2010 Historical Fiction

Book Review: The King’s Daughter by Christie Dickason

December 20, 2010 by Darlene

The King’s Daughter by Christie Dickason brings alive the life at court with all the treachery and betrayal that swirls through it. The King’s Daughter is about the life of Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James I of England and VI of Scotland, told through her own eyes.

From a very young age Elizabeth is aware of her place in the family as third in line to the throne. She would be matched in a marriage that would further benefit her father’s position. Elizabeth is kept very sheltered and away from court. Her father doesn’t want her to know anything that is going on there. Her mother has nothing to do with her. Her mother at one time tells her that there is no point in getting to know a daughter as they are soon married off and the mother’s heart is only broken if they are close. The only thing that Elizabeth truly treasures is the special relationship she shares with her older brother Henry, Prince of Wales.

King James is quite erratic and unstable at times; given to flying into rages. His biggest fear being that his children are trying to take over the throne. This is his main reason for keeping Elizabeth so secluded and for keeping Henry under his thumb as well. Elizabeth though is pretty gutsy and does at times stand up to her father especially when he threatens to marry her off to someone she can’t even stand the thought of being married to. She also, as she gets older, decides to send out spies in order to learn more about what is going on around her especially those matters to do with her. She learns many things; things about her father as well; things that finally give her more control over her own life and future.

The biggest fear Elizabeth had was that she would be married off to some old and mean man. There were many times she was put on display to would be suitors. There were a few that she outright refused to marry; standing up to her father’s rage. In this matter her brother Henry came to her rescue. He tried hard to find her a man that would make a good match for her; someone that would make her happy and succeeded. Without him, who knows who her father would have sent her off with.

I liked Elizabeth and enjoyed this novel being told from her viewpoint. Dickason weaves fact with fiction in such a way that kept me turning the pages in this book to see what Elizabeth would face next. Henry as well was a character I liked. He seemed a kind and caring prince regardless of his father. King James is painted in a bad light in this novel- he is unstable and mean; most often quite drunk.

As with most historicals I am always appalled by how little say that women had and very horrified at the young age they were married off at; most often to men much too old for them. They were used as pawns; nothing more. That a mother turned away from her children because it hurt too much to love them, only to lose them, breaks my heart and yet this is how things were. Elizabeth spent her days not knowing what would happen to her at any given moment. I was glad that she found love and a way to move forward in her life. If you’re a lover of anything historical, then Christie Dickason’s The King’s Daughter is definitely a book you’ll want to read!

I read The King’s Daughter by Christie Dickason for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. You can check out all the other tour stops here and also be sure to visit Christie Dickason’s website as well. You can purchase The King’s Daughter by Christie Dickason here in the US and here in Canada.

© 2010, Darlene of Peeking Between the Pages. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Peeking Between the Pages or Darlene’s Feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

My review copy of The King’s Daughter by Christie Dickason provided by TLC Book Tours and the publisher.

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Book Review: Call Me Kate by Molly Roe

October 18, 2010 by Darlene

Call Me Kate by Molly Roe is a book on the shorter side but interesting nonetheless in that it taught me a bit about a time I really knew nothing about. Call Me Kate is about a few things – Irish immigrants trying to make it in America in the 1800’s, the coal miners in Pennsylvania and the hard life they lived and about a group called The Molly Maguires, who it is said were responsible for many coalfield crimes during the Civil War. What makes this book even more interesting is it’s based on the author’s ancestors and although this story is not an actual true story it is loosely based on the strong women who came before her in history.

This story is really about Katie McCafferty, a young teenage Irish girl whose family immigrated to America in the early 1800’s. The story opens with Katie’s father being injured in the mines which back in that time spelled catastrophe for the family. Without their father, the main bread winner in the family earning money, they would not have enough to pay the rent let alone for anything else they might need.

Katie gets a job helping a bachelor in town which enables the family to go on for a while but this job was only temporary and later she moves on to a better job a county away in the home of a mine owner. It is here that she really becomes more involved in the labor unrest as she is privy to many private conversations as she hides in the corners or cleans up rooms. What she learns angers her – mine owners are sending their Irish workers in to be drafted whether they want to be or not. Katie’s family knows many who would be sent that need to be home to care for their families.

In come the Molly Maguires, a secret organization of men very resistant to the draft, who are infuriated that for $300 a man could send a substitute for himself to war but who in those times could afford to do that. Nobody. The Mollies as they were called had many plans set up to thwart the trains coming in that were carrying men for certain death unless Katie could find a way to stop it all.

Just how does Katie discover all this? Well she dresses herself up with clothes and makeup as a stable boy and goes to the meetings herself in her efforts to protect her best friend Con. Yes, Katie is one spunky and determined girl. So, does Katie get discovered? Does she manage to save her friend or the train load of men?

I found Katie to be a great character. She was spunky and strong despite being young. I think growing up in those rough times caused a young person to grow up much faster than now. They had to work hard in the home and out to ensure that their families survived and nobody got away from it – from the youngest child to the oldest – they all had their tasks. As well, she was determined to make life better for woman. She was angry that only men had jobs that paid somewhat good in most cases and she wanted to change that. By the end of the novel she has a great plan for her future and one that shows just how much character Katie really has.

What I enjoyed most about Call Me Kate was it was a look into a time I didn’t know a lot about and I always enjoy learning a bit more about the history of our world. The only complaint I would have is that there was a lot of Irish slang used and I would have liked either some kind of explanation as I was reading or a glossary as I couldn’t find some of them even in the dictionary – I don’t know if the final printed copy has one but my eBook copy did not. However that is a very minor complaint. This book is worth reading for the history alone!

You can purchase your own copy of Call Me Kate here in the US (the Kindle edition is quite inexpensive!) and here in Canada.

Disclosure: My copy of Call Me Kate by Molly Roe provided by Nicole at Tribute Books for a fair and honest review.

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Book Review: Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell

October 11, 2010 by Darlene

Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell was for me the perfect read. Not only was the book terrific but it takes place in a part of the world I could totally relate to – Canada and even more precisely the prairie provinces where I reside. It makes a book so much more meaningful when you recognize places and when something is being described you can clearly see it since you’ve likely been there yourself. It is also about Ukrainian immigrants – another thing I could clearly relate to as my grandparents immigrated to Canada in the 1920’s.

I was hooked on this story from the beginning. It takes place in the 1930’s and it is about two families who immigrate to Canada from the Ukraine. Teodor Mykolayenko, a man who has spent 2 years in prison for stealing his own grain, is one of the men – a father of five children and husband to Maria – and finally free and coming home to the Canadian prairies. The other family is Teodor’s sister Anna, her husband and their two children.

While Teodor had been in prison Maria and Anna struggled to survive on the prairies as Anna’s husband is pretty much a deadbeat and not around. Now though Teodor is home. He has survived the harshest of conditions both in prison and out and is going to make a better life for his family. As soon as he gets on his feet Teodor and his oldest son are out in the fields getting them ready for planting. It is backbreaking work of the hardest kind and the author describes it in such a way that you can feel the pain and sweat going into the work.

In the meantime we learn about how Canadian women planted rows upon rows of food for the family and the work that went into preserving it for the winter. We are given great insight into a truly poor family who had to struggle for everything. There is never enough money for the things they truly need let alone want. It only takes one devastating drought or fire to completely destroy a farmer’s life and leave his family facing a winter of starvation. It is definitely enough to put any man under.

Along with the harsh conditions it seems Teodor’s sister Anna is losing her mind bit by bit rather quickly. Since Anna’s husband is gone it falls on Teodor to take care of her and her family as well. However nothing stays the same and Anna’s husband stumbles home one day and everything really heads downhill after that – Stefan is not a nice man. He cares nothing for his family and his only concern is how to get a hold of the money from the crops even though he did nothing to bring them about. With his arrival also comes a downward spiral of events with devastating consequences.

This novel is beautifully written. For me it held a personal touch as my own parents grew up in the 1940’s as children on the prairies. Their parents immigrated to Canada and struggled farming much like Teodor’s family did. I enjoyed the Ukrainian slang throughout the novel as well as reading about a lot of food that I hold dear to my heart like perogy and borshch.

This is a heartbreaking story yet beyond that is the realization that this novel is very true to life as it was lived in the prairies in the 1930’s/1940’s. It makes you sit back and realize how truly lucky we are now to have what we do. It is interesting to read how life was back then for families who immigrated to Canada and tried to make a life for themselves and their families. You can feel the hope they carried in the words of this novel; the determination they had to make things better for themselves.

I really would recommend this novel to anyone interested in learning how life was back on the Canadian prairies in the 1930’s as well as those interested in a good story that will grab your heart and not let go until well after you’ve read the last page and passed on the novel to your mom to read!

I read Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. You can see what other bloggers on the tour thought of the book here. You can order your very own copy of Shandi’s novel here in the US and here in Canada. Be sure to pop in and visit Shandi Mitchell’s website too!

Disclosure: My copy of Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell was provided to me for review by TLC Book Tours and the publisher.

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Book Review: The Miracles of Prato by Laurie Albanese and Laura Morowitz

August 10, 2010 by Darlene

Let me say right off that I loved The Miracles of Prato by Laurie Albanese and Laura Morowitz! It’s a wonderful blend of fact and fiction that is a must read for the historical fiction fan! This novel has everything that I love in a book: it’s set in Renaissance Italy and it has to do with a convent, nuns, monks, art, passion, romance, tragedy, ambition, greed and miracles…Oh, it has it all! It truly is a really good novel and one that will rate as one of my favorites this year.

The novel is based on the life of the painter Fra Filippo Lippi and begins in the year 1457 with the arrival of Lucrezia Buti to the Convent Santa Margherita. Her father has just passed and along with it the family fortune is gone leaving Lucrezia and her sister Spinetta no choice but to enter a convent. Now for Spinetta the convent life is perfect; it is what she wanted all along but Lucrezia is a different story; she expected to marry into a fine family and have children. The convent life is not for her and she is very unhappy.

Lucrezia had heard that there was a famous painter in Prato and already she is intrigued. She further learns that he is serving as chaplain at Santa Margherita. She sees the painting of The Coronation of the Virgin and is amazed by the beauty of Lippi’s work. Later he finds her at the altar in the chapel looking at the altarpiece he had painted and when she turns to him he is stunned by her beauty. Thus begins the story of Lucrezia becoming not only Lippi’s muse but his one great love.

Lippi wasn’t known for a polished reputation even though he was a monk. In fact he had many indiscretions and had also served time in jail. Lately he has been having trouble keeping up to all the commissions he has to paint pieces. He has no inspiration – that is until he sees Lucrezia. She will be his Madonna. He is completely taken with her beauty – he has never seen a woman so beautiful. He begins to work towards having her model for him and with the powerful friends he has, he succeeds. While things are quite innocent in the beginning, the undertones of the relationship are anything but innocent and pure.

Lucrezia feels the same about Filippo even though she feels guilty. She is fascinated by him and his work. Eventually their feelings can no longer be denied and they confess their feelings to each other. When a tragedy befalls Lucrezia, Filippo vows to marry her and protect her. He is willing to give up anything to be with her. However Filippo has this tendency to be very behind in all of his commissions and one such commission leads to trouble not only for him but Lucrezia as well.

Eventually things come at Filippo and Lucrezia from all sides. Filippo is in danger because of all he owes people and he can’t keep up with taking care of Lucrezia. Lucrezia is in danger from people in the church and is terrified. To say anymore would give away an important part of the novel so let’s just say that I was turning the pages pretty fast by this point. I needed to know how it would all turn out and I wasn’t disappointed.

I loved all the descriptions of art in the novel and it’s a new fascination of mine reading historical fiction to do with famous painters. I found it interesting that the novel was written by two best friends as well as it reads so seamlessly. The authors took what there is of Fra Filippo Lippi’s life and expanded on it and weaved in the fictional tale perfectly. I could easily see things having happened this way. The descriptions of time and place were amazing – I felt that I could have been there on the streets or in the convent experiencing their life.

The thing I love most about historical fiction is all I learn about while reading it. In The Miracles of Prato I was introduced to the famous painter Fra Filippo Lippi and learned much about convent life and all the things that make that seemingly simple world complicated. I would definitely recommend this novel especially to those who love historical fiction and art. Not to mention that the love story within the pages was a great one as well.

Be sure to check out the discussion guide for The Miracles of Prato and an interview with the authors as well as the rest of the tour stops for the novel hosted by TLC Book Tours. If you just can’t wait to read the book you can purchase your own copy here in the US and here in Canada.

My thanks…to Trish with TLC Book Tours and the publisher for my review copy of The Miracles of Prato by Laurie Albanese and Laura Morowitz.

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Book Review: The King’s Mistress by Emma Campion & Giveaway

August 4, 2010 by Darlene

The King’s Mistress by Emma Campion is a historical fiction novel about Alice Perrers who was the notorious mistress of King Edward III. Alice had always been painted as a harlot of low birth who bewitched the King. Emma Campion looks further and gives Alice the life she might have had. Alice stayed with the King for fifteen years of her life enjoying the good times and nursing him through the bad.

Not much is known about Alice but Emma Campion portrays her as a woman caught up in a life where she never really had much control over her own future. Throughout the novel Alice will say, ‘When had I the choice to be other than I was?’ From the time Alice was born her life was being mapped out for her first by her parents and later by the men in her life.

At fourteen years old Alice is married to Janyn Perrers, a merchant chosen by her father of course to better improve his own business interests. Even though Janyn is much older than Alice and she misses her family and best friend Geoffrey terribly, they end up finding happiness with each other and soon enough have a daughter. However all is not as it seems and soon Alice learns that her husband is first and foremost answerable to Isabella, the Queen Mother. It seems his whole family is – there is some deeply buried secret that has drawn the Perrers family to the royal family.

Alice’s husband has been keeping many secrets from her, the biggest being that he’s been busy planning a life for her at King Edward III’s court in order to keep her and their child safe. When Janyn mysteriously disappears Alice’s life as one of Queen Philippa’s ladies begins. It doesn’t take long before Alice is noticed by the King and finds herself caught up in the whirlwind of life as his mistress and all it entails.

Alice is torn as she feels loyal to Queen Philippa but at the same time she is falling in love with the King. When she learns that her relationship with the King almost seems planned out by them she falls headlong into it. Alice is known for being intelligent; something her father instilled in her when she was a girl and this ends up being a detriment to her in the long run as many believed her to have used her intelligence to sway the King in many decisions.

I’ve never read anything on Alice Perrers before and I enjoyed this fictionalized account of her life. Emma Campion has done a lot of research to bring this story alive for readers. The details of court life, the gowns and generally just how life was for women back in this time period are excellently portrayed. The only complaint I had with this novel was that I found it slow going at times. I wouldn’t say boring but slow with detail of all that was going on during Edward III’s reign as King. This however didn’t dampen my enjoyment of the novel and I really look forward to reading more of Emma Campion’s work.

I read The King’s Mistress by Emma Campion as part of her book tour with TLC Book Tours. You can check out all the tour stops for The King’s Mistress here. Be sure to pop in and visit Emma Campion’s website as well. If you can’t wait to read the book you can buy your own copy here in the US and here in Canada or, for now, you can see below and enter to win yourself a copy.
My thanks… Lisa with TLC Book Tours and the publisher for my review copy of The King’s Mistress by Emma Campion.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have 1 copy of The King’s Mistress by Emma Campion to share with my readers. To enter…

For 1 entry leave me a comment with an email address. Those without are being deleted.
For 1 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway and spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US & Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I’ll be drawing for the winner on Sunday, August 29/10. Good luck everyone!

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Book Review: Captive Spirit by Liz Fichera

July 7, 2010 by Darlene

You know I’m not usually one for romance novels but Liz Fichera’s, Captive Spirit, sounded like a good one to me – it’s classed as a historical romance. I’m really glad I listened to that little voice because I really enjoyed this book. It’s not a typical romance novel and being based in the Sonoran Desert at the dawn of the sixteenth century made it intriguing to me. I’ve never read anything based in this area which is now known as Phoenix, Arizona so I found it interesting to read about a different time and place.

The book’s main character is Aiyana, a girl who has passed her sixteenth harvest ( I love that method of keeping track of your years) and is very curious about the World Beyond her little village. She felt that the mountains that surrounded them kept them captive from the rest of the world. She felt trapped and she isn’t the kind of girl who wants to just get married, have children and keep house as most did. She’s the type of girl who wants to compete on the Ball Court with all the other boys. From early on you can tell Aiyana is a strong character – not one to faint away at the first sign of trouble.

Only her best friend Honovi knows her secret wish to leave the village. He knows her the best of anyone and just maybe harbors his own secrets with regards to Aiyana; for Aiyana he is like a brother. Then comes the fateful day that Aiyana’s father promises her to a village elder’s son that she doesn’t even know and is definitely not fond of. So what do you do when you’re terrified – you run – especially when one of the respected village elders suggests it.

Aiyana takes off but tragedy hits when she’s captured by Spanish raiders who take her far away from her clan and village. Aiyana is finally seeing the World Beyond but she’s not really liking what she sees. She misses home and her people. Not to mention that one of the raiders, Diego, keeps making her very uncomfortable. Aiyana has no idea what their plans are regarding her and nobody will tell her. However it all becomes clear much too soon – she’s to be traded to an Apache tribe as a trophy wife.

What follows is Aiyana’s struggle to get back to her people and her village. It’s a coming of age story as Aiyana matures into a woman with a woman’s love for a man she never really thought of in that way until it was almost too late for them both. Aiyana is a survivor though and she will stop at nothing to escape. With Honovi by her side they will tackle whatever they need to in order to save themselves. I think along the way Aiyana realizes the true value of home and family and a place where you truly belong. This isn’t your traditional romance – it’s much more!

Captive Spirit is Liz Fichera’s debut novel and it is available digitally through Carina Press here. You can also enter the giveaway I have currently posted for a free copy of the eBook here. Be sure to visit Liz Fichera’s website and blog as well!

My eBook copy of Captive Spirit came from Net Galley.

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