Strange title, great novel

It wasn't too long ago that A Reader's Respite was all a-twitter over Hilary Mantel's Booker-winning historical fiction novel, Wolf Hall.  Truly, we loved that book (review here).  This was historical fiction for the *serious* historical fiction fanatic.

And never did we imagine that we would run into it's rival so soon.  But it's true....author Robert Parry has written a whopper of a tale entitled Virgin and the Crab.  Yes, the title vaguely suggested some weird venereal disease, but A Reader's Respite has never let a strange title deter us where historical fiction is concerned.

Parry's tome (it weighs in around 490 pages) centers around the long-term friendship of 16th century scholar John Dee with Queen Elizabeth I and the important role he played in her ascent to the throne of England.

The novel opens a short time after the death of Henry VIII and the young, sickly Edward VI has ascended the throne.  Like Wolf Hall, a myriad of familiar characters fade in and out of the scenery....their characterizations are nothing short of masterful.

Edward VI.  Poor kid, he never stood a chance....

Young Edward's uncles and puppet-masters, Edward and Thomas Seymour are vying for control of the sickly, pubescent King while a young John Dee cements his deep friendship with Elizabeth and begins his meteoric rise in academia.  While the Seymour brothers will both meet an untimely end, it is Thomas, "a man of much wit but very little judgement," who will compromise young Elizabeth's reputation and put her through the first of her many tribulations on the road to becoming England's greatest Queen.

Parry writes what is perhaps the best dramatization of Elizabeth's complex relationship with Robert Dudley , her future Master of the Horse and the subject of much did-they-or-didn't-they speculation ("one might wonder just whose side he is on").  But Dudley's formative years are just as compelling as Elizabeth's.

the dashing young Dudley

As the son of the powerful Duke of Northumberland, a man whose "...rise to power has not been matched by his intellect or willingness to listen to reason," Robert had good reason to fear for his life.  Both his father and his brother Guilford, the unwitting husband of poor little Jane Grey (she of the legendary nine-day rule of England) would be executed for treason.  Parry draws a vivid portrait of a time in England when any given man (or woman, for that matter) could find themselves on the wrong side of the executioner's ax at the mere whim of some very unstable minds who wielded religion as a weapon.

After the Protestant King Edward's early demise, an unstable monarchy would teeter even further with all of England paying the price.  His elder sister Mary took the throne and did her best to restore Catholicism to England.  And while her reign would last little more than five years, the turbulence brought with it must have made those five years seem like a lifetime to Elizabeth, who lived under the constant fear of a traitor's death.

poor Mary, she really did get a bad historical rap, didn't she?

Parry excels at conveying the confusion and fear caused by these so-called Reformations and Counter-Reformations. Mary proceeded to sink into apparent madness and simultaneously earned her famous historical moniker, Bloody Mary, as she began burning various Protestants at the stake for their heresy ("Latin is the language of those who rule our consciences.").

Although we all know that Elizabeth will indeed eventually succeed to the throne and usher in the Golden Age of England, Parry reminds us she did not do so single-handedly.  One of the most enigmatic characters to grace the pages of this novel is none other than William Cecil, the future chief advisor to Queen Elizabeth and a great friend of John Dee.  Both were instrumental to Elizabeth's survival during the reign of her sister. Cecil's character is circumspect and wise in the matters of State, but also provides unexpected humor in tense times:

'Nonsense.  And anyway, are you suggesting I know nothing about fighting?  Is that it?  Just because I'm a lawyer.  I'll have you know, Dee, my grandfather fought at the battle of Bosworth Field in fourteen eighty five.'

'Oh wonderful!' Dee exclaims.  'Do you think he might be persuaded to come with us?'

As for John Dee himself, he makes for a very sympathetic and compelling protagonist when viewed from 21st century eyes.  A man of science and learning, Dee was also - as most learned men of that time were - an astrologist.  Monarchs put great store by the heavens in the 16th century and respected men like Dee were often employed to use his knowledge of astrology to choose times for important events, such as royal weddings or coronations.

He was also a man after every book-lover's heart:  he possessed the largest personal library in England.  Bibliophiles everywhere will recognize Dee's personal triumph as he passes by "...the numerous printers and booksellers clustered around the walls of the church yard, and resisting just for once the lure of the printed word..."  *Sigh*  Bibliophiles really are still alike, even five centuries later.

If you were a fan of Mantel's Wolf Hall, A Reader's Respite won't hesitate to recommend this gem of a novel to you.  Like Mantel's prize-winning novel, Virgin and the Crab is best enjoyed by the seasoned Tudor reader who possesses at least a cursory knowledge of the characters who flit in and out of the pages.  We suspect that it won't be long before a big-name publisher snaps up this novel (are you listening, big-name publishers?) and you start hearing historical fiction fanatics buzzing.




FTC Notice:  Okay FTC, this is the part where A Reader's Respite lets everyone know that our copy of this novel came from the author himself.  A fabulous book sent to us directly from it's author....don't begrudge us this rare pleasure.

*****

A Reader's Respite loved this book so much that we were reluctant to part with it (this is one novel that will stand up for re-reads).  But being a true historical fiction lover, we're compelled to share something so enjoyable with our fellow aficionados out there.  So if you love Tudor historical fiction, leave us a comment saying so and we'll draw a random winner to receive our copy of Virgin and the Crab on March 5.  All comers welcome!

Serious Tudor Fiction

It's hardly an understatement to say that historical fiction fans the world over were rejoicing this past year when Hilary Mantel's epic Tudor-era novel Wolf Hall won the 2009 Man Booker Prize for fiction.

Despite A Reader's Respite's love-hate relationship (okay, mostly hate) with previous Booker-winning novels, we weren't going to miss out on this one.

Our thoughts?

Mantel chose probably one of the most enigmatic players of Tudor England, the oft-vilified Thomas Cromwell, to explore the court of Henry VIII. Cromwell, who deftly weaves between memories of his childhood and present 16th-century day, is presented as a tolerant, wise lawyer with a business acumen unsurpassed in his time.

the man of mystery himself, Thomas Cromwell

Born a mere commoner into abject poverty, Cromwell rose through the ranks of the Tudor court in meteoric fashion. The right-hand man of Cardinal Wolsey, himself the son of a butcher, Cromwell deftly avoided the Cardinal's sad fate by delivering to Henry VIII precisely what the Cardinal could not: a divorce from Katherine of Aragon.

Wolsey appears in the pages as benevolent, if slightly bewildered by the unexpected rise of Anne Boleyn. "...Anne is not a carnal being, she is a calculating being, with a cold slick brain at work behind her hungry black eyes." After his demise at the hands of the Boleyn family, Cromwell becomes the go-to man of Henry himself and facilitates England's break with the Pope and the Church of Rome.

for such a tiny thing, she sure caused a lot of trouble, didn't she?

And while the reader certainly becomes a part of Cromwell's life, it should not be mistaken that this novel is entirely about Thomas Cromwell. The novel is, in point of fact, a full-fledged portrait of the Henry VIII's court: the characters, the intrigue and the political backroom deals where fortunes were made and heads were lost. "There's no man in the room who doesn't want Henry to have what he wants. Their lives and fortunes depend on it."

The Duke of Norfolk ("If you tell Norfolk anything, he will twist it into treason.") skips nimbly across the pages, a coarse man full of bluster, while Thomas More is bent on ecclesiastical vengeance, determined to stamp out the Protestant tidal wave sweeping Europe: "He would chain you up, for a mistranslation. He would, for a difference in your Greek, kill you."

Thomas More, the scourge of Protestants everywhere

Harry Norris, Thomas Wyatt, Mary Boleyn, Stephen Gardiner, Charles Brandon all feature prominently and are, for the student of Tudor history, a veritable feast of characters.

Overflowing with period detail and a droll wit, this is not an introductory novel to the Tudors. The sheer volume of characters and the depth of their motivations make this a complex story better suited, or at least most enjoyed, by those who have a good grasp of the historical players of the time.

Even before he walks in from the kitchens at Austin Friars, the women of the house know that he has been so see Anne.
"So," Johane demands. "Tall or short?"
"Neither."
"I'd heard she was very tall. Sallow, is she not?"
"Yes, sallow."
"They say she is graceful. Dances well."
"We did not dance."
Mercy says, "But what do you think? A friend to the gospel?"
He shrugs. "We did not pray."
"Are her teeth good?" Mercy says.
"For God's sake, woman: when she sinks them into me, I'll let you know."

A Reader's Respite thought the novel was, quite simply, brilliant.

Word on the street is that Mantel will produce a sequel to Wolf Hall, one that continues to follow Cromwell's rise to power vis-a-vis Henry's marriage to his third wife, Jane Seymour, which will produce the long-awaited male heir to the Tudor throne.




Required FTC Disclosure: This novel was furnished to A Reader's Respite by a publicist. It was drooled over and devoured in a most un-ladylike manner and remains on our permanent bookshelf, drool and all.

Rompin' with the Tudors.....

Every so often a little tremor of book buzz flows through blogland and catches our attention over here at A Reader's Respite. Such was the case recently when all of a sudden it seemed as if everywhere we turned peeps were talking about a upcoming historical fiction release entitled The Boleyn Wife by an author named Emily Purdy.

"Purdy.....Purdy....," we mused silently to ourselves, wracking our overtaxed, holiday-stressed brain, "...that name is familiar."

Of course, as it turns out, Emily Purdy is the new pen name (in the UK, at least) of one Brandy Purdy, a writer down in Beaumont, Texas who has penned a notorious little novel about Edward II and Piers Gaveston and another about Anne Boleyn and her arch-enemy and sister-in-law, Lady Jane Rochford called Vengeance is Mine.

The publisher Kensington has evidently picked up Purdy's novel Vengeance is Mine (originally self-published via iUniverse), retitled it The Boleyn Wife and given Purdy are more British-sounding pen name to go with it.

the original novel, self published by iUniverse

Intrigued, we set about finding ourselves a copy of Purdy's original version, Vengeance is Mine (not the easiest task in the world given that copies of the original novel are disappearing quick) and within a few days had a copy in our hot little hands.

the new and improved version, published by Kensington

A Reader's Respite was fully prepared to not like this book.....we had heard about some, *ahem*, creative love scenes involving two of ol' Henry VIII's wives and a rather large jar of honey. Let's just say we were dubious at best.

To our surprise, the novel isn't terrible. Really, it isn't.

Most of the story revolves around Anne Boleyn, second and soon to be headless wife to Henry VIII, as told by her notorious sister-in-law, Lady Jane Rochford. Towards the end of the novel, after Anne goes to meet her maker, Lady Jane relates the shorter reigns of Henry's subsequent wives, Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves, finally ending the story with the beheading of fifth wife, Katherine Howard - a time when Lady Jane meets her own untimely end on the chopping block as well.

Ms. Purdy, it should be noted, is a mighty fine writer.....the words flow easily across the page and the narrative is, for the most part, quite sensible. In short, she shows enormous promise as a historical fiction author.

Of course, we did have a few quibbles. Jane Rochford was a tad one-dimensional and singular in her hatred and desire to give her sister-in-law her comeuppance. And although Jane was indeed a lady-in-waiting for many of Henry's wives, one wonders how the woman managed to witness so many private conversations and sexual couplings throughout her royal stay.


Along the same vein, the novel was just a tad disjointed with over two-thirds being devoted to Anne Boleyn's rise and fall, with only two short parts towards the end devoted to Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. Although Lady Jane wasn't at court during Seymour's short stint as queen, she was present for Anne and Katherine's reign and though their queenly time was comparatively short, it left the reader feeling rushed, as if there could have been more to the story.

There were also constant references to these women's historical nicknames....if Anne Boleyn was referred to as the "Goggle-eyed whore" once, she must have been referenced so at least fifty times. Ditto for Katherine Howard, the "rose without a thorn." Throw in a few references to the "Flander's mare" (Anne of Cleves), and you have yourself a veritable festival of royal nicknames.

You're wondering about the kinky sex scenes, aren't you? Yes, for the record, there is a interlude between Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and a jar of honey. Thankfully, most of the scene occurs behind the curtains of a royal bed and most is left to our imagination. A Reader's Respite, for the record, thought the scene was cute and silently applauded Purdy for throwing in a little fun conjecture.

Presumably, now that Kensington has picked up the book (to be released January 26, by the way), a new editor will have had their way with the novel, so the criticisms you read here may well not apply to this new version.

All in all, the book is publisher-worthy, no doubt about it. Don't expect a Sharon Kay Penman or a Higginbotham novel here, rather think Philippa Gregory. But as we said, this writer shows promise and may well develop into a mighty fine historical fiction author. Time will certainly tell.

In the meantime, A Reader's Respite simply must get our hands on her other novel about Edward II's lover and favorite, Piers Gaveston entitled, aptly enough, The Confession of Piers Gaveston. It's time to go a-book-huntin'!





Required FTC (TSA, DOD, USDA, whatever) Notice: We purchased this novel for a whopping $8. It wasn't given to us, wasn't stolen, and no animals were harmed during the reading of this novel. We bought it, fair and square, and we'd do it again with no regrets. So there.

Friends Don't Let Friends Read Bad Historical Fiction

Or do they?

Not so very long ago, A Reader's Respite found ourselves at home with a few hours of spare time on our hands. Feeling industrious, we drove into town to meet a Bloggy Friend for lunch. After a wonderful greasy feast (the Bleu Baron: a marvelous concoction of roast beef on sourdough with a bleu cheese dressing), our Bloggy Friend surreptitiously slid a novel across the table towards us.



Now to be fair, she did give us fair warning. But did we heed that warning?



Oh nooooooooooooooooooo. We did not.


No, being the historical fiction fanatic we are, A Reader's Respite dove headfirst into this novel of Tudor England. Admit it, you'd do the same.

Now there are plenty of book reviewers out there who go out of their way to find some good in even the worst book.

A Reader's Respite is not one of those reviewers.

This was a bad, bad book and we aren't afraid to say so. This book was so horrible that we're not sure how to convey this level of bad-ness. Allow us to offer a synopsis:

Heir Apparent, despite being an attempt at historical fiction, is actually set in the future. We begin the story sometime in the latter half of this century in London. Kaitlyn and Colin, museum curators of the future, time-travel back to the court of King Henry VIII in order to....well, we're still not precisely sure what they were doing there, but it had something to do with preserving the Tudor bloodline and securing an heir for the throne in 21st century.

Life in the future, as presented in this novel, is painfully conveyed via dialogue throughout the story...

"I got home late last night and forgot to zap the battery-plate with the ultra-violet recharge light."
Heir Apparent, p. 42

or

"...unless you want to use the safe-solar chamber to dry, tan, and moisturize. It only takes a couple of seconds."
Heir Apparent, p. 59

How do they manage the time travel to Tudor England? We're so glad you asked....

"This is what I call my B.T.E. Remote, which is short for Bending Time Electrically. Basically, this 'television remote' if you will...can bend time with you in it, and send you to and from different places in time."
Heir Apparent, p. 8-9

Okay, perhaps we're being a bit picky in the science department. After all, this is a work of fiction.

But when the characterizations, plot and dialogue are just as awful, the entire novel becomes a train wreck that you just cannot turn away from.

Once our erstwhile heroes actually arrive in Tudor England, they immediately run into Henry VIII and the evil Queen Anne. Henry, the randy royal, wants nothing more than to screw every female in his direct line of sight, while Anne engages in hair-pulling, bitch-slapping, knockdown, dragout catfights with her 21st century rival Caitlyn.

The rest of the story pretty much encapsulates Caitlyn and Colin's attempts to get back to their own time with their heads intact. We have no idea whether or not they actually achieved their initial objective. Things were fuzzy by the time we reached the end of this 350-page disaster.

The moral of this review?

A. You can be traumatized by bad historical fiction, and
B. Never, ever borrow a book from Misfit. :p




A Reader's Respite and At Home With a Good Book and the Cat suffer from Sour Milk Syndrome. You know, that's when you open up a bad carton of milk, smell it, and immediately tell the person closest to you, "Ewwwww, smell this."

In that grand tradition, we are offering this book up to you. If you want to see for yourself (and you know you do) how bad historical fiction can be, tell us so and on October 30th, we'll draw one random winner.

C'mon, it'll be fun!

Confessions of a Historical Fiction Addict

A Reader's Respite has a confession to make:

We've never been a huge fan of author Philippa Gregory. While we acknowledge that she is indisputably responsible for the recent resurgence of this fantastic genre, her books have fell flat for us.

The Other Boleyn Girl? We thought it was mediocre at best. The Constant Princess? Meh. The Wideacre Series? Oh good god, the incest in those was enough to turn anyone's stomach. The King's Fool? Didn't make it past page 50. The Virgin's Lover? Ditto.

So with all the hoopla regarding Gregory's latest effort entitled The White Queen (not to mention the copy that landed on our doorstep), we thought we'd better plow through her release from last year, The Other Queen.



Remember all the fuss and muss about that novel? The anticipation of Gregory's tale of Mary Stuart, the Queen of Scots whom Elizabeth I bumped off, was palatable amongst fans everywhere. Historical fiction fanatics couldn't wait to get their hands on this novel. Amazon pre-orders were made, advance copies were devoured and then....

...it fell flat. Even Gregory's die-hard fans didn't seem to like this book. Mary was a boring subject, they claimed. The book, it was said, plodded along and raised no interest or passion on the part of the reader.

Even so, A Reader's Respite valiantly took the plunge and finally read the novel. And we loved it.

Go figure.

Before you throw up your hands, wondering why oh why we have to be so contrary all of the time, give us a chance to tell you why.

Mary was considered a stunning beauty in her time.

Simply put, we loved Mary Stuart's "voice" in this novel. The Scottish queen has confounded historians and novelists alike for many years. For those of you unaware of Mary's basic bio, allow us to give you a brief sketch (if you're familiar with the details, feel free to skip this part):

Mary was the only surviving child of Scottish King James V and Mary of Guise. When James met his maker just days after young Mary's birth, she became the Queen of Scotland at the wise old age of 6 days old. When she was sixteen, this young queen married the dauphin of France and when the old king bit the dust the very next year, Mary became Queen of France, as well.

Her young husband, the new French King, died within the year and Mary returned to Scotland to assume her throne there. She impetuously married Lord Darnley and it's here that things begin to get interesting. She and Darnley didn't exactly get along well and within two years, Darnley found himself blown to kingdom come when the house he was staying in blew up.

Who killed Darnley? Well, now, that's the sixty-four million dollar question, now isn't it? Most believed it was the Earl of Bothwell. Mary turned the kingdom on it's ear when she ran away with (or was abducted?) Bothwell and married him.

Anyhoo, she was run out of her own kingdom and when she escaped to England, her cousin Elizabeth I took this opportunity to imprison Mary where she remained until Elizabeth finally had her head lopped off for treason.

Pretty soap-operatic stuff, eh?


So how does Gregory's take of all this stack up? We thought fabulously. Although The Other Queen focuses on Mary's time in captivity in England, Gregory doesn't cop-out by ignoring Mary's scandal-ridden past. Mary's completely plausible "voice" provides both retrospection and explaination of her sometimes frustrating choices.

So in a nutshell, A Reader's Respite never thought we'd be saying this, but: Kudos, Philippa Gregory. Nice job.





Did you miss reading this one, too? Never fear, A Reader's Respite is giving you another chance to read it. Just leave a comment here and then check back on September 5th to see if you were randomly chosen. International peeps are always welcome to enter!

Review: King's Fool

King's Fool, by Margaret Campbell Barnes

What better way to celebrate April Fool's Day than a closer look at Margaret Campbell Barnes' novel, King's Fool: A Notorious King, His Six Wives, and the One Man Who Knew All Their Secrets?

Yes, I know, ol' Henry the VIII and his surplus of wives has been a bit overdone as of late. But this one was originally published in 1959 and Barnes knew what she was doing here.

The tale is told by Will Somers, a man who had a remarkably well-documented career as the King's fool from early in Henry's reign all the way through to his death. (Sound familiar? Margaret George used a similar idea for her 1986 novel, Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers.)

Henry and Will

The result is a compelling, highly readable portrait of a man who, in his early years, was truly and legitimately concerned with the production of a male heir. He emerges as a man, not the legend: a remarkable and accomplished man who had his fair share of weaknesses and faults.

Intertwined with Henry's story is a compelling look at Will Somers himself. From his humble beginnings as a lowly farmboy of no significance to his incredible rise at court, the King's fool himself is a fascinating character and well worth the read here.

Do you think the cover art depicting a woman missing her head is a coincidence?

Neither do we.

Sourcebooks Landmark (one of our favorite publishers!) is re-releasing this historical fiction staple today, April 1, 2009. If you enjoy Tudor history, you won't be disappointed in this one!


Of course, if you're interested in reading this one, you could always leave A Reader's Respite a comment here and on Monday, April 6th, our blog secretary will draw a random winner!




Title: King's Fool: A Notorious King, His Six Wives, and the One Man Who Knew Their Secrets
Author: Margaret Campbell Barnes
ISBN-13: 978-1402219023
320 pages
Publisher: Sourcemarks Landmark
Date: April 1, 2009


For my research-inclined readers, some more reviews:

Medieval Bookworm
Passages to the Past
Kittling: Books
historical-fiction.com
The Tome Traveller
Giving Reading a Chance

Review: Innocent Traitor

Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey by Alison Weir


rating: 4 of 5 stars


Book Origination: Purchased from online bookstore


If you are a fan of British history, particularly the Tudor period, you are probably familiar with this author. Alison Weir is a noted historian and proliferate writer of many well-received non-fiction books, including The Princes in the Tower and The Six Wives of Henry VIII.


Innocent Traitor is the author's debut fiction work and I'm pleased to report that she succeeds quite well. The story of Lady Jane Grey is a small footnote in British history. Upon the death of young Edward VI, Jane's family plotted to use her tenuous royal connections (Jane was Henry VIII's great-niece) to set Jane upon the throne of England. Her reign lasted just nine short days before the rightful heir to the throne, Queen Mary I, seized power. Jane was only fifteen years old and her story definitely falls into the "tragic" category.


Ms. Weir's novel tells Jane's story, flitting between several points of view, including Jane herself, her mother Frances Brandon, her nurse, Queen Katherine (Parr), Queen Mary I, and John Dudley, Jane's husband. In a lesser author's hands, the numerous and rapid changes in point of view could have resulted in a confusing, disjointed work. But Ms. Weir manages it fairly seamlessly and the different viewpoints come together for a more complete understanding of Jane and circumstances swirling out of control around her.


In the end, we are left with a compelling portrait of a very young, naive teenager who had the misfortune of being born into an overly-ambitious, scheming family who did not scruple to use this innocent girl to achieve their own ends. Tragically, it is Jane who must pay the ultimate price for their follies.

Alison Weir's second novel, The Lady Elizabeth: A Novel, was released earlier this year and covers Elizabeth I's early life up until she takes the throne. The paperback edition is set for release on November 4, 2008.

If you enjoyed Ms. Weir's writing and are interested in reading some of her non-fiction books, I've provided an Amazon list in order of publication. And keep an eye out for The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn, scheduled for publication in Fall of 2009 by Random House.


Title: Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey
Author: Alison Weir
402 pages
ISBN: 978-0-345-49485-6
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publish Date: 2006