A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore...

Pages: 500 Originally published: 1954 My copy: 2004 (Chicago Review Press) How I acquired my copy: Borders, 2004 This book is more than just a good romance. It is an all-time classic. I am a younger reader, and so I don't have fond memories of the first time this book came out; but I'm glad that they brought Katherine  back into print. It is one of those books that all lovers of historical fiction should read, not simply for the history, but because this is an elegantly crafted novel; unarguably one of the very best I've read in a long time. This novel is a great introduction to the works of Anya Seton. The story of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt is set against a backdrop of chivalry and heroic adventure during the 14th century. I thoroughly loved this novel; there are parts of it that still stay with me two months after reading it. Whenever I read historical fiction, I always look to see whether the author has done her research- Anya Seton most definit...

Pages: 592 Original date of publication: 1946 My edition: Why I decided to read: How I acquired my copy: Philly bookstore, April 2012 The World is Not Enough is set in France in the late 12th century. Opening with the marriage of Alis and Ansiau, the reader is immediately thrust into the lives of these characters and the time they lived in, right up through old age. The focus of the novel is on the Crusades, which Ansiau participates in, leaving Alis at home to manage the household and become a person in her own right. The strength of the novel lies in the amount of detail with which the author provides the reader, but I thought that at times the detail bogged down the pace and progress of the story, making the book at least 100 pages longer than it really needed to be. We also get told a lot of things rather than have them shown to us, which made the novel much less interesting to read. The prose is also stilted, which may have more to do with the translation of ...

Pages: 188 Original date of publication: 1995 My edition: 2001 (Penguin) Why I decided to read: How I acquired my copy: Waterstone’s, Piccadilly, London, September 2011 In the late 14th century, a young, errant cleric comes across a troupe of traveling players. One of their party has recently died, and the cleric, Nicholas Barber, steps in to play parts. Their travels take them to a town where a woman of the town has recently murdered a young boy, apparently. Although players in the middle ages only focused on religious subjects, this troupe decides to stage a theatrical version of the murder as a Morality Play. But as they perform it, they discover that the truth is far from what they thought it was. I thought it was a great idea—and I love everything related to the middle ages, so I thought I would love this book. But I didn’t really. It’s a short book, but it drags in places due to the author’s laborious attempt to sound like a medieval person. There’s a heavy-h...

Pages: 511 Original date of publication: 2011 My edition: 2011 (Sourcebooks) Why I decided to read: I’m a huge Elizabeth Chadwick fan How I acquired my copy: review copy from publisher, June 2011 Lady of the English tells the story of Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I. Although Henry made his barons promise to uphold Matilda’s claim to the English throne, his barons aren’t ready for a female ruler. The novel follows Matilda’s struggle to uphold her claim, pitting her against her father’s cousin, Stephen. The story is told alternately between Matilda’s point of view and that of her stepmother, Adeliza, from 1125 to 1149. With the civil war between Matilda and Stephen, I always got the impression that Stephen was the kind of guy you’d invite over for dinner, and Matilda was more ice queen. It’s true that Matilda has been portrayed in historical chronicles as somewhat of a virago, so I was interested to see how Elizabeth Chadwick would vindicate her. I liked how she handled...

Pages: 473 Original date of publication: 2003 My edition: 2008 (Sphere) Why I decided to read: I needed a good comfort read How I acquired my copy: Amazon UK, May 2009 After reading the harrowing Wish Her Safe at Home , I needed a book that was going to be comfort reading, and so I turned to a sure thing: Elizabeth Chadwick’s The Falcons of Montabard , a book that’s been sitting on my bookshelves for ages but was waiting for the right time to be read. The story opens on November 25, 1120, the eve of the sinking of the White Ship. Sabin Fitzsimon is a young knight who, having seduced one of the mistresses of the king and murdered a man, is put into the service of Edmund Strongfist. Strongfist takes his entourage to the Holy Land, taking with him his daughter, Annais. Sabin is strongly sttracted to Annais, but he has promised his employer, and himself, that he’ll stay away from her. True to form, however, they keep being thrown together, and the result is almost predi...

Pages: 274 Original date of publication: 1979 My edition: 1979 (Ace Books) Why I decided to read: Recommendation from Amazon How I acquired my copy: Amazon.com, February 2010 The Lion of Mortimer is the third in a loosely connected series about the Plantagenet family, in which their story is told from the point of view of those closest to them. This Plantagenet is Edward II, and the story is told from the point of view of the Montacute family. The story takes Edward from his time as Prince of Wales up through his death, and the early part of the reign of Edward III. At only 274 pages, the novel covers a lot of ground, and as such, it’s pretty sketchy on the details of Edward’s life. Therefore, I felt that the characters were not well developed—especially Isabella, who I feel was a much deeper person than she’s portrayed in the book. The author gets Edward’s character down pat, though Piers Gaveston is not as well developed as the other characters and Hugh Despenser...

Pages: 406 Original date of publication: My edition: 1992 (Guild Press) Why I decided to read: heard about this book through Amazon.com How I acquired my copy: Amazon seller, February 2010 The Saracen Blade is the story of Pietro di Donati, son of a 13 th -century Sicilian peasant. Born at almost the exact same moment as the Emperor Frederick, Pietro’s fate is loosely linked with his. The story is set against the backdrop of the crusades, and we even get to see some of the current events of the time, especially the Children’s Crusade and the Albigensian Crusade. Simon de Montfort even makes a cameo at one point, but be aware that he doesn't come across so well. It’s a thick, dense novel, despite how short it is (there are even footnotes, which detracts from the flow of the story). It starts off very slowly, and it took me about fifty pages or so to get into the flow of the story. Pietro is a pretty dense, incomprehensible character, and he seems even callous ...

Pages: 317 Original date of publication: 2004 (as Lady of the Mercians ) My edition: 2010 (Cava Books) Why I decided to read: it was recommended to be through Amazon UK How I acquired my copy: Amazon UK, May 2010 The King’s Daughter is the story of Elflaede, daughter of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex during the late 9 th century. Elflaede herself became a Queen in her own right, and became known as Lady of the Mercians through her marriage to Ethelred, King of Mercia. As she continued her father’s quest to keep the Viking invaders at bay, in this novel, she falls in love with the very person she’s not supposed to—Guthrun, a Viking himself. I had to look up Alfred the Great and Elflaede up in order to get the full story of both, since I felt that the history got a little lost in the love story of Guthrun and Elflaede. I also wish that Alfred had been a greater presence in this book; although he was at the height of his powers at the time the book is set, I really...

Pages: Original date of publication: 1971 My edition: 1971 (Dobson Books) Why I decided to read: Elizabeth Chadwick recommendation How I acquired my copy: Amazon.com, September 2009 I first heard about Juliet Dymoke’s books through Elizabeth Chadwick, who listed Henry of the High Rock as one of her favorite historical fiction books. Henry is actually the second in a loosely-connected trilogy of books that can be read separately (the first is Of the Ring of Earls ). Henry of the High Rock is about Henry Beauclerc, a younger son of William the Conqueror who, despite the odds, became King of England. This novel is about his struggle to get there and his love, along the way, for Eadgyth of Scotland. Dymoke has a habit of portraying her male characters in a more or less rosy light; her Henry is very much romanticized. But I liked the portrait she painted of him. Her treatment of the struggles between Henry and his brothers is well done. Dymoke gives her readers a great...

Pages: 540 Original date of publication: 2010 My edition: 2010 (Sphere) Why I decided to read: I’ve had this on my TBR list since hearing it was going to come out How I acquired my copy: Bookdepository, April 2010 To Defy a King is the story of Mahelt Marshal, eldest daughter of the famous William Marshal—who appears as the main character in two of Chadwick’s previous novels, and a minor character in a handful of others. As the oldest daughter of one of the most famous men in England, Mahelt married Hugh Bigod. The novel covers a period of about ten years, from Mahelt’s marriage to Hugh up through the Magna Carta. I do love Elizabeth Chadwick’s novels; her writing really takes her reader back in time. But for some reason, I just didn’t love this one quite as much. Maybe because there’s so much less known about Mahelt than about her father, her character seems a lot sketchier here. Still, I thought Chadwick did a wonderful job of trying to ring her and Hugh to life....

Pages: 470 Original date of publication: 2010 My edition: 2010 (Plume) Why I decided to read: It was offered on Amazon Vine How I acquired my copy: same, June 2010 Oh, man. This is another one of those “I really wanted to like this book, but…” kinds of books. Set between the years of 1200 and 1204, when King John disputed with Arthur of Brittany over the crown. Although the struggle is the backdrop of the story, it’s not the focus; instead the story centers around one Juliana de Charnais, a wealthy young woman who starts out as a novice but must marry in order to keep her inheritance. In comes Guerin de Lasalle, who’s just as eager as she is to end the marriage. At first it seems as though the plot of the novel is going to be one of those battle of the sexes things, where the hero and heroine eventually will end up with a happily ever after. I’ll give the author credit for taking the plot of the novel in a direction I never expected it to go in. however, the way in ...

Pages: 551 Original date of publication: 1974 My edition: 2010 (Sourcebooks) Why I decided to read: publicist sent me a copy for review How I acquired my copy: same, April 2010 Having read Jerusalem , I was eager to read Great Maria , a novel set in Sicily in the middle ages. Maria is the daughter of a robber baron, compelled to marry Richard, brother of Roger, the man she really loves. I wanted to like this book, I really did, but the author’s writing style kept bogging me down. She writes in short choppy sentences that are hard to follow at times, and I found myself skipping and skimming in many places. Maybe it’s me, but I thought that the writing style of this book was a lot different from that which Holland used in Jerusalem—it may be intentional I don’t know. Holland describes everything in minute detail, sometimes to the detriment of the story. It’s a pity, because the details of Maria’s life are interesting in places and give the reader a generally good feel...

Pages: 137 Original date of publication: 1974 My edition: 2010 (Sourcebooks) Why I decided to read: it had been recommended to me a long time ago How I acquired my copy: review copy from the publisher I’m sorry this isn’t a real review: a revised version of this review appears here for the first part of the quartet, Sunrise in the West . But my feelings for the book after having read part II haven’t really changed, and there’s not much more I can say about a book I generally dislike. Dragon at Noonday is the second book in the quartet. All four books are included in one volume, but they can be read separately—as they should be, because this is one of those books that you have to read in baby steps., whether you love it or no. This book is still very slow-going, There are a lot of descriptive passages in this book, and a lot of historical details; but Pargeter’s prose style is very, very dense—I’d find myself reading a few pages, putting the book down, and picking i...

Pages: 186 Original date of publication: 1974 My edition: 2010 (Sourcebooks) Why I decided to read: it had been recommended to me a long time ago How I acquired my copy: review copy from the publisher I’m reading The Brothers of Gwynedd for a sort of book club that the publicist at Sourcebooks is sponsoring—we’re reading one book from the quartet for four months, writing a review, and then discussing the book at various book bloggers’ blogs. I’m very glad that things have been spread out this way, otherwise, I think I’d get burned out over this book very quickly—I’ve only completed the first 200 pages or so, but already I feel as though I’m running a marathon with it! Sunrise in the West is the first book in the quartet. From what I’ve read so far, it promises to be slow going—the book opens with not a lot of action, just a number of details on the narrator’s (Samson) background, as well as that of the house of Gwynedd. This part of the book takes places from roug...

Pages: 405 Original date of publication: 1996 My edition: 1997 (Forge) Why I decided to read: heard about it through Historical Fiction Online How I acquired my copy: Amazon, March 2010 Jerusalem is a story of the Knights Templar in the Holy Land in the 1180s. The story centers around Rannulf Fitzwilliam, a Norman knight who, like many of the Templars, has a Past and has come East to do penance. The story is set in and around Jerusalem and Damascus, as the King of Jerusalem struggles to keep the monarchy intact, even as the Saracens threaten to attack from without. Rannulf isn’t exactly a likeable character—I didn’t like him much, and he wasn’t much liked by his comrades. He’s stoic, almost to the point of coldness, and so he doesn’t often show emotion—and when he does, it almost seems forced. For example, take Rannulf’s attraction to Sibylla—I’m not sure that he’s in love with her so much as in lust, given his past behavior. I liked Stephen a whole lot better, str...

Pages: 278 Original date of publication: 1978 My edition: 1978 (ACE) Why I decided to read: an interest in the Plantagenets led me to pick this up How I acquired my copy: Amazon.com, February 2010 The Royal Griffin is the story of Eleanor of England (youngest daughter of King John and sister of Henry III) and her second husband, Simon de Montfort, the baron who helped shape the parliamentarian history of England. The story covers the life of Eleanor from her first marriage in 1224 to William Marshal, eldest son of the famous William Marshal, goes up through Simon de Montfort’s attempt to take the throne, ending nearly at the end of Eleanor’s life, when she became a nun. It’s a huge period of time to cover, and Dymoke does jump over periods of time in order to cover the major action of Eleanor and Simon’s lives. For example, at one moment Eleanor is giving birth to their eldest son, Henry; next thing you know he and his siblings are teenagers! In some wa...

Pages: 392 Original date of publication: 1977 My edition: 1977 (Charles Scribners Sons) Why I decided to read: recommendation on Amazon.com How I acquired my copy: Amazon.com In 1036, a brutal massacre took place at Gildford, of Alfred the Atheling and his followers by Harold Harefoot, soon after to become King of England. That event, and the events of the thirty years following it, would lead up to one of the seminal moments of English history: the invasion of England by William of Normandy and his followers, in 1066. Gildenford is the story of both sides of the conflict over possession of the crown, with Brand Woodcutter, a retainer of Earl Godwin of Wessex, caught in the crossfire. This novel is a very strong, real depiction of England in the years leading up to the conquest. Brand is a character to whom I became strongly attached: honorable yet conflicted over the decision he must make. As the novel mentions towards the end, Brand is the kind of person who want...

Pages: 438 Original d ate of publication: 1992 My edition: 1992 (St. Martin’s Press) Why I decided to read: browsing in the library How I acquired my copy: unacquired, from the library, April 2010 Set between the years of 1371 and 1383, The Peacock and the Pear l is set amongst the guild system of medieval London and against the wider historical backdrop of the period—culminating, in fact, with the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. Joanne Burgeys, the plain-featured daughter of an ambitious mercer, encounters Sir Tristam de Maudesbury, a retainer knight of John of Gaunt, one day during an apprentice riot. In true romantic tradition, Tristam literally is her knight in shining armor, saving her life. Later, Joanna repays the favor, and by a strange twist of fate, the two marry—although the relationship is pretty much one-sided. The historical detail of the book is excellent, and the author, who wrote a number of books on the medieval guild system. Everything, especially what...

Pages: 221 Original date of publication: 2009 My edition: 2009 (Quaestor) Why I decided to read: it’s April’s book of the month on HFO ( follow the discussion here ) How I acquired my copy: Amazon.com There’s a dearth of novels based on the early middle ages—probably because it’s such a hard period to research and then recreate. Very little is known about England prior to the Viking invasions, but Carla Nayland’s wonderful novel about early 7 th century Eboracum (York) and Deira (Yorkshire) successfully fills the gap nicely. This is the story of Eadwine, a prince of Deira whose lands are invaded and conquered by Aetheferth, king of a neighboring tribe. After a devastating battle, Eadwine goes into exile with some of his followers. They stop at a farmhouse occupied by three women, one of whom is Severa, a healing woman of sorts and their leader. Most of the story follows Eadwine, biding his time as he waits for the opportunity to reclaim his lands and betrothed (who...

Pages: 406 Original date of publication: 1999 My edition: 2006 (Sphere) Why I decided to read: it’s Elizabeth Chadwick; what else can I say? How I acquired my copy: Waterstone’s bookshop, Piccadilly, London, September 2009 Miriel is an unruly, headstrong girl, whose stepfather places her in the convent of St. Catherine. While there, she comes into contact with Nicholas de Caen, a rebel against King John. While still a prisoner, Nicholas rescues John’s infamous treasure from the swamp, and attempts to run away—accidentally (or not) taking Miriel with him. Their adventures, together and apart, take place over the course of about five years, as hate eventually turns to love. It’s true that Elizabeth Chadwick’s books, especially those about fictional characters, tend to follow a certain pattern: two would-be lovers are torn asunder by circumstances beyond their control, and they must battle against the odds to eventually return to one another. The main female character usually is very head...