Every Valley

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 MONTEFIORELondon - 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.This is the extraordinary story of Handel's Messiah.‘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

Charles King is Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University, Washington DC. His numerous books include the New York Times bestseller The Reinvention of Humanity (published in the US as Gods of the Upper Air), which was winner of The Francis Parkman Prize and shortlisted for the British Academy Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award; Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul; and Odessa: Genius and Death in a City of Dreams, which was winner of a National Jewish Book Award. His writing has appeared in the TLS, New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, The New Republic and other publications.