus is on three generations of women, who like The Azure Window, are beautiful, fragile and enigmatic.

Primarily set in Malta in present times, Jessy McGuill becomes drawn into the past and the life of her mother, Maria, whom she never knew. The truth she learns of her grandmother Ana’s endurance as she struggled to survive severe loss and heartache during the Siege of Malta, forms the backdrop to Jessy’s own story.

Like Ana, Jessy also finds love in Malta, until her grandfather arrives on the island, with a relative in tow. This young man Neil, brings with him his own secrets and the friendship between him and Jessy soon causes a ripple of unease for several reasons. A plot unravels that provides a particular and unbelievable twist which will captivate the reader.

My opinion

When I first heard about Nicola Kearns’s The Azure Window, I was curious but also a little cautious. So many novels set in Malta tend to romanticize the island without really capturing its soul. But this book surprised me.

From the very first pages, I could tell that Kearns had spent real time here. Reading it, I was reminded of afternoons in Gozo, and of the old stories my parents used to tell about life during the war. It stirred something both nostalgic and proud in me.

What I liked most about the novel is how it moves across generations of women and how their lives mirror one another in subtle ways. There’s a strength there and I couldn’t help but see pieces of my own mother and grandmother in them. The Azure Window itself, of course, carries so much symbolism. I still remember the day it collapsed. In this story it becomes the bittersweet passage of time.

The book has its fair share of drama and emotion, but it never tips into melodrama. Instead, it unfolds naturally.

I’ve read plenty of historical novels, but there was something special about this one. Too often, our islands are just footnotes in bigger European stories. Here, they’re front and center.

For me, The Azure Window isn’t just a story about a family; it’s about memory. It’s a book I’d happily recommend, not just to Maltese readers who will recognize so much, but to anyone who wants to feel what it’s like to stand on our rocks.

Book details

• ISBN: 978-1788089159
• Print length: 273 pages
• Other info: see tags below (author, location language & year of publication)

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About the book

1565, Malta: a vital outpost between the divided nations of Europe and the relentlessly expanding Ottoman Empire. Faced with ferocious attack by a vast Turkish fleet, the knights of the Order of St John fear annihilation. Amongst those called to assist is disgraced veteran Sir Thomas Barrett. Loyalty and instinct compel him to put the Order above all other concerns, yet his allegiance is divided. At Queen Elizabeth’s command, he must search for a hidden scroll, guarded by the knights, that threatens her reign.

As Sir Thomas confronts the past that cost him his honour and a secret that has long lain buried, a vast enemy army arrives to lay siege to the island…

My review

I picked up Sword and Scimitar because anything about the Siege of Malta grabs me—after all, Malta is close enough to feel like family to the Order of St John, those stories are part of our history. Simon Scarrow’s novel had good things going for it: a well-researched backdrop, battles, moral conflict, secrets, and people trying to do right when everything is falling apart.

What I liked best was how Scarrow brings Malta to life. The descriptions of St. Elmo, the tensions as the Ottoman fleet presses in, the inner workings of the Knights—those parts felt real. As a Maltese reader, I could picture the battered walls.

Also, the secrets and loyalties Scarrow weaves in—Sir Thomas Barrett’s return, his divided loyalty between England (via Queen Elizabeth) and the Order—are good plot hooks. There’s romance, danger, betrayals, and a mission that adds another layer beyond just the war.

But it’s not perfect. Sometimes I felt the pacing wasn’t balanced. The first half of the book moves briskly, with promising tension, but in the last third things loosen up. Some plot threads lose urgency; the romance subplot, for example, felt sometimes forced, as though Scarrow needed to give readers something softer amid all the carnage, but it doesn’t always land. Also, a few characters felt underdeveloped—some I couldn’t connect with, which diminished their stakes in the final battles for me.

Another thing: the dialogue on occasion felt a bit modern – some thoughts, fears, moral doubts that made sense to us today but stretched credulity for someone in 1565. That said, this is historical fiction, but they just reminded me I was reading a novel shaped for a modern audience.

Overall, Sword and Scimitar is powerful and stirring. Ideal for anyone who likes war histories, knightly orders, or just stories where loyalty and courage are tested.

Book details

• ISBN:978-0755358366
• Print length: 448 pages
• Other info: see tags below (author, location language & year of publication)

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About the book

Another chapter in the life of the infamous Phantom of the Opera continues, as he leaves Paris and moves to Malta in search of a new beginning. Clothed in secrecy, he purchases The Royal Opera House in Valletta, which has been destroyed by a devastating fire. In an attempt to bury the pain of his past, the burned out shell becomes his new obsession. He is determined to resurrect the structure from ashes and return it to glory.

To raise funds for his task, he holds a masquerade and encounters a strange woman who prophesies his destiny of undoing and death. Her words haunt the Opera Ghost, but he continues on his path of restoration. After years of hard work, the gala reopening occurs. The Phantom is convinced he has reached the pinnacle of success in his life. He rests in peace over his accomplishments.

For sheer amusement, he takes on a new student, which leads him down a path of romance, mystery, and danger. His fortune unfolds before him, and he discovers he cannot hide from those who seek retribution for his former sins. He is forced to reap the consequences and comes face-to-face with his darkest demons and fears. In the end, his insatiable hunger for beauty is challenged to the core. Will he survive the obstacles he encounters or will this finally be his undoing and death?

My opinion (my honest review)

I’ve always been a huge fan of The Phantom of the Opera. I’ve even been lucky enough to see the musical twice in London, and both times it left me completely swept away—the music, the drama, the tragic beauty of it all. So when I discovered The Phantom of Valletta by Vicki Hopkins, I couldn’t resist. The idea of Erik, the Phantom himself, finding his way to Malta? Well, that felt too close to home to pass up.

Reading it was a mixed experience for me. On the one hand, I loved how the author used Valletta as the setting. The ruined Royal Opera House, the atmosphere of 19th-century streets, the shadows against our limestone—it all made me proud and a little emotional to see Malta play such a role in a story connected to the Phantom. As a Maltese reader, those touches made me smile.

But I can’t say I was as enchanted by the book as I hoped to be. Some parts dragged for me, and while I did enjoy Erik’s struggle to rebuild his life and his new connection with Desiree, other moments felt a little rushed or even forced. I suppose when you carry the weight of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom in your heart, any continuation or retelling is bound to fall short. There were times when I felt the writing was uneven, and the ending especially left me wanting more depth, more care.

Still, I don’t regret reading it. The Phantom has always been a character I’m drawn to—haunted, flawed, but unforgettable. And to see him walk the streets of Valletta, even on the page, felt strangely special. It’s just that I wished the story itself lived up more to the promise of its setting.

Book details

• ISBN: 978-0983295921
• Print length: 309 pages
• Other info: see tags below (author, location language & year of publication)

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