Review ~ The Miracle at St Bruno's by Philippa Carr

Published February 19th 2013 by Open Road (first published January 1st 1974)

The Miracle at St Bruno's 

by 

Philippa Carr

The first book in Philippa Carr’s celebrated Daughters of Englandseries is at once a love story, a mystery, and an epic historical saga set during the tumultuous reign of Henry VIII.

In The Miracle at St Bruno’s, which is set during the turbulent reign of Henry VIII, Damask Farland is the cosseted daughter, protected and cherished by her parents. She grows up in a loving environment, slightly removed from the machinations of court life. Running alongside the story of domestic life in the mid-1500’s, is the story of Bruno, an abandoned child brought up in the cloistered environs of St Bruno’s Abbey, whose interwoven history will have repercussions, not just on those who live in the Abbey as Henry VIII sets out to destroy the Abbey’s wealth, but also on the Farland family.

I first read this book shortly after its first publication in 1974, I was then in my mid teens and devouring romantic historical fiction almost as fast as the books were published. Philippa Carr, Victoria Holt, aka as Jean Plaidy were amongst my favourite historical authors, so it was with this in mind, I picked up a copy of this reissued first book in the Daughter of England series, in the hope that their appeal would be everlasting. Maybe my perception of historical romance has altered with the passage of time, as sadly for me the appeal seems to have been lost. Overall, I found the story rather laboured, with little really happening for the first third of the story. However, there is no denying that the book has been well researched, and to some extent manages to capture the heady and challenging days of Tudor England with some unexpected twists and turns in the story, which add interest.

 My thanks to NetGalley and Open Road for an ecopy of this book.

 About the aAuthor

Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt  and Philippa Carr.

Wishlist Wednesday...

I am delighted to be part of wishlist Wednesday which is hosted by Dani at pen to paper

The idea is to post about one book each week that has been on your wishlist for some time, or maybe just added.

So what do you need to do to join in?

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.

Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.

Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.

Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.

Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.

W. W. Norton & Co. (13 Mar 2013)

Book Blurb

Bonnie Jo Campbell has created an unforgettable heroine in sixteen-year-old Margo Crane, a beauty whose unflinching gaze and uncanny ability with a rifle have not made her life any easier. After the violent death of her father, in which she is complicit, Margo takes to the Stark River in her boat, with only a few supplies and a biography of Annie Oakley, in search of her vanished mother. But the river, Margo's childhood paradise, is a dangerous place for a young woman travelling alone, and she must be strong to survive, using her knowledge of the natural world and her ability to look unsparingly into the hearts of those around her. Her river odyssey through rural Michigan becomes a defining journey, one that leads her beyond self-preservation and to the decision of what price she is willing to pay for her choices.

There is something about the thought of this book which is strangely appealing, and I am looking forward to adding it to my book shelf soon.

Review - Blood Sisters by Sarah Gristwood

Blood Sisters

by

Sarah Gristwood

The War of the Roses shook the very foundations of England, when cousin armed against cousin, fought for power in a domestic drama on a grand scale. The ruling Plantagenets had two warring factions; the House of Lancaster and the House of York, both had equal and valid claims to the English throne as descendants of Edward III. Taking their symbols as red and white roses, the royal houses of Lancaster and York not only divided their family, but also alienated England.

Generally overlooked by their more war worthy male counterparts, the women behind the men who fought in this protracted dispute, have a fascination all of their own. Undertaking a history of the women behind the Wars of the Roses is no mean feat, and yet in this factual account, Sarah Gristwood has done an admirable job in explaining the complexities of family politics, and shows how the cousins and their wives were interlinked both by birth and by dynastic marriage.

Easy to read in manageable sections, and with extraordinary insight into the time, Blood Sisters is a fascinating account of a troubled period in England’s complex history. In explaining the precarious position of the Plantagenet families and more especially in the role the Plantagenet women played in this remarkable game of thrones, only adds credence to the myth that behind every strong man, is an equally strong and courageous woman.

Published February 26th 2013 by Basic Books (first published September 1st 2012)

 My thanks to NetGalley and Basic books for an e-copy of this book to review

Review - Paulina Annenkova by Catherine Weir

Kingston Books
2013

Paulina Annenkova

by

Catherine Weir

When Ivan Annenkov, an upper-class guards officer,  is caught up in the Decembrist uprising in Russia in 1825 and convicted of treason, his lover, Paulina Gueble faces the agonising decision to either follow him to a Siberian prison camp, or face life without him. What then follows is a story, based on fact, which with honesty and compassion, shows that even in the bleakest of situations love can overcome adversity.

From the opulence of the Russian Imperial court, to the cruel majesty of the Siberian steppes, the story quite simply flies off the page. The harshness of the environment and the agonising dilemma faced by the central characters is shown in such exquisite detail, that as you read, the story unfolds almost cinematically in your mind, and as you sense the brutal cold and hear the clink of the manacles which lock the prisoners to their fate, you truly imagine that you are there.

There is no doubt that Catherine Weir has a great skill for storytelling, and in using her impeccable knowledge of Russia, she has created a dramatic and enduring story, not just of star-crossed lovers, but also of a country on the brink of revolution.

5*****

My thanks to Lovereading for a review copy of this book.

Review ~ The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway

Michael Joseph
May 2013

The River of No Return

by

Bee Ridgway

“A story of love and time travel”

It’s 1812, and on a battlefield in Spain, Lord Nicholas Falcott is about to be run through by a French Dragoon, when suddenly he disappears, and jumps forward in time two hundred years. Mysteriously managed by an organisation known quite simply as The Guild, Nicholas is told that he can no longer go back to his own time, and he must tell no-one what has happened to him. What then follows is an unusual and inventive look at time travel, and how it affects those whose lives have been disordered by the manipulation of time.

Initially, the book gets off to a slow start, the first hundred or so pages appear a little ponderous as much of the narrative is concerned with the notion of time travel, but once the concept is grasped and the story starts to evolve in a more structured way, The River of No Return becomes quite fascinating reading and a real page turner. I enjoyed the historical elements of the story; the Regency era is particularly well done and whilst this remains central to the story, the futuristic elements contribute equal fascination.

Combining science fiction, with historical fiction is not an easy feat to pull off, and yet Bee Ridgway has succeeded admirably in this, her debut novel. I look forward to following her writing career with interest.

4****

My thanks to Real Readers for a review copy of this book

Friday Recommends...

Penguin
Michale Joseph
April 11 2013

 The Rosie Project

by

Graeme Simsion

Don Tillman, by his own admission, is a bit of an oddball. He likes his life to be structured and organised, so when he sets out on the quest to find a suitable life partner, he uses his skill as a professor of genetics to construct a sixteen-page scientifically produced document with the intention of finding the perfect partner. When Rosie Jarman enters Don’s life, she is everything that Don dislikes about women, she certainly doesn't fulfil the criteria of his questionnaire, but when she enlists his help in searching out her real father, Don finds himself drawn into the quest which becomes known as The Rosie Project.

From the beginning of the novel it is implied that Don has some form of autism, he’s like the proverbial round peg in a square hole, fiercely intelligent and strangely captivating, and yet when Rosie turns his life upside down, there is an observed sensitivity about Don, which is as charming as it is poignant.

Overall, I thought that the book was really nicely done; the story was easy to read, with a warm and witty dialogue which had me laughing out loud in places, and yet there was an underlying compassion which revealed Don’s inner sensitivity. I thought Rosie was a great character, she’s quirky, completely off the wall at times, but the interaction between her and Don is lovely to observe. 

The Rosie Project is a unique reminder that love comes in many different guises, and with or without a sixteen-page questionnaire, most of us seem to get it right, at least once.

5*****

My thanks to Real Readers for an Advance Reading Copy of this book.

Wishlist Wednesday...

I am delighted to be part of wishlist Wednesday which is hosted by Dani at pen to paper

The idea is to post about one book each week that has been on your wishlist for some time, or maybe just added.

So what do you need to do to join in?

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.

Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.

Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.

Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.

Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.

The Heretics (John Shakespeare, Book 5)

by

Rory Clements

John Murray (28 Feb 2013)

Synopsis




England may have survived the Armada threat of 1588, but when Spanish galleys land troops in Cornwall on a lightning raid seven years later, is it a dry-run for a new invasion? Or is there, perhaps, a more sinister motive? The Queen is speechless with rage. But as intelligencer John Shakespeare tries to get a grip on events, one by one his network of spies is horribly murdered. What has all this to do with Thomasyn Jade, a girl driven to the edge of madness by the foul rituals of exorcism? And what is the link to a group of priests held prisoner in bleak Wisbech Castle?


From the pain-wracked torture rooms of the Inquisition in Seville to the marshy wastes of fenland, from the wild coasts of Cornwall to the sweat and sawdust of the Elizabethan playhouses, and from the condemned cell at Newgate to the devilish fantasies of a fanatic, THE HERETICS builds to a terrifying climax that threatens the life of the Queen herself.


I've been a huge fan of this series of books since Rory Clements first novel to feature John Shakespeare, Martyr, came to my notice in 2009. Since then I have gone on to read each successive story, only to find that they get better and better.


I still have Traitor to read which is book 4, but am relieved to know that Book 5 isn't too far away !


**Whenever I read these books I think of my lovely book friend Elaine, who was a real fan of the series and we shared copies of these books and had great discussions about the merits of John Shakespeare.

I miss your book chat, lovely lady.**