Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be hosting today's stop on
Oswald de Lacy is growing up fast in his new position as
Lord of Somershill Manor. The Black Death changed many things, and just as it
took away his father and elder brothers, leaving Oswald to be recalled from the
monastery where he expected to spend his life, so it has taken many of his
villagers and servants. However, there is still the same amount of work to be
done in the farms and fields, and the few people left to do it think they
should be paid more - something the King himself has forbidden. Just as anger
begins to spread, the story of the Butcher Bird takes flight. People claim to
have witnessed a huge creature in the skies. A new-born baby is found impaled
on a thorn bush. And then more children disappear. Convinced the bird is just a
superstitious rumour, Oswald must discover what is really happening. He can
expect no help from his snobbish mother and his scheming sister Clemence, who
is determined to protect her own child, but happy to neglect her
step-daughters. From the plague-ruined villages of Kent to the thief-infested
streets of London and the luxurious bedchamber of a bewitching lady, Oswald's
journey is full of danger, dark intrigue and shocking revelations.
My thoughts :
There is something so beautifully
accurate about The Butcher Bird that travelling back in time to the autumn of
1351 feels perfectly realistic and totally reminiscent of imagined medieval
life.
Oswald de Lacy, the new Lord of
Sumershill Manor, is charged with investigating the mysterious death of a new
born infant who has been found impaled on a thorn bush tree. The superstitious
simplicity of the villagers who live and work within the demesne of the Manor
are convinced that the mysterious and deadly Butcher Bird is to blame. Oswald
has great difficulty in persuading the villagers that their superstition has no
basis in truth, and in his quest to determine who, or what is blighting the
village, Oswald must overcome huge prejudice. What then follows is a creative
and well plotted historical mystery, which uses as its focuses the plight of
those who have been affected by poverty and disease.
I was completely captivated by
The Butcher Bird and although I haven't read the first book in the series, that
really didn't matter, as I very quickly, thanks to the author's great story
telling skill, soon devoured the story, with ease. The medieval world comes alive in
all its gruesome glory. The sights, sounds, and yes, quite frankly, the smells -
“a stench of wholly new proportions”
- of medieval England, are so vividly described that I became totally immersed
in fourteenth century life, so much so, I had to keep looking up, whilst
reading, in order to reassure myself that I was actually still present in the
21st century.
There is no doubt that this story
is from an author who has a distinctly authentic voice. Her love of writing
and history shines through with every well written word, and the enthusiasm and commitment
to the story, and the comfortable way in which she brings history alive, make The Butcher Bird an absolute
joy to read.
SD Sykes lives in Kent with her family and various animals. She has done everything from professional dog-walking to co-founding her own successful business. She is a graduate from Manchester University and has an MA in Writing from Sheffield Hallam. She attended the novel writing course at literary agents Curtis Brown where she was inspired to finish her first novel. She has also written for radio and has developed screenplays with Arts Council funding.
Visit her website
Follow her on Twitter @SD_Sykes
Do visit the other blogs on the tour for an exciting insight into the author's writing of
The Butcher Bird
My thanks to S D Sykes and publishers Hodder & Stoughton for their kind invitation to be part of this exciting blog tour.
~***~
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for taking the time to comment - Jaffareadstoo appreciates your interest.