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Book Review: Sunrise in the West: Book One of The Brothers of Gwynedd by Edith Pargeter

May 21, 2010 by Darlene


I’m participating in a Summer Reading Group with a few bloggers that was arranged by Sourcebooks. The selection we’re reading is The Brothers of Gwynedd by Edith Pargeter. It’s quite the chunkster of a book at 800 and some pages but thankfully it is made up of four books and we are reading them over the course of four months. The first section is entitled Sunrise in the West and that is what this review is based on.

Sunrise in the West is the first book and is based on the four brothers of Gwynedd but this part focuses mostly on Llewelyn,the last prince of Wales and the second born son of Lord Griffith. The other brothers are Owen, Rhodri and David. This first part of the book is really setting the scene for us and introducing all the characters.

The book starts with Lord Griffith being imprisoned with his eldest son Owen. His wife Senena then leaves with her two younger sons, Rhodri and David, to go to King Henry to bargain for their release. However, her son Llewelyn, even after being ordered by his mother to come with them, manages to disappear at the last minute. She is forced to leave without him.

Llewelyn refuses to leave his home. He wants to stay and fight for what is his alongside his uncle David. He is spotted though by a young boy but by silent consent they both agree to never tell that they saw each other. This young boy turns out to be Samson who has been a childhood friend to all the boys as his mother was in service to Senena. This loyalty between Llewelyn and Samson ends up extending all the way into adulthood. This first section of the book is also narrated by Samson.

After their father dies the boys are all brought together again. Llewelyn has been ruling over Wales all the while they were gone but the council decides that it would be best if the two older brothers work together to keep peace. The two younger brothers, Rhodri and David, are given substantial lands to rule over. Unfortunately it isn’t enough to keep them happy and instead of working together to gain control over King Henry, they fight amongst themselves instead. Eventually this all simmers down and they band together to go against the King. The next battle is to tackle King Henry and get Wales back under Welsh rule.

While there are a lot of beautiful passages in this novel…

‘She looked up at him out of the cushions and skins that cradled her, and the heavy lids rolled back from her eyes, that were like violets, if violets could be lighted by candles within them. Her face was suddenly so still and so pale that for a moment she ceased to breathe, and all her bones shone white through the skin, as though smitten by frost.’ (pg 201, eBook)

…it is also quite difficult to read at times. It’s classed as fiction but truthfully I felt as though I was reading a history text at times. What I’m finding is that most of the novel thus far is really lacking in any warmth or emotion. I like the narrator, Samson. He seems to be a good man who stays loyal to those important to him but it’s just like he’s doling out facts with not a lot of anything else. At times there are certain parts of the story that are being told that are interesting and it is for those that I keep reading.

If you’d like to read more opinions on Sunrise in the West you can check out all these other participants in the Summer Reading Group as well as checking out the book discussion that will take place on May 24 on Passages to the Past at 7pm EST…

May 17 Reviews

The Burton Review
The Bibliophilic Book Blog
Rundpinne
A Reader’s Respite
History Undressed
Linda Banche Blog
A Hoyden’s Look at Literature
Renee’s Reads

May 18 Reviews

Between the Pages
The Broken Teepee
Books and Coffee
Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell
Tanzanite’s Shelf and Stuff
Passages to the Past
The Book Faery
A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore
Martha’s Bookshelf

May 19 Reviews

Beth Fish Reads
Deb’s Book Bag
Book Tumbling
A Work in Progress
Stiletto Storytime
Queen of Happy Endings

May 20 Reviews

The Literate Housewife

Reading Adventures
Books Like Breathing
Kailana’s Written World
Confessions of a Muse in the Fog
Wendy’s Minding Spot
Mrs. Q Book Addict
The Life and Lies of a Flying Inanimate Object
Starting Fresh

May 21 Reviews

Loving Heart Mommy
Celtic Lady’s Ramblings
Bookfoolery
One Literature Nut
The Book Tree
My Reading Room

May 23 Reviews

Carla Nayland’s Blog

Check back next month for the next installment in The Brothers of Gwynedd, Dragon at Noonday.

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Filed Under: 2010 ARC Challenge, 2010 Book Reviews, 2010 Chunkster Challenge, 2010 eBook Challenge, 2010 Historical Fiction, 2010-100+ Challenge

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. carolsnotebook says

    May 21, 2010 at 2:58 pm

    Sounds like one that could be a fascinating story, but just too long and too tough for me. Thanks for the honest review.

  2. Zibilee says

    May 21, 2010 at 2:59 pm

    I have been hearing that this one is a little dry, and I am not sure if it's a book for me. That being said, I will be interested in following your reviews to see if it picks up at all throughout later sections. Wonderful review, Dar!

  3. carla says

    May 21, 2010 at 4:21 pm

    Sounds like it could be a promising story…
    But I'm afraid it's a bit long for me right now.

  4. bermudaonion says

    May 21, 2010 at 5:25 pm

    I'll wait to see how you like it at the end, but so far, this book isn't calling my name.

  5. Blodeuedd says

    May 21, 2010 at 6:41 pm

    Nice review.
    I must say that my fav part was when Samson met that woman, cos there I finally felt something

  6. Sherri says

    May 22, 2010 at 12:30 am

    Hi Dar! Have a great weekend!

  7. Staci says

    May 22, 2010 at 12:41 am

    Yikes! I hope the next installment is better for you. I have to have a connection or else I just tune out!

  8. naida says

    May 23, 2010 at 10:08 pm

    This one does sound interesting, enjoy the readalong.
    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

  9. Toni says

    May 24, 2010 at 2:20 am

    Sounds a bit long and well complicated for my state of mind. Thanks for posting and thanks for the links.

  10. Sherri says

    May 24, 2010 at 5:09 pm

    Sounds interesting! I love historical fiction. Enjoy!

  11. Linda says

    May 25, 2010 at 9:14 pm

    Thinking about you and Buddy and hoping you will get to the bottom of this so he can be treated. Take care of yourself!

  12. Alice Teh says

    May 29, 2010 at 4:19 am

    I salute you, Dar. It would take me forever to pick up a 800-page book. Thanks for the review!

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