Posts Tagged ‘ england

Book Review: The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick (Sourcebooks Fall Reading Club)

The Forever Queen: Sometimes, a desperate kingdom is in need of one great woman by Helen Hollick. © 2010 Sourcebooks Landmark. ISBN 9781402240683. Trade Paperback. Historical Fiction. 656 pages. Source: ARC provided by the publisher

Synopsis: Married to a king incompetent both on the throne and in bed, Emma does not love her husband. But she does love England. Even as her husband fails, Emma vows to protect her people-no matter what. For five decades, through love and loss, prosperity and exile, Emma fights for England, becoming the only woman to have been anointed, crowned, and reigning queen to two different kings.

Review: In 1002 England, Emma of Normandy is married off to the Saxon king, Æthelred the Unready. Æthelred is a horrible king, and an even worse husband (misogynistic, much?). Emma may not have the love of a good man, but she has fallen for the country which is now her home. When England is invaded by the Danish Vikings, it was up to Emma—not Æthelred—to save the country. Following Æthelred’s death in 1016, Emma guardedly married King Cnut and it is with him that she finds love.

Now, my knowledge of England’s history tapers off with Boudica and picks back up around the Tudors so there’s a huge gap there that I know very little about, but I was amazed that I had never heard of Emma’s fascinating story—twice Queen consort of England, mother of two Kings herself and great aunt of William the Conqueror.

Hollick’s writing is so incredibly engrossing and I felt like I was actually in medieval England (I know, cliché but you just can’t help it sometimes lol). There is an unbelievable amount of history included in this book, but it’s never boring. You never feel as if you are about to nod off in class (I do warn you though. If you are like me and like to read multiple books at once, you won’t be able to do that with this whopper of a door-stopper). The Forever Queen is satisfying, gripping and nothing less of amazing. Fans of historical fiction will devour this!

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If you’d like to chat about this book, be sure to stop by the Book Club Chat hosted on The Bibliophilic’s Book Blog on Monday, November 22, from 7-9pm EST. Helen will be stopping in from the UK to chat with us!

The Forever Queen Schedule
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Teresa

Teresa (nom de plume: Torrance Sené) is a self-proclaimed geek, a Janeite, a lover of werewolves and bad-ass angels, an aspiring novelist and an avid book reader who freelances as a web designer. You can follow her on Twitter at @eireannoir.

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31 Days of Halloween { review } Deliver Us From Evil by Tom Holland

Deliver Us From Evil by Tom Holland. © 2000 Little Brown UK. ISBN 9780751518610. Paperback. Historical Fiction / Horror. 579 pages. Source: purchased from Amazon UK

Synopsis: Wiltshire, during the dying days of Oliver Cromwell’s Republic. Robert Vaughn is the son of a Parliamentary officer, investigating a series of grisly murders which suggest a link with Satanic rituals. Led along a dark path to vampirism and beyond, he attempts to fight an evil killer.

Review: Robert Foxe is witness to a number of horrible, ritualist killings during the mid-1600s, near the village of Woodton, where his father is sheriff. He witnesses something even more horrible during the fourth killing at Stonehenge, and what the killing summons.

Robert is found by two travlers, Milady and Lightborn, the next day, and taken into their care. His quest for vengeance leads him from England to Prague to the New World.

I wasn’t sure for a bit if this was a vampire novel, or just horror. There are certainly zombielike creatures (yay)! But yes, Milady and Lightborn are vampires (and I figured out who Lightborn really is, but then the clues were there if you know the history) and Robert, well, he’s something else. We even learn of the beginnings of Vakel Pasha, who has a much larger part to play in Lord of the Dead, which I very highly recommend. The fact there are vampires, though, is nearly incidental since this is Robert’s story. I was highly amused by the full story of Milady’s tranformation though–should have seen that coming!

Excellent book.

Jennifer

Jennifer works as a production editor for a major publishing company in NYC but will not review any books put out by the company (under any imprint) on this site since that can be considered a conflict of interest. Areas of interest include Robin Hood, pirates, zombies (and horror in general), Beowulf (and other early English literature, though Beowulf has a soft spot in her heart), medieval history, Celtic history and literature, history of diseases, and some odd subjects like bog bodies. She lives in New Jersey with a husband and a cat. You can find her on LibraryThing, Twitter, and Goodreads.

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31 Days of Halloween { review } The Blood Harvest by S.J. Bolton

The Blood Harvest by S.J. Bolton. © 2010 Minotaur Books. ISBN 9780312600518. Hardback. Horror. 384 pages. $25.99 US. Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program

SynopsisThe Fletchers’ beautiful new house is everything they dreamed it would be. Built between two churches in Heptonclough, a small village on the moors that time forgot, it ought to be paradise for this young family of five, but they barely have a chance to settle in before they find that they’re anything but welcome. Someone seems to be trying to drive them away–at first with silly pranks but then with threats that become increasingly dangerous, especially to the oldest child, ten-year-old Tom Fletcher, who begins to believe that someone is always watching him.

The adults in Tom’s life are trying to help, including his parents; the vicar next door, younger and more dashing than you’d expect a vicar to be; and a therapist, Evi Oliver, who believes him more than she wants to.  But there are other clues that something isn’t quite right in Heptonclough, including the mysterious accidental deaths of three toddlers over the last ten years.  It is not until Tom’s siblings, two-year-old Milly and five-year-old Joe Fletcher, go missing in turn that the little village’s evil secret turns the Fletchers’ dreams into a nightmare.

Review: This is easily one of the best books I’ve read in ages. I had a very hard time putting it down. It’s got everything a good gothic horror story should have: creepy atmosphere, a strange ghostlike creature, an old church, someone in trouble, even English moors!

The Fletchers have moved into the tiny village of Heptonclough. It wasn’t exactly easy, as the town’s “ruling” family, the Renshaws, didn’t want them moving in at all, let alone building a new house on the moors near the churches (one a medieval ruin, the other “new”–Victorian-era).

The Fletchers’ two boys, Tom and Joe, take to playing in the church and the graveyard as it’s been abandoned for quite some time. But not long after the Fletchers move in, a new vicar is installed in the church. He likes the boys and takes an interest in their welfare and that of their sister, Millie. Which is a good thing because he starts to hear that Heptonclough isn’t a safe place for little girls.

Add to this a young woman who believes that her daughter who died in a fire a number of years ago is still alive and living on the moors (and the psychiatrist trying to help her), disembodied voices, strange medieval (or older) rituals that take place in the town, and a strange creature only seen by the Fletcher children, and you’ve got one creepy story.

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Jennifer

Jennifer works as a production editor for a major publishing company in NYC but will not review any books put out by the company (under any imprint) on this site since that can be considered a conflict of interest. Areas of interest include Robin Hood, pirates, zombies (and horror in general), Beowulf (and other early English literature, though Beowulf has a soft spot in her heart), medieval history, Celtic history and literature, history of diseases, and some odd subjects like bog bodies. She lives in New Jersey with a husband and a cat. You can find her on LibraryThing, Twitter, and Goodreads.

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Book Review: The Fool’s Girl by Celia Rees

The Fool’s Girl by Celia Rees. © 2010 Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books. ISBN 9781599904863. Hardback. Historical/Young Adult. 297 pages. $16.99 US. Source: copy supplied by GOOD GOLLY MISS HOLLY ARC TOURS

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Synopsis: Young and beautiful Violetta may be of royal blood, but her kingdom is in shambles when she arrives in London on a mysterious mission. Her journey has been long and her adventures many, but it is not until she meets the playwright William Shakespeare that she gets to tell the entire story from beginning to end. Violetta and her comic companion, Feste, have come in search of an ancient holy relic that the evil Malvolio has stolen from their kingdom. But where will their remarkable quest—and their most unusual story—lead? In classic Celia Rees style, it is an engrossing journey, full of political intrigue, danger, and romance.

Review: As those familiar with Shakespeare can tell from the description, this book is spun around the comedic play, Twelfth Night. However, it is not a retelling (though a little is included) but an original account of what after the couples are wed. It is told mainly from the viewpoint of Violetta, Viola and the Duke’s daughter. She, and the fool Feste, fled from Illyria to England when their beloved homeland was under a horrific siege from Sebastian and Antonio. They came to London in search for the holy relic of Illyria which has been stolen by Malvolio (who seeks to rule Illyria as Duke). Without this relic, Violetta will not be able to reunite her country’s people and take the rightful place, by birth, as Duchess.

Shakespeare himself enters the story when Violetta seeks out his assistance. After telling him the story of her homeland, William feels compelled to aid her. Together they travel from London to Oxford to Stratford-upon-Avon in search of Malvolio and the relic. In their travels, Violetta meets friends from Illyria, falls in love and finds the courage to fight for her native land, while Shakespeare finds the inspiration that will become one of his greatest plays. Read more

Teresa

Teresa (nom de plume: Torrance Sené) is a self-proclaimed geek, a Janeite, a lover of werewolves and bad-ass angels, an aspiring novelist and an avid book reader who freelances as a web designer. You can follow her on Twitter at @eireannoir.

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Book Review: Emma and the Vampires by Wayne Josephson & Jane Austen

Emma and the Vampires by Wayne Josephson and Jane Austen. © 2010 Sourcebooks Landmark. ISBN 9781402241345. Trade Paperback. Historical Fiction / Paranormal. 304 pages. $14.99 US. Source: review copy

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Synopsis
In this hilarious retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma, screenwriter Wayne Josephson casts Mr. Knightley as one of the most handsome and noble of the gentlemen village vampires. Blithely unaware of their presence, Emma, who imagines she has a special gift for matchmaking, attempts to arrange the affairs of her social circle with delightfully disastrous results. But when her dear friend Harriet Smith declares her love for Mr. Knightley, Emma realizes she’s the one who wants to stay up all night with him. Fortunately, Mr. Knightley has been hiding a secret deep within his unbeating heart-his (literal) undying love for her…

Review
Josephson states that he came up with the idea smashing together Emma and vampires in order to make Jane’s novel ”accessible to modern readers, especially young adults”. And perhaps he does, but I’m not impressed. We have our beloved Knightley, our gorgeous Highbury, a heroine only Austen herself could love and it follows remarkably close to the original storyline (I applaud him for that) … but it’s told in modern nomenclature which reads incredibly dumbed down.

Is Emma really that difficult for today’s young adults to comprehend … really? I could understand it with Shakespeare (and The Scarlet Letter which Josephson has also retold and published), but I just don’t buy it with Austen. Sorry. Also, it’s a bit insulting to insinuate that all teens need vampires in a book in order to read it. Maybe that wasn’t the motives behind the book, but it smacks of Twilight, True Blood and Vampire Diaries influence to me.

Emma and the Vampires is an okay read—quick and doesn’t require a lot of brainpower and slightly humorous—but I just don’t see what is so inaccessible about the original Emma. In fact, if I were to recommend any of Jane’s books to young adults, Emma (along with Northanger Abbey) would be among the first. They are the most teen-friendly, in my opinion.

Oh, and also our Mr. Knightley, besides the not sleeping and not eating bit, is really not much of a vampire at all. *sadface*

Bottom line: I would have had more respect for Emma and the Vampires if it were more like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. At least PPZ kept most of Jane’s original work and certainly continued with the dearly loved syntax and style when change was called for. Throughout Emma and the Vampires, I kept pondering, like others, “why am I reading this when I could be reading the actual Emma?”

Rating: 2 out of 5—it’s decent but just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Note:
This counts as my book #1 in the
Jane Austen is my Homegirl
Reading Challenge

Teresa

Teresa (nom de plume: Torrance Sené) is a self-proclaimed geek, a Janeite, a lover of werewolves and bad-ass angels, an aspiring novelist and an avid book reader who freelances as a web designer. You can follow her on Twitter at @eireannoir.

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Book Review: Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt

Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt. © 2010 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780547069678. Hardback. Historical Fiction. 333 pages. $24.00 US. Source: copy from publisher.

Synopsis
Bess Southerns, an impoverished widow, lives with her children in a crumbling old tower in Pendle Forest. Drawing on Catholic ritual, medicinal herbs, and guidance from her spirit-friend Tibb, Bess heals the sick and foretells the future in exchange for food and drink. As she ages, she instructs her best friend, Anne, and her granddaughter, Alizon, in her craft. Anne ultimately turns to dark magic, while Alizon struggles to accept the power she has inherited and dreams of a simpler life. But when a peddler suffers a stroke after exchanging harsh words with Alizon, a local magistrate tricks her into accusing her family and neighbors of witchcraft. Suspicion and paranoia reach frenzied heights as friends and loved ones turn on one another and the novel draws to an inevitable conclusion.

Review
Though other books have tackled a fictitious account of Lancashire Witchcraft Trials of 1612, Mary Sharratt is the first author among them to give Mother Demdike and her granddaughter, Alizon Device, their own say. Daughters of the Witching Hill is told in two voices. The first section being narrated by Bess Southerns and the second by Alizon. Through this we see how both women viewed their world and their gift of cunning craft. Of course, some liberties were taken with the novel but this is what makes it historical fiction and not a boring textbook (the changes are clearly addressed in Afterword for those interested). Read more

Teresa

Teresa (nom de plume: Torrance Sené) is a self-proclaimed geek, a Janeite, a lover of werewolves and bad-ass angels, an aspiring novelist and an avid book reader who freelances as a web designer. You can follow her on Twitter at @eireannoir.

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Guest Blog & Giveaway with historical fiction author, Mary Sharratt

Today we are joined by historical fiction author, Mary Sharratt (The Vanishing Point; Bitch Lit; The Real Minerva). Mary’s latest book, Daughters of the Witching Hill, was released last month through Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This vividly crafted novel tells the story of Mother Demdike, a cunning woman from Lancashire, England who was never given the chance to speak on her own behalf against allegations of witchcraft. In Daughters of the Witching Hill, Mary gives Mother Demdike her say.

I’m currently reading the book and so far I’m loving it, but as my review is not ready yet, please take a moment to read Mary’s encounter with the famous Pendle Hill and how the voice of Bess spoke to her as she wrote. Also, be sure to enter to win a copy of Daughters of the Witching Hill here (open internationally; ends 14 May 2010 @ 12am; one winner will be chosen at random).

How I Became a Daughter of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt

In midwinter 2002, I moved from the Bay Area in California to Lancashire, England. I’ve travelled around the world and lived in many different places, from Germany to Belgium. But what ensued from this relocation was the biggest culture and climate shock of my life. In Northern England, the winters are so dark and oppressive—I felt as though I were trapped inside some claustrophobic gothic novel. My husband and I moved to an old industrial town, our newly built house on the site of a demolished factory. Surrounding all this post-industrial bleakness was a landscape straight out of a fairy tale. In spring the hedges were lacy with hawthorn. Ewes birthed their lambs in the meadow behind our house.

Our house looks out on Pendle Hill, famous throughout the world as the place where George Fox received his vision that moved him to found the Quaker religion in 1652. But Pendle is also steeped in its legends of the Lancashire Witches. Read more

Teresa

Teresa (nom de plume: Torrance Sené) is a self-proclaimed geek, a Janeite, a lover of werewolves and bad-ass angels, an aspiring novelist and an avid book reader who freelances as a web designer. You can follow her on Twitter at @eireannoir.

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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith and Jane Austen. © 2010 Quirk Classics. ISBN 9781594744549. Paperback. Classics/Horror. 288 pages. $12.95 US. [ Pre-order ] Source: copy from publisher

Ah, April in Meryton. The flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, the temperature is rising … and so is the undead body count. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls tells us the origin of how the Bennett girls of Longbourn became masters of the art of zombie-killing seen in the first book.

As the novel dawns, we are introduced to the first ‘dreadful’. Mr. Bennett quickly takes the reign of this tense situation and instructs Elizabeth and Mary on dealing with the ‘unmentionable’—and with that they witness their first killing. From here on out, the girls begin intense training in the Shaolin tradition of martial arts, first from their father and then from Master Hawksworth. From here …

We watch Elizabeth Bennet evolve from a naïve young teenager into a savage slayer of the undead. We laugh as she begins her first clumsy training with nunchucks and katana swords and cry when her first blush with romance goes tragically awry.” (back cover) Read more

Teresa

Teresa (nom de plume: Torrance Sené) is a self-proclaimed geek, a Janeite, a lover of werewolves and bad-ass angels, an aspiring novelist and an avid book reader who freelances as a web designer. You can follow her on Twitter at @eireannoir.

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