2010 Historical Fiction

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…

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

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Book Review: Claude & Camille by Stephanie Cowell

April 13, 2010 by Darlene

Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet by Stephanie Cowell captivated me from the very beginning. Stephanie Cowell is a beautiful writer and I absolutely loved this book! This novel is about the painter Claude Monet who I knew very little about prior to reading this novel and his love affair with the beautiful Camille Doncieux. The author weaves fact with fiction to the perfect degree and I came away from this novel with a new found interest in not only Claude Monet but the Impressionist artists as a whole.

Claude Monet is a struggling young artist in Paris. He and his friends, Auguste Renoir, Frederic Bazille and others painted out of a studio apartment that they all came and went from. They had little food at times and really lived from one sale of a painting to another; that or from pawning whatever they could. I’m not sure why but I was really surprised by just how hard it had been for these now famous men to get their paintings recognized let alone purchased by anyone. They were a group of pretty much respectful young men just trying to make it in a profession that they loved more than anything.

The novel really is focused on Claude & Camille though. As a young man leaving his home in Normandy, Claude spots a young woman at the train station and is taken with her enough to sketch her. He gets on the train though and heads to Paris with only the sketch of this girl to remind him that she existed. Years later he happens upon a bookstore and it is she – Camille Doncieux – behind the counter. Thus begins what will be a relationship filled with anguish, sorrow, anger, happiness, and most of all love.

Camille Doncieux came from an upper class family that had high hopes for their daughter all the way to who they wanted for her husband and it certainly wasn’t some struggling painter called Claude Monet. As the author has stated in her notes there isn’t a lot of information on Camille but with what there was she fleshed out her character and she does a wonderful job. Even though Camille is an upper class girl she is also a girl who wants to go against the grain. When she and Claude come together one night the future is pretty much foretold.

They begin a life together but it’s a hard one. There is never enough money or enough food or enough anything. Claude is one of those men who doesn’t want his woman having to work – he takes care of his own. At times though Camillle does take on work. Later there is a child and even more struggles. What was interesting was in good times when Monet would sell some of his work they would live high, likely buying far more than necessary and then when the lows would come, they would owe everyone money.

Claude was a dreamer which is understandable. I think to be a great artist you have to be. He had dreams of giving the world to Camille. She was his everything – his great love, his muse, the woman he would do anything for. Claude was a man of great loves and passion – his painting, his friends, his children and most of all Camille. He wanted to eventually make enough money from his painting to buy Camille the most beautiful home in the country where they would live out their days together. Sadly, this was never to be. Claude Monet eventually does very well with his painting but Camille is not there to share the glory with him.

I was very drawn to Monet as a person in this novel. I found him very real and vulnerable, sometimes he angered me when his only concern was his painting but he intrigued me a great deal. The author gave us the heart of his soul in this novel and you can’t help but be touched by that. I have seen many of his paintings before and I do like them-most I think are beautiful – at one point in the book he says that you don’t have to understand his work, you only have to love it. I look forward to doing a little more research into this man’s life and art. This novel is at it’s heart a love story and yet so much more. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in good historical fiction as well as anyone fascinated with the arts. I was so taken with Stephanie Cowell’s writing that I purcased Marrying Mozart to read next! I know I won’t soon forget this wonderful story!

Claude & Camille by Stephanie Cowell was released by Crown Publishing on April 6, 2010. You can purchase Claude & Camille here in the US and here in Canada. Be sure to check out Stephanie Cowell’s website and blog! As well be sure to pop back to Peeking Between the Pages for a guest post from Stephanie tomorrow!

My thanks to Diane Saarinen for inviting me to participate in the book tour for Claude & Camille by Stephanie Cowell and the publisher for sending me my review copy of the book.

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Book Review: Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

April 6, 2010 by Darlene

Every once in a while you get one of those books that is absolutlely impossible to put down until you turn that last page. Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn was that book for me! I swear I was in Ancient Rome because every word and every page took me there! This book has it all: emperors, slaves, gladiators, betrayal, lust, love, jealousy, romance and the list could go on and could the cover be any more gorgeous!

The story begins by introducing us to Thea, a young slave girl from Judaea, who was bought for the very spoiled heiress Lepida Pollia. The story really is based on the rivalry of these two throughout the novel. It begins when Lepida, only fourteen herself, takes a shine to the gladiator, The Barbarian. The problem of course is that eventually he has eyes only for Thea and she for him. Lepida, enraged, sells Thea back into slavery.

Thea ends up working in a brothel but catches the eye of a good and kind master who helps her succeed as a singer while also protecting her son, Vix. However for Thea, now Athena, peace is not to be hers. She catches the eye of Emperor Domitian who decides he wants her for his very own plaything and what he wants, he gets. Emperor Domitian, unknown to most, has a darker side and he takes much pleasure in bringing Athena to the edge of madness. Her time with him is a struggle just to survive; to not lose herself in the craziness. The author takes us to the limits of a world caught up in the evil of the Emperor. There is scheming, back stabbing and killing. What will ultimately be the fate of the Roman Empire?

There are a lot of characters in this novel although I had no trouble following their lives. At times though I was a little confused as to whose point of view I was getting as it’s written in first and third person but as you get used to the story this becomes much easier to follow. They are all well developed enough that you feel invested in their lives in one way or another.

Thea by far was my favorite character. She’s passionate, strong, and loyal; willing to fight for what she wants and who she loves. By far the most colorful, evil and conniving character is Lepida – you will hate her. She has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever and my blood pressure would rise every time she came on the scene. The hate these two feel for each other sparks many of the ways their lives end up unfolding. But then there is Arius who I adored and his and Thea’s son Vix who had me laughing out loud. He’s described as an appalling child but really I found him quite charming.

Kate Quinn has created a rich and wonderful world in Mistress of Rome. She writes in such a vivid and descriptive way that when she portrays the gladiator fights you’ll think you’re in the thick of it. Then there are the descriptions of the clothing, jewels, the places they live, the Emperor’s parties – it’s all so well crafted. I found myself really caring about the people in this story – practically holding my breath to find out their fate.

Kate Quinn has mixed fact with fiction in Mistress of Rome, her wonderful debut novel. As I came to the end of the story I was happy with how it ended and even more happy that she left the storyline wide open to continue. Mistress of Rome releases today and you can purchase your copy here in the US and here in Canada. Check out Kate Quinn’s website and blog as well! Be sure to pop by tomorrow as Kate shares a guest post with all of us.

My thanks… to Kaitlyn with Berkley (Penguin Group USA) for my review copy of Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn.

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Book Review: The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham

March 25, 2010 by Darlene

Once again Susan Higginbotham has spun a tale weaved with historical fact that had me falling head long into her latest, The Stolen Crown, with excitement. Now I don’t profess to be an expert at anything historical but I do love to read historical novels. I love when an author can teach me something along with giving me a story that captivates my interest. Susan Higginbotham has done that for me in all of her novels: The Traitor’s Wife (my review), Hugh and Bess (my review) and now with The Stolen Crown that takes on the Wars of the Roses.

Katherine Woodville is just seven years old when she is married to nine year old Henry (called Harry the majority of the time) Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. All of this comes about after her sister Elizabeth is secretly married to King Edward IV. From that point the lives of the Woodville family change dramatically as they are launched into King Edward IV’s Court – marriages are arranged and of course their financial status improves greatly. All of a sudden little Kate is the perfect match for the young Duke of Buckingham.

The novel takes us through the viewpoints of both Katherine and Harry all throughout their lives. We have front row seats to their marriage as children, growing up together, finally discovering their love for each other and eventually having children. Along the way we are treated to their lives at King Edward IV’s court and all the secrecy and scheming that goes with that. We find out that Henry Stafford was never a favorite of King Edward IV and this made him very resentful; enough that when given the chance he sides with King Edward IV’s brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester which ultimately leads to his downfall.

When King Edward IV dies from a short lived illness his son Edward is next in line to the throne with his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester and Harry Stafford guiding him until he is of age. However this isn’t good enough for Richard who looks for every way possible to take over the throne until he succeeds and in the process two of King Edward IV’s sons disappear from The Tower and to this day nobody really knows what happened to them.

My favorite character by far was Kate in the novel. As a young girl she is quite amusing and as an adult woman she is strong and intelligent. Harry I liked as well although I wish he hadn’t been so blinded by Richard most of his life. By the time he realized who and what Richard really was it was too late for him. I have to say that I am glad I didn’t live in this time period. It was so uncertain. As long as you were in favor with the King you were living high on a cloud but let that be jeopardized in any way and all of a sudden you and your family were at risk of being imprisoned or worse – killed.

I enjoy how Susan Higginbotham makes these characters come to life for her readers. I felt for them – their joys and their sadness. At the end of the novel she gives her reasons for taking the routes she does within the book because some are different from what is popular. I like that about her; that she takes the facts and then can give us such a believable tale of what things might have been like in this time and place. If you love historical fiction then The Stolen Crown is a must read!

I read The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham for her blog tour so make sure and check out Susan’s blog for other tour stops and her website for more information on all of her books. The Stolen Crown was released by Sourcebooks on March 1, 2010 and can be purchased here in the US and here in Canada.

My thanks…to Danielle with Sourcebooks for my review copy of The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham.

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Book Review: Wine of Violence by Priscilla Royal

March 22, 2010 by Darlene

Wine of Violence by Priscilla Royal is a Medieval Mystery and one that I quite enjoyed. It’s not a very big book – only 228 pages – so it’s a nice way to pass an afternoon. I also discovered that this book is the first in a series; there are five more books after it and yes, I plan on continuing on to read the whole series when time allows.

Wine of Violence is set in the year 1270 in a priory on the remote East Anglican Coast. Eleanor of Wynethorpe has just been appointed to run the Tyndal priory where there are monks and nuns running a hospital – from what I’ve gathered this is called a ‘double house’. Tyndal has always been run by a woman but Eleanor is different. She is young, only twenty years old, and also very intelligent and fully capable of running things without help, which she fully intends to do much to the dismay of some of the monk’s.

When the prioress at Tyndal passed on, of course there had been plans of who the monks and nuns had picked to take over. Eleanor was appointed because of political reasons as was common back in those days. Her parents had always been loyal to King Henry III and this was their reward. This was a prestigious position for a lady of Eleanor’s age. There are a few who are very angry over this especially one sister in particular, Sister Ruth, who had been promised the position.

And to top things off, like Eleanor isn’t having enough trouble trying to gain control of the priory, a Brother is found brutally murdered and unfortunately that’s not the end of the deaths. Eleanor, along with Crowner Ralf (the local police I guess you would call him) begin to investigate but are baffled as to who could be committing these crimes. As well, new to the priory, is Brother Thomas who is there because of secrets in his own past. He’s young and smart and has caught Eleanor’s eye so now she’s battling sinful thoughts along with a murder.

Wine of Violence has really likable characters. I really enjoyed Eleanor’s character – for that time she was completely out of place being a strong female with a mind of her own plus intelligent being that she had been well educated. Another of my favorite characters was Sister Anne who helped run the hospital and definitely had an eye for solving mysteries. I don’t know a lot of the history surrounding this time but I hope to find out more along the way in my reading of this series. If you like a little history with your murder mystery, you may want to give this book a try. I’m glad I did – I enjoyed it and as I already stated fully intend to read more from this author.

My copy of Wine of Violence by Priscilla Royal was purchased by me for my eReader.

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Book Review: Shadow of the King by Helen Hollick

March 16, 2010 by Darlene

Helen Hollick brings history to life once again in Shadow of the King, the final book in the Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy. She weaves fact with fiction in such a way that keeps you spellbound and turning the pages as quickly as you can to find out what will happen. From love and loyalty to fighting raging battles there is never a boring moment.

I’ve been lucky enough to read the whole trilogy starting with The Kingmaking (my review here) and Pendragon’s Banner (my review here). It’s been an amazing journey watching Arthur and Gwenhwyfar move through their lives having children, being separated and fighting battles together.

Shadow of the King finds Arthur, Gwenhwyfar and their daughter Archfedd at Caer Caden. Arthur is now 33 years old and has been King for 11 years. All is not well though. Trouble is brewing as plots are being unfolded to try and take over Arthur’s Kingdom once again. Arthur is still dealing with his uncle Ambrosius wanting to bring the kingdom back under Roman rule; they have never seen eye to eye. However, this isn’t Arthur’s only problem this time – his son Cerdic also has his eye on what he believes to be his rightful birthright.

We meet many of the characters once again in Shadow of the King that have come before in previous novels. Some of my favorites being Bedwyr and Ider among a few. There were others introduced in this novel that I grew to really like as well – Cadwy and Ragnall being one couple but there are so many more. With Cadwy and Ragnall they both have a disability of sorts and Hollick writes of them coming together and finding a peace in each other that they hadn’t known before; it was a nice story.

Then there are those that we will dislike no matter what like Winnifred. Age hasn’t mellowed this woman at all and she is still bent on destroying Arthur. Her goal is to have her son Cerdic take over being King from Arthur but as the story progresses she gets a rude awakening in terms of what she really made her son into.

I liked that in Shadow of the King we got to see a more human side to Arthur; one that hurts and grieves and feels he can’t go on. The majority of the time Arthur is this big strong man that can take care of everything for everyone. This time the grief hits harder than even he can handle. He ends up disappearing out of Gwenhwyfar’s life for a while; she fears him dead. What he really is, is afraid – afraid to come back and face life as it may be and even more terrified of having to go into a battle once again. Can he come back and face a battle in order to gain control of his lands again? Can he again make a life with Gwenhwyfar?

It’s impossible to put this book of 672 pages into a review that will do it justice. In it’s entirety this is a series that you want to just lose yourself in and experience to the fullest. Helen Hollick writes in a way that takes you to the battlefield and just as fast takes you back to the romance of Arthur and Gwenhwyfar. I found myself holding my breath at times in battle and smiling over the bickering between Arthur and Gwen at others. As always, Arthur and Gwenhwyfar are my favorite characters – I liked them from the beginning and always rooted for them to stay together. They have a strong bond with each other that was always a pleasure to read about. Helen brings this story to life for her readers – you feel as though you are there – you are experiencing this story first hand and that’s really what makes it so wonderful.

I have to admit I’m sad to see the trilogy end but as anyone knows the legend of Arthur must end but Helen Hollick has put her own spin on the ending and it’s a great finish for the series. I will say that I did actually shed a tear or two over some losses in this novel that I wasn’t expecting but really, all that says is that this is a really well written and fantastic novel! To anyone who loves historical fiction you don’t want to miss the Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy. All of the books stand alone without a problem but I don’t think a person gets as much out of it if they don’t read all three and grow with the characters throughout.

I read Shadow of the King for Helen Hollick’s blog tour with Sourcebooks. Shadow of the King can be purchased here in the US and here in Canada. Be sure to pop in and visit Helen Hollick’s website as well and check out all of her books! Come back to Peeking Between the Pages tomorrow as Helen is going to join us and answer some questions I had for her!

My review copy of Shadow of the King by Helen Hollick was received from Sourcebooks. This is no way affected my opinion of this novel.

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2010 Historical Fiction

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May 23 Reviews