Every Valley

The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel's Messiah

By: Charles King

Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson

NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE • From the bestselling historian and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, the moving untold story of the eighteenth-century men and women behind the making of Handel’s Messiah.

"A delicious history of music, power, love, genius, royalty and adventure."—Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The World

"A book of power and glory, brimming with emotion and dazzling in its reach."—Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Cleopatra and The Revolutionary

George Frideric Handel’s Messiah is arguably the greatest piece of participatory art ever created. Adored by millions, it is performed each year by renowned choirs and orchestras, as well as by audiences singing along with the words on their cell phones.

But this work of triumphant joy was born in a worried age. Britain in the early Enlightenment was a place of astonishing creativity but also the seat of an empire mired in war, enslavement, and conflicts over everything from the legitimacy of government to the meaning of truth. Against this turbulent background, prize-winning author Charles King has crafted a cinematic drama of the troubled lives that shaped a masterpiece of hope.

Every Valley presents a depressive dissenter stirred to action by an ancient prophecy; an actress plagued by an abusive husband and public scorn; an Atlantic sea captain and penniless philanthropist; and an African Muslim man held captive in the American colonies and hatching a dangerous plan for getting back home. At center stage is Handel himself, composer to kings but, at midlife, in ill health and straining to keep an audience’s attention. Set amid royal intrigue, theater scandals, and political conspiracy, Every Valley is entertaining, inspiring, unforgettable.

Messiah (the music) speaks for itself.

Miraculous music was born out of the mundane. Aspects of these stories were very interesting. I enjoyed gaining a better historical perspective of class, privilege, and shifting political landscapes. It's good to be reminded of how far we've come with childhood poverty and the rights of women (or lack of rights).

Surprisingly, what stayed with me was the fuller understanding of the broad and permanent effect of slavery. So much of the acheivements of what we call the Enlightenment, as well as the wealth and dominance of Europe and the United States was built on the keen ability to industrialized slavery based on race.

The paradox is that this moving masterpiece, Messiah, would not have come about without it.

18th Century Britain Comes Alive in "Every Valley"

"Every Valley" is not only a superb history of "there desperate lives and troubled times that made Handel's Messiah, it is an excellent short biography of G. F. Handel. Juliet Stevenson's narration represents the gold standard for narrators.

All of it!!! Superb!!!!

The reader is extraordinary!! What a wonderful joy of this timeless work! I will read again!

Fascinating threads of “The Messiah”

I enjoyed the larger context of the times and the people that surrounded the creation of “The Messiah.” I would have liked more information about Handel himself but even with that, highly recommend for those who enjoy British history.

Detailed history

Full of information well presented and generally very informative and interesting. Provided insight into the political situations of the time and the personal struggles of the characters. Tended to wander at times.