The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier

I've had this book fair buy sitting in the bookshelf for ages - obviously one of those impulse buys I didn't need. Sometimes I like this author, as in Remarkable Creatures, sometimes not so much and The Lady and the Unicorn sits somewhere between.

Jean le Viste, a fifteenth-century nobleman close to the king, hires an ambitious artist to design six tapestries celebrating his rising status at Court. A talented miniaturist, Nicholas des Innocents overcomes his surprise at being offered this commission when he catches sight of his patron's sumptuous daughter, Claude.

In Brussels, renowned weaver, Georges de la Chapelle, takes on the biggest challenge of his career. Never before has he attempted a work that puts so much at stake. Sucked into a world of temptattion and seduction, he and his family are consumed by the project and their dealings with the rogue painter from Paris.

There are multiple narrators, the aristocrats, the artists, the weavers,  each perspective allowing a picture of how the different social classes lived and the problems they faced, particularly the women. But for me the characters felt like cardboard cutouts chosen to fulfil those roles, they never came alive as real people and I had little interest in any of them.

What I did enjoy was the process of the creation of the tapestries.

From the first paintings to the final unrolling it was a fascinating and very interesting journey. I loved the details of the symbolism that everything added to the background has, the choosing of colours, wools and silks, the amazing talent of the weavers who created such beautiful work on their looms.

Good historical fiction which I'm sure many readers will love but didn't quite hit the mark for me.

2013 TBR Pile Challenge

Quick reviews

Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex


Set amidst the turmoil and political intrigue of late 15th century Italy this is the story of two sisters, Isabella and Beatrice d'Este,  the men they loved and the men they married.

Locked in a fierce rivalry they fight to be the one immortalised by the court painter, Leonardo da Vinci.
I liked how the sisters relationship developed over the years and really enjoyed the detail of the historical background and the glimpse into the life and work of the great Leonardo.

Historical Fiction Challenge

Virgin Widow by Anne O'Brien


Anne Neville is the daughter and heiress of Warwick the Kingmaker. Trapped in a deadly tangle of political intrigue, she is a pawn in an uncertain game, used by the houses of Neville, York and Lancaster.
With its focus on the love between Anne and Richard of Gloucester, later Richard III, it is essentially an historical romance, which normally I might avoid, but this story I already knew was beautifully portrayed and made for engrossing reading. The historical background to the War of the Roses is complex but the author doesn't make the mistake of having too many characters to confuse the reader - I'd recommend this book to those who are beginning to read about this period . I enjoyed it.

Historical Fiction Challenge

Those Who Come After by Elisabeth Holdsworth


Juliana Stolberg tells the story of her life from her early years spent in post WWII Netherlands as the child of an aristocrat family, their emigration to Australia when she is 12 and the struggle to adapt to a new country.
It's the story of the events and experiences of one woman's life , most of them rather sad and depressing, but it's told with an emotional detachment that prevented me ever becoming involved as I would have liked to. I enjoyed the part set in the Netherlands but didn't feel Australia at all which may be an indication of how the author feels as it is a novel based on her own life experience.  I also found the sudden change from one time period to another very confusing at times.

Aussie Author Challenge

Black Swan Rising by Lee Carroll


New York jeweller Garet James isn't the same as everyone else. She just doesn't know it yet! 
Take one girl...........add a Pandora's box, a vampire, an Elizabethan alchemist, the King of the Faeries and it all adds up to a wonderful blend of history, magic and mythology amid the streets of Manhattan. 
Urban Fantasy is not a genre that normally appeals to me so the fact I enjoyed this immensely does indicate it's a little different than the usual offering. 
Lee Carroll is the pseudonym of a favourite author of mine, Carol Goodman, and her husband, and I look forward to their next book.


Once Upon A Time Challenge  

Review: The Scarlet Contessa by Jeanne Kalogrides

Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2010
454p

Caterina Sforza - her passion and wilfulness knew no bounds.

Illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Milan and wife at fourteen-years-old to the conniving Count Girolamo Riario, a nephew of the Pope , Caterina spent the early years of her marriage enjoying the wealth and recognition of her position in Rome's noble society, openly taking lovers that would further her fortunes while also bearing several children . Things changed with the death of the Pope and the couple had to fight to hold on to their lands and titles. Caterina became a 'warrior' - a woman who once said " If I have to die, I want to die like a man". She ruled her own lands after her husbands death, fought her own battles and never hesitated to punish those she saw as her enemies.

Her story is told by her lady-in-waiting, Dea, a woman knowledgeable in reading the 'triumph cards'. the predecessor of modern day tarot. Dea's reading of the cards reveals that Caterina will triumph twice at holding off invaders of her land but will not withstand a third and final invader, none other than Cesare Borgia, who has an old score to settle with Caterina. Trapped inside the fortress at Ravaldino, Dea reviews Caterina's scandalous past and struggles to understand their joint destiny, while Caterina valiantly tries to fight off Borgia's unconquerable army.

It is the last decades of the 15th century when Italy was not a united country but a number of constantly warring city-states and families. A very interesting historical background but I did find it very confusing at times. Borgias , d'Medici's and Popes are recognisable but add lesser known figures with names like Gialamo, Giacomo and Galeazzo to the mix of constant political intrigue , plotting , poisoning and murdering - not always easy reading.

Caterina can hold her own with any of them but she isn't the most likeable of people and I think it was an excellent idea to have a fictional central character who is much gentler and more feminine. Dea's story I really enjoyed - her early life with Caterina's family, discovering who her lost family were, the strange first marriage and a very moving later love story. Having worked with Tarot for many years I was particularly interested in reading about the Triumph cards and how she read with them.

Jeanne Kalogrides has taken the political complexities of Renaissance Italy and an outstanding woman of the time and created a fine historical novel. A pleasure to read.

Colourful Challenge

Review: By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan

Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Other Press, 2010
284p


Political intrigue and religious persecution in fifteenth century Spain.

Synopsis: Luis de Santangel, chancellor to the court and longtime friend of the lusty King Ferdinand, has had enough of the Spanish Inquisition. As Inquisitor General Tomas de Torquemada's power and influence over Queen Isabel grow, so does the brutality of the Spanish church and the paranoia it inspires. When a dear friend's demise brings the violence close to home, Santangel takes retribution into his own hands, though the risk is great. Santangel is from a family of conversos, and his Jewish heritage makes him a target. As Santángel witnesses the horrific persecution of his loved ones, he begins slowly to reconnect with the Jewish faith his family left behind.
Feeding his curiosity about his past is his growing love for Judith Migdal, a clever and beautiful Jewish woman navigating the mounting tensions in Granada.

A superb debut novel that contained everything I always hope to find in historical fiction.

Historical accuracy, a strong background with lots of lovely descriptive prose, well-developed and realistic fictional characters........and this book has the bonus of also giving a different perspective of some well known real persons.
There are several different threads within the story all related to the theme of expansion, exploration and aquisition and drawn together by Luis de Santagel's involvement with them.

As Chancellor and confidante to Ferdinand and Isabel he is privy to their plans to reconquer Granada , and knows of their desire to purify Spain by expelling or converting Muslims and Jews ..... and topping up their coffers with the confiscated wealth.
He is the man who Christopher Colombus must turn to for help in obtaining the necessary funds from the Crown to finance his voyage to the new World.

The presence of Judith not only provides a romantic interest but a glimpse into the lives of the Jewish people in Granada , their plight as the Christian army defeats the Muslims and the frightening realisation that if they aren't prepared to convert , they must leave . I thought the love story was beautiful - it's presence was like a pastel thread in a tapestry of bright colours which somehow made it all the more poignant.

But it was the approach to the Inquisition that made this book special for me. I've read many books of this time, skipping through pages with a churning stomach, trying to avoid the too graphic descriptions of torture and burnings. By Fire, By Water is less focused on what the Inquisition did and more on revealing the reasons and motivations of those responsible and the effects it had on the lives of those living in it's shadow. So it was Luis de Santangel's personal journey of spiritual discovery that interested me the most.

".....he explored ideas that had intrigued him all his life. He argued about the nature of truth, God's role in history, justice, love. He came to feel an intellectual enfranchisement he had never felt before, invigorating and empowering. The freedom to navigate between the great ideas and sentiments of his own faith and that of his grandfather was a rare privilege."

Not acceptable to a Church that maintained it's power by ruling through fear and expected nothing less than total acceptance and blind obedience to it's rules.

Obviously well-researched, a beautifully written, powerful and moving story.....I loved it!  And I'm very happy that I don't have to return it to the library. Many thanks to Mitchell Kaplan for sending me a copy to review..........his website is here.

Has definitely earned a place on my 10 Best Historical Fiction list.

2010 Year of the Historical Challenge

Review: Blood Royal by Vanora Bennett

Challenge 9: Same word, different book.

Challenge Description: Find two books that have the same word in the title. Read both books and write about them. (Worth 2 entries because you have to read two books).

My word is blood - the books I've read are Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier and Blood Royal by Vanora Bennett. Here is the review of the second .....

Title: Blood Royal

Author: Vanora Bennett

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2009

578 p.

(US - The Queen's Lover)

This is the story of Catherine de Valois (1401 - 1437), daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of Henry V and mother to Henry VI of England.........who after Henry's death would marry Owain Tudor - their grandson would become the first Tudor king, Henry VII.
Catherine's story has always appealed to me because she was a princess who in the end found happiness with the man she loved but the books I've read have always had a strong English background.

Which is why I loved this book so much. This is French history and gives whole new perspective  to the events of this time. No longer is Henry V the great leader of men, the valiant victor of Agincourt but a greedy usurper from a cold and dismal land , a warmonger intent on conquering French land and wearing the crown of France himself. For someone who's waved the red rose of Lancaster ever since I fell in love with John of Gaunt as a 16-year-old reading Anya Seton's Katherine it took some getting used to the less than flattering portrait of the English.

It is so much more than a love story..........this was a turbulent time for the French with the combination of foreign invasion and internal warring factions. Paris , its people and the royal court are brought vividly to life in rich and colourful detail. There are many wonderful characters both real and imagined. The sad figure of King Charles who suffered fits of madness, his fat sweetmeat munching wife Isabeau and their children.
Christine de Pisan - I didn't realise she was a real person until I did a little googling out of interest. A scholar, a writer and a medieval feminist, her role in Catherine's life ,and the story of her family is quite considerable. Her last work 'The Song of Joan of Arc" celebrating the victory over the English at Orleans is the only French language eulogy written in Joan's lifetime and is the title of Part 7 of the book where Joan makes her appearance.

The book isn't perfect and I do have a few niggles:

* I found Catherine's behaviour inconsistent at times which considering the mental instability of her family is explainable but her sudden changes seemed too much so. For example when she first meets Henry V she is disappointed....."an odd looking rat of a man with awkward eyes" . An hour later she is making love with him and glowing at the wonder of his skin, his eyes, his muscles...........very strange!

* I became extremely irritated with the way the author persisted in describing anyone with Lancastrian blood. Pop-eyed, google-eyed, frog-eyed, bulgy-eyed etc- over and over again the same focus on the eyes.

* There were signs of poor editing - the same word repeated in one sentence, the same descriptive phrase used only two paragraphs on........it's noticeable and shouldn't really happen.

* And once again I'm complaining about the lack of genealogical trees or a list of characters. In a book with such a huge cast I find it hard to believe that no one saw the necessity for this.

However, don't let those niggles put you off. It's wonderful historical fiction and it kept me engrossed the whole way through.

Royal Reviews Historical Fiction Challenge
A Tournament of Reading Challenge
Chunkster Challenge
The Four Month Challenge 3
French Historicals Oh La!La! Challenge

Review: The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Title: The Tudor Rose
Author: Margaret Campbell Barnes
Genre: Historical Fiction
First Published, 1953
Republished by Sourcebooks, 2009

313p.

Elizabeth of York was the eldest child of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Following the death of her father his brother Richard became Regent and Protector of Elizabeth's brothers Edward and Richard. The boys were removed from their family and kept in the Tower of London , Richard declared his brothers marriage as invalid and the children illegitimate and thus ineligible for the throne, and declared himself King. An alliance between Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry of Lancaster, brought forward an agreement that if Henry would move to overthrow King Richard and succeed he would be married to Elizabeth of York.
In 1485 Richard III was defeated and died at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

On the 18th January, 1486 Elizabeth of York and Henry of Lancaster , now Henry VII, were married. The uniting of the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster gave birth to the Tudor rose and a new dynasty and an end to the many years of strife and civil war.

The book begins with the breaking off of Elizabeth's childhood engagement to the Dauphin of France and follows her life through the death of her father, the time spent in sanctuary filled with fear for her brothers and then her marriage.
The author gives a good account of the outside events happening at this pivotal time in England's history- the age old question of the fate of the Princes in the Tower, the rebellions and Pretenders to the throne during Henry's reign and a glimpse into ordinary life and customs. I like the way she presents some of the main supporting characters, particularly Richard . So many authors take a definite love or loathe stand but she paints a picture of a strange and complex person very hard to truly understand. Henry's mother , Margaret Beaufort, is another person we see a different side to than what is normally portrayed.

I do have one niggle............and it's a big one. The marriage of Elizabeth and Henry is the central theme to the story and Margaret Campbell Barnes chose to depict it as an unhappy one. A sad and discontented wife married to a neglectful, cold and unfeeling husband. I imagine that when I first read this book over thirty years ago as a young woman eager for knowledge I would have accepted that at face value.
Now,I don't....... and it is generally accepted that the marriage was a happy one. The impression I get of Elizabeth is of a quiet and loving person with much inner courage and strength who would have been fully aware from an early age that she would marry for political reasons and would surely have appreciated not having to leave her homeland and family. She and Henry shared a strong mutual purpose to begin with and later the joy of a family and I like to think their life was contented.

The book ends with a small shared happy moment between Elizabeth and her son...........a few months later she would die, from infection following the birth of her daughter, on her 37th birthday. An account of the time says of Henry " he privily departed to a solitary place and would no man should resort unto him".

If you like action and excitement you won't find it in this story as its pace is quite slow but for anyone wanting to understand this time in English history it will prove an interesting and informative read.

I read The Tudor Rose for the Tudor Book Challenge
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