The Passionate Brood by Margaret Campbell Barnes – Book Review

Nov 052010
 

5137323154 08cbae1731 m pictureThe Passionate Brood: A Novel of Richard the Lionheart and the Man Who Became Robin Hood by Margaret Campbell Barnes
Published by Sourcebooks

After Henry VIII, Richard I, otherwise known as Richard Coeur de Lion or Richard the Lionheart, is probably one of England’s best known kings. Perhaps this notoriety derives from his snappy nickname and his association with the Crusades, but I would argue that a large part as well comes from his reign being the background of the legend of Robin Hood. In “The Passionate Brood,” Campbell Barnes combines historical fiction of Richard’s life – from before the death of his older brother and father until his own death – with the the Robin Hood legend. In this version, Robin is the son of Hodierna, the Plantagenet nursemaid, and Richard’s own best friend and foster brother until he regretfully declines to join Richard on his crusade and is outlawed by the passionate king.

“You got legend in my historical fiction!”
“You got historical fiction in my legend!”
Two great genres, better together!

Sorry, that’s out of my system now.

Anyway, I really enjoyed how Barnes worked the legend of Robin Hood realistically into Richard’s reign. It all made sense and flowed completely naturally from both Richard and Robin’s characters. I think the historical legend/fantasy is always that which is well-integrated into solid history.

That being said, i was slightly disappointed to find that Robin was really just a supporting character to Richard’s story in “The Passionate Brood.” Considering that the second half of the subtitle is “…and the Man Who Became Robin Hood” I really expected to see more of Robin’s story once the two men part ways, perhaps cut between Richard on his crusade and Robin adjusting to life as an outlaw. Instead, “The Passionate Brood” dealt more with how the memory of Robin’s character and the guilt over the mens’ estrangement worked on Richard psyche, which was still very interesting, just different than I expected.

Well written an interesting, I can definitely recommend Margaret Campbell Barnes’ “The Passionate Brood.”

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

This review was done with a book received from the publisher.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.
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The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory – Book Review

Aug 012010
 

4851894122 c5b11d0919 m pictureThe Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
Published by Touchstone, an imprint of Simon & Schuster

One of the only heirs of the Lancaster line of the royal family, Margaret Beauford is a very important young girl, but still a powerless one. She is utterly convinced that she has a vocation and desperately wants to be a nun. As a young lady with royal blood in a time when the king is childless and perhaps slightly crazy, Margaret is not to have the luxury of choosing her own fate and going into a convent. Instead, she is expected to breed, to produce a son for the Lancaster line. Not only that, neither she nor her family have any say in who she is to marry. At twelve she is wedded to King Henry VI’s half-brother, the twenty-something Edmund Tudor. At thirteen, days after the death of her husband, Margaret gives birth to a son, Henry Tudor, and has a vision that he will one day be King of England. Suddenly, Margaret has a new vocation from God: seeing her son crowned.

Gregory’s “The Other Boleyn Girl” is the novel that brought me to historical fiction in college, but much of her work after that went downhill, in my opinion. In fact, I disliked “The Other Queen,” so much (after purchasing it in hardcover), that I nearly swore her off completely. I’m glad I decided to give her another chance with her new series, The Cousin’s War. I thought that the first book in the series, “The White Queen,” was perhaps her best book since “The Other Boleyn Girl.”

“The Red Queen,” I think, is even better. Gregory still suffers from a bit of the repetitiveness that she showcased in “The White Queen,” but I think it came off better, and flowed more naturally in this book. Yes, Margaret did express her belief in her religious vocation ad nauseum in the beginning of the book in particular, but she was a very head strong young preteen and teenager, so it fit with her character. In fact, she was obnoxiously headstrong and self-righteous throughout the entire book. The fact that Gregory kept me enjoying “The Red Queen” as much as I enjoyed “The White Queen” with its much more sympathetic protagonist is what makes me say that this is actually the stronger book.

If you gave up on Gregory after some of her weaker Tudor books, try her Cousin’s War series. You can really start with either “The White Queen” or “The Red Queen,” but I recommend that you give it a try.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

This review was done with a book received from the publisher.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.
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The King’s Mistress by Emma Campion – Book Review

Jul 282010
 

4826714857 008d3fdc7f m pictureThe King’s Mistress by Emma Campion

Alice knows she is lucky when she is lucky when her father chooses Janyn Perrers for her to wed. Although he is a good deal older than she is, she finds he attractive and he has never been anything but gentle and kind towards her. For awhile, they have a lovely, happy life together, until it becomes clear that he and his family have a dangerous secret involving the Dowager Queen Isabella. When Isabella passes away, Alice ends up under the protection of King Edward III and Queen Philippa, only to become Edward’s long-time mistress, reviled by much of the country.

First of all, let me just do a little cheer that “The King’s Mistress” is English historical fiction that is not about the Tudors, the War of the Roses, or Eleanor of Aquitaine. Hooray! Originality!

Alice Perrers is a fascinating woman, and I am glad that Campion decided to take her on as a subject for this novel. A merchant’s daughter, she neither wanted nor expected to spend any time with the royal family, only to end up as a royal mistress and mother to three of the king’s children. Of course, the higher someone is raised, the more enmity they attract (Tudor fans, think Wolsey and Cromwell). Indeed, Alice ends up vilified by many of those around her, accused of taking advantage of the aging king in his growing senility during their final years together.

Although the beginning was a bit slow, I thought that Campion’s writing was quite good. I thought that, overall, she let Alice’s story unfold very well and very naturally. The only minor thing that annoyed me was Alice’s italicized musings at the beginning of each of the four sections. They all ended with “When had I a choice to be other than I was?” Yes, there was a certain degree to which Alice’s fate was really being decided for her by other people, but I disliked that strong current of helplessness from Alice in these sections, particularly because I found her to be a rather strong character in the book as a whole, working for what she felt was right or what she wanted whenever it was possibly in her somewhat powerless position.

Despite a couple of minor flaws, this was a great work of historical fiction, and I would highly recommend it to people looking for something other than the same old Tudor and War of the Roses historical novels.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

tlc tours pictureI read this book as part of a TLC Book Tour.  Check out some of the other tour hosts for more reviews.  Links go to the host’s site, not to their specific review.

Tuesday, July 6th:  Life in Review

Wednesday, July 7th:  Luxury Reading

Thursday, July 8th:  Life is a Patchwork Quilt

Friday, July 9th:  Hist-Fic Chick

Monday, July 12th:  The Tome Traveller

Tuesday, July 13th:  Novel Whore

Wednesday, July 14th:  Rundpinne

Thursday, July 15th:  Stiletto Storytime

Thursday, July 22nd:  Ask Miss A

Thursday, July 22nd:  The Book Faery Reviews

Monday, July 26th:  Chaotic Compendiums

Monday, July 26th:  The Feminist Review

Wednesday, July 28th:  Devourer of Books

Monday, August 2nd:  S. Krishna’s Books

Wednesday, August 4th:  Peeking Between the Pages

Friday, August 6th:  Historical-Fiction.com

Thursday, August 12th:  Enchanted by Josephine

* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.
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The Dark Rose by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles – Book Review

Jul 122010
 

4779501465 fd30a5919e m pictureThe Dark Rose by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

“The Dark Rose” is the second in Cynthia Harrod-Eagles’ ‘Morland Dynasty’ series. I have previously reviewed the first book, “The Founding.” Because the books deal with successive generations of the same family, they largely stand on their own and do not really contain any significant spoilers for one another.

In “The Dark Rose,” Paul Morland – founder Eleanor’s great-grandson – has become the head of the Morland dynasty. England has had a bit of a change of leadership as well; the house of York, with whom the Morlands were long allied, has fallen and it is the Tudors who now rule. Just as the Tudors are now dealing with contenders to the throne, Paul is dealing with different factions competing for his affection and a place as a member of his family. Between his wife and children and his mistress and illegitimate son, as well as his half-siblings who he believes to be illegitimate, things are quite messy in the Morland household.

Okay, so “The Dark Rose” isn’t actually as melodramatic as I made it sound, but Paul does act a bit brooding in much of the first half of the book. In fact, he was so brooding as to be somewhat obnoxious, and gave me a bit of difficulty in getting into the book initially. As Paul grew up a bit more and started to act it, though, I slipped into the book more easily. Things got even easier when Nanette, Paul’s niece, became a major character. She was much easier to identify with, and her life was also a bit more interesting, as for some time she was living at court with Anne Boleyn during Anne’s meteoric rise and fall. Harrod-Eagles changed a few pieces of history for no reason that I could discern, however, and that drew me out of the story a few times. For instance, she had Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of Anne and Mary, dying when the girls were young. That is not true, and it seemed to serve no purpose other than annoy me any time it was mentioned. Then there was the whole thing with the uncle and niece falling in love. I’ve more or less made my peace with the creepiness of the cousins constantly marrying one another (and in EVERY generation…), but the uncle to half-niece was just ick. They seemed like true love and all, but my brain just kept going ‘ick, ick, ick, ick, ick.”

Overall, I did very much enjoy “The Dark Rose,” although perhaps not quite as much as “The Founding.” I liked it enough that I’m excited for “The Princeling,” the next book in the Morland dynasty series.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

This review was done with a book received from Danielle at Sourcebooks.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

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Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson – Audiobook Review

Jun 252010
 

4732290408 7c991d9c8f m pictureMajor Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson, narrated by Peter Altschuler

If you posted an audiobook review today, Friday June 25th, please leave your link in the Mr. Linky before midnight Central time (US) and you will be eligible to win a prize.

Synopsis:

When Major Earnest Pettigrew’s brother passes away, he begins to evaluate his life. A widower, his only son living off in London and visiting infrequently, Major Pettigrew is a bit lonely, but somewhat annoyed by most of the women in his town. When Jasmina Ali, proprietor of the village shop, comes to check in on him, he strikes up first a conversation, then a friendship with her. Jasmina is witty and well-read, a perfect partner for Major Pettigrew. She is also a Muslim Pakistani woman, who isn’t always seen as an equal by some of the people in their small town.

Thoughts on the story:

“Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” is a novel about knowing when to break with tradition and when to hold tight to it; a sweet but not saccharine story of family and love. The ending was perhaps too quick and easy, but I adored the story as a whole. It was just insanely charming, and I’m not really sure what to say about it beyond that.

Thoughts on the audio production:

Peter Altschuler was the absolutely perfect choice to narrate “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.” He had this perfect British accent and played the slightly stuffy and slightly sentimental Major perfectly.

Overall:

Lovely story, and even lovelier audiobook.

picture

Buy this book from:
 Powells: Audio/Print*
 A local independent bookstore via Indiebound: Print*
 Amazon: Audio/Print*

This review was done with a book borrowed from the library.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.
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Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel – Book Review

May 242010
 

4630845114 4e7418687a m pictureWolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

If you don’t already know what this book is about, there is a good chance this isn’t the sort of book you would like, because this has got to be hands-down the most talked about historical fiction novel of the past 12 months: Henry VIII’s court from Thomas Cromwell’s point of view.

Thomas Cromwell. Not, perhaps, the most sympathetic character from Henry VIII’s reign, and there were an awful lot of unsympathetic characters running around that court. In most works of historical fiction, Cromwell is vilified, detested; he is a horrible, horrible man who craves naught but power and influence. Honestly, doesn’t sound like the sort of man that I would like to read a 600 page book about, whose head I would want to be in for that long.

But Mantel does something special with Cromwell in “Wolf Hall.” She humanizes him, and actually makes him sympathetic. Honestly, I’m not even sure how she did it. Although we are somewhat in Cromwell’s head throughout the story, her narration is still in third person and somehow everything seems a little  on the distant side – I felt almost as if I was watching everything take place through a pane of frosted glass. And yet, I felt that I understood him, that I cared what he thought and felt.

One of the main things that everyone has talked about with this book is the fact that it is a difficult read. In particular, Mantel almost always refers to Cromwell simply as ‘he’ and, yes, when he’s talking to other men, that gets very confusing. And really, some of the passages are just plain dense, and a bit hard to get through, in the second and third sections particularly.

But then, in the second half of the book, it just all came together for me. I was completely drawn into the story by that point, I was used to Mantel’s writing, and it all just flowed. I loved it. LOVED it. I’ve never read Tudor fiction like this, I’ve never seen Cromwell as a character like this and, despite early difficulties, I absolutely adored it.

If you love literary fiction and historical fiction and are willing to put a little work into your books, I highly recommend “Wolf Hall.”

A note on how I read this: I actually read “Wolf Hall” over about six weeks, reading a section each weekend to discuss on Monday with a friend. Although the discussions petered out, I think that reading it like this really worked well for me. Trying to read the entire thing at once might have burned me out, but having it as my weekend read with other books during the week always left me wanting more, particularly towards the end when I got really into it.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

This review was done with a book received as a gift.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

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The Founding by Cynthia Harrod Eagles – Book Review

Apr 212010
 

the founding pictureThe Founding by Cynthia Harrod Eagles

Eleanor is an orphan, but she’s a gentlewoman, the ward of Lord Beaufort and companion to his wife. With no dowry, she doesn’t really expect to ever marry. Edward Morland, however, sees an advantage in Eleanor. Morland is no more than a wealthy sheep farmer, but his son Richard is somewhat educated and he wants to bring social cache into their family to mix with their riches and create a powerful family dynasty. Although Eleanor was chosen for her connections and the fact that her lack of dowry makes her attainable for a sheep farmer, but Edward could not have chosen a better bride for his son. Not only is Eleanor very fertile, bringing numerous healthy children into the family, but she is also incredibly strong-willed and savvy. It is her influence, more than anything else, that continues to catapult the family’s fortunes during the tumult of England during the War of the Roses.

The Morland Dynasty series is one I’ve been hearing about for years now, so I was quite excited about reading “The Founding,” which is the first book in the series. I was also a bit hesitant, however. What is my expectations were too high? At 500+ pages that would be a lot of disappointment. Luckily, “The Founding” absolutely lived up to the hype for me. From what I know about this series, it is set against hundreds of years of English history. I enjoy these sorts of books, but sometimes it seems that they simply try too hard to insinuate the main characters into every monumental event covered. I did not find that to be the case with “The Founding,” the events seemed to occur naturally, although when the characters did not experience the events first hand they occasionally had to engage in some slightly unnatural expositions.

I’m really not sure whether or not to be happy about discovering the Morland Dynasty series. On one hand, great new way to experience English history; on the other hand, huge series of big fat novels when I already have more I want to read than I could ever get to.

The Morland Dynasty series could be very hazardous to your TBR piles, but if you’re up to the challenge and a fan of English historical fiction then I would certainly recommend this series, I will definitely be reading more.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

This review was done with a book received from Danielle at Sourcebooks.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

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Within The Hollow Crown by Margaret Campbell Barnes – Book Review

Apr 162010
 

within the hollow crown pictureWithin The Hollow Crown by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Richard II was the son of the great warrior Edward, The Black Prince and the grandson of King Edward III. When The Black Prince, heir to the throne of England, predeceased the King, his young son was suddenly the heir apparent. Historically, child kings have always caused a measure of unrest, and this held true when Richard ascended to the throne at the tender age of 10 years old. One might think that having four strong uncles would help hold the throne for Richard in his youth, but when the uncles see a boy-king as a chance to consolidate their own power and perhaps even take the crown for themselves one day, they can be exceedingly dangerous. Indeed, there is open animosity between Richard and his youngest uncle, Gloucester. For instance, when Richard successfully put down the Peasant’s revolt at the age of 14, his uncle Gloucester reversed the good he had down by ordering executions where Richard had promised amnesty.

I really enjoy Margaret Campbell Barnes’ take on the history of England in general. However, I didn’t find “Within The Hollow Crown” to be quite as good as some of her other work. One thing in particular that really bothered me were her transitions, which were occasionally jarring from one chapter to another, things simply didn’t seem to flow, and I felt that at the beginning of each chapter I really had to pay extra attention to figure out how much time had elapsed since the end of the previous chapter. I was so excited to read about Richard II, since I have never encountered any fiction about him, but I just didn’t find myself terribly invested in him.

I definitely recommend the historical fiction of Margaret Campbell Barnes and am really pleased that Sourcebooks is reissuing them so they can be more easily found in the U.S., but I don’t think I would recommend you start with “Within The Hollow Crown,” I think she has better books – although certainly one of Margaret Campbell Barnes’ lesser books is still better written than much historical fiction.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

This review was done with a book received from Danielle at Sourcebooks.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.
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The Queen’s Governess – Book Review

Mar 302010
 

the queens governess pictureThe Queen’s Governess by Karen Harper

Kat Ashley, nee Champernowne is well known by those who have read about Queen Elizabeth I. Not only was Ashley Elizabeth’s governess when she was young, but she remained a devoted servant when Elizabeth ascended to the throne. What many may not know – I certainly didn’t! – is that her original sponsor when she arrived at court was none other than Thomas Cromwell. Harper’s version of Kat had her groomed from her relatively poor family as a protege of Cromwell and a sometimes-spy for him at court who grew to love both her first mistress Anne Boleyn and her daughter Elizabeth. Kat stood by Elizabeth during many of the greatest trials and scandals of her young life.

Yay! I like the Tudors again! Time and time again recently I’ve tried to read a novel based on the Tudors and I’ve just been bored and sort of annoyed, major Tudor fatigue. I should have known, however, that Karen Harper wouldn’t let me down. While she doesn’t necessarily create a complete air of time and place, Harper’s storytelling ability pulls me right into the lives of her characters. While Kat was occasionally ever-so-slightly modern sounding, she was a strong and engaging main character and I loved the relationships she built with her husband John Ashley and, of course, with Elizabeth. It all seemed to flow in an entirely plausible and convincing series of events, I thought Harper supported her interpretation of these women’s story very well.

There were a few anachronisms, however, one in particular that really jumped out with me was John Ashley quoting a nursery rhyme:

“I hear Humpty Dumpty is heading for a fall, and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men will never put him back together again – or want to” – p. 143

Popular belief is that this nursery rhyme was based on a cannon used in 1648 against the Royalists in the English Civil War.  Ashley is speaking in 1540. Even so, the couple of anachronisms didn’t pull me out of the story as much as it might have done. Other than having to run to Wikipedia after the Humpty Dumpty incident, I was actually able to stay in the story really very well.

Don’t let the anachronisms throw you, this is some of the most engaging Tudor fiction I’ve read lately. Love me some Karen Harper!

Highly recommended.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

This review was done with a book received from Lydia at Putnam.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

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