Peeking Between the Pages

...escape into the pages of a good book

2009 ARC Reading Challenge

Book Review: The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick

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The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick is Book One of The Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy and what a fascinating account it is of who King Arthur might have been. Now I’ve not read any Arthurian stories before this one but from what I gather the majority of those are like fairy tales-very rosy views of Arthur. I can say in all honesty that I would and do prefer this down to earth, real-life type epic tale any day. This novel took me on a sweeping adventure into the Dark Ages in the history of Britain and I loved it!

This book spans from 450 AD to 457 AD. It’s a hefty book at 563 pages and yet you don’t notice that it’s that long as you are so caught up in the story itself. Helen Hollick’s storytelling ability is amazing. So many times I felt that I was right there in this story, experiencing someone’s pain or happiness, feeling as though I was right in the middle of a medieval battle. It’s fast paced and exciting and very well researched and told.

We start off with Uthr Pendragon coming to Gwynedd to see the Lion Lord Cunneda, ruler of the land. Gwenhwyfar, Cunneda’s only daughter among nine sons, and her brother are watching for the ship to come in. Years past Cunneda and Uthr had fought and lost to King Vortigern. Now they want to change that and give the title back to the rightful King, Uthr. Unfortunately after a bloody battle things don’t come to light as they had planned and Uthr is killed.

This is also the time that Arthur, who after Uthr is killed, finds that he is the rightful heir to Uthr. It is also when we are first introduced to the romance that is to build between Arthur and Gwenhwyfar. At first she thinks he is insolent boy when she finds him staring at her from across the room. They experience a few run ins but later because of both of them being mistreated by female caregivers, they find a common bond and that is when Gwenhwyfar realizes that she loves this boy even though she is only twelve. Before Arthur is to leave Gwynedd, Gwenhwyfar pledges herself to him saying, ‘When I am woman-grown I shall have a greater gift to pledge. I offer you, my Lord, Arthur Pendragon, to use how you choose, my unborn sons!’ (pg. 109, uncorrected advance copy, published copy may be different) This is the start of an epic romance that spans the years and never dies.

Arthur is a character you really want to dislike, yet you find you can’t or at least I couldn’t. Oh my goodness, he’s a wine guzzling drunk at times and definitely a womanizer and yet there is the other side to him~the loyal side. The side that will give his life for Gwenhwyfar or his men. The thing that irritated me the most about him was the political side of the battles between the men. I know Arthur had to do what he could to advance himself in order to take over as King but when he marries Winnifred, Vortigern’s daughter, in a drunken stupor I was really ticked at him. She is the epitomy of evil~scheming and betrayal being her number one priorities. He eventually divorces her to marry Gwenhwyfar but she nevers acknowledges the divorce and in the meantime he has lain with her again and produced a son with her. He refuses to acknowledge this son. He will only ackowledge Gwenhwyfar’s and his own son. If he had learned to keep it in his pants, a lot of the tribulations he had would have been prevented but then the story wouldn’t have been the same either.

Gwenhwyfar was my favorite character. She’s a strong, independent woman in what would have been a man’s world back then. I loved her spirit and quick wit. Many times she had me laughing with her antics. When something bad happened to her I cried with her and when things were good, I was elated for her. I was rooting for her and Arthur all the way. They seem a couple destined to be together and when she even goes to war with him, you again see her strength.

There’s so much one could say about this book. It is very well worth the read. Helen Hollick’s writing is fantastic and the story is enthralling. A few quotes from the book that show off Helen’s wonderful way with words are…

  • ‘Where valleys nestled green and lush, and mountains heaved upwards to caress the sky.’ (pg 20, uncorrected advance copy, published copy may be different)
  • ‘A lively wind, the tail end of the storm, danced across the sea chasing a galloping herd of white-dusted waves that pranced to meet the nearing shore.’ (pg 20, uncorrected advance copy, published copy may be different)

  • ‘Your life is my life; your death my death. I will follow where you lead, through water and fire, across earth and stone. My love for you shall burn until the very sun ceases to give us warmth and light; until the moon sinks behind the hills to rise no more. Your dreams are my dreams. Your destiny, my destiny. May the Mother of Earth bless our union.’ (pg 352, uncorrected advance copy, published copy may be different)

If you’re a lover of historical fiction then this is one epic novel you shouldn’t miss. You will find yourself taken into Arthur and Gwenhwyfar’s world and when it ends you find yourself wanting so much more. I can’t wait to read the next installment in the trilogy which is Pendragon’s Banner and then Shadow of the King. I’m anxious to get back to the Dark Ages of Britain and see what the future holds for Arthur and Gwenhwyfar. I highly recommend The Kingmaking!

Be sure to pop into Peeking Between the Pages tomorrow when Helen Hollick drops by with a guest post to share with us.

Other blog reviews and guest posts with Helen out in the blogging world are and will be:

Harriet Devine’s Blog
Lazy Habits of Thinking interview 2/27
Carpe Libris Reviews
Historical Novels Book Reviews
Bibliophile Musings
Lilly’s Reading Extravanganza guest blog 2/25
Medieval Bookworm review
Medieval Bookworm guest blog 2/24
Books Are My Only Friends 2/25
We Be Reading 2/26
A Hoyden’s Look at Literature 2/26
Books Thoughts by Lisa 3/1
S. Krishna’s Books 3/1
Jennifer’s Random Musings 3/1
RhiReading 3/1
Passages to the Past 3/2
The Tome Traveller 3/2
Medieval History, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Writing Fiction 3/2
Savvy Verse and Wit 3/2 and interview 3/3
A Striped Armchair 3/3
Carla Nayland’s Blog 3/3
A Reader’s Respite 3/3 and interview on 3/5
Library Queue 3/4
The Bookworm 3/4
My Friend Amy 3/5
Sam’s Book Blog 3/5
Good Books, Bright Side 3/5
So Many Precious Books, So Little Time 3/6
Susan’s Art and Words 3/6
(borrowed from Medieval Bookworm who had this lovely list all done up~so all credit goes there)

Many thanks to Paul with Sourcebooks for this great novel and the opportunity to participate in Helen Hollick’s book tour. Be sure to visit Helen’s website here.

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Book Review: Grayrider by Bruce Skye

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Grayrider by Bruce Skye is the first in the Deathsong Chronicles and was really an enjoyable read for me. It’s mythical fantasy with magic and medieval fighting, kings and sorceresses—totally my idea of a good story to completely sweep me up in another world.

We are taken to the land of Boadhagh and there we first meet Gabriel who is actually Grayrider, an exiled king. He’s come to warn King Airell of impending danger from the Ansgarian army. This is the same army that murdered his family and he is full of rage and revenge towards them and their ruler, the evil sorceress Morrigan. King Airell hasn’t enough men to fight though and this is where Grayrider comes in to the picture with his fire snorting horse, Windfire and his green glowing sword, Deathsong.

At this point also we are introduced to Princess Deirdre, King Airell’s daughter. She had left home because she didn’t want to be Queen after her father’s death. Instead she wanted to explore her magical abilities. She was eventually approached by the evil sorceress Morrigan and became and apprentice to her not knowing who this woman really was or how evil. When Deirdre discovers that this powerful sorceress is actually Morrigan she knows she must leave and reach her father to warn him of the attack.

Gabriel and Deirdre join forces to defeat Morrigan. They head up to the Pass to join up with Kalen, leader of Airell’s army. From here the story really takes off and becomes a fast paced trip through the planning of the battles and the actual fighting. Along the way Deirdre is casting spells left and right to affect the weather or to protect soldiers. She saves Gabriel’s life more than once by placing a protective shield around him. All the while, she is gaining confidence in her magical abilities. The story culminates in an plot twisting finale that I wasn’t expecting but thoroughly enjoyed.

What I really liked was the classy and effortless romance that Bruce Skye weaved throughout this novel between Gabriel and Deirdre. It’s so well done that it was a pleasure to read it and more than once it brought a smile to my lips. One such piece that made me smile was this little romantic scene…

  • ‘”Kiss me Gabriel.” If the circumstances had been different, she would have laughed at his shocked expression. Deirdre put her arms around his neck. “Kiss me.” He obeyed. The kiss was tentative and hesitant. “Do it again. Do it as if you mean it. Do it as if you want to be involved with me.” “I do not know if—” “Gabriel, you fear being in love. That does not mean you are not. So confront it and kiss me.” He did so. It was far more passionate this time. He held her tightly to him. She swayed a moment afterward when he released her, the kiss was so intense. “You did well,” she said, breathlessly. “You did very well indeed.” “The fear is lessening. You are right.” “Good. Then kiss me until it goes away completely.” He did and the candle was nearly spent before he left to return the pitcher and mugs to the pub.”

Gabriel is such an honest and endearing man that you can just picture him in the scene above feeling hesitant. He is one of those men in a book that you cheer for because he is honorable and respectful and sweet on top of it all. I was rooting for him and Deirdre all the way. The author completely draws you into this story and this romance. I excitedly turned each page quickly in an effort to find out what was going to happen next and wasn’t disappointed.

I will be anxiously watching for the next installment in the Deathsong Chronicles which will be called Hard-Favour’d Rage and then the third being, A Dragon’s Wrath with a fourth in the works also called Fortune’s Fool. I can’t wait to swept back into this fantastical world.

Many thanks to Bruce Skye for this wonderful fantasy story and to Dorothy Thompson at Pump Up Your Book Promotion for sending me this great book. You can visit Bruce Skye’s website here. Please join me tomorrow when Bruce will stop by with a guest post here at Peeking Between the Pages.


Visit Pump Up Your Book Promotion here.

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Book Review: Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

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Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay is another one of my favorite reads of this year. It is a powerful story that led my emotions on a roller coaster ride. The author completely draws you into this story; so much so that you can feel the story come alive in your mind—you can feel the pain and horrors that the Jewish people went through and you weep tears for them. The story alternates between Sarah back in 1942 and Julia Jarmond in 2002. The way their stories will come together is truly fascinating.

The story starts with ten year old Sarah waking up to pounding on her apartment door. It is the French police. They order her and her mother to get dressed and come with them. In the meantime Sarah’s little brother hides in this secret cupboard in their bedroom. Sarah locks him in and promises she’ll be back as soon as the police release them. This never happens and we don’t find out anything about Sarah’s brother until the end of the story.

Sarah and her parents are taken in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup that night and taken to the velodrome where they are kept in horrific conditions for days without food or drink with thousands and thousands of other Jewish people. Many die there. Later they are taken away again, this time for the death camps. Sarah manages to escape though and her journey to survive is terrifying. Her only thought is to get back to her brother like she promised.

The other viewpoint in the novel is Julia Jarmond, a journalist living in Paris. She’s given the assignment of writing about the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup for the sixtieth anniversary of it’s occurrence. Julia is horrified by what she learns as she had never known that this even happened before being assigned this story. It seems that the roundup of the Jews is never spoken about. Julia pushes on though and does more research. What she ends up finding she could never have imagined–Sarah’s story has such a deep connection with her husband’s family. Julia finds herself really caring about Sarah’s story and needing to find some closure in it for herself.

This novel is very emotional and really not an easy read. There is a lot of disturbing material to get through. Is it a good read and one worth reading–absolutely! It’s also an important book as how many people are out there who didn’t know about this roundup of Jewish people in 1942? I’ve read books on the Holocaust but have never heard of this happening. I was horrified and heartbroken. The story is very well written and never confusing even with jumping into the past and present.

I participated in a chat for this novel and more of my thoughts can be seen in a few of the posts I did here, here and here. To end, I’d like to leave off with a quote that is extremely important. This is a book I won’t soon forget, if ever.
  • ‘Zakhor, Al Tichkah. Remember. Never forget. In Hebrew.’ (pg 288, taken from ARC copy, final published copy may be different)
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Book Review: The Only True Genius in the Family by Jennie Nash

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The Only True Genius in the Family by Jennie Nash to me felt like a real story with real people. It’s all about relationships with yourself and your family. I felt like this was such an honest story with real emotions and it hooked me in wanting to see how it would come to an end. I was sorry to see this novel end. I still would have liked to know more about how the family continued on healing and living.

The novel is centered on Claire who is a photographer that takes pictures of food for cookbooks and such yet doesn’t really see herself as an artist because of this. Her daughter Bailey is a wonderful painter—a young star about to rise. There is also Harrison and though he’s not a main character I still felt he plays a big role as he’s a huge part of keeping his family together.

The novel starts with the suicide of Claire’s father who was a famous photographer—he was considered a genius. He made beautiful pictures that made people stop and stare, as in this passage which has stuck with me because the author has so vividly painted it in my mind…it is a famous photo Claire’s father took of a buffalo in a thunderstorm…
  • ‘The animal was walking straight toward the viewer through a night that was murky, misty, hazy, wet. It looked like an apparition, like a giant creature coming out of the gloom with not entirely benign intentions. Its shoulders were enormous. Its fur was matted and wet. It looked like something that would be stalking this earth for another few millennia.’ (This passage is taken from an ARC copy and may be different in the final published copy)

For me, this book is very much about the intricacies of relationships. Claire and her father, Claire and her husband Harrison, Claire and her daughter Bailey and even Claire with herself.

It all starts with Claire never having had a close relationship with her father. He left the family when Claire was young and he wasn’t the type of man who could show his emotions well as Claire grew up. Therefore, she grew up not feeling loved by him and actually belittled by him because he felt his genius had skipped her generation and fallen upon her daughter Bailey instead. Bailey is beautiful and outgoing and you get the strong feeling of maybe jealousy on the part of Claire that Bailey has had everything she’s ever wanted including the love of her father. With her husband, while they have a good and comfortable relationship she wonders if he’ll ever actually be able to get inside her skin—or would they remain distanced in that way. Claire’s relationship with Bailey is such a rocky one. Sure Claire makes mistakes—some serious ones where Bailey is concerned—but at times Bailey could be so harsh towards her mother that it hurt me. I wonder if some of Claire’s father’s attitudes had rubbed off on Bailey since she had spent so much time with him.

Ultimately, after spending time getting her father’s things arranged after his death, Claire finds out things about him that she never knew before. These things bring her to an important understanding about her father and towards her father. She knows that they had more in common with each other than she had ever dared to hope and I think this brings her comfort and more of a plan of where to go with her future.

Jennie Nash’s writing is beautiful-it was like a bouquet of words to me. The sentences and thoughts just flow one into another. Photography is a huge part of this book as are descriptions and this is something that I really enjoyed. I love when an author can take words and make them into something I can feel in my soul when I read them. Another passage I want to share is, of course, about food. Here Claire is reading a menu that is posted on a cafe window…

  • ‘…almond biscotti dipped in Valrhona dark chocolate, mango sorbet with coconut crisps, creme brulee with fresh raspberry coulis. I imagined exactly the way each of them looked—the precise way that the almonds in the biscotti winked as if they were knowing eyes, the way the coconut stuck out of the crisps like wisps of wayward hair, the way the coulis pooled around the creme brulee as if the dessert were a little island in a sea of summer.’ (This passage is taken from an ARC copy and may be different in the final published copy)

Her words truly brought about such vivid scenes in my mind. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys photography mixed in with a real life kind of story that touches your heart along the way. This book reminded me of the importance of capturing memories in film and telling the people you love that you love them before it’s too late.

Thank you Jennie for the opportunity to review this wonderful book. I truly enjoyed it. You can visit Jennie’s website here and make sure to come back tomorrow to Peeking Between the Pages for a guest post from Jennie. Jennie’s book is available to purchase today, February 3 and can be ordered here in the US and here in Canada.

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Book Review: Hungry Woman in Paris by Josefina Lopez

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Hungry Woman in Paris is the debut novel from Josefina Lopez who is best known for her critically acclaimed screenplay Real Women Have Curves.

This novel follows Los Angeles journalist Canela who is depressed after losing her cousin and best friend Luna to suicide. She is sick and tired of her job that censors everything she wants to say, she is tired of her interferring family, she is frustrated with the politics of her country and she doesn’t want to get married either to top off the list.

Thus begins her journey to Paris. She breaks off her engagement to her fiance Armando who is every woman’s dream just not hers. While being completely depressed and trying to fight off La Cala Flaca who is a figment of her imagination but nevertheless shows up whenever Canela has had life throw at her something that she just can’t handle, she finds the tickets to Paris that were supposed to be for her honeymoon. She decides to use them and get away from it all.

She meets up with her friend Rosemary when she gets there and they spend the week together in the honeymoon suite enjoying themselves. After the week though Canela just can’t see herself going back to LA-she hates everything there. Instead she picks up the phone, calls Rosemary, and ends up at her tiny apartment. Eventually Rosemary leaves to go back to the States as her mother is ill and Canela stays on in her apartment. However Canela doesn’t have much time left that she can legally stay in Paris. Lucky for her she learns that she can stay a year in Paris if she enrolls in and pays fully for the course at this world-class cooking school, Le Coq Rouge. So, this is exactly what she does.

This book is called Hungry Woman in Paris for more reasons than the cooking. There are *sex scenes, plenty of *sexual innuendo and bad language throughout. It is definitely not a book for the faint hearted but if you can handle material such as this it is a good read. It’s not my favorite but it did hold my attention and keep me reading. There is also plenty of digs at the politics of the US which fairly float over my head since I’m a Canadian. The parts I enjoyed the most were the parts taking place at the cooking school with the hussle and bussle of the classes and the food talk.

If you can look beyond the above, the character of Canela herself is likeable. She’s like a lost soul trying to find herself and we’ve all been there at one point or another. She has issues with her mother, her life, her job; she doesn’t know what will make it better anymore or what will bring the passion back to her life. The book is told in kind of a continuous thought pattern and at times it’s hard to follow. Several times throughout the novel though I found myself laughing out loud. I have to say also that the cover of this novel really caught my attention. I thought it was beautiful. So, to sum things up, by staying in Paris and enrolling in the cooking school, Canela ends up finding what she needs to start putting the pieces of her life back together.

Many thanks to Miriam at Hachette Books for sending me this advanced reader’s copy. This book will be released on March 9, 2009.

Other bloggy friend opinions can be found over at Mo’s from Un-Mainstream Mom Reads

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Book Review: My Splenid Concubine by Lloyd Lofthouse

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My Splendid Concubine by Lloyd Lofthouse is a novel that encompasses true events but is told as a fictional story. It is about Robert Hart, who is often referred to as the ‘Godfather of China’s modernism’. He came from Ireland as a commoner to work in China at the British Consulate as an interpreter in 1854. By the end of his career he was Inspector General of Chinese Mandarin Customs, chief adviser for the Emperor, and the Senior Guardian of the Heir Apparant of the Ch’ing dynasty. Robert Hale had made a place for himself in China, he had immersed himself in their culture and had lived as a Chinese man would. No other Westerner had ever achieved the level of power and success that Robert Hart had.

You might ask why. Well I feel a good part of that success was his sheer determination and the other part was the intense love he felt for his concubine Ayaou. The novel is centered around his first years in China where he met Ayaou and her sister and where he began his education that brought him to be the man he grew to be.

For me, really, this novel is a love story that is rich with Chinese culture. Robert originally comes to China to escape his life in Ireland where he wishes to avoid embarrassing his family by his actions with women in college. In China he finds that his behaviour would not have been considered such a bad thing and his mind is in turmoil. Robert struggles throughout the novel with his Christian upbringing (his father is a pastor) and the way that in China it’s perfectly normal for a man to have concubines. While Robert is fascinated with the idea of the concubines he doesn’t like how they are treated. Where he comes from women are treated as equals and with respect.

The story takes off when Robert meets Ayaou. It is love at first site for him and he has to have her. Ayaou too, has a fiery personality. However in the wings is an evil man, Ward, who has his sites set on her also. Eventually through a fight with the Taipings, Robert has Ayaou with him but also her sister Shao-mei. Shao-mei he owns, Ayaou he doesn’t. Again Robert is torn with his desire for Shao-mei who he feels is just a child but doesn’t act like one and his love for Ayaou. He builds a home with these women and this is where his real education begins. A lot of this education is due to Ayaou asking his teacher if he shouldn’t be learning this or that. She also taught him meanings of symbols and foods-everything in daily life became a lesson in Chinese culture and Robert soaked it up. He never knew what he would come home to but he knew that Ayaou had a reason for everything whether it to teach him something, to improve their lives or to offer protection for their home.

I found the novel fascinating and it should be as it took almost nine years of Llyod Lofthouse’s life to write. It is beautifully written and so rich in details of the Chinese culture. It was interesting to read how fathers sold their daughters in order to care for the rest of the family or young boys were castrated in order to get better jobs and in turn care for their family. In China it is all about family and taking care of them no matter what the cost. It was funny to read that when you are praising your concubines to others you should say that they are ugly. If you praise them in front of others, then they have reason to worry. I felt I learned so much from this novel and I enjoyed every bit.

There is *sexual content in this novel so if that isn’t for you then you may want to skip this book. However, I think it is a part of this story in that it is a part of the culture of China. We also have to keep in mind the age that Robert Hart was. He was a young man in his 20’s with a strong libido who was also deeply in love and he had two young, beautiful women were throwing themselves at him daily. I didn’t personally find the scenes overwhelming.

Before this novel I did not know who Robert Hart was. I must thank Lloyd Lofthouse for this novel as now I feel I’ve been acquainted with a great man from history. One who respected and loved women and fought to make things better. I’ve also been introduced to many aspects of the Chinese culture that I didn’t know and I really enjoyed that. This was a really good novel for me and I was sorry to see it end. Truthfully I would have liked to learn more about how Robert’s and Ayaou’s lives evolved after the emotional ending of this story.

Many thanks to Lloyd Lofthouse for this great novel and also thanks to Dorothy Thompson from Pump Up Your Book Promotion for sending me this book. Make sure to visit Lloyd’s website here and please join me here at Peeking Between the Pages tomorrow for a guest post from Lloyd Lofthouse.

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