Book reviews featuring history, historical fiction, and mysteries, as well as my thoughts on all things bookish.
Friday, May 5, 2023
The Sun in Splendour (Plantagenet Saga Book 14) by Jean Plaidy
Saturday, April 1, 2023
Balian d'Ibelin: Knight of Jerusalem (Jerusalem Trilogy Book One) by Helena P. Schrader
Length: 402 pages
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I don't give 5 star ratings too often when I write a review. I think 4 says a book was great and even 3 means the book was good but not spectacular. So for me, 5 stars means I highly recommend it and found very little fault with it. This is one of those books and I can't want to read the next two in the series. It is also unique, a topic very rarely tackled, and so that makes it even more special for me. It is more a "one of a kind" type of book.
This story takes place between the years of 1171 and 1178 when Balian went from an insignificant youngest son to a member of the royal family in marriage to Queen Maria Comnena. His father, the former Count of Jaffa is deceased and his eldest brother Hugh also dies after a fall from his horse. Hugh prefers Balian to be the one to inherit Ibelin Castle and its lands but it is supposed to go to the middle brother, Baldwin, who is already Lord of Ramla. Baldwin is presented as a sour, disagreeable character who is not anxious to abide by Hugh's wishes. When Balian goes to King Almaric in Jerusalem to plead his case, Baldwin, or Barry, as he is called in the story, is not enthusiastic and is hopeful he will be rejected.
Balian succeeds in making a name for himself in his service to the young Prince Baldwin IV who is just ten years old and suffering from the terrible affliction of leprosy. Teaching Baldwin to ride without his hands and befriending the lonely boy, Balian develops a close bond with him while also becoming smitten with his beautiful stepmother, Queen Maria, lonely wife of King Almaric. After King Almaric's death, Balian becomes even more valued by Baldwin and Maria as they often lean on him for support.
Balian eventually rises to become Constable of Ascalon. During this period he comes into contact with the famous warrior, Salah al-Din and has to defend his territory and protect the helpless refugees fleeing the Muslim advance. Through courage, diplomacy, and luck Balian triumphs in the Battle of Montgisard and saves his people from the forces of Salah al-Din.
Schrader tells the story of Balian while adding some fictional characters for depth and color. His various stable boys and assistants are given backstories and a slave woman tells her gripping story in order to help reveal the fate of those kidnapped by the Muslim forces. Throughout the novel we meet real life figures such as Reynald de Chatillon, Agnes of Courtenay (mother of King Baldwin), and Aimery de Lusignan of the famous de Lusignan family.
Schrader's grasp of this time period is impressive. Only Sharon Penman's The Land Beyond the Sea holds a candle to it. I was drawn into the story the way I am with the best historical fiction.....authentic details, historical accuracy, along with romance and well depicted battles. I admit the battle scenes can sometimes bore me but she does a good job of not spending too long in one place and dragging it out too much. It is clear she has spent a lot of time researching and visiting her subject and I learned things I haven't found in other novels set during the time period. While I have read that there is not a lot of historical evidence detailing Balian's life, and I'm sure she had to create a lot of the story from her own mind, from what I can gather the novel is as accurate as possible given the scant information.
Her books have won several historical fiction awards and she has others set during this time. The Balian story is part of a trilogy and I will definitely be reading the other two.
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Can't Wait Wednesday: King Alfred's Daughter by David Stokes
My featured book for Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings is....King Alfred's Daughter by David Stokes. It caught my eye immediately at NetGalley because although I'm seeing a lot more books in recent years about King Alfred and the Viking Era, I've not seen one dedicated to his daughter, Aethelflaed. This one is not a mystery, or a romance based book but rather the type of historical fiction I love best: the real facts woven with fictional drama to represent what probably happened, what people probably said, and what they probably did. It should be both entertaining and informational. Can't wait!
March 28, 2023
Historical Fiction
Book description courtesy of NetGalley:
King Alfred is dead and the achievements that made him great are in jeopardy. Rebels challenge the succession of his son Edward to the Wessex throne, and his old ally in Mercia is sick. The Vikings in the Danelaw sense the time has come to complete their conquest of England.
It falls on Alfred’s firstborn, his daughter, Æthelflæd, to unite the Anglo-Saxons. Reluctantly, she takes up the challenge. But can a woman rebuild ruined towns and lead men into battle against hardened Viking warriors? And can Æthelflæd fulfil her father’s dream of uniting England?
Based on contemporary sources and archaeological evidence, King Alfred’s Daughter is rich in drama, family conflict and historical achievement.
Friday, March 17, 2023
Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman
Friday, March 3, 2023
Queens of the Crusades: England's Medieval Queens Book Two by Alison Weir
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Can't Wait Wednesday: The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick
Book description courtesy of Amazon
Wales, 1093.
The warm, comfortable family life of young Nesta, daughter of Prince Rhys of Deheubarth is destroyed when her father is killed and she is taken hostage. Her honor is further tarnished when she is taken as an unwilling concubine by King William's ruthless younger brother Henry, who later ascends the throne under suspicious circumstances.
Gerald FitzWalter, an ambitious young knight is rewarded for his unwavering loyalty to his new King with Nesta's hand in marriage. He is delighted, having always admired her from afar, but Nesta's only comfort is her return to her beloved Wales where cannot she help but be tempted by the handsome, charismatic and dangerous son of the Welsh prince, Owain. When he offers her the chance to join him in his plan to overthrow Norman rule she must choose between her duty and her desire . . .
Friday, February 10, 2023
St. Peter's Fair (Cadfael Chronicles Book 4) by Ellis Peters
Publication Date: January 1, 1981
Length: 219 pages
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
This series has always interested me due to its unique time period, well written dialogue, and intriguing plots. The continuation of Brother Cadfael's story along with recurring characters make it a must read, I have to check in and see what happens next. I struggle to read new authors for this reason.....I just love series books! And Ellis Peters has such a good grasp of vocabulary and description of the medieval period I always feel like I'm actually there myself.
This story centers around real events, (as do all the Cadfael Chronicles), during the period known as The Anarchy. King Stephen and Empress Matilda are still warring over who will rule England, and the monks in Shrewsbury are caught in the middle. Empress Maud is trying to gain support for an invasion and takeover along with her brother, Robert of Gloucester and his son-in-law, Ranulf, the Earl of Chester, who she hopes will join the cause. Ranulf has not decided which side to join, Stephen or Maud, and is interested in weighing his options. In the summer of 1139, everyone in Shrewsbury is eagerly awaiting the start of the St. Peter's Fair.
The story is broken down into sections: The Eve of the Fair, The First Day of the Fair, The Second Day of the Fair, The Third Day of the Fair, and After the Fair. At the beginning of the story we find the monks preparing for the three day event which will take place in and around the Abbey. This has been a long standing tradition, one in which the Abbey stands to benefit monetarily from the revenue generated. Geoffrey Corviser, the town provost, wants the order to allow for some of the money raised to go to damages incurred from last year's siege of the town but Abbot Radulfus is unmoved. He states that this is not the responsibility of the Abbey and that no money will be given.
Tensions begin to rise between the townspeople who want the money for repairs and the merchants of the fair, who are caught in the middle and don't want to be seen sharing the profits and going against the traditions of the Abbey. When a wealthy wine merchant, Thomas of Bristol is pushed to the breaking point, he hits one of the young men with his staff and a riot begins. Later, when Thomas is found naked, murdered, and stripped of his clothes, Phillip Corvisor, the young man he assaulted, is charged with his death.
Meanwhile, Thomas's niece, Emma, is grappling with the shock of her Uncle's death and feeling the weight of both the murder and the realization that she must make decisions regarding the wine business and her future. During all of the happenings, Cadfael takes Emma under his wing and vows to help her get to the bottom of her Uncle's murder. He is not convinced the right man has been arrested and charged. Due to clues uncovered regarding the state of the body and what appears to be the break in and search of Thomas and Emma's booth by an unknown culprit, he thinks there may be much more depth to the story and that the murderer is using the convenient surroundings of the riot and Phillip's involvement to mask a more sinister plot. As more is revealed, Emma realizes she may be in danger herself and must be careful as she works to uncover the truth.
While the story had all the same elements of the three previous books, I found myself a bit bored with this one which is why I only gave it three out of five stars. It was disappointing because I look forward to being entertained when I pick up one of these and they are usually an enjoyable break from longer, epic books. The story's setting at the fair just wasn't terribly interesting and the main characters didn't excite me. Most of the real action didn't get going until late into the plot and even then, it wasn't that suspenseful. Cadfael didn't factor into many parts of the story that I normally expect and so I found myself wishing we'd seen and heard more from him.
My favorite part was at the very end when the murderer and the motives behind the crime were revealed. I thought it was clever and brought some more history into the mix, which I always love. So even though it was a bit of a slog to get there, the ending was pretty satisfying. I will definitely be continuing with the series, but will probably take another break from it for a bit. The next story looks more interesting just based on the title, The Leper of St. Giles. Cadfael must seek help from the nearby leper colony and that alone sounds fascinating.
The Cadfael Chronicles are well written, classic mysteries, but there are twenty so I'm sure there are bound to be a few that won't make the very top of my favorite list. They are still worth the read though.
Friday, January 27, 2023
The White Ship by Charles Spencer
Saturday, January 21, 2023
Can’t Wait Wednesday: The Conscience of a King by David Field (Medieval Saga Book 7)
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Can't Wait Wednesday: The Granddaughters of Edward III by Kathryn Warner
It's time for another Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at WishfulEndings. I love this weekly post because it is simple yet productive in that it promotes up and coming books and authors who are publishing something in the next few months. I love going onto NetGalley and seeing great books and being able to share the ones I'm excited about. This week I have chosen a non-fiction book that looks fascinating to me. It's The Granddaughters of Edward III by Kathryn Warner.
This is a joint biography of nine of those women who lived between 1355 and 1440, and their dramatic, turbulent lives. One was queen of Portugal and was the mother of the Illustrious Generation; one married into the family of her parents' deadly enemies and became queen of Castile; one became pregnant by the king of England's half-brother while married to someone else, and her third husband was imprisoned for marrying her without permission; one was widowed at about 24 when her husband was summarily beheaded by a mob, and some years later bore an illegitimate daughter to an earl; one saw her marriage annulled so that her husband could marry a Bohemian lady-in-waiting; one was born illegitimate, had sixteen children, and was the grandmother of two kings of England.
Wednesday, December 28, 2022
Can't Wait Wednesday: Dark Queen Wary by Paul Doherty
Thursday, December 8, 2022
The Plantagenets by Dan Jones
Thursday, December 1, 2022
The Reluctant Queen: The Story of Anne of York by Jean Plaidy
WHY I CHOSE THIS BOOK
This is book 6 in Plaidy's Queens of England series and one of the few books I've found that covers Anne of York exclusively. She is often a storyline in books about Richard III, Edward IV, or the various famous women that surrounded her such as Elizabeth Woodville. I was eager to read something that focused on her alone. Plaidy is simplistic in style but rock solid in research and I know when I read her books I will learn a lot in an easy to read fashion. She is one of my favorite authors for "getting to the point" about her subject.
SUMMARY
The story, written in first person, begins with a prologue in which Anne is dying and reminiscing about her life and marriage. It is also the night of an eclipse which gives it a supernatural element and sets up the idea that Anne is part of a larger, heavenly plan. She thinks about her husband Richard, his brother King Edward, and the enemies surrounding them all as Richard struggles to maintain his tenuous hold on the crown. It is clear that Anne is no fan of Edward and blames his "profligacy, his self-indulgence" for his downfall, noting that none of his faults mattered to the public because he looked and acted the part of a glorious King. Anne realizes she will die soon and is worried about leaving Richard alone, although suspects there is a budding affair between him and his niece Elizabeth of York.
The story then switches to her remembrance of her life beginning chronologically with her birth to Richard Neville, the Kingmaker and Anne Beauchamp, an heiress whose lands and fortune brought her father the title, Earl of Warwick. She mentions her love for their childhood home, Middleham Castle and how happy she and her sister Isabel were there, although notes that she saw little of her father due to his political obligations. When she is five she remembers her ten year old sister explaining the events occurring around them which will change their lives and the course of history: the cause of the War of the Roses and the "silly old Henry and his horrible Queen Margaret." Anne is still too young to understand it all but has a sense of foreboding of things to come. When Edward of York thwarts her father's plans to marry him off to a French lady by marrying Elizabeth Woodville instead, Anne's life is turned upside down.
Isabel is soon married to George, Duke of Clarence, giving birth to a stillborn son and finds her marriage is not as happy as she had hoped it would be. To Anne's trepidation she too is married off to the Lancastrian heir, Edward and has to reckon with Queen Margaret whom she soon discovers is not as frightening as she originally thought. She does not have much time to settle into her new life before her father is killed at the Battle of Barnet along with her new husband, Prince Edward. When Anne is sent back to England she finds herself a pawn in the politics of the new Yorkist court and due to the machinations of her brother-in-law George, is abducted and placed into a cook's shop, forced into labor and attempted brainwashing that she is just a common scullery maid. She is eventually tracked down and rescued by Richard, with whom she had struck up a renewed friendship and he proposes marriage to her. Anne is overjoyed and agrees to become his wife.
As Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Anne and Richard experience joy and happiness away from the royal court. Sadly, this carefree life will not last long as they are pulled back into the ongoing strife. Anne loses more of those most dear to her and must eventually accept that she will take on the role of the "reluctant" Queen. The joy of motherhood tempers her melancholia but even that will have its challenges and tragedy. Throughout the reign of her husband, Anne tries to hold out hope that they will one day return to their happy life in the north at Middleham Castle.
WHAT I LIKED
I already knew the basics about the Wars of the Roses and Anne and Richard's story. I loved that Plaidy included new details I hadn't seen focused on as much in other stories. Anne's abduction and rescue from the cook shop, her dying during an eclipse, and her relationship with Queen Margaret are often overlooked because the narrative is geared toward the men of the story or the battles and politics. I really felt like I was living inside Anne's head and seeing her view of things, giving the reader a fresh perspective. Curious and researching the back stories from this book I discovered that historians are divided on the story of Anne's abduction and how it all unfolded but Plaidy obviously went with the best version of her research from the time. It doesn't bother me to know she might have taken some liberties due to holes in the story. It happens in historical novels. This was a great overview of Anne's life, her marriage to Richard, and her dismay at dying, leaving him to reign alone. If one didn't know anything about the Wars of the Roses, you would come away schooled in the basics and able to move on to more complex, detailed stories of the saga.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
Most of Plaidy's stories would probably fall into the category of YA if I'm being honest. They aren't terribly deep and her style of writing is sometimes a bit choppy. Being used to longer, incredibly detailed stories like Penman's The Sunne in Splendour, I could easily dismiss her work as childish. But I rarely feel this way when I'm done with one of her books and this one was no different. If you are looking for deep and flowery prose you won't find it here but that's okay sometimes.
RECOMMENDATION
Absolutely, yes.....this is a solid historical novel, well researched, and told in a straightforward way. All of her Queens of England books are wonderful and cover engaging women who lived through extraordinary times.