Andrew Tweeddale
Author of: Of All Faiths & None, A Remembrance of Death, and Only Breath & Shadow
Andrew Tweeddale is a British author of literary historical fiction whose novels explore memory, identity, moral responsibility, and the impact of historical events on individual lives. His three books, which make up the Castle Drogo series, are a Historical Fiction Trilogy.
His first novel, Of All Faiths & None, follows the intertwined histories of the Drewe and Lutyens families during the years surrounding the First World War. The novel received multiple literary awards and established many of the themes that continue to shape his work. His second novel, A Remembrance of Death, traces the lives of the next generation through the interwar years, the Second World War, and the decline of empire. The manuscript was shortlisted for the 2024 Yeovil Literary Prize and received the Historical Fiction Company's Steinbeck Award.
His third novel, Only Breath & Shadow, is set in Vienna during the 1930s in the years leading up to the Anschluss. Through the experiences of a blind First World War veteran and the Jewish children under his protection, the novel examines perception, vulnerability, and moral responsibility as authoritarianism gathers force across Austria.
Across his fiction, Tweeddale is drawn to moments when private lives intersect with historical upheaval. His novels explore how individuals respond to uncertainty, loss, political change, and the gradual erosion of social and cultural certainties. Particular themes include the legacy of war, Jewish history, memory, faith, and the ethical choices people make when confronted by forces larger than themselves.
Originally from London, he now lives in Spain.
Selected Works
Of All Faiths & None
A historical novel set during the years surrounding the First World War, following the intertwined fortunes of the Drewe and Lutyens families as Europe moves towards conflict.
A Remembrance of Death
A multi-generational historical novel exploring grief, memory, love, and the aftermath of war from the interwar period to the mid-twentieth century.
Only Breath & Shadow
A literary historical novel set in Vienna during the 1930s, examining blindness, perception, Jewish life, and the rise of authoritarianism in Europe.
For review enquiries, interviews, festival appearances, or speaking engagements, please use the contact page.
Of All Faiths & None
Editorial Reviews
"Tweeddale deftly blends fact and fiction in a story that moves fast yet still makes clear, with each chapter, how time and tragedy change us all. The ending is bittersweet yet satisfying, sure to please lovers of historical epics."
Booklife @ https://booklife.com/project/of-all-faiths-none-79832
A Remembrance of Death
Editorial Reviews
"[This] is an intriguing book to read, with a complex plot and complex characters, set in a complex world. The suggestion of a disturbing family secret will provoke considerable anxiety in the reader and a silent hope that it remains buried (truth is sometimes overrated!). The characters are not straightforward but they are certainly relatable and the author’s depiction of Basil’s marriage (and personality) is painfully realistic. At several points through the narrative this reviewer experienced considerable angst at the choices made, and found herself shaking her head either in commiseration or frustration. It’s been a while since a novel has created such emotion…a thought provoking, poignant, five star read."
DK Marley, The Historical Fiction Company @ https://www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/post/regret-and-loss-during-the-decline-of-the-british-empire-an-editorial-review-of-a-remembrance-of?srsltid=AfmBOoqGOKsXST_m2EWmqDqvVYGREhg68H3AJYch0Z6yFpsfQTBTB1AD
Only Breath & Shadow
Editorial Reviews
"There are books you read and books that read you back. Only Breath & Shadow by Andrew Tweeddale is the second kind. It asks quiet questions about sight, about conscience, about what an ordinary person owes a stranger, and it asks them in a voice that never rises. By the final pages, the title stops feeling poetic and starts feeling like a diagnosis of the world. We are all, in some small measure, only breath and shadow, and the question is what we do with the brief warmth of the first and the long reach of the second.
This is literary fiction of a very high order, and it deserves a wide and thoughtful readership."
The BookishElf @ https://www.bookishelf.com/only-breath-shadow-by-andrew-tweeddale/