SIX -FINGERED HANDS, SWORDS AND EXECUTIONERS
Sally Zigmond interviews
C C Humphreys
One of the perks of being your editor is that I get to grab likely looking historical novels well before anyone else gets their sticky mitts on them. The downside is that I have become increasingly cynical about publishers blurbs. All too often the 'exciting, dynamic' book of the year turns out to be pretty dull fare.
Every so often, however, the hype is fully justified. As was the case when I first picked up The French Executioner by CC Humphreys (a new name
in historical fiction) and began to scan the book cover. The plot outline hooked me immediately. Who could resist the following premise? Not only did Anne Boleyn's executioner remove her head, he also hacked off one of her hands - at her request? I put aside that day's task of sorting out the jumble that might eventually by a miracle and sleepless nights become the next edition of The Historical Novels Review and instead, turned to page one. The moment I began to read I was hooked. Here was a novel that never let you go. It took you over the sea, under the ground, introduced you to Viking warriors, gibbets and black masses and even threw in a tender love story. Those who know my tastes in reading might be surprised to hear I found it so enjoyable. (l generally go for those slim, understated, literary works women tend to write.) Lest you think I had completely lost the plot, I wasn't the only one to be impressed. The novel was nominated for the Crime Writers' Association's Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for the best thriller of 2002.
And now, hot on its heels is its sequel, Blood Ties. Needless to say. I grabbed this one too and found it impossible, as the cliche goes, to put it down. And it's even better than its predecessor.
Another perk of the job is that authors sometimes email me. More often than not they do so to complain. A select few, like Chris Humphreys, were charm personified. Now you know and I know I won't see, (shall we say, forty?) again, but I had that thrill I once got when I was sent a signed photograph of George Harrison. Now that does give my age away. Anyway, to cut this plotless ramble short, I immediately pounced on him (over the internet, I hastily add) and pestered him with questions he's no doubt been asked many times before and by people far more important and worthy of his time than me and yet he answered them all with patience and good humour.
The first question I answered myself, having taken upon myself the task of finding out. Who is Chris Humphreys and what makes his novels such a good read?
You may not recognize the name, but if you're British you'd have to be one of those rare people who don't own a television set not to have seen him. Until recently his main source of income was as an actor, appearing in popular British TY shows such as The Bill, Coronation Street, Silent Witness and many more, both here and abroad. He has also appeared on the stage and screen. But he is no stranger to writing. He comes from a family of writers and his plays were performed before he turned his hand to fiction. He was born in Toronto and grew up in Los Angeles and London where he now lives.
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So what made you decide to turn to novel-writing?
"Acting is a very frustrating profession. You are always waiting for someone to offer you the chance to be creative. And then, too often, the stuff you are asked to act in is, frankly, rubbish - have you seen The Bill lately? I just wasn't getting to do it enough and I needed an outlet for my desire to create. You look a little odd doing soliloquies in your front room of a morning. But it's not strange to write in there. I had had a few very minor successes with playwriting but with plays you are once more so dependent on other people. And it's as hard to get a play read as a novel."
And why historical fiction?
"Two reasons. Firstly, that was where/ when I lived growing up - Henry Treece, Rosemary Sutcliff, Alexander Dumas etc. I always loved adventure tales especially, the more derring-do and passionate the better. I think I became an actor because it gave me a chance to leap around with bladed weaponry I did a lot of that - my only skill as I don't tap dance and no one would pay to hear me sing. But I'm probably the only actor in Equity who knows how to use a Biblical slingshot, net and trident. I eventually also did quite a lot of fight choreography in the theatre . Secondly, I just bad this great idea - but we can talk about that later."
Was it easy to switch careers? After all, most people who decide to write a novel soon come up against the brick wall of agents and publishers.
"I'm sorry - I know I am going to annoy many people but it wasn't too bad. Having been an actor for so long I knew the importance of agents. So I thought: ifl am going to make a go of this I need to be organized. I read books like 'How to Land a Literary Agent' and absorbed ideas. Then I targeted one agent. One hint was to go after agents who represent people you think you write a little like. So I approach one and in the first line of my letter mentioned a writer who made her money. I hoped this would make her read the second sentence, which I tried to make interesting and so on. The key is really professional submissions and, of course, eye catching writing. (I still love the first sentence of The French Executioner.) Then, having follow-ups, like treatments for other novels to show them you have more than one in you. I am lucky in that I have spent 25 years as an actor trying to sell myself. Once my agent took me on, it was a couple of months before Orion snapped. They were looking for historicals then, so "
Which comes more easily to you - the research or the actual writing?
"Does either come easy? Research can be wonderful, especially when you stumble across 'the fact' that gives you a great story line. (I talk about this a lot in the Author's Note for Blood Ties). It can also be a slog which you think you'll never finish. And maybe you use about 20% of the research, depending on the novel. I, personally, don't like history lessons unless it's vital to the plot or character. And the truth is you never finish researching. I reach a point where I've done enough to create a reasonably believable world for my characters to live in - being an actor, character motivation is of paramount importance to me - then I write the first draft quite fast and that usually tells me the gaps in my research. As for the toughness of writing? There are days when it's like wading through lava but, for me, they are thankfully few. Sometimes I sit there chuckling as things works out and my characters take control. But I am very big on separating out the tasks for each draft. I don't worry too much about, say, grammar in the first draft, or the perfect simile. I just try to tell the story - to myself first of all. Then when it's all down, I print out the first draft in a bard copy, reach for a good pencil and really begin to shape it."
The French Executioner takes three simple historical facts and weaves them into a great piece offiction. The first is that Anne Boleyn had six fingers on one hand. The second and third are that she was executed by a French swordsman whose name was Jean Rombaud. These are a matter ofpublic record but it takes a true storyteller to weave them together. How did the idea come to you?
"It's exactly as I told it in the Author's Note of The French Executioner. A lightning bolt, while doing shoulder presses in a gym: (Lift weight) God I've got a long neck. (Lower) If ever I was beheaded, my neck would be a really easy target for an axe. (Lift) Or a sword. Anne Boleyn was executed with a sword. (Lower) Anne Boleyn had six fingers on one hand Mind you, it took me six years for the bolt to catch fire. Six years of: 'Oh, I'll never write that novel but ifl do I'll put this into it as well' (Galley fight , Black Mass, St. Anthony's Fire) and acquiring the secondhand books to research, should I ever begin writing "
So how much is known about the real Jean Rombaud?
"We know his name, where he was from (St Omer, near Calais) and how much be was paid. Oh and that he killed with the sword. Important, that."
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The French Executioner had its dark moments but it was great fun. Blood Ties is an altogether more serious novel. Rombaud has to face personal demons and the fa ct that his son is not a good man.
"I'm glad you picked up on what I was trying to do."
Much of Blood Ties is set in Canada amongst the Iroquois Indians. What made you decide to do this?
"As I said in my Author's Note to Blood Ties, though raised in London , I was born in Canada and have often been drawn back to its stunning forests , mountains and rivers . How could I honour these two halves of myself, the Englishman and the North American? What was going on in Canada at the time of the events in Europe I wanted to draw on in Blood Ti es? I researched. I discovered, again, more amazing things than I could ever invent. Especially that in 1536 , the year that Anne Boleyn was executed, a Breton explorer, Jacques Cartier made the first of three voyages to the St. Lawrence. He took hostages back to France. Applying the 'what if?' of the fiction writer , I wondered if a baby hostage could have survived . If so , that young man would have been eighteen in 1555. The same age as Rombaud's daughter, Anne. I had my link from the Old World to the New Hence the second half of the book My research then disgorged facts of the native cultures of the time that almost dictated my story thereafter. Not least that the tribe Cartier encountered who, later, were dubbed 'Huron' by the Europeans , were driven away by their blood enemies, one tribe of the nations later known as the Iroquois . ..... sometime in the 1550s ."
Now that y ou've written two novels about Jean Rombaud and his family, ar e y ou planning a third ?
"No , I've decided to lay Rombaud and his friends and family aside . I'm about two thirds of the way through my third novel , first draft. It's set in the American Revolutionary War and it's about a British soldier/ spy. I don't want to give away too much but I actually played the character this is based on in 1987 on stage for the Oxford Playhouse Company Oh, and the character's middle name is 'Rombaud'. Funny that."
How do you feel now about y our new career ?
"I'm just about making a living at it (no Rolls Royce yet, but getting by). I am 46 so this is a fantasy come true. I still pinch myself often , especially when my writing takes me somewhere as it did last year -I spent a month at the Writer's Retreat at Hawthornden Castle, near Edinburgh, a month in Croatia working on the screenplay of Executioner at the producer's
invitation (the book was optioned last year) and a long weekend in Upper New York State walking the battlefie ld at Saratoga So 2002 saw me black and blue! And this year is already looking busy. I shall be reading at Heffers in Cambridge in February and at the Fowey Festival, Cornwall, the week of the 12th May."
Finally, have you any advice to would-be novelists?
'"Begin at the beginning,' the King said , gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end. Then stop.' (Alice in Wonderland) "
So I did.
Th e Fr enc h Execution er is now an Orion paperback , £6 99, ISBN 0752848305 Blood Ti es is published in the UK on February 20th 2003 in Orion trade paperback. For details see review on page 12.
Both novels are also publi s hed in Canada by McCarthur and Co.
For more about CC Humphrey s, log onto his website at www.cchumphreys.com
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ISSUE 23, FEBRUARY 2003
REVIEWS
Genera l fiction is classified by period. Within each sect ion, the books are listed in alphabetica l order of author
While the HNS takes every care to provide accurate and up-to-date information about the books under review, sometimes errors creep in. We apologise for these, and advise all our readers to cross-check our information with booksellers before attempting any purchase.
ANCIENT EGYPT
CHE OP S: A C upb oa rd in th e S un Paul West, New Directions, 2002, $25.95/C$37.99 (£14.57), hb, 26lpp,ISBN 0811215199
Paul West's Cheops is an amazing piece of fantastical, say, satire? It is not a novel to be lightly read. With the historical setting of ancient Egypt approximately 4500+ years ago, it is a look at the dying days of the Pharaoh Cheops, best known for his pyramid. Wickedly wry, Cheops' preparation for eterna l afterlife is observed, and possib ly plagued, by the presence of a punned Herodotus (famous Greek historian and notorious criticizer of Cheops' building centuries later) who was transported back in time by the Egyptian God of the Dead, Osiris. Amidst palace intrigue, murder, thievery and some pyramid construction, multiple narrators tell Cheops' last days with biting irony. Cheops, daughter Heduanna, Erodo, and God Osiris are among the many who put their two cents in. Despite the confusion sometimes of multip le perspectives, out-of-time characters and present-day references, Paul West's distinctive writing is certainly refreshing and gives new outlook on events and people of so long ago. If taken for the ironically humorous, almost hallucinogenic journey it is, Cheops is truly an amusing novel of farcical thought.
Suzanne Crane
BIBLICAL
THE COB RA AND THE LILY
Sheri Cobb South, Prinny World Press, 2002, $12.95 (£7.27), tpb, 192pp, ISBN 0966800559
The Cobra and the Lily takes the reader to ancient Egypt just prior to the Biblical Exodus of the Hebrews led by Moses. Author Sheri Cobb South's focus is not on the renowned characters of this period, but on a simple, sweet love story between an Egyptian noble, Ra-Met, and a Hebrew slave girl, Lila. She is bought by Ra-Met after he hears her singing, which
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soothes his debilitating headaches. Eventually, they secretly realize that they love each other but feel that the enormous differences in social status and beliefs are unbreachable barriers. Set against the background of the plagues and the efforts of Moses to convince Pharaoh to free the Hebrews from bondage, Ms. South's writing brings to life many of the general aspects of the cultures and faiths in a very readable way. The Cobra and the Lily is very much suited for o lder juvenile/young adult ages, but more mature readers, too, can appreciate the story and its happily- ever-after end ing.
Suzanne Crane
HEAR T OF A LI
ON
Gibert Morris, Bethany House, 2002, $11.99 (£6.73), pb, 352pp, ISBN 0-7642-2681-9
Prolific writer Gilbert Morris (House of Winslow series and more) bas turned his talents to chronicling the multigenerational saga of Jesus Christ's ancestors. Heart of a Lion kicks off the series with a look at Noah before the building of the famous ark. Noah and his family are presented as fully human--loving, fearing, and doubting like everyone else, despite the enorm ity of the role they will have in the fate of mankind. After Noah has been given his instructions to build the ark, it is their faith and the knowledge that they 'have found grace' in the eyes of the Strong One which sustain and let them carry on when otherwise they would have faltered in their mission. Through Morris' clear and easily read writing, readers can feel like they are actually there as a part of Noah's family and can share in the joy for the future when the ark at lasts touches land again. Heart of a Lion is a fine launching-off point for Morris' proposed Lions of Judah series, which would be equally pleasing to young adults.
Suzanne Crane
CREATI ON
Gore Vidal, Doubleday, 2002 (cl981), $39.95 (£22.43), hb, 580pp, ISBN 0385507623
Also Vintage, 2002, $17, pb, 574pp, ISBN 0375 -72705 - 1
Historical fiction accepts limitations as to time, but works like Creation have freed the genre from the constraints of geography. This classic novel has been reissued, including a previously cut section that ties East and West together across the 5th Century B.C. Cyrus Spitama, the fictional grandson of Zoroaster who narrates ranges from Greece to Cathay, meeting such leaders as Pericles, Darius, King Bimbisara and Lord Huan. More importantly, be converses with wise men such as the self-involved Buddha, the skeptical and frustrated Confucius, the unquestioning and self-satisfied Lao-Tse and Socrates, as poor a philosopher as he was stonemason in the view of the narrator. Spitama serves as an ambassador for a series of Persian Great Kings, starting with Darius, who
'dreamed of cows,' tie lndo-Aryan symbol for wealth.
The restored section, 'The Burning of Sardis,' he lps to clarify the novel's perspective. Spitama, half Mede and half Greek but a product of the Persian Empire, looks on Greeks as devious inhabitants of a cultural and military backwater. Events like Salamis and Marathon so central and triumphant from a Greek perspective, are treated as sideshows hindering what would have been the more logical and lucrative conquests of wealthy India and fragmented China.
This powerful novel combines adventure wisdom and humor in an imaginative historicai mix. The restored chapters lend resonance and add another reason to read this masterpiece by one of our greatest living historical novelists. James Hawking
CLASSICAL
EM PE ROR: THE GATES OF R OME Conn Iggulden, HarperCollins 2003, £10.00, hb, 416pp, ISBN: 0007 I 36897 Pub. in the US by Delacorte, 2002, $24.95, 357pp, hb, ISBN 0-385-33660-8
This is the first of a four book epic recounting the life of Julius Caesar. I should say outright that I loved it. It is one of the best historical novels that I have read for pace violence energy and sheer storytelling: Conn iggu lden i~ like a young Wi lbur Smith. I also admire and respect most of the choices that Iggulden has made in shaping his history to his sto.ry. We have had this debate a thousand times, but all telling of the past reshapes it, and a novelist's main aim in the reshaping is to entertain us, which Iggulden does admirab ly. But he goes too far. It didn't spoil it for me, but it might for you - and the more so the more you know about the 'true' history.
The plot takes young Julius from childhood to his first civil war where Sulla and Marius (Julius' patron) battle for Rome. It is a boy's coming-of-age story. There are brutal scenes aplenty, good guys, bad guys, love, loss and remorse, and behind it all an insight into the very different value system of the Romans. Part of the way through the novel Julius joins Marius' faction in Rome and sees the dying political system of the Republic in close-up. It is a violent and humbling lesson.
lggulden has the skills of a bestsellerwriter. His characters are always vivid, and we know when to cheer or hiss. His action scenes are clear, exciting, and reassuringly goryreassuring in the sense that a film like Gladiator is reassuring, because we are always at one or two removes from real pain. The women are sexy and feisty, as the market demands. There is even a 'spiritual' figure -a
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soothsayer type - to give balance to the otherwise material concerns of the novel.
The faults, I feel, come by way of this bestseller skill. Julius has a friend and rival throughout this first book, Marcus, who is a vital to the narrative. Marcus is supposedly a poor boy upon whom Julius' family take pity, and he develops into the kind of super-hero who neatly sets in relief Julius' different heroic qualities. This can be overdone: in one chapter Marcus takes a voyage which turns into a miniepic of its own, with countless macho antics that are only there to break up an otherwise 'cerebral' portion of tre tale. At the end of Gates of Rome Marcus signs himself up for the army, and we realise in a deliciously old-fashioned moment that he is a Significant Marcus from history. Cue drums and cymbals. End of novel. Unfortunately, my very small amount of knowledge of Ancient Rome tells me that the historical Significant Marcus was not a poor boy, nor a contemporary of Julius', which rather undercut the finale. There follows an Afterword in which lggulden mentions some of the other changes be has made to the recorded history for the sake of his plot - which is very honest, but in a way I might have preferred ignorance. The end of a book is the moment when disbelief ceases to be suspended, but the return to reality is always uncomfortable and should be softened if possible.
I will buy and read the next book as soon as it is out, and will probably enjoy it. But I may just read the Afterword first, next time. Richard Lee
THELOCK
Benita Kane Jaro, Bolchazy-Carducci, 2002, $19.95, pb, 280pp, ISBN 0-86516-535-1
With The Lock, the author completes a series of three related novels with overlapping chronologies, covering the years from 62-48 B.C. The subtitles suggest Cicero, Catullus and Caesar are the respective main subjects, but the action is often dominated by the brother and sister act so central to Roman history and fiction, Publius Clodius Pulcher and his sister Clodia, or Leshia in the poems of Catullus. The reader sees most of the novel through the eyes of Marcus Caelius Rufus, student of Cicero, sometimes lover of Clodia, and relative of Catullus.
In Rome, politics was always personal, and never more than in the late Republic when attacks by street gangs and murder by ambush were part of the process. Prosecutions for real and invented crimes move the plot, with the actual speeches and letters of Cicero providing background in some cases and incorporated into the text in others.
Cicero's fight to save the Republic makes him the hero of this installment, but he is a hero with a tragic--or should we say comic--flaw. He can't resist a good joke, even if it means
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accusing the vengeful Clodius of incest or tweaking the pompous Pompey. Still, the reader has to take Cicero's side over that of the bullies who killed his dog and beat his brother. Like Colleen McCullough on the opposite side of the Roman political fence, Jaro re-creates the struggles of the Republic as it enters its death throes. Jaro's series is somewhat less ambitious, but she succeeds in producing an authentic and imaginative perspective on well-known events.
James Hawking
THE KEY
Benita Kane Jaro, Bolchazy-Carducci, 2002 (cl988), $19.95, pb, 207pp, ISBN 0-86516534-3
Catullus's poems, particuarly those addressed to Leshia, provide the inspiration for this story of love that is anything but a love story. Catullus appears as a young man, steeped in poetry and scholarship. A chance meeting with Clodia (the real Leshia according to Jaro and the majority of scholarly and fictional sources) dooms him to a painful intermittent love affair. The poetry, quoted throughout the text, moves from a tender portrait of the beloved's grief over her dead sparrow to bitter accusations about her unbridled promiscuity. The narrative explains the shifts in feeling as the poet moves from favored lover to discarded outcast.
Catullus shows combative spirit through poems attacking Caesar or his lady love during periods of disillusionment. Weaving the plot around the poems was an imaginative premise, and this first book of Jaro's series remains the most intriguing for that reason. The poet progresses from a country boy awed by a bedchamber with Cupid frescoes to an embittered lover consoling himself with the bought kisses of a talented slave boy.
The connection with Clodia brings the book to the center of Roman politics, since she had a husband high in conservative ranks as well as brother Clodius, the popular rabblerouser. Because Catullus is more interested in love than politics, he perceives her salon as a nest of potential rivals, including his friend Caelius who develops his own poisonous relationship with Clodia. Jaro's ironic love story fits well against a background of Roman history and literature. Anyone interested in reading this recently completed trilogy should start with this one and continue through all three attractive matching paperbacks in this edition.
James Hawking
THE DOOR IN THE WALL
Benita Kane Jaro, Bolchazy-Carducci, 2002 (cl994), $19.95, pb., ISBN 0-86516-533-5 In the foreground of this novel, Marcus Caelius Rufus commands an outpost in Italy while he tries to pick the winner of the struggle between Pompey Magnus and Julius Caesar. Flashbacks recall the political and judicial action of the
other two books in the series, including a fuller telling of Jaro's version of what happened when Clodius disrupted the rites of the Bona Dea. Caesar appears only the reminiscences of Caelius.
While Clodia's husbmd the consul dies, an amoral Caesar plots how he can be assigned to a proconsulate in Gaul where he will loot the barbarians in order to provide the money he needs to continue bribing venal politicians and subsidizing street gangs to intimidate the honest minority.
Caesar shamelessly uses people to achieve his ends, and he himself was one of the people he uses. This kind of observation gives subtlety to a characterization which otherwise emphasizes Caesar's cdd villainy. Although Jaro's portrayal of Julil.6 might be overly harsh, it serves as a corrective to the legions of historical novels that deify him. Jaro definitely comes to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
James Hawking
FIRE FROM HEAVE THE PERSIAN BOY FU ERAL GAMES
All by Mary Renault, Vintage, 2002, $14 (£7.86), pb, pp, pb, ISBNs 0-375-72682-9 (376pp), 0-375-71419-7 (420pp), 0-394-751019 (336pp)
The reissue of Renault's classic trilogy about the life and death of Alexander the Great is welcome indeed, for long-time fans and most especially for those unfamiliar with Renault's fine grasp of history and presentation. Fire from Heaven chronicles the boyhood of Alexanderhis formative experiences and the struggle between his parents, Queen Olympias, and his father, King Philip of Macedon, for his loyalty. Renault's telling of Alexander's education brings to life not only the boy who went on to redefine western civilization, but the rest of those in his sphere, as well, from servant to military hero. Alexander's lifelong love for Hephaistion begins in his youth and forms the stable center around which the turbulent events of his life unfold.
The Persian Boy begins shortly after Alexander ascends to power and is presented with the gift of the eunuch Bagoas. Over the next seven years, Bagoas becomes the king's trusted confidant, and he relates the continued exploits of Alexander, from conquering kingdoms, to marrying two very different women, to surviving assassination attempts and uniting an increasingly diverse army. Through Bagoas the reader can plumb the depths of Alexander's many loves and desires, as well as his faults.
Funeral Games takes up where The Persian Boy ends: at the time of Alexander's death. Many factions vie to succeed Alexander, who unfortunately did not leave a clear mandate for succession. Treachery abounds in the many
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factions of his army as well as in his family, and this volume is the darkest of the trilogy; Renault's descriptions of the power-hungry and their traitorous plots does much to explain the demise of Alexander's hard-won empire. All three volumes contain maps reflecting Alexander's world, and are a useful addition for the reader.
Helene Williams
THE SONGS OF THE KI GS
Barry Unsworth, Hamish Hamilton 2002, £16.99, hb , ISBN 0241137012.
Pub in US in March 2003, Doubletalk, $26, hb, ISBN 0385501145
Set on the eve of the Trojan War The Songs of the Kings chronicles the political struggles of Agamemnon as his fleet is trapped in the straits at Aulis by a harsh wind thought to be blowing as a punishment from an offended god. Amid power struggles and ego-driven arguments he finds himself facing an emotional decision involving his daughter, Iphigeneia and the outcome of the battle. A variety of agendas are put forward through the singer/story teller, Calchas, trusted diviner who struggles to keep Agamemnon's ear and forestall untold misery for the king.
The story unfolds slowly but keeps the reader turning the pages. Unsworth chooses to have his characters speak using modem language which takes some getting used to. However, this serves to make the story more accessible. Political intrigue and spin run amok as the Trojan war is about to begin. With lines like, ' People intent on war always need a story and the singers always provide one.' One cannot fail to find parallels between then and now.
I highly recommend The Songs of the Kings. Dana Cohlmeyer.
MEDIEVAL (GENERAL)
THE SHIP OF FOOLS
Gregory Nonninton, Sceptre, 2002, £6.99, pb, 278pp, ISBN 0340821027
This debut novel by 26-year-old Oxford graduate Gregory Norminton is both weird and wonderful. Its only cliche is that like many recent novels of literary fiction , it takes a painting as a starting point - The Ship of Fools by Hieronymous Bosch. Ten of the characters in the painting, ranging from a swimmer, through a nun to a penitent drunkard , tell stories to pass the time, much as Chaucer did with his pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales.
The reader is taken on a bewildering academic and intellectual journey, dense with unusual vocabulary and ideas, with myth and allegory and obscure references. There is a moment not unlike the library scene in Eco's Name of the Rose. In another episode, the Sleeping Drunkard tells the reader of the writer
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at work, 700 years beyond the passengers on their becalmed Ship of Fools. The drunkard talks of a CD player as 'a black chest inlaid with glowing numbers' and with a drawer that 'slips out like a tongue to receive the Communion wafer.' There are scenes of delicate, ethereal beauty - and others where it 's best not to be eating your lunch while reading them!
This is a literary work with a capital 'L'. To get the best from it you will need a wide vocabulary supplemented by a good dictionary Being a scholar of Latin would be supremely useful , as would the possession of a vast store of general knowledge. Degrees in English literature, history and psychology would also help. As an 'average' reader, I found I didn't have the necessary intellectual oars to navigate the depths of this truly profound novel, for which I am sorry. Worth reading if you enjoy a challenge and will probably haunt you afterwards.
Susan Hicks
1ST CENTURY
BOUDICA, Dreaming The Eagle
Manda Scott, Bantam 2003, £18.99, hb , 540pp, ISBN 0593051637. pub in US in June 2003, Delacorte Press , $23.95, bb , ISBN 0385336705
This is the first book of a proposed trilogy relating the story ofBoudica aka Boadicea.
As little is know of her or the history of her time the descriptions of the people, their lives and their dreams are, of necessity , purely inspired fiction imagined from archaeological theory and incomplete histories written 200 years later and illuminated by the author's veterinary knowledge
In AD 32 twelve-year old Breaca makes her first kill during a hostile raid in which her mother, ruler of the tribe, is killed.
Boudica means 'she who brings victory' and Breaca of the Eceni does not earn this title until the tribes fight the Claudian invasion in the final pages of this volume. It is also the story of Breaca's half-brother, Ban. The author transports the reader to a vividly depicted world of dreamers , warriors and singers: the dreamers being those who communicate with the gods.
Inter tribal conflict is endemic. The neighbouring Trinovanites, the Sun Hound and his three sons, all historical characters, have parts to play as friend, enemy or lover. Ban finds himself in Gaul as a slave of the middle son, while Breaca and Caradoc, the rebellious and charismatic youngest son, are on the sacred Isle of Mona honing their warrior skills.
This book is full of imaginative invention, extravagant adventure and compelling descriptive prose, reminiscent of Dorothy Dunnett. Bernard Comwell's battles are no better rendered and Colleen McCullough's re-
creation of Roman politics and culture is equalled, if on a limjted scale.
Manda Scott has produced a work of rare quality which left me immersed in the period long after I had finished reading. Monica Maple.
4THCENTURY
GODS AND LEGIONS
Michael Curtis Ford, St. Martin's Press, 2002, $24.95/C$34.95, hb, 378pp, ISBN 0-3 1227538-2
Pub. in the UK by Orion, 2002, £17.99, hb, 320pp, ISBN 0752841580
The Romans produced many memorable historical figures and this novel, set during the last years of the Roman Empire, is about one of them: the Emperor Julian. When Julian, a na·ive young philosophy student and the only living heir to Emperor Constantius, is summoned to court in the year 354 AD, he answers the call with trepidation; Constantius has already eliminated the rest of Julian's family to safeguard bis throne. On Julian's arrival at court he is shocked to discover that the emperor's purpose for calling him is to make him Caesar of the Western Empire--although, considering bis scholarly background and lack of military expertise, Julian's chances of success in this regard are obviously slim to nil. In this instance, however, truth really does turn out to be much stranger than fiction because Julian succeeds in overcoming all of the obstacles in his path. In so doing, he eventually becomes a major force to be reckoned with throughout the entire Roman Empire. Alas, Julian had one fatal flaw that ultimately became his undoing: his fim1ly held pagan beliefs in a mostly Christian world. Had he succeeded in carrying out his most ambitious goal, which was to conquer the powerful Persian Empire, he might well have changed the entire course of history.
Thanks to the author's excellent research of both his subject and era, the reader experiences this great man's transformation step by determined step. Highly recommended Pat Maynard
6THCENTURY
PE DRAGO
W. Barnard Faraday, Green Knight , 2002, $19.95/C$3 l.95, pb , 285pp, ISBN 1-92899929-8
In 503 CE, some years after the Roman Legions have departed from Britain , Artorius, a Duke of the Legions, is sent north by Aurelian, the son of Ambrosius, the first man to declare himself King of Britain . Along the way Artorius rescues Princess Gwendaello of Dynevawr, a victim of
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Saxon treachery, who is now the hereditary Pendragon of Britain. Though Artorius is drawn to Gwendaello, the life of a soldier has never left him much time or inclination for romance. After several more tantalizing and inconclusive meetings with the Pendragon, Artorius is sent by Aurelian to fight at Badon Hill near Sarum, where a massive invasion of Saxons is taking place.
Artorius' forces are outnumbered, and his cause seems hopeless. In three days of heavy fighting, his forces are winnowed to a scant thousand men against the Saxons' fifty thousand. He knows he is doomed. But at the last moment Gwendaello and the entire Dynevawrii nation arrive, smashing the Saxon battle line and saving Artorius to live, marry Gwendaello, and beget the son whose son will set down this tale.
First published in 1930, this is the first novel of modem times to set the story of Arthur in a Dark Ages setting, though this version of the tale lacks many of the elements of the High Middle Ages myth. A good read, recommended for Arthurian fans, though archaic language and attitudes toward women abound.
Rosemary Edghill
FOUR FOR A BOY
Mary Reed and Eric Mayer, Poisoned Pen Press, 2003, $24.95, hb, 312 pp, ISBN 1-59058031-1
This fourth in the authors' John the Eunuch series is a prequel to the other three. Set in Constantinople in 525 AD, we are thrust into the violent world of the Blues and the Greens, opposition gangs as terrorizing and senseless as anything our own society has to offer. As in all of the prior novels, what is most obvious about life in Constantinople is its uncertainty - about who is in power today, how they got there, and how long they will remain.
We meet Emperor Justin, old and dying, the predecessor to Justinian (his nephew) and Theodora, before she becomes Empress. John is a eunuch and a slave, saved early on in the story from certain execution by Justinian, who obviously sees 'worthy' qualities in our protagonist. John is paired up with Felix, an excubitor, to solve the mystery of who has killed a wealthy philathropist in the front of the Great Church in broad daylight.
So the stage is set for John to prove his value to the Empire and to become, as we know he will, Justinian's Lord Chamberlain. Naturally, the plot is filled with the typical Reed/Mayer coterie of street ruffians, political hopefuls and conspiring hypocrites, and the air is rife with the smell and feel of 6th century Constantinople. However, this installment is less cluttered with subplots and characters who add little to plot development and action. This
is the best of the four John the Eunuch books so far, although I have enjoyed them all. Ilysa Magnus
tlTH CENTURY
COUNT BOHEMOND
Alfred Duggan, Cassell Military, 2002 (previously published 1964), £6.99 UK/$9.95 USA/$15.95 Canada, pb, 28lpp, ISBN 0-30436273-5
The Normans wandered far, emulating their Viking ancestors, and in the eleventh century, in the Norman duchy of Apulia in southern Italy, a son is born to the Duke: a boy who soon grows so huge that he is nicknamed after the legendary giant Bohemond.
When he grows up, Bohemond decides that rather than fight his relatives for a fief of his own in Italy, he will strike east and seek his fortune in, or against, the Byzantine Empire.
He leads an attack on the Byzantine territories in what is modem A lbania, but the cunning Emperor Alexius drives him back.
Bohemond then decides to throw in his lot with the First Crusade, proclaimed by Pope Urban, and becomes one of the leaders of the motley Christian army of soldiers and pilgrims that heads out into Serbia and Macedonia on its way to distant Jerusalem.
In Byzantium, Bohemond meets Alexius again. The Emperor helps the Crusaders with supplies as they cross into Anatolia, but the Crusaders find that they are on their own against hardship, starvation, and the attacks of the Turks. In the end, Bohemond, with the help of his excitable but brave nephew Tancred, does succeed in winning a principality for himself in the Levant.
Alfred Duggan had planned a sequel to this novel, centred upon Tancred this time, but he died before he could write it. Count Bohemond contains a useful biographical sketch of Duggan by Evelyn Waugh, who had been Duggan's friend since Oxford, when nearly everyone saw him as nothing but a drunken wastrel who would never make good.
Count Bohemond is classic Duggan, with its scholarship, easy handling of complex political intrigue, and urbane dialogue, which can sometimes seem a surprising mode of discourse among rough Norman soldiers. Perhaps not everyone will approve ofBohemond's devotion to the cause of driving the infidel out of the Holy Places, but that was the motivation that drove both great men and the humble pilgrims in the First Crusade, and Duggan sets it out clearly.
Even though Bohcmond and Tancred converse like particularly well-mannered members of an officers' mess or a university common room, those who love Duggan will be
delighted to see this novel brought back into print. Those who have never read him should try Count Bohemond to see whether Duggan's spell works for them.
Alan Fisk
At the end of the eleventh century we are in a men's world. The once insignificant Nom,an family of Hauteville, under the leadership of Roger 'the Guiscard ', is now a force to be reckoned with throughout Italy and Eastern Europe. But his eldest son, Bohemond, intends to make his own fortune.
Bohemond knows there is no finer warrior in Christendom than himself. The Crusade preached by Pope Urban offers the dazzling opportunity of leading a pilgrimage to liberate Jerusalem from the infidel. Unfortunately the Pope has omitted to nominate an overall leader. The ensuing ferocious infighting amongst a number of the Christian world's grandest noblemen sometimes leaves Bohemond as exhausted as the toughest engagements with the enemy. All these men are more high-born than he is and don't scruple to pull rank. As the enormous Frankish army makes its way, fighting, besieging, outwitting the enemy hordes, starving, adapting, repeatedly performing what seems impossible, Bohemond refines his military strategy and diplomatic skills. His coup that brings Antioch into the Crusaders' hands is a thrilling demonstration of warfare at its most brilliant.
If l found the beginning hard that was not Duggan's fault; his urbane good humour pervades the whole. With the pilgrimage on its way I learned to understand these brave, violent, pious men. For me it was enjoyment all the way.
Nancy Henshaw
12TH CENTURY
THIS DANGE RO US MAG IC Jaye! Wylie, Sonnet Books, 2002, $6.99/C$9.99 (£4.36), pb, 39lpp, ISBN 0743418409 If you were beautiful, twenty, and had the favor of Queen Eleanor and the eye of King Henry II, you might resent being sent home from court to languish alone at Brinlaw Castle. You might even sympathize with Malinda Brinlaw, halffaery half-human, when she tries to relieve the tedium of her confinement by practicing her magic arts that include disembodiment and visions of the past and future. Her parents have put her in the protection of Tarquin FitzBruel, a darkly handsome, brooding warrior. As soon as Malinda sees Tarquin, she recognizes him from one of her visions. Her problem now is to hold the elusive, adventurous Tarquin at Brinlaw long enough to convince him their love is preordained. Tarquin has had his own vision of
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the future, however, and he is sure that his Jove for Malinda will be her destruction.
Jaye! Wylie spins this romantic adventure against the background of the rebellion Queen Eleanor and her sons mounted against her husband in 1172. This Dangerous Magic is well written, suspenseful, fast-paced and delightful.
Audrey Braver
13TH CENTURY
A DRAUGHT FOR A DEAD MAN
Caroline Roe, Berkley, 2002 , $22.95, C$33.99 (£13.09), hb, 336pp, ISBN 0-425-18648-2
Caroline Roe sets her medieval mystery in a locale other than England and makes its main character unique in both ethnicity and disability. A medieval scholar, she delivers rich and impeccably authentic historical detail. However, there is little beyond a fresh setting, an unconventional detective, and good history to recommend this first hardcover in the Chronicles of Isaac of Girona.
Isaac, a blind Jewish physician in thirteenth-century Spain , is called upon by a colleague to treat a very unusual patient - a man whose identity must remain unspoken, but whose garments mark him as a noble Who tried to beat the man to death, and why? And why must the very name of Isaac's patient remain unknown?
The mystery itself is awkwardly crafted, with the culprits pinpointed early on. Some characters could be fascinating, yet they ' re never brought into clear focus. Even Isaac himself, who is sharper without his vision than most of us are with it, never quite comes to life. Ms. Roe ' s prose is colorless for the most part and is peppered with statements of the obvious.
Kelly Cannon
15TH CENTURY
IN THE HANDS OF THE LIVING GOD
Lillian Bouzane Summersdale fiction 2002 £7 .99 pb 3 10 pages ISBN l 84024 2167 This is the story of Mathye , the wife of John Cabot, the Navigator. It covers the period when Cabot was trying to persuade Henry V 11 of England to fund his search of a short route from the West to the East with its rich trade of silks and spices .If he succeeds in this quest, Venice , where Mathye and her family live, will lose its powerful control of world trade. Mathye finds her loyalties tom between her husband and her country.
The story is told entirely through letters and diary entries, a form which is usually easy to read so I was surprised to find that it took me some time to 'get in' tothis book. Initially I had trouble with the central character of Mathye A
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beautiful, intelligent woman who loves her family , writes music and poetry and gives splendid parties as required; she seemed to be al I together too irritatingly a perfect Renaissance woman for belief1
Later, as the story moved out of Venice I warmed to her and read the last 150 pages at a sitting. The descriptive detail of her trip from Venice to Jerusalem and back and her views of late fifteenth century England, at Henry VI l's court in London and then in Bristol as John Cabot prepares to set sail in 1498 were well worth waiting for.
There is the occasional jarring note I am not sure that highborn Venetian Ladies went round saying they wanted 'to spit tacks' However , the complexities of the Venetian, Spanish, Portuguese and English ambitions to gain the upper hand in a world where new lands may be discovered at any moment are well portrayed and if the sign of a really good historical novel is that it sends you scurrying back to the history books to check what really happened, then this book certainly passes the test.
Lalage Clay
KEY DECEPTIONS
M. E. Cooper, Padlock Mystery Press , 2000 (£5.58) , $9.95, pb , 232 pp , ISBN 0-9662020-31 The guildspeople of 15 th century Bologna are well respected and well organized. Among these is widow Avisa Baglatoni , an accomplished locksmith, who violates virtually every tenet of Bolognese law by giving succor - and an apprenticeship - to Bernardo , a young Jew newly arrived in town.
After a smooth-talking orator comes to Bologna to collect silver from the townsfolk (including the locksmiths) to melt down and fashion city bells purportedly to warn the populace of invasion, the silver disappears. Who is involved in this theft forms the main plot of the story, but there are myriad subplots involving, among other things, Jewish-Christian relations , unwanted advances to Avisa by the mayor ' s nephew , and the efforts of a young woman to become a court artist.
Many of the subplots add nothing save a bit of additional flavor to the novel, the first in a new series. The main characters are attractive , interesting people who struggle against the vagaries of fortune and capture the reader ' s imagination and sympathy. But the book is so poorly edited that it becomes distracting to the reader after a while. Also, the story simply ended without any cohesive explanation as to how the ends got tied up.
A decent first effort by Cooper, but improved editing will help immensely.
Ilysa Magnus
THE BASTARD'S TALE
Margaret Frazer, Berkley Prime Crime, 2003, $22.95 / C$37.99 (£12 88) , hb , 261pp, ISBN 0425-18649-0
This twelfth installment of the Dame Fr evisse historical mystery series is a testament to the popularity and excellence of Margaret Frazer ' s writing. With the author ' s usual meticulous research, The Bastard 's Tale pits the intellectual and wily Benedictine nun , Dame Frevisse, against the murderous ambitions of powerful nobles during the reign of England ' s King Henry VI. Sent by the Bishop Beaufort to attend her noble cousin Alice as a screen for spying on Alice's husband , the Marqui s of Suffolk, Dame Frevisse becomes entangled in Suffolk's designs for discrediting the heir apparent, Humphrey Duke of Gloucester Dame Frevisse risks all to save Gloucester's innocent bastard son, Arteys , from unwarranted death , when he too , falls prey to Suffolk's deadly ambitions.
The novel is rich in sound historical detail , and all of the characters are vibrantly alive and human. Amidst the seemingly overwhelming horror of destruction that political intrigue and personal greed can cause, Ms. Frazer easily interweaves the balance of goodness and justice that dedicated champions like Dame Frevisse can bring about, although with high cost. Readers will expect to see more of Margaret Frazer and her heroine in the future.
Suzanne Crane
DESIRE THE KINGDOM
Paula Simonds Zabka, New Century Press , 2002 , $16.95 (£9 50) , pb, 308pp , ISBN 09717693-0-3
Subtitled ' A Story of the Last Plantagenets ,' this is a fictionalized account of the rise and fall of Edward IV, the rise of Richard III and hi s ultimate defeat at Bosworth Field. Simply put , it is just terrific and I'm happy to see that Zabka's husband and daughter saw fit to bring her life ' s work to us posthumously. The author has an intensely personal way of developing each of the characters , and she particularly paints a human , heartwarming portrait of Anne Neville, a woman who I came to know well and respect in this novel.
Authors of Ricardian fiction have typically focused on those they consider the 'strong ' female personalities - Elizabeth Woodville and Cecily Neville especially. Also , we probably know as much as can be said about Warwick the Kingmaker. I have not had occasion to read much about how devastating Warwick ' s choices to conspire against Edward were on his wife and children. Here, it is clear how much of a pawn Anne was in her father's insatiable political desires, and how , ultimately, it was Anne's strength of character and fortitude that
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enabled her to survive her father's machinations.
The love of Richard and Anne is the stuff of fancy, but in Desire the Kingdom, the sense that they had a true political and emotional partnership is concrete. It seems clear that in Anne's few years as Richard's Queen, she offered him not merely emotional support but wise and pragmatic guidance about how to govern. Anne's death at age 28 was a blow from which Richard never recovered, and he died at Bosworth Field but a few months later. This i a highly recommended read.
Ilysa Magnus
16TH CENTURY
THE MIN IATURJST
Kuna! Basu, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2003, £12.99. hb,248pp,0297829262
Set in 16th century India, this novel blends history and fiction to tell the story of the most gifted artist of his age, the young and mischievous Bihzad, court painter in the reign of the great Mughul emperor, Akbar.
The descriptions of court life are detai led and sumptuous but there are also many whose lives arc wretched, in a country where the emperor's word - often uttered on a whim - is law. Each time I picked up the book to continue reading, I found I had retained little of what had gone before, just a lingering impression of unrelenting cruelty, despair, gratification, superstition and religious intolerance. Among the gallery of characters - whose names I was forever trying to sort out, along with other Indian words - Hila! Khan, the ageing eunuch who befriends Bihzad, stands out as likeable and compassionate.
Although this tale of obsession and politics is not an uplifting read, it is, as such, a vivid portrait of the dangerous and seductive world in which it is set.
Janet Hancock
INCAS BOOK 1: T he Pu ma's Sha dow A. B. Daniel, Scribner, 2002, $14 /C$21.50, tpb, 369pp,0743432746.
Reviewed in Issue 20, May 2002.
FEATHERED SE RPENT
Colin Falconer, Crown, 2002, $22.95 (£12.88), hb, 384pp, ISBN 0609610295
The adventurer Heman Cortes arrives on the coast of Mexico with a handful of men, armor, horses and guns. He proceeds to conquer--read, reduce to smoky ruins--a vast and glorious empire for the eternal glory--or shame--of Spain. This suitably blood-soaked novel is not for the faint-hearted, but it is terrific historical fiction.
Feathered Serpent is part of Crown's series of women in history, and Falconer's subject Malinali, Cortes's Indian translator and later paramour, is a brilliant choice. She is La Llorona, the ghostly woman who roams Mexico weeping for her children, punctuating the tale in first-person, present-tense narrative. On three occasions I thought, 'This is a guy writing. A woman would have focused more on the relationships, not on the battle, pivotal though it may be.' But this may help rather than hinder the book's cross-demographic appeal.
Falconer sets up great conflicts which help us understand the otherwise miraculousseeming victory. There is Cortes, driven from Spain then Cuba by the straight laces of a culture that cannot find space to recognize his talents. He doesn't fear reath half as much as an ignominious return to the bottom of that hierarchy, and this leads him to acts that seem divine. Malinali certainly sees them as such, helping the conquest in ways not usually credited.
Though sometimes dizzying, the actionflick pace was, in fact, the best part of the book for me: the way Falconer contrives to let us see two or more cultures interpreting the same thing. Also well crafted is the secondary conflict between Benitez, a raw Spanish recruit, and Norte, abandoned on the Yucatan coast many years before. Although this ball is dropped somewhat in the end, Norte may, in fact, be the character whose views as to who the true barbarians are we most readily accept.
Ann Chamberlin
LUCREZIA BORG IA
John Faunce, Crown, 2002, $22 .95 / C$34 95 (£12.88), hb, 277pp, ISBN 0-609-60974-2
For Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of a Roman Card inal and his beloved mistress, life changes for the worse when her father is elevated to St. Peter's throne. Her mother abandoned to her own fate, the beautiful Lucrezia grows up amidst a gaggle of corrupt Vatican officia ls, of whom her father Roderigo (now Pope A lexander) and her cruel brother Cesare are the most rotten of al l. Married off multip le times for political gain, she sees her husbands tossed aside just as easily when her family no longer finds them appropriate. Lucrezia herself is no shrinking violet, never losing her coarse sense of humor and always g iving as good as she gets. Still, she's blind to the evil schemes of her brother and father, even abetting them on several occasions--that is, until she realizes bow her own self has been lost in her desire to please her fami ly.
Faunce's prose is ardently descriptive yet often unsettling. Though Lucrezia's eyes, we are given a firsthand glimpse into the decadence and, indeed, the evil that bid behind the g ilded splendor of Renaissance Italy. He deals
successfully with the nasty rumors that have surrounded Lucrezia through the ages: incest with her brother, murder of two husbands, and poisoning of her father's enemies (and in Faunce's version, only one of these is true). Though it is long in coming, by novel's end, this strong-willed Lucrezia--simply by learning how to survive in this cruel world--had finally earned our admiration in addition to our sympathy.
Sarah Nesbeitt
CA PTU R ED B Y Y O UR KISS
Jen Holling, Sonnet, 2003, $6.99 (£4.36), pb, 343pp, ISBN 0743438043
Mona Graham is the keeper of the Clachan Fala, a magical bloodstone that grants powers, such as the ability to read minds, to anyone who touches it. Mona's destiny is to find the stone and give it to newlyweds Caroline Graham and Robert Maxwell. However, Caroline's brother, Ridley, refuses to let the Maxwell/Graham feud die and desires the bloodstone in order to conquer the Scots. Needing a protector, Mona releases Patrick Maxwell from Ridley's dungeon knowing that Patrick will feel obligated to accompany her as she seeks the stone. Soon, Mona develops feelings for her surly companion and her dedication to the Clachan Fala is threatened.
Set in 1542 along the Eng land/Scotland border, this book includes skirmishes between the two countries that are consistent with the time period. Marriages arranged to promote family alliances illustrate women's lack of rights and forced reliance upon men for safety and livelihood. True to the historical romance genre, more emphasis is on the characters' relationships than on history.
This book concludes the Brides of the Bloodstone trilogy, and while it is not completely necessary to read the romances in order, doing so is recommended. Romance readers will enjoy this novel.
Suzanne Sprague
BL OOD TIES
C C Humphreys, Orion, 2003, hb, £17.99, 352pp, ISBN 0752846426
Published 2002 in Canada by McArthur and Co, CND$24.95, pb, ISBN 1552783146
Although I expressed one or two reservations about The French Executioner (see review in Issue 19), I grabbed Blood Ties in both hands and devoured it cover to cover.
The events it describes take place nineteen years after the end of The French Executioner It is 1555. Mary Tudor sits uneasily on England's throne and Siena is under siege. In the meantime, the characters who featured in the first novel have enjoyed years of peace. At fust, there seems to be only one dark shadow clouding the happiness of Jean Rombaud. His
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grasp then being obliged to sell a copy of The Hundredth Name, Balthasar embarks on a journey to reclaim the book. It is purported to reveal the final name of God following the 99 names listed in the Koran so giving the possessor unique powers.
Throughout his travels, Balthasar reflects on the nature of life, falls in love, is betrayed and experiences a number of thrilling adventures. The book is finally traced in London on the eve of the Great Fire, which seems to suggest that the end of the world is indeed nigh.
Although Maalouf writes in a chatty colloquial style this is an intelligent, subtle book. My only complaint is that the part of the story set in London demonstrates an occasional lack of understanding of English 17 th century history.
Doug Kemp.
THE AMBITIOUS STEPMOTHER: A Countess de la Zouche Mystery
Fidelis Morgan, HarperCollins (Collins Crime), 2002, £12 99, hb, 34lpp, ISBN 0-00-713423-1 A 17 th century murder-mystery set in France amongst the exiled English court of James at St. Germain. This novel is the third to feature two female sleuths - the ageing Countess Ashby de la Zouche and her buxom maid Alpiew. The hard-up Countess agrees to chaperone Virginia, the evil-tempered stepdaughter of the second Mrs Alderman Franklyn Green, on an expedition to France to secure a suitable match for the girl. At the same time the Countess hopes to unearth some juicy tit-bits of gossip for the scandal column she writes in the 'London Trumpet'.
The promised one hundred guineas offered should the Countess succeed in her task proves not to be as easy a 'touch' as the investigators anticipated. They become involved in plots against kings and embroiled in the personal vendetta of Aurelia against her father and stepmother. The story has as many twists and turns as it does culinary recipes. While the Marquis de Bechamel tries to create a sauce to satisfy Louis King of France, and the court at Versailles gorge themselves on 'peas' at the court of James murder is on the menu. The novel ends with all the mysteries being solved and in the manner of a Restoration comedy Virginia finds a 'suitable' match in the shape of a John who at one stage is dressed up as a shepherdess.
I suspect that I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read the previous two in the series. The Countess and Alpiew did not stand out enough for me against the large cast of characters such as the Due de Charme, the Man in Black, Lord Whippingham and Lady MurdoMacTavish. I also found myself getting muddled up between Alpiew and Aurelia because of the slight similarity in their names.
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The pace and style of writing were fast and very much in the mould of Restoration comedy, but it wasn't until entertaining scenes in the Bastille that I was finally caught up in the story. Pigalle, the Man in the Iron Mask and the attempted escape are imaginative and engaging.
The novel is a helter-skelter ride of bad puns, bawdiness and farce with a pinch of historical detail and crime sprinkled throughout making it an amusing light read.
Myfanwy Cook
CARAVAGGIO, A ovel
Christopher Peachment, Picador 2002, £7.99, pb. 296pp, ISBN 0330487329, pub in US in May 2003, Thomas Dunne Books, $23.95, hb, ISBN03 l 23 l 4485
'There is an inaccuracy in the very first sentence of this book, and many more thereafter.' The author's disclaimer warns the reader that this is but an impression of the eponymous hero. Inveterate hell-raiser, mad, bad and certainly dangerous to know Caravaggio explodes onto the scene, outrageous, often hateful but impossible to ignore.
Aware of his own genius from childhood, Caravaggio was patronised by cardinals, accepted into the Order of the Knights of Saint John in Malta only to be expelled for indulging his indiscriminate sexual appetite. He tells his story in his own rough fashion, remorseless, unapologetic.
In this exciting first person narrative Peachment has captured the heart and soul of this larger than life character. It's a cracking good read.
Ann Oughton.
18 TH CEN TURY
AN EXPERIMENT IN TREASON
Bruce Alexander, Putnam, 2002, $24.95/C$35.99 (£14.01), hb, 288pp, ISBN 0399-14923-6
This ninth novel in Bruce Alexander's critically acclaimed series featuring Sir John Fielding, a blind-eighteenth-century London judge, and his young assistant deserves a round of applause. Set in the I 770s, the story begins when a packet of letters is stolen from the London residence of a prominent official only to tum up in the colony of Massachusetts--where they threaten to set fire to a tinderbox of feelings running high in the lead-up to the War oflndependence. American hero Benjamin Franklin finds himself the prime suspect and must struggle to prove his innocence.
Sir John is a wonderfully written character and his assistant, Jeremy, has a fantastic youthful spirit that kept me interested Loosely based on the events known as the Affair of the
Hutchinson Letters, this story is a combination of period ambiance, vivid characterization and intriguing plotlines. While attempting to solve the crime, readers are privy to the inner workings of the famed Bow Street Runners. Although the plot dragged occasionally and I had to concentrate to keep characters straight, I would still recommend it.
Dana Cohlmeyer
MOU T VERNON LOVE
STORY
Mary Higgins Clark, Simon & Schuster, 2002, $22.00 (£ 12.35), hb, 223 pp, ISBN 0743229878 Mary Higgins Clark, well known for her thrilling suspense novels, wrote a short novel years ago (original title: Aspire to the Heavens) based on the lifelong love of George Washington and wife Martha. Set in colonial America in the 18th century, Clark brings to life a relationship of which most Americans only learn a little during elementary school.
The novel consists of flashbacks from the day of President John Adams' inauguration and other highlights during Washington's personal and professional experiences. Readers will meet an extraordinary cast of characters including an overbearing and eternally dissatisfied woman, George's mother; long-term friends and supporters, George William and Sally Fairfax; and Martha's fatherless children, Jack and Patsy. Washington's love for his home, Mount Vernon, shines as much as his love for Martha, as they build and expand on the property over the years. As George steps out of the public spotlight forever, it becomes quite clear that Washington is ready to once again become a private American citizen.
Clark writes a delightful tale of a president whose private life is rarely explored. She depicts a great American leader also as a wonderful and loving husband, father, and landowner, something readers will no doubt enjoy.
Melissa Galyon
THE PIRATE ROUND
James Nelson, Corgi 2002, £5.99, pb, 51 lpp, ISBN 0552148431, pub in US, William Morrow, $24.95, hb, ISBN0380804549. This is the last in the Brethren of the Coast trilogy and continues the adventures of Thomas Marlowe. Having foresworn piracy and settled down on his tobacco plantation in Virginia with his wife, Elizabeth, Marlowe finds his wealth almost exhausted by recession in the colonies. The only solution is to trade his cargo in England.
In London Marlowe encounters an enemy from his pirate days, Roger Press, and has to flee for his life. To recoup his losses he sets sail for Madagascar to plunder the treasure ships of the Great Mogul: this is the Pirate Round.
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James Nelson does not disappoint with his latest cracking swashbuckler. As ever he displays a fine eye for authentic historical detail as well as a keen ear for vivid dialogue bolstered by buckets of blood, guts and thunder. Relish the adventure Sara Wilson.
WICKED LIES
Laura Renken, Jove, 2002, $5.99 / C$8.99 (£3.74) , 31 lpp, hb, ISBN 0-515-13403-1 Historical romances taking place during America's colonial era are relatively scarce. American readers seem to prefer medieval Scotland and Regency England, or at least publishers think they do. This latest work by Laura Renken also has the advantage of a mystery plot of sorts. Catherine Bellamy's husband , who was somehow involved with the rebellious Sons of Liberty , has been murdered, and she and Patrick ' s half-brother, smuggler and British navy captain Lord Blackmoor, are determined to find the killer , unbeknownst to each other.
In fact they spend much of the first 70 pages manacled to each other as escaped prisoners, neither one knowing the other's identities. The story line that follows is quite complex , and the author seems to work harder than she should to keep from revealing things too soon. The story's S:ill suspenseful and entertaining, but I never felt very comfortable with some of the more obvious machinations of the plot. Maybe it's a gender gap.
Steve Lewis
THREE CUTS OF COURAGE
Lynn M. Turner, Hard Shell Word Factory , 2002, $22.95 , pb, 229pp, ISBN 0-7599-0321-2 Nell Fraser and her brother board a ship to the New World to avoid capture after she rescues him from a Scottish prison. There, she meets and falls in love with Clayton Sheraton, an English gentleman far above her reach . When they reach Halifax , they go their separate ways; Nell never exposes her feelings for Clayton. When Nell's hotheaded brother is discovered assisting American rebels in Canada , Nell must find him and warn him of the danger. The Micmac Indians whom Nell befriended are willing to help To her dismay, Clayton leads the detachment sent to hunt down her brother.
Three Cuts of Courage is full of adventure and historic detail about Halifax circa 1775 and the wilderness surrounding it. Ms. Turner bases it loosely on one of her own ancestors who once broke his friend out of jail before escaping to Nova Scotia. The minor characters in this story do not seem fully developed, tending to be either all good or all evil. Some of the characters' abilities to disregard racial and social class differences seem advanced for the time , but not out of character for this kind of
THE HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW
adventure. The novel ' s stength lies in its descriptions of life in early Halifax and the Canadian wilderness. Like a rough-cut gemstone, this story is beautiful , even without further refinement.
Nan Curnutt
GENESEE
Juliet Waldron, Jacobyte Books (www.jacobytebooks.com) , 2002, AU$21, pb, 270pp , ISBN 174100081-5
Genesee van Cortlandt, the child of a runaway teen and an Iroquois warrior, was abducted back into 'civilization'by her white uncle as an infant. In the frontier of 1770s New York, her mixed heritage didn't seem to be a handicap , but when thrust into Albany society at 15 , she felt many constraints--some due to her heritage, others to the change from country to city living. Young Captain Alexander Dunbar of the Army of Independence is attracted to Genesee at first sight. Raised in the West Indies and sent to King ' s College, New York, by his employer, he is a friend of Genesee's cousin. Genesee has no large dowry and Alexander has no inheritance. Despite their 'unsuitability' as marriage partners, they find themselves growing closer. But Genesee is destined to learn more about her birth father's family, and Alexander's love will be tested to the utmost.
Waldron bas evidently researched her subject. She describes details of costume, contrasts between city and country life in 1770s New York, and relations between Indian tribes and settlers. In fact, the friendly and peaceful relationships cultivated by some settlers and tribes were surprising. Waldron also discusses Indian customs and beliefs respectfully , without minimizing the cruelty of their war practices. Overall, she presents an evenhanded picture. I would have liked to see an author's note or bibliography.
Mary L. Newton
THE
SPIDE R 'S TOUCH
Patricia Wynn , Pemberley , 2002, $25.95 / C$37.95, hb, 390pp, ISBN 097027274X
The Birth of Blue Satan introduced readers to Gideon Viscount St. Mars and Mrs. Kean. In that book, Gideon - unfairly accused of murdering his fathe - was forced to don the disguise of the highwayman Blue Satan in order to remain free long enough to discover, with Mrs Kean's assistance, his father's actual murderer. In The Spider 's Touch, he is still an outlaw, but has agreed to return to England from the safety of his estate in France to serve as a messenger for James Stuart, who hopes to regain the crown lost by his father. The plot revolves around the Jacobite cause, as Mrs Kean has become caught up in it as well , much more unwittingly than bas Gideon.
While the book is in the mystery genre, it does not initially have the feel of a mystery (a murder occurs shortly before the halfway point) It is filled with a sense of the period through details of dress, customs , setting , and most importantly, politics. The author provides a 'Historical Background' section at the start of the book, and an 'Author's Note,' which provides information on what is fact and what is fiction , ends the volume. The book starts slowly, but once Gideon returns to England , the stage bas been set and the action begins. I look forward to # 3 in the series.
Trudi E Jacobson
19TH CENTURY
A SINGULAR HOSTAGE
Thalassa Ali, Bantam, 2002, $!3.95 / C$21 , pb , 352pp , ISBN 0-553-38176-8
Pub. in the UK by Review, 2002, £6.99 , pb , 478pp , ISBN 0747267723
In 1838, Mariana Givens travels to India to husband-hunt. She, however, is not a typical Victorian maiden ; she prefers bazaars to balls and learning Indian languages to flirting with British officers. When Governor-General Lord Auckland journeys across India to the Punjab , Mariana ' s skill with languages results in her being taken along as a translator for Lord Auckland's sisters. Lord Auckland is to meet with Maharajah Ranjit Singh to negotiate support for England ' s planned excursion into Afghanistan to set a puppet king on the Afghan throne. But politics mean little to Mariana , who bas problems of her own: the officer she favors can't marry her, the officer who favors her , she won't marry , and capricious fate sadd les her with the care of the singular hostage of the title: Saboor, grandson of a Muslim mystic . To protect him , Mariana must safely navigate the maze of Punjabi and English politics - and enter into a marriage that changes her life forever.
Adequate and enjoyable - but predictable. The ending is wide-open , as apparently a sequel is planned, so the novel feels unfinished. And in a P.C. attempt to make Mariana freethinking and open-minded, all the historical characters become caricatures, and boring ones at that. One never would guess, in reading this novel , that Mariana is surround by one of the biggest collections of eccentrics , cranks , egoists , and outright loons ever to assemble in India ' s sunny clime, nor that this motley crew is about to embark upon one of the most appallingly mismanaged military debacles of all time . (For a slightly less priggish view of the Punjab/Afghan excursion and the colorfulnay , downright lurid - characters involved , I suggest reading Flashman and Flashman and
ISSUE 23 , FEBRUARY
the Mountain of Light, by George Macdonald Fraser.)
India Edghill
SAVAGEMOU TAIN
Sean Belanger, USA Books , 2002, $ l 3/C$ I 9.25 (£7 .30), pb, l 98pp, ISBN 1-59209-002-8 Belanger's thoroughly researched historical , set mid-19th century, carries readers into the heart of California's two-million-year-old Yosemite Valley, where continual glacializations carved valleys exposing great mountains of granite-some nearly a mile high. Depredations, common to western fiction, occur: Indians are corralled onto military posts and onto a reservation on the Fresno. In spite of promises of food and care they starve, leading to rebellion and the escape of a Yosemite chief with a band of warriors. Pioneers formerly attacked by the Indians and Indian enemies of the Yosemite give chase, forcing a final, poignant standoff.
Interspersed throughout, minor conflicts between the various Indian tribes, white trappers, gold seekers, pioneers, and the U.S. Army give a kaleidoscope of intrigue, mystery, and murder. Three companions carry the point of view that shifts to an extent making the story, at times, unintelligible. Tennessean Jim Savage; Doug, an Irish survivor of the doomed Donner party of 1849 ; and Ramon, an Indian raised by Catholics, establish trading posts along the Fresno, Mono valley, and Merced rivers, trading rejected army blankets and worthless trinkets. Worst--they trade raisins for gold in equal weight, a scam discovered by a Yosemite chiefs son.
Adventure is the spirited 'warp' of the story. Dialogue presents the 'woof- -the culture, sayings, and moral values of the native tribes. Belanger weaves both into the story, helping readers to understand Indian thinking and the motivations behind events. This yarn will please those interested in Indian lore and the gold rush days in California.
Meredith Campbell
ST RAVE
Jo Beverley, Signet, 2003, $6.99/C$9.99 (£4.36), 384pp, pb , ISBN 0-451-20807-2
Cressida Mandeville is playing a dangerous game. She is trying to regain some of her family's fortune by accepting an indecent proposal from the vile Lord Crofton, the man who cheated her father at the gaming table. Little does she know she is intended as the main attraction at Lord Crofton's next infamous orgy. Little does he know that she plans to escape before he ravishes her. All plans are off when Cressida is abducted by a highwayman who turns out to be the Duke of St Raven. Together, Cressida and St Raven make new plans to redeem the Mandeville fortunes.
Jo Beverley has written many entertaining and enlightening historical novels, but St Raven is not up to her usual standard. There is not much historical detail to glean from the novel aside from the details of a 19 th century orgy. The plot has potential , but the details become lost somewhere as the hero and heroine become immersed in discovering one another's bodies. Read Deirdre and Don Juan or Emily and the Dark Angel instead to enjoy some of this author's fine, award-winning historical romances.
Nan Curnutt
SASKIA
Ashleigh Bingham, Robert Hale , 2002, £17.99, hb, 287pp, ISBN 0704073194
The heroine 's character is quickly established as both strong and determined when she sides with the slaves on her uncle 's West Indian plantation, and helps keep the murder of the overseer secret. This is a good opening and catches the reader's interest immediately. The story then cuts away to a chapter from the hero's point of view and the next to the villain's, then back to the hero and actually from a very minor character's point of view for a while.
Although understandable because of the time scale of the book , which crowds several months in between scenes with the heroine , this makes for a loss of story tension. This device is much used, mainly in huge sagas that go on for ages, but in a shorter romance it doesn't work quite as well. However , when the heroine manages to escape the threat to her at the plantation, (which could have been developed more to make it nail-biting when the story cuts away) and she and the hero finally come together , it becomes a perfectly good romance. It is otherwise well written and interesting, enjoyable once we are settled with the main characters.
Linda Sole
CATHERJ E'S HEART
Lawana Blackwell, Bethany House, 2002, $12.99/C$21.99 (£7.29), 414pp, pb , ISBN 0764222597
Set in the late Victorian period , this novel recounts the academic and romantic adventures of Catherine Rayborn , a sheltered young woman reveling in her first taste of independence at Cambridge University. Catherine's first year passes relatively quietly, broken only by a brief flirtation with a young man. Then she meets Lord Holt, a rake and sworn enemy of her cousin Sarah's husband Soon she is deeply involved with him, but heartbreak follows and she must look within herself before moving on to find true love and academic success.
Ms. Blackwell 's research blends seamlessly into her narrative with details of life in Victorian London and Girton College. While her secondary characters shone, I found Catherine to be somewhat problematic. She gave her heart too easily, appearing fickle and too naive, even for a young lady of her time. The leading male characters, notably Lord Holt , were a little more successful, especially in the area of motivation. While the author's writing style did not engage me, her pacing and plotting more than compensated, allowing me to finish the book in only a couple of sittings. Also , the spiritual aspects seemed a little heavy-handed in spots. Overall, a pleasant read for fans of Victoriana and light romance.
Teresa
Basinski Eckford
GUNMAN'S GOAL
Max Brand , Leisure, 2002, $4.99/C$6.99/AU$12.95 (£3.1 !), pb , 266pp, ISBN 0-8439-5122-2
Max Brand is one of this country's most famous western writers, so that 's how this latest of his works is being marketed, but it 's also an actionpacked crime novel that just happens to take place in the West. Reprinted from its serial form when it first appeared in the pulp Western Story Magazine in 1928 , this is one of a series of adventures of James Giraldi, a dashing young adventurer to whom crime is a fine art, looking solely for the excitement, not ill-gotten gains. He's hired in this novel by a girl (beautiful) to find her father (innocent) who has diappeared, fleeing from the law after being charged with murder. The girl's Cousin Edgar (dastardly) has evil intentions toward the estate, and to that end he is making romantic overtures to her mother (fluttery and weak-minded). It reads much better than it sounds! The action is continuous, the dialogue lyrical , and the tale is truly epic in nature. This is the stuff that legends are made of, the American West of the imagination, not of reality , but an occasional dose of balladry and fables may be just what the doctor ordered.
Steve Lewis
REAP THE SOUTH WIND: Women of Paragon Springs, Book Four
Irene Bennett Brown, Five Star, 2002, $26.95, 21 Opp, hb, ISBN 0-7862-28 I 7-2
Ms. Brown does the state of Kansas a good tum by documenting its past in a readable and interesting way. Her stories move quickly from highlight to highlight. The series uses the imaginary town of Paragon Springs as the main setting, but both selections I have read (No Other Place - see Review 22) also included scenes in Topeka, the state capitol, as well as other locales around the region.
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ISSUE 23, FEBRUARY
As Reap the South Wind opens, Lucy Ann has been brought somewhat reluctantly to the Cherokee Strip Run of 1893 . Her misgivings are well founded, and she returns to Paragon Springs without her husband. The story skips lightly to years later when she is established on her own farm. Her neighbor spends all his time fooling around with a crazy flying contraption. She eventually helps to found the aviation industry , is active in women's suffrage (gained by Kansas women before the national amendment) and public health issues. Lucy Ann 's secret emerges when her brother competes for state office. She was raped as a girl by Sioux raiders. While I cringed a little at the Sioux being characterized repeatedly as 'savages,' that was indeed the common view at the time. Otherwise, the subject is handled deftly, and when she confronts the public ridicule, the reader rejoices. A good study of the tum of the century from a female perspective, and a gentle, easy read Mary K. Bird-Guilliams
THE TOMBSTO E CO SPIRACY
Tim Champlin, Leisure, 2002, $4.99/ C$6.99/AU$12.95 (£3.16), 240pp, pb, ISBN 0-8439-5100-l
Imagine, if you would, a western novel taking place in Tombstone, Arizona, in which the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Clantons are all characters and the 0. K. Corral is never mentioned. Picture instead a tale straight from The Wild, Wild West TV show. A gang of thieves is running rampant over the territory, responsible for a series of stage robberies netting them a small fortune in silver and gold, not to mention the ambush of an army wagon train carrying a huge load of rifles and ammunition.
Two men , one an army agent, the other working for Wells Fargo, team up undercover to solve the mystery. What is the significance of the small wooden disks with the unusual emblem all of the captured outlaws carry? Is the more-than-attractive woman who comes between the two lawmen up to no good? And who is the never-seen leader of the bandits? This would also have been the basis for a several months' worth of great Saturday trips to the movies , serial fashion, complete with a cliffhanger ending every week A nice brew of traditional western fare, that is to say, juiced up a notch or two.
Steve Lewis
THE FIFTEEN STREETS
Catherine Cookson, Simon & Schuster, 2002 (1952), $25 (£14.03), hb , 246pp, ISBN 0743236785
John O'Brien is a dockworker who returns home each night to a mean existence in the fifteen streets of Northumberland. His mother's
attempt at order is thwarted by his drunken father and malevolent brother, while his sister Katie may escape the misery through schooling if someone will discuss her situation with Mary, her teacher. When John finally meets Mary, the daughter of a wealthy ship builder, he discovers that Katie's claims of her beauty were not exaggerated. Mary's sweet disposition and ability to see John's poetic nature blinds her to his background. Complicating matters is a spiritualist family who moves in next to the O'Briens.
Cookson 's firsthand experience with the poverty found in England lends credibility to her use of pawn shops, scorn for those who try to better themselves, and just plain meanness. The interaction between John's family and the community shows how they care about one another, yet are quick to judge. Although primarily a romance, this novel strongly depicts social conditions and religious intolerance in England. Readers of both romances and historical fiction will likely enjoy the reissue of this novel.
Suzanne Sprague
UNCIVIL DEATH
M.E. Cooper, Padlock Mystery Press, 200 I, $9.95, tpb, 235pp, ISBN: 096620204X Drowning in detail, the story lumbers forward as Lieutenant Conley, fictional aide to the historical Confederate General William Wing Loring , seeks to find the killer of a woman soldier. It is February 1862 and the Confederate army is bogged down in winter mud and cold outside of Winchester , Virginia. Pretending to be a man - as over 400 historically documented women did - the victim donned uniform , carried an Enfield, and marched beside her husband But one night she strayed outside the picket lines and had her throat slashed.
A Civil War re-enactor, the author has filled this worthy first attempt with minutiae gleaned from sitting around numerous campfires. Historical detail overwhelms here: does the reader need to know the exact step-count of the 'quick march'? One wishes to have known the victim a bit more. On the other hand, the characters of Conley, Loring, and others are deftly drawn. Cooper also commendably incorporates different accents and cadence in her dialect- no small feat. The ending is brief, the killer unknown until the very end. For period ambience the book succeeds. One can only hope that in its sequel Cooper will allow the story to emerge beyond the setting.
Meredith Campbell
RUTH
Lori Copeland, Tyndale House, 2002, $9.99 (£5.69), 300pp, pb, ISBN 0-8423-1937-9 Ruth came to Denver City as one of a group of orphaned young women. Upon arrival, the
women learn they were tricked: they were told they would become mail order brides, but found they were brought to work in the gold mines of Colorado. Their wagon master and a handsome young U.S. Marshal, Dylan McCall, rescue them. Ruth, however , falls right back into trouble when she tries to escape the advances of an 80-year-old miner who thinks she has accepted his marriage proposal. To escape this second fate, Ruth asks Dylan McCall to escort her to Wyoming where her cousin resides. Dylan is on his way west on official business. When Dylan refuses, Ruth dresses as a man and follows him into the wilderness.
Ms. Copeland's descriptions of the Colorado and Wyoming wilderness are realistic, but her storyline is hard to believe. Why would a woman run away from an 80year-old suitor instead of explaining a misunderstanding to him ? Why would a supposedly wise woman follow a headstrong man into a wilderness she was not equipped to handle? The inspirational elements of the story are indicative of a gentle and loving God who doesn ' t make everything easy but always has a purpose. This book should be of interest to readers who enjoy pioneer series authors such as Dana Fuller Ross and Janette Oke.
Nan Curnutt
PROPER CONDUCT
Shannon Donnelly , Zebra, 2003, $4.99 / C$6.99 (£3.11 ), pb , ISBN 082167106X
This pleasant romance takes place almost exclusively on country estates during the Regency period. The primary interaction takes place between an independent, intelligent woman and a proud man with grace and talent. Both of these individuals mistake the other in motivation, prejudice and intent, causing distress , but not fatal errors. Yes, there are a number of parallels to Pride and Prejudice, but what better model could a book aspire to? The handsome half-Gypsy Lord Nevin mistakes Penelope 's reserve for ethnic bias, but discovers she merely thinks him out to take advantage of her father because of his last name. She thinks he is like her ex-fiance who ran for the hills when her father's fortune crashed, but rallies to his defense when the local set sniffs haughtily at his background. A second couple also stumbles their way toward romance through books and poetry. Add a gentle, ailing mother to provide sweetness, a wild stallion, and a buried treasure in the mansion to this mix. The result is quite enjoyable to read as well as satisfying to finish.
Mary K. Bird-Guilliams
THE HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW
ISSUE 23, FEBRUARY
LADY OF DESIRE
Gaelen Foley, Ballantine, 2002, $6.99 / C$10.99 (£4.66), 424pp, pb, ISBN 0804119740
While running away from home Lady Jacinda Knight encounters handsome outlaw, Billy Blade, who is in fact Lord William Albright, Earl of Rackford and heir to bis estranged father ' s estate. When he is betrayed to the authorities, he reconciles with his father to save his men and returns to society There he pursues Jacinda who is determined to marry an elderly widower for convenience and gain complete independence after he dies.
While Ms. Foley is an accomplished writer , T found her lead characters, though well drawn, to be rather unsympathetic. The hero is unreasonably vengeful, blaming the heroine for his own stupidity. Meanwhile she is far too cold and calculating. While it is true both have motivation for such behaviour and eventually learn from each other, the extremes to which the author goes early on spoiled them for me.
Though the well-paced story is somewhat predictable, the writing is smooth, if somewhat rife with purple prose. And while the basics of the Regency era are well portrayed , several anachronisms popped up. Still, fans of the genre who like Alpha heroes and modem style heroines will likely enjoy Ms. Foley's latest effort
Teresa
Basinski Eckford
CLARA
Janice Galloway, Simon&Schuster, 2002 , $25.00 , hb , 425pp, ISBN0684844494
For review, see Issue 22, December 2002
CAYWOOD VALLEY FEUD
Judson Gray, Signet, 2002, $5.99/ C$8.99 (£3.79), 279pp, pb, ISBN 0-451-20656-8
This third in the series of Penn & McCutcheon adventures finds Jim Mccutcheon ready to settle down and get married to a divorced woman in Texas , but a story in a newspaper sends him off to the Arkansas Ozarks, where his former partner in wandering, a black man named Jake Penn, may be responsible for a series ofrevenge killings
Judson Gray is a pen name for prolific western writer Cameron Judd, and I think he wrote this one with the brakes off. There's a fair amount of action, much of it with a dark tinge to it, common in Judd's books , but there's more filler than there should be in between. McCutcheon's view of the world is more progressive than most men of the time no flaw per se but Judd's use of non-period slang is jarring every once in a while. His characters are well drawn, though, and they add more to the story the plot does, built as well around a long-lasting feud between two extended families. Not a deep tale, in other words , but a quick read, one that will keep you awake until
THE HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW
the final page is finished, but not very long afterward.
Steve Lewis
THE QUESTION
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, Little Brown, 2002, £17.99, hb, 515pp, ISBN 0316646180
The 25 th book in The Morland Dynasty begins as the nineteenth century is drawing to a close and life continues to get better for the Morland family. Teddy and his baby daughter move back to the family's Yorkshire estate to live with his sister, Henrietta, and her children. He is soon busying himself with setting up a new horse breeding business with his brother-in-law, Jerome. On the wider stage, the country is moving towards war with the Boers. A war that Teddy's nephew, Bertie, becomes drawn into in an attempt to broaden his horizons. As Queen Victoria's health goes into a decline a new modem mood begins to take hold of the country and Henrietta's daughter, Lizzie, cannot resist getting caught up in the fight for women's suffrage.
With so many previous novels in this series it would be easy to believe that the intricacies of the Morland Dynasty would be too complicated for new readers, but this is emphatically not the case. The author has a real knack of conveying huge amounts of back history with the fewest possible words. Within the first few pages readers find themselves caught up in the trials and tribulations of the entire, extensive, cast of characters. The Question provides an exuberant read, brimful of details about life at the tum of the last century. This is one reader who will certainly be looking out for the other books in the series.
Sara Wilson
ENEMY WOMEN
Paulette Jiles, 4 th Estate, £10, pb, 300pp , ISBN0007 l 464 l 8 For review see Issue 20 , page 21. May 2002
COMANCHE WOMAN
Joan Johnston, Dell, 2002, $7.50 (£4.68), pb, 368 pp, ISBN 0-440-23680-0
In Comanche Woman, set in 1843 Texas, Joan Johnston explores the relationship of a white woman and a Comanche man whose love is not supposed to happen. Long Quiet is educated but cannot decide if he can live with his people or if he can accept the white man's ways. When Bayleigh Stewart is kidnapped by the Comanche and hidden many miles from her family, Long Quiet offers to help search for the woman known by the Indians as Shadow. Bayleigh, once in the Comanche camp, is taken by the son of the chief as his slave/ companion. She hopes and prays that she'll be rescued but in the meantime, tries to forge bonds with the women and children of the
tribe. Most of them shun her because they think she has magical powers to use against them. But when Long Quiet enters the tribe's land, she wonders if things will change.
Bayleigh and Long Quiet's ensuing relationship will keep readers entertained throughout. The novel is a fun romance that will keep the pages turning long past bedtime. If you enjoy this one, try The Cowboy or The Texan next.
Melissa Galyon
A GRAVE AT GLORIETA
Michael Kilian, Berkley Prime Crime, 2003 , $22.95 /C$34.50 (£12.88) , hb, 292 pp , ISBN 0425188299
Michael Kilian's U.S. Civil War secret agent , Harrison Raines, journeys to New Mexico to combat Confederate agents in his fourth adventure. The Virginia-born Raines is a staunch pro-Union man who abhors slavery. While others fight for their beliefs in a more conventional manner, Raines uses his intelligence and role-playing talents to serve as an agent for President Lincoln and Alan Pinkerton. Despatched to New Mexico to report on Confederate activities, Raines finds his local liaison murdered. Being Harrison Raines, he naturally is the chief suspect! He becomes caught up in the several layers of interplay between pro-Confederate and pro-Union groups and finds himself an unwilling participant in the important, but now largely forgotten, Battle of Glorieta Pass (March, 1862).
Kilian's secret agent is hardly in the same class as 007. He is prone to mistakes and is very much a captive of his emotions. He does possess a clear view of the importance of his work to the Union war effort and is in no way a cartoon-like superhero. Michael Kilian is a master at depicting Civil War America and, while some of his fans may be put off by the Western setting, this latest account of Raines's service is as enjoyable as those that have gone before.
John R. Vallely
THE IRONCLAD ALIBI
Michael Kilian, Berkley Prime Crime, 2002, $22.95 / C$33.99 (£13.29), hb, 308pp, ISBN 0425183254
Disaffected Virginian Harrison Raines returns to the fray as a Union spy in Michael Kilian's latest novel featuring the energetic Raines operating in the center of some of the Civil War's most important events. Raines is once again sent behind Confederate lines on a vital mission - this one is to find as much information as possible on a Rebel ironclad warship. He and his trusted freed slave assistant, Caesar Augustus, find their mission complicated by a murder. When Raines is accused of the crime, our heroes must use all of
ISSUE 23, FEBRUARY
their considerable skills to avoid the gallows while simultaneously completing their task. Harrison Raines is a likeable character, and Kilian's artful description of Washington, D.C. and Virginia in 1862 fleshes out the fictional characters with the reality of life in midnineteenth century America. The prose is solid , and the plot has enough twists and turns to satisfy most critical readers. While not as fastpaced as Murd e r At Manassas or A Killing At Ball 's Bluff, Harrison Raines ' latest adventure still is a satisfactory diversion John R Vallely
THE VALLEY OF DEATH
Garry Douglas Kilworth, Robinson 2002 , £6.99, pb , 304pp, ISBN I 841195251.
This is the second in the series featuring the daredevil exploits of Sergeant Jack Crossman during the Crimean War . He and his bunch of misfit men are chosen to take part in a hairraising secret mission aimed at infiltrating the work parties in Sebastopol in order to weaken the Russian hold on the city.
After capture and torture Crossman returns to his regiment just in time to take part in the Battle of Balaclava where he witnesses the Charge of the Light Brigade
This is real Boys ' Own stuff - gutsy , exciting and heroic with a love interest, several dangerous assassins and a healthy dose of revenge thrown in for good measure . Th e Vall ey of D e ath could have been a pleasant, lightweight read but Kilworth avoids this trap. The men suffer from cold , hunger , sickness and deprivation. They sometimes doubt themselves and their superiors. Moments of callousness and instances of courage typify this war and many others. It is unexpectedly thought-provoking. Sara Wilson.
DEAD MAN'S COAST
Peter King , Signet, 2002 , $5 99/ C$8.99 (£3 74) , 263pp , pb , ISBN 0451205847
Set in San Francisco's Barbary Coast in I 89798, this mystery portrays Jack London as a struggling author whose former unlawful profession makes him the first person the police contact when undercover work is needed in the seedy part of the city. In this second book of the series , London is hired to protect famous showgirl Belle Conquest's Rajah's Ruby, the most valuable stone in the world. As master criminals converge on the area, other famous acts are also being hired to compete with Belle ' s show causing speculation about a connection.
King ' s background research is evident as people who populated the real Jack London' s life appear, many times frequenting dance halls and clubs also accurate to the time period. Returning from the first mystery is Ambrose
THE HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW
Bierce, Little Egypt, and Stephen Crane. Harry Houdini and Carrie Nation are newcomers to the series and add excitement as they battle fraudulent psychics and the evils of alcohol.
Action , suspense , mystery , and a peek into a world normally off-limits make this book fun. Those who enjoy mystery series will be impatient for the next Jack London mystery.
Suzanne Sprague
CHASING A ROGUE
Victoria Malvey , Sonnet, 2002, $6.99 (£4.36) , pb, 339pp , ISBN 0743418859
In 1817, Harriet Nash is living a relatively independent life in London with her two aunts. One aunt is a cheerful , matchmaking widow ; the other, an embittered, man-hating spinster desperately guarding Harriet from the inevitable heartbreak of an attachment to a rogue. Despite her aunt's efforts, Harriet sets her cap for Steven Morris, Earl of Heath , a notable rogue. Steven has been impoverished by his mother ' s spendthrift ways, and comes to London to marry a wealthy heiress. However, once he encounters Harriet none of the eligible heiresses interest him As Steven tries to recoup his losses , it soon becomes clear that someone is plotting against him. Can he solve the mystery in time to save his estates so he can marry for love?
Victoria Malvey has created a Regency novel with an intelligent and daring heroine and a compassionate hero. For the most part it is an easy , fast , and interesting read At times , however, the pace slows, and in the end the resolution of the mystery is plausible , but the villain's motive is disappointingly weak.
Audrey Braver
CLOUD OF SPARROWS
Takashi Matsuoka , Delacorte , 2002, $24.95 / C$37.95, hb, 405pp , ISBN 0-38533640-3
Pub in the UK by Hutchinson , 2003, £9.99 , hb, 400pp, ISBN 0091794544
In I 86 I , Japan has been opened to Western trade, igniting a clash of cultures. Emily Gibson is one of a small group of Christian missionaries She has come to Japan to escape a past in which she has been blamed for sexual assaults because of her beauty. In Japan, she will be considered hideous , and therefore safe. Matthew Stark is searching for the man who did him a great wrong and is already in Japan
The young leader of his clan, Lord Genji has dreamed his life will be saved by an outsider in the new year. His prophetic visions have angered and frightened those in power in Edo , Japan. Lady Heiko , Edo's most celebrated geisha, has recently become his lover. When Genji and Heiko, Emily and Matthew encounter each other, a series of events is set into motion
that will change all their lives in ways no one could have imagined.
Cloud of Sparro ws is a stunning work Matsuoka was born in Japan and raised in Hawaii ; be gives us a view of Japan from the inside out, yet his American characters are believable as well. Dialog is natural and suited to each character. The encounters between alien cultures are movingly depicted Japan ' s ancient traditions, influenced heavily by Buddhi s t and Zen philosophy, are contrasted with the American and Christian traditions of the outsiders. Ideas of beauty, life , death , love , and honor are subtly explored . Much more than a love story, the novel also depicts exciting battles and masterful intrigues in the last day s of the proud samurai tradition.
Mary L. Newton
THE RUSTLER
Frances McElrath , Univ of Nebraska Press , 2002, $19.95 (£ 11.20) , pb , l 93pp , ISBN 08032-8284-2
Bittersweet love and tragic range war in 1890s Wyoming enthrall and inform in this tale built upon true facts, the author having been raised on cattle ranches and army posts of the period. Published 1902 , the novel earned high praise ; however , she never published another. Pity For she brings to the sweaty, testosterone driven western an educated feminist view of the We s t. When Hazel meets Jim , it's not ' love at fir s t sight.' More of an intrgued interest on her part ; on bis , a wonderment of why he had locked eyes with bis boss's niece , visiting from back East. She notes his 'broad shoulders' as he wrestled a cow fallen into a mud-hole. He drop s his eyes ' bashfully' when , as an invited guest for dinner , he notes how her blue frock flatters her auburn curls and 'clear white skin .'
From that proper Victorian beginning the story deviates from formula , becoming a study of bow calculated manipulation of another 's heart can bring only pain and, sometimes, shocking consequences To see if she could , ' social actress ' Hazel sets out to charm the handsome , shy, ' strong' eyed Jim Texas born and the 'best foreman ' around, Jim has lived life keeping his thoughts to himself, believing honest ranch work and raising a foundling would suffice for happiness. Hazel draws him into a friendship wherein he bares his soul to her. When he believes she has deceived him , his tum away from decency to embrace outlawry and power takes the story to a strong climax that changes Hazel - forever.
Meredith Campbell
CHILDREN OF CAIN
Miriam Grace Monfredo , Berkley , 2002 , $22 95 (£12 88), hb , 335pp, ISBN 0425186415 Bronwen Llyr, U.S. Treasury agent , venture s into the thick of war. This story of a woman 's
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involvement in military intelligence expands upon the traditional role of women who worked only as nurses during combat. Bronwen is aware of the weak intelligence network available to General McClellan when she learns of General Lee's Rebel troop movement. This courageous government employee risks her life to inform the Union officer as she searches here and there for their location.
The mystery and danger in the plot realistically relate the situation of the Civil War. Military conflict is detailed even to actions interrupting trade and the economy. Bronwen's family participation in the war emu late s typical stress and hardships. Political and military leaders of the time appear throughout the novel. Readers of the first two books in the Cain trilogy will find this title irresistible. The author's research and accomplished writing skills give readers an excellent view of Civil War times.
Jetta Carol Culpepper
THE l DIAN LOVER
Garth Murphy, Simon & Schuster, 2002, $26.00 / C$39.50 (£ I4.59), hb, 439 pp, ISBN 0743219430
Garth Murphy, a Californian historian and songw riter , strikes a few sour notes in his first novel, The Indian Lover. Pablo Verdi is a mission-educated Indian who speaks a fistful of lan guages and walks easily among the diverse population of 1840s California. After a twoyear trip to the east coast, Pablo returns home to find his ranch stolen by the corrupt Mexican governor. Pablo tries to live the old Indian way, but his spirit is too restless. Instead, he wanders among the ranchers, the tribes, and the Americans. What better way to observe his world as the U.S. battles Mexico, as power changes hands, as the gold rush brings waves of settlers?
If only Pablo were the primary narratorthe Indian Lover-of the title. That honor belongs to Bill Marshal, a young Yankee who deserts his whaling ship and follows Pablo into the wild. Though Bill has his own adventureshe falls in love with a fair senorita, then runs afoul of her brothers-he ends up somewhat haphazardly married to a member of the Cuperno tribe. Bill stays at Cupa, away from the action and so does the reader.
This is a pity, for Mr. Murphy has many talents. lie illuminates a complex soc iety in flux; he delivers a strong sense of place; and he has written a fine depiction of Indian culture. The last fifty pages of the book are thrilling. If only, if only. This reviewer looks forward to his second novel.
Lisa Ann Verge
THE HISTORJCAL NOVELS REVIEW
LEA YING IRELAND
Ann Moore, New American Library, 2002, $13.95 / C$19.99 (£7.83), pb, 378 pp, ISBN 0451-20707-6
Ann Moore puts her heroine through the trials of Job in this sequel to the eponymous Grace/in O 'Malley. Gracelin O'Malley Donnelly McDonagh is the widowed mother of four children two dead, one living, and one a sickly premature infant left in a nunnery. Gracelin is wanted for questioning by the British, both as the widow of an infamous Irish rebel and as a suspect in a murder. Weak from childbirth in a famished country rife with disease and danger, she decides to escape Ireland.
This is only the backstory, and alas, Leaving Ireland suffers from its weight. En route to America in a coffin ship, Gracelin makes enemies but survives the voyage, scooping up an orphan en route. In New York City she finds her emigrant brother and easy work in a Bowery saloon. She befriends an escaped slave who shares the guilt of being forced to leave loved ones behind. But for all the diverse characters, the fine depiction of 1840s New York, and the tease of a budding romance, the tale is arrow-straight and heavy with Gracelin's struggle with grief. Leaving Ir eland is best considered an interlude - a breathing space between the fierce, complex, emotional Gracelin O'Malley and the third book with its anticipated trip west - not a tale that can stand comfortably on its own.
That's to be expected. Ann Moore writes gloriously untidy narratives full of quiet joys and more often, terrible tragedies, tales that I suspect will always end unfinished. My recommendation is to brew a pot of tea, settle by the fire, read Grace/in O'Malley then Leaving Ireland, and wonder when, when, will the third book be published?
Lisa Ann Verge
A CYCLE OF THE WEST
John G. Neihardt, Univ. of Nebraska Press, 2002, $24.95 (£14.01), pb, 524pp, ISBN 08032-8378-4
A Cycle of the West is a unique publication. It is an epic poem; a saga of early America; and an action-packed western. The story consists of five separate narratives , or 'Songs': The Song of Three Friends, The Song of Hugh Glass, The Song of Jed Smith, The Song of the Indian Wars, and The Song of the Messiah. Each one is a sweeping narrative told with poetic images as big as the great American west. The stories are just as bold, with narrative that pulls you through to the end. At first, I was daunted by the fact that I was reading a poem , but once I had read a few pages, I found myself engrossed in the story that emerges from the images. In The Song of Three Friends, we learn of three
trappers in the early days of the century, mountain men who are bosom buddies until an Indian woman comes between two of them. The story is a tragic tale of love and friendship. The other tales are just as compelling, although some of the ideas are slightly dated, as their original publication dates range from 1915 to 1941. Even so, A Cycle of the West makes for very interesting reading.
Alexandra Ceely
STAR OF THE SEA
Joseph O'Connor, Secker and Warburg, 2003, hb, £12.99, 406pp, ISBN 0436255561
It is 1847. The Star of the Sea is a ship on its way from Liverpool to New York. Its cargo? Refugees from the Irish potato famine. Disaffected, dispossessed and dying, they are kept well away from the first class passengers, chief amongst whom are an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, his wife, children and nanny and an American novelist manque. There seems to be no commonality between them. However, someone on board has murder on his mind. The fact that this murder, its perpetrator and victim are revealed pretty early on, doesn't lessen the crackling tension. Indeed , it increases it, because before this murder occurs (or will it?) we need to know why.
In so many other novels , the Irish famine is oversimplified - the blameless, noble Irish suffering at the hands of the greedy, unfeeling English. There is some truth in this , of course , but real life is never so simple and nor is this novel. As the ship ploughs ever westward, the day to day interactions of the passengers and their pasts are piled layer upon layer until they twist into an ever-tightening noose around the necks of everyone on board. Each character is revealed as a complex mix of circumstances, upbringing , hopes and fears. Can one feel sorry for a sadistic murderer? Can one love an adulterer? In this novel anything is possible.
The novel is constructed through various viewpoints but the two men who hold centre stage are the putative murderer and his intended victim. It soon becomes clear that they are the two sides of the same coin. The coin is spinning constantly, so that light and darkness falls on each side in equal measure. That both these men - who do not meet until the very endhave loved the same woman without even knowing that they ever have (and what's more still do), adds further poignancy to these two unhappy and unfulfilled men. The fate of the woman is even more complex. And does this trio, or any of the characters, find eventual peace? Or is death the only release for the noose around their necks?
Although written in the style of a nineteenth century novel with explanatory chapter headings and contemporary woodcuts, The Star of the Sea is a novel for the 2 I st
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century. O'Connor wields bis pen as a magician does bis wand. With it be traces witty vignettes of the likes of Charles Dickens and co-opts the newly published Wuthering Heights as a plot device. His characterization, particularly that of Pius Mulvey, is deft and brilliant. However, O'Connor's greatest achievement is to lure you into this world of broken dreams so inexorably that you can't break away. I had to stay awake reading the last hundred pages although I didn ' t finish them until well into the small hours. When I eventually turned out the light, I found tears in my eyes, although I had been laughing a moment before. There was even a twist in the very end of the tail.
I shall read many historical novels before the year is out, but I doubt whether I shall read one as wonderful as The Star of the Sea.
Sally Zigmond
PRAIRIE MOON
Maggie Osborne, Ivy/Ballantine, 2002, $6.99/C$9.99 (£4.43), pb, 368pp, ISBN 0-80411990-2
Civil War widow Della Ward has found a refuge of sorts on a Texas farm. Detern1ined to eke out an existence, she gamely supports herself in the stark landscape, admitting that her one agricultural achievement is raising splendid but useless pumpkins. The arrival of James Cameron, her late husband's c01made-in-arms, is a reminder that Della sent a harsh letter when Clarence Ward faced his final battle , back when she was young and pregnant, a Yankee living uncomfortably in the South, under the thumb of domineering, disapproving in-laws.
Cameron, a lawman famous for his deadly pistols, has a mysterious air and more than a few secrets. When he learns that Della has a daughter, Claire, whom she forcibly left to the care of the Wards, be agrees to escort her to Atlanta for a reunion. The couple cross the Western lands, first on horseback, making camp in long grueling stages, then by train. The journey is one of discovery for both, of endurance, and an opportunity to put the past in perspective.
The characterization and atmosphere are first-rate; the motivations and backstory are sometimes muddled. While the outcome of Della's and Cameron's yearnings is hardly in doubt, and the revelation of young C laire's fate seems contrived, this is a satisfying historical romance from a seasoned author.
Margaret Barr
AN IMPROPER DEATH
Paula Paul, Berkley, 2002, $5 .99 /C$8. 99 (£3.74), 208pp, pb, ISBN 0-425-18741-1
The second mystery adventure of Dr. Alexandra Gladstone has much the same virtues and flaws as the first (Symptoms of Death). The problems of being a female doctor in Victorian England
THE ffiSTORlCAL NOVELS REVIEW
are abundantly illustrated. Trying to do surgery on a male patient's privats, for example, takes a good amount of strategic planning. And in general Ms. Paul does a more than credible job in re-creating the life and times of the lower classes; it was a hard life. Where she falters is in the mystery itself, that of the death of a former British admiral, found drowned on the beach near his home, clad only in women's undergarments (hence the title).
Constable Snow's mystrious behavior that follows seems strained and forced, and so do several other incidents. Worse, though , is the killer's behavior, totally unexplainable , making any attempt to follow the clues all but hopeless. So, definitely a mixed bag. Read this for the characters, not for the detective work.
Steve Lewis
SEVEN DIALS
Anne Perry, Ballantine, 2003, $25.95/C$39.95, hb, 352pp, ISBN 0-345-44007-2
Pub. in the UK by Headline , 2003, £18.99, hb , 256pp, ISBN 0747268967
This is the 23 rd volume in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series, and I will say, from the beginning, that it is probably one of ilie best that Perry has written. lt never ceases to amaze me how the prolific Perry not only chums her Monk and Pitt novels out like clockwork, but that the most recent novel in each of the series is one of the finest - if not the finest - the author has produced.
An Egyptian woman named Ayesha Zakhari is arrested for the murder of a former British officer. Also arrested is her lover, a senior cabinet minister, who assists Ayesha in dumping the corpse into a wheelbarrow in order to dispose of the body. The reasons for the murder are unknown. Victor Narraway, the bead of Special Branch , ships Thomas Pitt out to Alexandria to dig up information, hopefully to illuminate the police about a motive for the murder.
Meanwhile, Charlotte becomes immersed in assisting her maid, Gracie, in locating the brother of one of Gracie's friends, the valet to a troubled young man. Both Martin and his master have gone inexplicably missing. An astute Perry reader already knows what is in store: that the two stories intersect at some point.
The sights, sounds and smells of Alexandria are intensely communicated by Perry and transport us to that exotic locale. The flip sidethe disturbing sights, sounds and smells of the downtrodden in the Seven Dials section of London - is , likewise, conveyed with similar intensity.
A fun read for the Perry lover.
Ilysa Magnus
VERITY
Maureen Peters, Robert Hale, 2002, £17.99, hb , 189pp, ISBN 0709071361
When Tansy Clark's fiance died, leaving her bis Chelsea house and an income, she became an independent woman. She enjoys a warm relationship with her father, a retired police inspector, and a journalist friend, Frank Cartwright. One day she meets the newlymarried Verity Simpson whose husband seems to have gone missing. When bis drowned body is found in the river it is assumed that he has committed suicide. But Tansy is not so sure and is soon plunged into a dangerous and intriguing hunt for the truili.
Verity is a pleasant combination of romance and detective story and although the plot isn't complex, the mystery element holds the reader's interest. The romance is less well developed and the ending left ambiguous as if for a sequel.
The heroine is feisty enough to drive the story forward and her outlook and experiences reflect the changing role of women in the late 19th century. This is not a taxing read, but is nonetheless charming.
Sara Wilson
THE NIGHT CALLS
David Pirie, Century, 2002, £17.99, hb, 360pp, ISBN 0712670998, pub in US in Aug 2003, St Martins Minotaur, $24.95, hb, ISBN03 l 2291043
The second in the Murder Rooms series, described as 'the dark beginnings of Sherlock Holmes', this is written in the guise of an autobiographical account by Arthur Conan Doyle describing a disturbing case in which he was involved while a young medical student in Edinburgh, working with bis mentor (and the original of Holmes) , Dr Joseph Bell.
The first book in the series, The Patient's Eyes, was well received and made into a BBC TV series. There is no doubt that Pirie has researched Doyle's troubled early years assiduously and he puts forward some plausible insights into matters which have long remained shadowy in the author's background. The plot, involving crude and bizarre outrages upon young women in the city, and a cunning and audacious criminal, is well contrived. The character of Bell is carefully drawn , both as a proto-Holmes but also as an individual in his own right.
My main reservation is that the prose style is purely functional - a scriptwriter's style, in fact. There is little imagery or atmospheric description, and no writerly qualities, no sense of prose rhythms. This is particularly unfortunate because, of course, the writing is purported to be that of Doyle himself, and it does not attain anywhere near bis mastery. I
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found this incongruity intruded rather on my enjoyment of the work.
Mark Valentine
STARVATION CAMP
Bill Pronzini, Berkley, 2001 (cl984), $5.99/C$8.99 (£3.79), 211 pp, ISBN 0-42518305X
The most famous gold rush on this continent was certainly the one that took place in 1849, in California. To those of use who grew up listening to Sergeant Preston of the Mounties, and his lead dog Yukon King on the radio, not very far behind was the one that occurred in Alaska and the neighboring Yukon Territory in the ear ly 1900s. Incessant winds howling across the airwaves, and cold? You'd better believe it.
And when supplies ran low, food became as scarce and as valuable as gold itself. In this recently reprinted novel, published as a western, when Corporal Zach McQuestion's good friend Molly Malone is murdered for her storehouse of provisions, he takes it personally.
As a crime or mystery novel, which this definitely is, the plot is essentially onedirectional. Simply follow the killers wherever they go, and in this case, down the coast from Skagway to Seattle to San Francisco and beyond. But what Pronzini offers as a background is a leading player as well: the rough and tumble life of a boisterous young frontier America, just after the heyday of the cowboys, as towns were growing up and open spaces were just starting to fill in. The story ends begging for a sequel, but so far as I've been able to discover, there's never been one.
Steve Lewis
SHENANDOAH
James Reasoner, Cumberland House, 2002, $22.95/C$34.95, hb, 4 l 6pp, ISBN 1-58 I 82294-4
This eighth installment of ten in the Civil War Battle Series begins with Titus Brannon, recently escaped from a Yankee POW camp, returning to his home in Virginia to find his brother, Henry, married to Titus' wife, Polly. Brannon's family was told he had died at Fredericksburg and is understandably shocked when he appears on their doorstep. Now the family must deal with a scanda l of monumental proportions, made even more complicated by the fact that Polly is pregnant with Henry's child. Or so it seems
Reasoner conveys the confrontation of battle and family feuding with remarkable skill. But for the first time while reading this series I was disappointed at one aspect of his writing. When writing scenes of tenderness he seems unsure of himself and falls back on cliches and sappy dialog, especially in the scenes between brothers. Otherwise, this installment lives up to
the high standards of the rest of the series and is still well worth reading.
Mark F. Johnson
THE TENTMAKER
Clay Reynolds, Berkley, 2002, $14 / $20 (£7 .86), pb, 389pp, ISBN 0-425-18270-3
After an unremarkable stint in the Civil War, Gil Hooley's ready to leave the world behind. He heads out west to set up shop as a tentmaker in some frontier town - doesn't care which. Fate steps in, however, when his wagon breaks down smack dab in the middle of nowhere, west Texas. One by one, other folk happen by, and with Hooley's handmade tents as their shelter, many even stay. It's soon apparent to all but Hooley that he's got a full-fledged town on his hands, complete with all the necessities of life-that is, a saloon, general store, and whorehouse. But danger in the form of a violent gang of thugs - coldhearted, blood-mad lunatics who'd shoot and scalp you for the sheer fun of it--isn't far behind. In the end, it may be up to Hooley to protect his town, even though he won't let on that it means anything to him at all.
Reynolds doesn't shrink from showing the West as it most likely was. If you can stomach the opening scene, you'll have gotten through the worst ofit, but it's still a wild and dirty ride. The characters are stubborn, and complex, and if kindness lurks beneath some of the bluster, they won't be the ones to admit it. From the zinger of an opening paragraph until the very last sentence, this is a powerful tale of belonging, loyalty, and yes, even love, all served up in a realistic, gritty western style that will leave you wanting more.
Sarah Nesbeitt
THE SEDUCTION
Julia Ross, Berkley, 2002, $12.95 / C$18.99 (£7.27), pb, 358pp, ISBN 0-425-18469-2
Ross takes the reader into the world of the Regency rake, specifically that of Alden Granville-Strachan, Viscount Gracechurch. A younger son who has inherited the bankrupt Gracechurch estate, he attempts to improve his cash flow by gambling--but his real success lies in seduction. When he loses the family estate at the card table, his opponents, Lord Edward Vane and Sir Reginald Denby, up the stakes with the wager that if Alden can seduce a widow, Juliet Seton, his property will be his again.
patches, bringing the opulence of Regency England to life. Dialogue rings true to the period without being wearying, the lovers are tender without being cloying, and the love scenes are passionate without being pornographic. I picked up this book, expecting a fun, predictable read and found it les s predictable and more fun.
Ellen Keith
HOPE
Mary Ryan, Headline, 2002,£6.99, pb, 596pp, ISBN 0747267189, pub in US April 2003, St Martins Press, $27 .95, hb, ISBN03 l 2309708 Hope is a kind of biography. It's a tale of a poor Irish family making good in the American go ld rush, and what happens to them afterwards. Mary Ryan is actually one of their descendants and she has obviously put a lot of work into the research. However, she has also succeeded in filling in the gaps with some interesting fiction. It is overlong, and the irksome martyr complex that seems to bedevil most work by Irish authors about Ireland crops up. Nonetheless, this is a fine effort, done by someone who really cares about the characters.
Martin Bourne
PICTURES FROM AN EXPEDITION
Diane Smith, Viking, 2002, $24.95 / C$35.99 (£14.01), hb, 277pp, ISBN 0670031291 Smith, author of Letters from Yellowstone, returns with another book set primarily in the 19 th century American West, in which the entries have something of the same feel of the letters in her previous work.
THE HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW
Juliet proves to be a piquant target, raising the question of who is doing the seducing as Alden finds himself more and more enthralled by her. Needless to say, she has a secret; Vane and Denby have an ulterior motive; and Alden makes some discoveries of his own before the inevitable happy ending. Ross provides lavish descriptions of both men's and women's clothing, powdered wigs, and decorative face 22
Brief sections set in 1919 bookend the story. The Smithsonian Institution is interested in mounting an exhibition of works from the Starwood Collection. Augustus Starwood was a somewhat obscure painter of the mid- l 800s. Eleanor Peterson, a scientific illustrator and friend of Starwood's, is asked by the Smithsonian to explain a number of pictures and other materials in the Starwood Collection. Peterson knew Starwood in Philadelphia, but more importantly, he accompanied her to Montana in 1876 when she was engaged to record, in drawings, finds from an expedition in search of dinosaur bones. Things were unsettled in the badlands of Montana at that time: it was just after the Battle of Little Bighorn when Indian tribes were on the move, and were soon to be enclosed. Peterson complies with the Smithsonian's request, but refuses to use the standard cataloging forms for each item in the collection. Instead, through written reminiscences, she engagingly relates the story of the expedition and the remarkable people she and Starwood encounter.
Smith is gifted in portraying the period and place. The characters come alive, as does the frequently tense setting in which we see them,
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where the perceived threat from Indians is very palpable, and rival scientific teams seem threatening. She uses th is format just as skillfully as she did the epistolary format. Several months after reading the book, many of its images remain vivid in my mind.
Trudi E. Jacobson
DAMSEL IN DISTRESS
Joan Smith, Robert Hale , 2002 (first British edition), £17.99, hb, 189pp, ISBN 07090 65760 Spirited widow Caroline, Lady Winbourne (incorrectly named Lady Caroline in the dustwrapper blurb) becomes involved with the darkly handsome Lord Dolmain when she is obliquely accused of stealing his daughter's diamond necklace. In the spirit of Regency romances, Caro and Dolmain are at loggerheads one minute and passionately smouldering at one another the next. Intrigue and murder are part and parcel of their adventures and Dolmain 's daughter Helen is kidnapped.
The narrative is rather patchy and the usual rollicking Regency ride is somewhat bumpy. The dialogue is in need of a finn editorial hand. The use of colloquial expressions such as 'I guess' and 'folks' is reminiscent of Garrison Keilor's Prairie Home Companion. and the editor should have spotted the howler about a Dolmain 'ancestor' having been influenced by the Prince Regent's penchant for chinoiserie. It is a Regency novel after all!
I have complained before about the quality of the dust wrappers commissioned by Hale They are lurid reminders of cheap 1960s fiction. Joan Smith has written some light and entertaining Regency novels. This is not one of them.
Geraldine Perriam
BELIEVING THE DREAM
Lauraine Snelling, Bethany House , 2002, $11.99 (£6.83), pb, 320pp, ISBN 0-7642-26843
This second volume in the Return to Red River series continues the lives of the Bjorklund family of Northfield, Minnesota. Thorliffs yearnings to become a writer usher him into college. Life there is difficult, due in part to the new experience and the distance from loved ones. Readers are quickly introduced to Elizabeth Rogers , a student with dreams of becoming a doctor. Her hopes are to save lives of women in childbirth. In the background of their stories, the impact of wretched winters beginning in November , 1893 somehow reflects the heartaches of romance, strength of family ties and eventually the rewards of faith presented through the lives of the Bjorklund and Rogers families.
The author has chosen an easy writing style without the complication of several intertwined plots. The narrative moves slowly to a predictable outcome. These qualities will make
THE HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW
this work accessible to high school age readers. It will appeal most to readers who enjoy stories of characters whose lives are driven by biblical faith. Individuals searching for inspirational reading regarding young adults troubled with uncertainty and worry will find this volume fulfilling.
Jetta Culpepper
THE GOLD OF CAPE GIRARDEAU
Morley Swingle, Southeast Missouri State Univ. Press , 2002, $19.95, pb, 286pp, ISBN 09724304-0- 7
Morley Swingle has written a fast-paced, gripping example of historical fiction, which takes place in both the present and the years before and during the American Civil War. The struggle for entitlement to a recently uncovered 'treasure trove' beneath Allison Culbertson's client's home sets up the tension for some unsettling courtroom drama, but also brings the reader back in time to Cape Girardeau's golden days of steamboating. Here is where we meet Lindy and John, Patrick O'Malley (John's 'pseudo' uncle) , Horace Calxton (a most malicious villain), and a host of flawed and well-dimensioned characters.
Swingle unquestionably has a gift for both storytelling and research, and illustrates his characters' strengths and blemishes with a genuine flourish. How did the 'treasure trove' get there? Why is skeleton with an obvious bullet hole in his head buried next to it? Does tbe gold belong to Culbertson's client or Claxton's descendants? With these electrifying questions, all linked with a wonderful romance that flows into a tragic telling of one man's insight into the Civil War, this novel is very highly recommended.
Wendy Zollo
ADELE: Jane Eyre's Hidden Story Emma Tennant, Morrow , 2002, $25.95 / C$39.50 (£14.57), hb , 240pp, ISBN 006-000454-l
It is about 1800 when the story opens. Eight year old Adele Varens, the daughter of Celine Varens, a popular actress, recounts her life in Paris. As the story unfolds, her mother suddenly abandons her, and she moves to Thornfield Manor in England, the ward of Edward Rochester - her apparent father. Over time, she discovers the dark mysteries of Thornfield 's household and comes to terms with her modest governess, Jane Eyre. As Adele matures into a young woman, she becomes possessed by her dream to reunite her parents Eventually she runs away to Paris searching for her mother, only to find her youthful memories betrayed by the stark realities of life. Edward pursues, hoping to convince her to return to Thornfield and Jane Eyre, now his wife.
This story's plot line and characters are intimately intertwined with those of the novel Jane Eyre, but clearly this is Adele's story. Through her experiences, both novels are enriched, and particularly interesting is the contrast portrayed between English and French societies of the early 19th century. Tennant presents fascinating speculations on character and motive, and her style and attention to historical detail succeeds in extending Bronte 's classic , which will delight fans of Jane Eyre. Gerald T. Burke
ECLIPSE
Richard S. Wheeler , Forge, 2002 , $27.95 /C$38.95 (£ 15.94), hb , 380pp, ISBN 0312-87846-X
Eclipse is a fictionalized account of the lives of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark after their return from the first great transcontinental expedition across North America in 1806 . The two men were darlings of the young republic of the United States , and the pride of President Thomas Jefferson because they made his dream of a nation between two great oceans come true.
The novel is told in the alternating voices of Lewis and Clark, and they are distinct. The courageous and brilliant Lewis returns from the expedition with a heavy secret, an illness that means the end of his hopes and dreams for the future. His pride and his shame lead him to selftreat his condition, an action that is often selfdestructive. His illness, as well as his meticulous nature , causes him to delay editing and transcribing the journals from the expedition so that they can be published.
Clark, in contrast, is straightforward, plainspoken and practical. He demonstrates a romantic streak in his courtship of Julia Hancock, and he acts responsibly in attempting to help his brother, George Rogers Clark, who has fallen onto hard times after helping to found the city of Louisville, Kentucky. William Clark will not allow his wife and family to suffer poverty and loss of property through any careless administration on his part. He admires Lewis and is puzzled to see the downhill course of his life after their return from the West.
Dialogue is vivid; narration flows smoothly. Wheeler has researched his subject thoroughly, and his explanation for Lewis' early death is convincing. This is an interesting and readable treatment of the subject, and it made me want to learn more.
Mary L. Newton
OBLIVION'S ALTAR
David Marion Wilkinson , New American Library, 2002, $14/$20 (£7.86), 376 pp, pb , ISBN 0-451-20546-4.
This fictional biography of Ridge Walker, a mixed-blood Cherokee leader, unflinchingly depicts his Nation's travais from the years of
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the American Revolution to the infamous forced westward march along the Trail of Tears. Wilkinson conveys the inward and outward conflicts as the determined Ridge carves out his own path, diverging from the ways of his father's pwple by having his own son, John Ridge, educated in New England, and prevailing against the Creeks in battle.
Farming what they regard as their sacred ancestral land s, Ridge and his wife Sehoya acquire slave and fill their house with house with objects imported from England. Even as they adopt the methods of white planters, they cherish tribal habits, customs, expectations, and responsibilities. Ridge seeks to guide his people along the safer path, journeying to Washington as necessary to meet a succession of White Fathers, relying on his eloquent, charismatic, mission-educated son to mediate and translate. Ultimately Ridge must cast himself out of his own Nation, and pays a heavy price for his v1s1on of a lasting heritage. Education, intermarriage, and political involvement seal the fate of his increasingly 'c ivilized' people, who present a greater threat to the US government than when they hunted in forests and fished the rivers.
First-person accounts from Andrew Jackson, Sehoya, and those Cherokees who chafe at the Ridges' leadership provide perspective. Despite occasional stiffness of dialogue and a tinge of political correctness, the novel offers a meticulously researched and moving presentation of Indian sufferings and subjugation.
Margaret Barr
20TH CENTURY
MURDER O THE LUSITANIA
Conrad Allen, Duckbacks, 2002, £6.99, pb, 271 pp, ISBN 0715632132. Pub in US by St Martin's Pres s, $5.99, pb , ISBN0312975716 First published in the USA in 1999 this is the first of a series of thrillers set aboard the great ocean liners of the Edwardian age, featuring George Porter Dillman, a sort of on-board hou se detective. This is a neat idea, giving readers all the glamour and romance of these grand vessels together with some of the satisfactions of the Golden Age of the crime novel. The author is a bit too keen to press home his research on occasion with details of the sh ip His prose is slick and brisk and lacks the mannered charm and the engaging eccentricities which give the authentic Golden Age detective fiction its durability ; the dialogue, for example, is particularly terse and functional. I also found the characters fitted rather too squarely into their roles. However , this is a competent and crisp thriller whose
setting will doubtless have a special appeal to some.
Mark Valentine
MURDER ON THE MAURETANIA
Conrad Allen, Duckbacks, 2002, £6.99, pb, 303pp, ISBN 0715632124, pub in US by St Martin's Press, $6.50, pb, ISBN031297783 In 1907 the Cunard liner Mauretania leaves for New York on her maiden voyage. As well as over two thousand passengers and nine hundred crew, she carries nearly three million pounds in gold bullion, and security is tight. Private detectives George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield, masquerading as passengers, accompany the ship. Trouble is not long in coming. First of all angry passengers report the thefts of small silver objects. Then two Welsh minders emigrating to the New World and travelling in steerage, are discovered ' lost ' in the second class accommodation. Why are they there? Worst of all, during a storm, one of the passengers goes m1ssmg. Was he swept overboard, or is there a more sm1ster explanation? George and Genevieve must act fast if the reputation of the Mauretania is to be saved - and they have five days to do it.
This is a well researched , easy-to-read whodunit. I particularly enjoyed the details of how a luxury liner of this period was run. The Booklist called it "good period fun" and that about sums it up.
Elizabeth
Hawksley
A FLY HAS A HU DRED EYES
Aileen G. Baron, Academy Chicago, 2002, $24 (£13.47), hb, 277pp, ISBN 0-89733-509-0 Lily Sampson is an American archaeologist assigned to assist at a dig in Palestine during the turmoil of the late 1930s. Horrific riots , bombings and killings take place on the streets around her. Then her boss, British archaeologist Geoffrey Eastbourne, is killed, and an old blue amphoriskos from their dig site disappears. In her search to find the amphoriskos, Lily becomes intricately involved in the events surrounding not just her and the Holy Land, but the world on the eve of the Second World War.
There is no doubt that this is a snapshot of Palestinian history just prior to World War II. The descriptions are vivid, yet they lack emotional involvement, as if they were simply repeats of source material used by the author. The story is entertaining and filled with archaeological and geographical details , yet it never engages the reader. The writing style and the somewhat vague ending will lead readers to wonder if there are perhaps plans to create a series. In this regard, the main characters are likable, and a series may fill in details of people, politics and events over several books that are missing in this one. This novel would
appeal to fans of Palestinian, Jewish , or Middle Eastern history, archaeology, or mysteries. Alycia Harris
IN THE ABSE CE OF MEN
Philippe Besson, Heinemann, 2002, £9.99, hb , I 66pp, ISBN 0434009695. Pub in US in April 2003 by Carroll & Graf, $21.00, hb , ISBN07867116l2
Paris 1916, a city where adult males are largely absent, and 16 year old Vincent, aristocratic, beautiful and amoral, meets the much older Marcel Proust. An intense friendship develops, Concurrently, Vincent meets 21 year old Arthur, son of a family servant, and on leave from the trenches They have a passionate affair. Whilst both Proust and Arthur are in Paris, Vincent can keep his two relationships separate and retain his pose of emotional objectivity. He experiences, that is all. But when Proust leaves for the country and Arthur returns to the front, Vincent is suddenly overwhelmed by anguish and loss. The second half of the book charts his growth in emotional maturity.
Initially I thought we were going to be in Huysmans territory - French decadence - with Vincent as a Dorian Grey character. But Vincent does not move from innocence to corruption as Dorian does. He is inexperienced, but never innocent, and prides himself on experiencing things without guilt, a pose I found tedious after a while. The second half was more emotionally engaging and far more interesting The French reviews were ecstatic: brilliant, inventive, audacious and spellbinding, were just some of the adjectives used. The book struck me as interesting and readable, but a bit precious.
Elizabeth Hawksley
THE FLAMBOYANT
Lori Marie Carlson, HarperCollins, 2002, $24.95 (£14.01), hb, 240pp, ISBN 0-06621068-2
The Demerests and their 15-year-old daughter Lenora live in Chautauqua, an intellectual retreat in upstate New York , in a lakefront estate called Driftwood. In 1915 Lenora lives her last idyllic summer close to nature, far from war. The following year her mother dies and her liberal father, the enlightened Dr. Demerest, no longer likes the countryside. He decides to relocate to Puerto Rico. On the voyage, Lenora meets aviator George Hanson , who inspires her to learn to fly.
The author describes the events and people in an omniscient, sweeping narrative. After twenty pages, she has yet to involve us with the characters in a full-bodied scene. She breaks the cardinal rule, 'Show, don'ttell ,' using dry prose to tell a juicy story. She takes charge of the material when Lenora meets Ignacio Portelli , a
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wealthy young landowner, but chooses to write from his point-of-view. Smitten with the 'Americana,' he presents her with an antique gem, sparking her interest in jewelry.
The story lacks conflict and tension. The characters are nice people, but s inc e they have nothing at stake, it takes an effort to stay interested in their doings. The story picks up in Chapter 9 when Lenora takes flying lessons, but even then, the author summarizes, skimming the surface of her scenes. She forfeits the opportunity to describe Lenora's first experience at the throttle of a plane. She isn't engaging her subject or the reader. There are lovely lyrical passages and good dialog, but without tension they just lie there. Only the character of Lenora sustains the novel.
Marcia K. Matthews
COOKLEY GREEN
Margaret Chappell, Corgi 2003, £6.99, pb, 366pp, ISBN 0552149748.
This debut novel spans much of the last century of life in a vi llage in East Anglia. The modem protagonist, a teacher who moves into the village with her young son in 1999 , is separated from her partner and the tale commences as a letter intended for him. Her interest in the local history encourages her to make enquiries about the deceased inhabitants. Back to back is the story of events dating from 1908 including the fate of the nubile Stella in the halcyon days before WWI.
This is an engaging tale contrasting and comparing the old ways with the modem. The changes heralded by the Great War are depicted most clearly in this tiny close knit community. The author cleverly withholds certain information which adds to the intrigue of this well-researched and authentic tale. Sarah Crabtree.
OCTOBER SUITE
Maxine Clair, Random House, 2002, $12.95/C$19.95 (£7.27), pb, 335pp, ISBN 0375-76095-4
Self-named October Brown begins her career as a novice schoo lte acher in Kansas in 1950. While living in a boarding house, she falls in love with the handyman, James, the father of one of her students. He claims to be an unhappily married man. When October becomes pregnant, James becomes enamored of his estranged wife and tells October to get rid of the baby. She quickly lo ses her naivete as she copes with the difficulties of segregation, gossip, and broken promises. The birth of her son, David, comes at a low point in her life . However, October is not through with life yet. She forges on through every difficulty with the sometimes support of friends and loved ones, and her own will to make the best of life.
Maxine Clair creates this story of forgiveness and family love with profound insight and subtlety. Historical details, especially concerning the emergence of African American schoolteachers and the jazz age, add depth and interest to this finely crafted work. This is Ms. Clair's first novel. It follows a collection of short stories entitled Rattlebone, which won the Chicago Tribune's Heartland Prize for fiction. Highly recommended.
Nan Curnutt
STAR QUALITY
Joan Collins, Hyperion, 2002, $23.95 (£16.95), hb, 354pp, ISBN 1401300006
Star Quality is a saga of four generations of women who become actresses, and each in her own way achieves stardom. It begins in 1917 with a typical upstairs-downstairs romance that leaves Millie, the poor maid, pregnant and unwed. She turns to the then barely respectable stage and becomes a star. After her untimely death, her daughter acts in films and her granddaughter 1s a world-class model. Eventually, the model's daughter, fourth generation, becomes a teenage rock star. Their rises are followed carefully by a jealous enemy who seeks revenge for a wrong she blames on Millie and which she hands down through the generations of her own family. The narrative is plot-driven and often fails to engage the reader's emotions.
While a good story, Star Quality lacks the fullness of detail that such an epic deserves. In fact, Miss Collins has given us little more than an expanded outline spiced with some Hollywood goss ip. Although an experienced author, Miss Collins bas fallen into the 'telling not showing' trap.
Audrey Braver
AURELIA: A Crow Creek Trilogy
Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, Univ. Press of Colorado, 2002, $16.95 (£9.52), pb, 462pp, ISBN 087081-685-l
Aurelia is a Dakotah (Sioux) storyteller, and this is her story, spanning the years from the 40s to the present. If you care to see America through Native eyes-and, be warned, it is not a flattering picture-this 'anti-western' taste of life on the 'res' should doit. In this rambling, eddying family story, sacred Dakotah land and the Missouri river hold the spiritual center, even while the former is whittled away by legali zed theft, and the latter maltreated and crippled by the Army Corps of Engineers. The first novella, From the River's Edge, tells the tale of a cattle theft and a trial, the end of one love affair and the beginning of another. In Circle of Dancers and In the Presence of River Gods, Aurelia bears a son and watches the lives of her people change, as each generation copes with life as a subject people, eternally harried by their
conquerors. Honor, promises made and promises broken, cultural survival, and tribal history are themes, but effortlessly woven into an intimate, poetic narrative with the same craft with which Aurelia creates her traditional willow baskets. After reading this book, I clearly understood what Indian Activists mean when they say: 'We dcn't want a bigger piece oftbe pie. We want a different pie.'
Juliet Waldron
SEVEN HOUSES
Alev Lytle Croutier, Atria Books, 2002, $24.00/ C$36.50 (£13.47), hb, 306pp, ISBN 0743444132
Alev Lytle Croutier draws on her girlhood in Turkey for this multi-generational mosaic of a saga stretching from before the First World War to the present. The family fortune is based on silk caterpillars smuggled to Anatolia in the head of a cane. The fortune vanishes just as easily when a handsome stranger lures the women to a life of debauched dancing and singing, the men to planting fake decaffeinated coffee beans. The family beauty, herself a secreted natural child, dances with Atatiirk, has a secret son, and struggles with fading look s at the end of her life. An ancient grandmother living in the chicken coop of what was once the family estate practices pagan rites, leaves food by the well for her dead husband every nightand gets money from him in return.
There are many beautifully written and evocative passages in this book that covers an interesting time and place. Like the 'clumps of brown photographs' old Iskender bas pinned to his walls or the shoebox labeled 'Atati.irk' full of snapshots the beauty queen wills to her niece, they are impressionistically intriguing. Photos of the homes that are 'a part of their body' - an old wooden structure on the water, the later 'accordion of apartment houses' - underline this impression. Yes, there is something of a Turkish Isabel Allende in this novel, as blurbs suggest. Sometimes, however, the reader is frustrated by the literary fuzziness of context in these impressions. The lack of a point of view character one can sink her ·teeth into until she gets to the third or fourth 'house,' for example, and the struggle to find the connecting plot make for an uneasy read. And the conceit of having the different houses speak in first person did not work for me at all: the passages were too widely spaced and the reader unprepared for them when they did come.
Ann Chamberlin
BLUE MOON
Peter Duchin and John Morgan Wilson, Berkley, 2002, $22.95 (£12.88), hb, 308pp, ISBN 0-425-18645-8
'Mystery' meets 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous' in this debut novel modelled on
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musician Peter Duchin, here thinly disguised as bandleader Phillip Damon. Reading this book is like looking at a painting of San Francisco's high society circa 1963. There is an abundance of name-dropping , lists of songs, events, and descriptions of landmarks, but one never gets access to what lies behind the glitzy surface. The plot, centering on the stabbing of a prominent rich man on the dance floor of a posh hotel and its link to the death of Damon's wife, is clever enough but predictable The introduction of a black police inspector adds an interesting albeit improbable dimension to what remains mainly amateur sleuthing. The best moments are the descriptions of the workings of a band and the inherent pleasure music brings to the soul. Here at last the emotions are real and transferred to the reader. If you're in the mood for a light, snobbish, glitter-filled story, or are nostalgic for that place and era, this one is for you.
Nicole Leclerc
THE SISTERS MALLONE
Louisa Ermelino, Simon & Schuster, 2002, $23 / C$35 (£12 91) , hb, ISBN 0743223330 Orphaned Mary, Helen and Gracie, the Sisters Mallone, were raised by their Italian grandmother, Anona , in Irish-dominated Hell's Kitchen , to be strong, independent women as opposed to the Little Italy ideal of meek, submissive wives. Pre-teen Helen masquerades as a boy and gets a job as a lookout for a speakeasy. When she is caught and arrested, Mary goes to the local 'godfather' for help in rescuing Helen. The two older sisters are survivors, quick to spot advantages and seize them as they grow into womanhood. When handsome, selfish , faithless Frankie Merelli's extra-marital affairs threaten to destroy their baby sister ' s happiness, they form an alliance to help Gracie escape her stifling marriage . The author gives us strong, intelligent, loving , loyal heroines who put family first. Move over Mario Puzo and Frank McCourt; make room for Louisa Ermelino. Beginning with the Depression and continuing into the I 950s , The Sisters Mallone , in the tradition of The Fortunate Pilgrim and Angela 's Ashes, is the story of a family triumphing over poverty and general adversity. Audrey Braver
HORNET FLIGHT
Ken Follett, Dutton, 2002, Dutton , $26.95 / C$38.99 , 416pp , hb, ISBN 0-52594689-6. Pub. in the UK by Pan , 2002, £16.99, 464pp , hb , ISBN 0333908406
In the spring of 1941 , England was almost single-handedly taking on the German war machine as it devastated Europe. Daily bombing raids were the only offensive action available. Since long-range fighters were still
on the drawing boards, the bombers were on their own as they crossed into enemy skies. Their losses were appalling. The RAF bomber command was convinced the Germans had developed a radar system that was far more advanced than anything the English had at the time. Furthermore, the radar installation had to be somewhere near the English Channel in order to acquire the bomber formations as they approached the coastline. Finding that installation became the responsibility of the Nightwatchmen, the fledgling Danish resistance movement.
This story follows young Harald Olufsen as he is, through a series of seemingly benign circumstances, drawn into the resistance. One step behind him is Peter Flemming , a hardnosed, by-the-book detective who believes anyone who breaks any law at all should be punished to the full extent. Harald has pictures of the radar installation and must get them to England. Peter wants to impress a Nazi general in order to gain a promotion, so he stops at nothing to thwart Harald's plan. What follows is enjoyable reading, although I found the plot to be too convenient, too easy. Flemming's detective skills seem to be limited to an uncanny ability to tell immediately when someone, anyone, is lying. Connecting the dots revealed the final picture much too soon.
Mark F. Johnson
THE BLOODING OF THE GUNS
Alexander Fullerton, Soho , 2001, $13.00 (£5.99pb) , tpb , 286pp, ISBN 1569473137
SIXTY MINUTES FOR ST. GEORGE
Alexander Fullerton, Soho, 2002, $24.00 (£5.99pb), hb , 308pp, ISBN 1569472939 PATROL TO THE GOLDEN HORN
Alexander Fullerton, Soho, 2002, $24.00 (£5.99pb), hb, 227pp, ISBN 1569473129
Alexander Fullerton's fictional biography of Nick Everard of the Royal Navy takes him from service on board a British destroyer in the World War I Battle of Jutland through equally hazardous service in the Second World War. Published in the UK in the 1970s, Everard's exploits are now made available to American readers.
Fullerton knows the Royal Navy and demonstrates time and again his respect for the doggedness and sacrifice of its officers and men. The series begins with The Blooding Of The Guns as Everard, recently transferred from duty on board a battleship , assumes a critical role in commanding his destroyer in action against the German High Seas Fleet in the maelstrom that was the Battle of Jutland. Sixty Minutes for St. George places Lieutenant Everard in the middle of the famous British raid on the German naval base of Zeebruge. Patrol To the Golden Horn finds our young battlehardened veteran in the Dardanelles where he is
on board a RN submarine hunting for the German battlecruiser Goeben (which is serving under Turkish colors as part of the Ottoman war effort against Imperial Russia and the British and French). Everard is a likeable personality caught up in family problems as well as numerous difficulties with older, and more traditional, senior officers. The officers and ratings he encounters during his war years serve as representatives of the diverse types found on active duty in times of grave national crisis. The only negative is the relatively large number of minor characters with which the reader is forced to cope. This is especially true with Patrol To the Golden Horn.
The reader may find this confusing and may long for fewer characters and tighter editing. This certainly worked with Hornblower and Aubrey. This aside, the series stands up quite well as an example of history presented through the eyes and experiences of a fictional character. I am looking forward to putting to sea on future Royal Navy campaigns in the struggles for naval supremacy from 1914-1918 and 1939-1945.
John R. Vallely
WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW?
Ed Gonnan, Berkley, 2002, $5.99/ C$8.99 (£3.74), pb, 196pp , ISBN 0-423-18716-0 Not to make it too personal, but September, 1959, was the month I started my senior year in high school , and that's the very same autumn in which this nostalgic trip back to small-town America takes place. I was younger then than Gorman's private eye p1otagonist, Sam McCain , but I remember drive-in movies, rock-and-roll, drugstore lunch counters , Gold Medal paperbacks, and Edd 'Kookie' Byrnes.
I also remember some of the darker sides of life in the late 50s: polio; segregation; Khrushchev's threats; the remnants of McCarthyism. And it's the Communist menace , or threat thereof, that forms the background for this latest of three mysteries Gorman has placed in Black River Falls, Iowa.
The first death is that of a liberal former member of Truman's administration, and the body count slowly but surely begins to climb from there. As good as the mystery is , even more enjoyable is San,'s love life, which to put it mildly , is a mess , and I identified with every awkward moment of it. Along with an unerring sense of that not-so-long-ago period of American history , Gorman's quiet but sarcastically obvious sense of humor is what makes this book worth looking for. Very enjoyable.
Steve Lewis
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WATERWOMAN
Lenore Hart, Berkley, 2002 , $21.95 /C$31.99 (£12.32) , hb , 24lpp , ISBN 0-425-18471-4
Annie Revels has a dream: to become a waterwoman , to work the sea , like her father. Her father is reluctant to encourage her; there have never been waterwomen on their island. But Annie clings to her dream , knowing that she is no great beauty , like her younger sister, and seeing no future prospects for herself as a wife and mother. When her father is tragically killed, Annie's wish is granted. She dons his oversized old shirts and belted trousers and dives into her new career; she also assumes the burden of providing for her ill mother and pampered sister. Then she meets Nathan Combs and their meeting alters the course of all their lives.
This is the second 'coning of age ' story in a similar setting (an isolated island off the Eastern seaboard) and time period (the early twentieth century) that I have reviewed this year. It amazes me that novels whose settings and time periods are so similar can possess such a different focus and tone. While Katherine Towler's Snow Island (see Issue 21) was a quietly contemplative book, Waterwoman has a more extroverted quality. It is fast paced, reads easily, and is emotionally charged from the onset. Even though the language is not highly sophisticated, the dominant themes are portrayed in all their complexity. The highlight of this book is definitely the heartbreaking , yet satisfying conclusion.
Any reader familiar with the lives of fishermen and who possesses a respect and awe for the sea will appreciate both stories. But Waterwoman focuses on the theme of sibling rivalry and will have a greater appeal to readers intrigued by this topic.
Andrea Connell
THE LOST GARDEN
Helen Humphreys , W.W. Norton, 2002 , $23.95 (£13.45), hb, 184pp , ISBN 0393051838 Gwen Davis has joined the Women's Land Army and is sent to a country estate, where she and the young women under her command are to grow vegetables for the war effort in the long neglected gardens. Gwen , who works for the Royal Horticultural Society, finds that her expertise doesn't count for much in motivating the women, who would much rather fraternize with the Canadian soldiers billeted on the same estate. She has always preferred to avoid people when possible, and feels totally inadequate to the leadership role she should assume. Gwen's social background is bleak: 'I have been touched three times in my life. Intentionally touched.' But with time, the women begin to work together , to make lives for themselves , to forge relationships.
Gwen divides her time between the vegetable plots and a hidden garden from the time of WWI that she has stumbled across. She slowly brings this secret garden back to life, all the while speculating on its creator and the poignant message it conveys.
Helen Humphreys is a poet as well as a novelist, as is clear from her deft use of language and imagery. A description of walking in the utter darkness of a moonless London night during the blackout made me understand clearly just what it felt like. The novel has a haunting quality and several unforgettable characters. I look forward to reading The Lost Garden again, and to searching out other books by Helen Humphreys.
Trudi E. Jacobson
NOW IN NOVEMBER
Josephine Johnson, Virago , 2002, £7 99 , pb, 193pp , ISBN 1860499163. Pub in US by Feminist Press , reprint 1991 , $10.95, pb, ISBNl558610359
This was Johnson's first novel , published in 1934 and written when she was in her early twenties. Then deemed as an 'exceptional talent' she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize a year later. Her work was likened to that of Emily Dickenson, Willa Cather and Emily Bronte.
The novel tells of the struggles of a middle class American family during the Depression and how their lives are affected by the 'big drought'. The narrator is fourteen year old Marget, who sits an uncomfortable second of three daughters.
Johnson's poetic, intense narrative captures the tormented feelings of the family who increasingly become isolated from each other and the rest of the community. Love , hatred, misunderstanding and failed attempts to survive against increasing odds as well as racial tensions all compound the stressful situations. A remarkable and beautifully written first novel which gives a moving account of this awful year. However, there is no let up to the grimness which pervades the whole book so this is not a light read and for me , seemed weightier than its less than two hundred pages.
Whilst focussing on the idea of women as 'nature' and the ways in which political and economic situations can govern everyday life , the main concept of the novel is that society set against nature is no contest and only the elements can win. Notions which some consider to ring just as true now as they did in the 1930s.
Greta Krypczyk-Oddy
EDUCATING WAVERLEY
Laura Kalpakian , Morrow , 2002, $24.95 / C$37.95 (£14.01), hb , 325pp, ISBN 0380-97768-0
Nona York, prolific elderly romance author , hires Rebecca Devere as a temporary assistant. Becky has just moved to Isadora Island with her mother , Denise, who has a troubled emotional history. Becky discovers in Nona ' s room a child ' s school desk inscrbed ' Wavril' and a box labeled 'Sexual Scrabble , a gam e for lovers ,' both of which pique her curiosity
Soon we are dropped into the past, when in 1939, fourteen-year-old Waverley Scott arrives at Isadora Island to attend Temple School , where North American girls are transformed into 'women of the future' through a unique curriculum Waverley ' s experiences at Temple will shape the rest of her life The relationship of Nona , Becky , and Denise in the present to Waverley and her friends in the past remains an enigma for most of the story.
Kalpakian has a gift for describing the cool , damp setting of the Pacific Northwest , and for capturing the emotions of her characters She does tend to hop from one character's viewpoint to another's , but the sbry has a cohesiveness that takes time to become evident. As a comingof-age tale, this has been done before ; but more is happening . In Edu cating Wav erley, Kalpakian creates a character who becomes strong enough through her educational ideals to risk the anger of others as she stands up for love and the memory of a beloved friend. Mary L. Newton
THE OFFICE OF INNOCENCE
Thomas Keneally , Sceptre, 2002 , £17.99 , hb , 336pp, ISBN 0340624736 , pub April 2003 in US , Doubleday , $25.00 , hb, ISBN038550763 l In the summer of 1942 , newly ordained Father Frank Darragh begins his ministry as a curate in the Catholic parish of St. Margaret's in Sydney The parish priest, Monsignor Carolan , is a builder-priest, more at home with raising finance and church edifices than meeting the needs of his flock. He exploits the young curate and when Darragh needs counsel and support, the Monsignor all but abandons him.
Darragh's concern for a young woman in the parish involves him with the police and the anti-Catholic press when the young woman is found murdered. Out of his depth and regarded as an embarrassment by the Church hierarchy , Darragh further jeopardises his career by pursuing the murderer , with disastrous consequences. The action is set against the background of war, when Japanese submarines invaded Sydney Harbour and Darwin was bombed. The 'Yanks' are conspicuous and seen by Australian men in tenns of the 'over-sexed , over-paid and over here' cliche and by the
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women as exotic providers of entertainment, ny lon s and chocolate.
The historical detail is superb and instantly recogni sa ble to anyone who knew Sydney during the middle decades of last century. Keneally portrays the Australian Catholic Church as hypocritical and brashly dominant. The former trainee priest is still clearly bitter about what he and others of his generation see as the failure of the church to support many of it s members both la y (particularly women) and c lergy Thi s is evidenced in the church's treatment of Darragh , the murdered woman and her young so n
This is Keneally at his best. His style is more confident with this book than with his last , B etta ny's Book (HNR Issue 15). The characters have dimension and credibility and the setting is s uperbly drawn The novel is a goo d example of how to show in historical fiction without telling. It is also a gripping and sat isfyi ng tale.
Geraldine Perriam
THE UNI VITEO COUNTESS
Michael Kilian , Berkley , 2002, $6.50/C$9.99 (£4.12), pb , 259pp, ISBN 0-425-18582-6 The story starts with humorous banter between art dealer Bedford Green and his 'famous ly tall and lovely assistant' Sloane . It 's 1925 and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney has invited them to her 'co ttage ' in Newport , hinting that she wants to investigate Hungarian countess Zala.
Author Kilian captures the essence of the jazz age, when you might go to a Manhattan club and find that Edna St. Vincent Millay has just left in a poetical uproar Bedford and Sloane go to the Breakers , only to find out they ' re expected at a smaller summer home belonging to Gertrude. They go yachting and to a fabulous party at the Breakers. The countess Zala is missing, and when a body turns up in the surf, they assume she has drowned. Bedford s uspects foul play He is driven to find out who the victim is and who killed her.
Russian aristocrat Tatiana, or Tatty, takes over as his companion. She defines for him the very rich: ' They don ' tunderstand why you can't go sa iling on Thursday.' As Bedford treads the line between art and commerce, clues and danger send him reeling. His finesse and so phisticated sleuthing allow him to untangle a complicated knot of circumstance.
Marcia K . Matthews
THE STRICK.LA DS
Edwin Lanham , University of Oklahoma Press , 2002, $24.95, pb , 31 lpp , ISBN 0-8061-3419-4 Life during the Great Depression is hard , particularly for those living in Oklahoma . The Str icklands are one such family. Facing imminent loss of their land because of a WPA Works project, Jay and Pat take different paths
to survive. One brother turns to crime. The other becomes a union organizer intent on uniting the white, black, and Indian tenant farmers against those who exploit them.
Originally published in 1939 shortly before Steinbeck's Th e Grapes of Wrath, reviewers expected The Strick/ands to win the Pulitzer. Fate decreed otherwise, and this heartwrenching story soon disappeared from bookshelves. Lawrence R. Rodgers , an Associate Professor of English at Kansas State University, pens an introduction outlining the historical , regional , and literary context for this compelling novel.
Lanham , himself an Oklahoma native , realistically portrays the people, place , and time affected by economic depression. His story transports the reader back in time and captures poor folks' struggle to survive in a world that gamers them little in spite of their hard work. Love , greed, power, betrayal, and prejudice collide within these pages without any sugarcoating. Yet in spite of adversity and tragedy , hope for a better life and world remains.
Cindy Vallar
1949
Morgan Llywelyn , Forge, 2003, $25.95/C$35.95, 416 pp , he , ISBN 0-31286753-0
In 1949 , Morgan Llywelyn continues the saga of the Halloran and Mooney families, introduced to readers in her previous novels , 1916 and 1921. Although this ep ic novel chronicles events in Ireland during the years 1925-1949 , it a lso focuses on the wider global community.
The story centers on Ursula Halloran, who develops an interest in international affairs while at a finishing school in Switzerland. When she returns to a position at Dublin's fledgling broadcasting station, 2RN, she incorporates this interest into her work , a lon g with her Republican sentiments Later employed by the League of Nations, Ursula flees an Ireland that frowns on independent women and their choices.
Through Ursula's life, readers see the effects of the Wall Street crash, the rise of fascism in Europe, and the events of World War II We see how the IRA continued the fight for a unified Ireland and what life was like in both rural and urban Ireland at this point in history.
The long time period spanned by this novel means it is not as dramatically tense as its predecessors However, few storytellers can match Morgan Llywelyn's skill. Her research is as impeccable as ever, her characterization as human and real. 1949's ending suggests there will be another book in this series. I hope so; I
would like to see how Ursula's family and friends weather po s t-1949 Iri s h affairs. Claire Morris
BUDDHA WEPT
Rocco Lo Bosco, GreyCore, 2002, $2 1 (£ 12 .32), hb , l 76pp, ISBN 0-9671 85 1-8-1
This is the story of Ona Ny, who was born in a city a bout twenty miles south of Phnom Penh Her name came to her mother in a dream , spoken by a golden spirit woman who appeared half-hidden in jungle s hadow. Gifted with a mystical sensitivity, Ona lived an ordinary life , safe in the warm circle of a large extended family. She married a man who loved her deeply a nd had three children. Then Pol Pot and the Khymer Rouge took power in Cambodia, and the venerable statue of Buddha in their village began , prophetically , to weep. The population-a mong them , Ona and her family-were herded into ' reeducation ' camps, and systematically s tarved , tortured, and murdered In four years, three million of Cambodia's seven million citizens were exterminated-the ' Killing Fields.' Like th: poet of Ecc lesiastes, the light of the irrepressible life force pre se rves and sustains Ona. All possessions lost , most of her family wantonly destroyed, yet Ona's soul, and her ability to love , endures. Buddha Wept is a powerful meditation upon the nature of evil and human suffering. Ona Ny's story, by any standard, Christian or Buddhist , is that of a saint.
Juliet Waldron
AND THE WAR IS OVER
Ismail Marabirnin , Grove Press , 2002, $13.00/C$21.50, pb , I 73pp , ISBN0802139221 Here is a entirely different view of World War II for people around the world to refresh their recollection or to learn anew about the terrible pain and atrocities which one human being can inflict on another.
The story, set in Indonesia , begins as the Japanese surrender. A military commander must concede defeat and deal with both the ties be has to his wife and new love. Emotions are high as war harshly impacts troops from many countries and civi li ans back home.
Desperate acts of prisoners and defeated soldiers transport readers to scenes where power and weapons overshadow reasoning. Dutch internees in the Japanese army camp are in the midst of an escape plot as they go about their daily duty of digging and moving dirt Changes in the Sumatran village of Teratakbuluh reveal the influence upon local society of the military presence.
This highly recommended novel presents acts of war from the battlefield perspective , yet humanizes those acts so that the reader is permitted to feel close to the events.
Jetta Cu lp epper
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ISSUE 23 , FEBRUARY
TWO RINGS FOR ROSIE
Ken McCoy, Piatkus, 2002, £5.99, pb, 346pp, ISBN 074993329 I
Rosie, pregnant after her young lover is killed on a building site, is thrown out by her indignant mother. She struggles to survive until a fortunate meeting with kind and wealthy George. Then things start to go dreadfully wrong again
McCoy tells a good story, with warm characters, an exciting plot and lots of angst for the heroine There is local colour and authentic detail. I found the odd authorial interpolation distracting. These leaps out of the character's head reduce the identification of reader and character. And the last few chapters could have done with more careful copy-editing for misplaced commas and words, but I ' m afraid most books suffer from this today!
Marina Oliver
AN ENCHANTED PLACE
Annie Marks , Robert Hale , 2002, £17.99, hb , 3 I 9pp, ISBN 0709071485
1941. Julia Logan's estate Tremar has been converted into a convalescent home for wounded officers. Among their number are Patrick, who falls in love with Annie, Julia's ward, and Oliver, the married doctor with whom Julia had an affair after he rescued her from the county asylum. Will Patrick 's aristocratic family accept Annie as his bride ? And will Oliver 's continued obsession with Julia destroy her and his own family?
One of the hurdles this novel has to overcome is that it 's a sequel to Marks 's Daught er of Tremar (HNR Issue 13), and past events have long-term consequences. On the whole , the author handles this well, giving a brief summary early on and adding more details when necessary. However , without access to all the mitigating circumstances, it is disconcerting to discover three likeable characters apparently conspiring to commit cold-blooded murder. Nevertheless, the characters are well rounded and l would recommend this book to saga fans. Jasmina Svenne
A QUESTION OF LOYALTIES
Allan Massie, Canongate, 2002 (reissue), £8.99, pb , 337pp, ISBN 1841952990 Etienne de Balafre , middle-aged and settling into self-imposed exile in Switzerland, receives a request. Despite his initial misgivings, he is drawn into investigating the life of his father, whom he never saw after he was eight. Was Lucien a patriot, concerned only for France? If so, why did he die, and how?
For author Allan Massie, history is best understood in terms of human relationships, and this book grapples with still-unresolved issues of morality and culpability in World War II as Etienne discovers his father - a fallible,
honourable man burdened by loyalty to his wife, family, friends, country- in a war that did not respect borders and allowed no room for doubt.
This is an engrossing, imaginative , learned book , blurring the boundaries between fiction, history and biography. Two of the characters are Petain and Laval, but the fictional characters come across as real people. It is not a book to be picked up for a few minutes at a time, but requires concentration, especially as the narration often switches suddenly from Etienne to Lucien. The book will appeal to anyone who, like me, loves France and knows people old enough to remember those dark, desperate days. Regrettably , it is ill served by the blurb on the back cover, for Etienne did not return to France to pursue his investigation Janet Hancock
THERE IS A RIVER
Charlotte Miller, NewSouth, 2002, $25.95 (£14.57), hb, 30lpp, ISBN 1588380904
There is a River brings to a close Charlotte Miller's trilogy of Sou1hem life spanning the 20 th century. This book, however, stands on its own, relating the story of Janson Sandors , his family, and his rivalry with the town's powerful bigot, Buddy Eason. A supporting cast of interesting characters adds depth as we follow Janson from the local mill , to the battlefields of Europe and later the recession-bleak 1980s.
Following a weak opening, from which I could not glean in what period the story was set, the story proved a riveting one. The author soon made up for the lack of historical detail in the early chapters, lavishly depicting life in a small Southern town during the late 30s and early 40s. The bonds of family and friendship stood out in stark contrast to the prejudice and hatred of Buddy Eason. The harsh division between the factory workers and their employers, the Eason family, rang true.
The story follows a leisurely pace to its satisfying conclusion, marred at times by overwritten narrative and awkward prose. Had the characters not been so genuine, it might have suffered more as a result. For it was Ms . Miller's rich portrayal of her characters that made this book unique. Anyone yearning for a quiet yet powerful tale of love , revenge and redemption would do well to seek this one out.
Teresa Basinski Eckford
THE FEATHERBED
John Miller , Dundurn/Simon & Pierre , 2002, $14.99/ C$21.99 (£9.35), pb , 352pp, ISBN 155002-401-9
The Featherbed is the life story of Rebecca Kalish , a Russian-Jewish immigrant, told from the perspective of her two daughters, Anna and Sadie, as they read her diary after Rebecca 's
death. The plot encompasses two separate plotlines: it is the story of Rebecca 's life as an immigrant in New York City at the beginnin g of the twentieth century, as well as the story of Anna and Sadie's conflicted relation ship from their childhood until their mother's death in the 1980s.
The concept of the prominent plot of the novel, a woman's life rife with dark secre ts and traumas , is intriguing, yet the telling seems somewhat stiff and forced. It was difficult for me, as a female, to connect with the female characters in this book; their expression of thoughts and feelings seemed remote from my experience, even though 1 come from a sim ilar heritage and background Also, the plot meanders through a plethora of overly dramatic personal situations ranging from an arranged marriage to an abusive husband , prostitution , and abandonment, to abortion , miscarriage, a nd homosexuality. All of this packed into a book less than 350 pages long! The novel is also geared to a specific audience. Individual s familiar with Jewish rituals and 'y iddishi sms' will feel quite at home in thi s world, but others will feel as though they have entered a foreign country without a guide.
All in all, The Featherbed is an intere s tin g study of Jewish immigrant life in turn of the century New York City, but the storytelling at times lacks depth and overcompensates with drama.
Andrea Connell
LAST STOP VIENNA
Andrew Nagorski, Simon & Schuster, 2003, $25 (£ I 3.99), hb, 269pp, ISBN 074323750 I The story opens at the end of World War I. Fifteen-year-old Karl Naumann 's father and older brother have been killed, and he abandons his mother and drops out of school. As the German economy disintegrates , he joins a company of veterans fighting communists in the streets. Quickly , he becomes one of Hitler 's stom1troopers and loyally serves the National Socialist Party , i.e. the Nazi Party , throu g hout the turbulent 1920s. During his service, he meets the enticing 16-year-old Geli Raubal , Hitler's niece and ward. A few years later, Karl begins an affair with her, although he is married. Over time , Geli's relationship with Hitler takes on a nefarious dimension As politics and his personal life become more chaotic, Karl's disillusionment forces him to desert Hitler, and as 1931 wanes, everything unravels.
Nagorski's novel is absorbing, even if you know the history. Interestingly , the story is told by Karl, who is writing in prison , so a foreboding tragic tone permeates the novel. Still , Nagorski skillfully weaves a compelling knot between the fictional characters and the
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ISSUE 23, FEBRUARY
historical drama, which leads to a surprising ending. This is a dark yet rewarding first novel.
Gerald T. Burke
THE TAPESTRJES
Kien Nguyen, Little, Brown, 2002, $24.95/C$36.95 (£14.01), hb, 306 pp, ISBN 0316284416
The Tapestries is a novelization of the life of the author's grandfather, a gifted embroiderer who served in the court of the last king of Vietnam. Jn 1916, Dan Nguyen is wed to his first wife, Ven, a women almost two decades his senior. Yen becomes his caretaker, and when the family is murdered by the treacherous mayor of Cam Le Village, she gives up everything she holds dear to save him with the hope that someday he will avenge his family's honor.
This is a tale of survival, of passion, and of secrets. It is also a story of a beloved and honored grandparent told from the heart of a curious and adoring grandchild. Exotic settings, ranging from the rural farming village of Cam Le to the inner sanctum of the Forbidden Purple City, are richly portrayed. The sights, smells and vivid colors of Vietnamese festivals and ceremonies come alive through lavish description.
The plot is so complex that at times the reader can lose sight of the plot's general focus in favor of smaller details. But at the same time, the intricate plot is what gives this book its momentum and leads to a rewarding and deeply touching conclusion. My only criticism lies with the writing style, which I found to be a little too restrained and reserved , although many readers may appreciate emotional restraint in writing more than I do.
Andrea Connell
DAYS OF AWE
Achy Obejas, Ballantine Books, 2002, $14 (£7.98), pb , 370pp, ISBN 0345441540
Revolutionary Cuba provides the setting for this autobiographical novel. Alejandra San Jose is born the day Fidel Castro enters Havana. Her parents nee the island in 1961, fearing an American invasion , so Alejandra is raised in Chicago. She returns to Cuba in 1987 and again in 1997, and the book moves between these time frames. Even when the narrative takes place in the recent past, various discoveries throw us back to the early I 960's and times before. The heroine learns that her apparently Catholic family is of Marrano origin, and she explores both her own ancestry and the history of the Jews in Cuba.
The book won a Lambda Award for Lesbian Fiction, but Alejandra's sexual activity with both men and women is less fully realized than her longings. When she sees a beautiful young habai'iera on her first return trip, the
narrator reacts the way Dante did to Beatrice. Obejas has a fine ear for language, both Spanish and English and the ways to move between them. Street Spanish flirtation and high literary style make their appearance. Alejandra's father, who considers himself more Spanish than Cuban, translates real-life authors like Mario Vargas Llosa. He inadvertently displays his Sephardic ancestry by using judeo-espai'iol words like chinelas (slippers). The characters are unpredictable in their sexual and political trajectory. This is one of the many accomplishments of this highly recommended novel.
James Hawking
PRESUMPTION OF DEATH
Jill Paton Walsh & Dorothy L. Sayers, Hodder & Stoughton, 2002, £17.99, hb , 378pp, ISBN 0340820667. Pub in US in March 2003, St Martin's Minotaur, $24.95, hb, ISBN03 12291000
Thrones, Dominations (HNR Issue 4) involved Paton Walsh in the daunting task of completing an unfinished Sayers manuscript. This new work is based on the evidence from The Wimsey Papers, a series of letters from Sayers characters published between 1939 and 1940 in The Spectator.
Set at the beginning of WWII, we find Harriet, Lord Peter's wife and companion in detecting, based at their house in Hertfordshire with her two children and three belonging to Peter's sister. Peter, away on an intelligence mission in Europe, is initially unable to help Harriet in detecting the murderer of a land-girl who was said to be too free with her favours. Spies, coded messages, black market food, love, hate and village rivalries all contribute to the Golden Age flavour. There are, alas, moments when there is a self-conscious air of 'show and tell' in terms of historical context and a few passages that jar (would a genteel maiden lady with pretensions really talk about things getting 'up people's noses'?).
Peter's and Harriet's relationship is well portrayed and very nicely brought up to date but Harriet seems to come alive only when Peter is present. Since Harriet was very much her own person in the earlier novels, this is a disappointment. One does not expect the angry young woman of earlier years nor does one expect to find the highly intelligent Harriet engaged in bland dialogue during air raid practice. That aside, the novel is enjoyable and the trademark quotations at the head of each chapter are as satisfying as ever. It is a great shame that such a well-written and entertaining book should be marred by a vulgar dustwrapper reminiscent of an eighties airport novel. Crime fiction of this quality deserves far better.
Geraldine Perriam
THE
HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW
SHADOWS OF THE CANYON
Tracie Peterson, Bethany House, 2002, $11.99 (£7.29), pb, 367pp, ISBN 0-7642-2517-0
At a Grand Canyon tourist hotel in 1923, Alexandria Keegan discovers her politician father romancing her fellow Harvey girl. She pelts him with harsh words and vegetables. Alex's cowboy friend Luke calms her down, but she blames herself for being unChristian and unladylike. As they view the splendor of the canyon at sunset, Alex sees it as 'God's handiwork.' Luke has eyes only for her. Author Tracie Peterson uses conflict to build tension among the characters. Alex conflicts with her father and with the wealthy, powerful patrons of the resort where she works as a waitress. Politician Joel Harper is a diabolical villain who pushes himself on Alex. When someone is murdered, he is the prime suspect. Will the Harvey girl and her cowboy identify the murderer in time to save others' lives
The author's omniscient view employs well-worn devices: using Luke's point of view to describe Alex; having Valerie look in the mirror. Her characters' judgmental attitudes do not endear the reader. Nobody likes a cowboy who tells a pretty girl , 'It's only from Christian charity that I'm talking to you.' She needs to ease up on the holier-than-thou.
Marcia K. Matthews
A GOOD CLEAN FIGHT
Derek Robinson, Cassell Military, 2002, £7.99, pb, 576pp, ISBN 0-304-36313-8. Pub in US in May 2003, Cassell Academic, $9.95, pb, same ISBN This novel is set in North Africa prior to the battle of El Alamein of 1942, and is republished for the sixtieth anniversary. The lives of three groups of men will overlap and finally collide. For Captain Lampard of the SAS the adrenaline fuelled excitement of prowling around a German airfield is far better than the high provided by Benzedrine in his pocket. Deploying deep into the desert - in a dangerous game of cat and mouse against the Luftwaffe, is an RAF fighter squadron. Both groups will be subject to a ruthless appraisal and subsequent action by a German intelligence officer. The outcome for many will be neither good nor clean.
Derek Robinson's historical background is strong. The small details are excellent, whether it's the references to desert navigation or the state of the latrines at a desert airfield, it's appropriate but not intrusive, for it is the personalities and not the military hardware which are the centre of attention.
His characterisations are excellent and when allied to his period dialogue create a wholly believable story. The three principal antagonists are propelled forward by very
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different personality traits. One copes with the near destruction of his squadron, by focussing entirely on his immediate task, enabling him to suppress the need for reflection on the tragedies around him. Another takes an almost amoral approach to the desert raiding, seeing it as a serious and deadly game. All of them come to discover that the line between savagery and soldiering can be desperately thin at times.
As with all 'good' war writing Robinson shows us its chaos and waste. He also manages to credibly explain why people continue with such madness by reminding us about the ideals of loyalty and comradeship allied to the very human need to maintain order and the commonplace during times of great stress. Kipling famously says that the soldier's lot is, 'ninety five percent boredom, three percent pleasure and two percent sheer terror.' Robinson has conveyed all of this in a manner that is a compelling read
If you know nothing about war and want an excellent anti-war book, read this or one of his others. It is a thoughtful tribute to all those people, Allied and Axis who took part in the desert war. Highly recommended.
Paul F. Brunyee
TIME OF ARRIVAL
Susan Sallis, Corgi 2002, £5.99, pb , 399pp, ISBN 0552149039
When the 8.45 from Bristol to Paddington setsoff on an April day in 1951 none of the passengers or staff can foresee the tragedy that lies ahead. As it nears the end of its journey the train hits a broken track and derails, killing eight people and changing forever the lives of the survivors and their families. The relationships of all those involved are affected and changed - not always for the worse.
Susan Sallis has created a remarkable cast of characters all of whom are damaged in some respect. Sylvie and Mary have physical disabilities. Ray, Harry and Joe nurse mental scars leftover from the war. Jenny is trying to cope with learning difficulties and Gertie must face up to widowhood.
The crash, although awful, causes each of them to reassess their lives and begin the healing process. These are genuinely likeable characters and the reader cannot help caring about what happens to them. This is an emotional, uplifting tale.
Sara Wilson.
THE RED DANCER
Richard Skinner, HarperCollins, 2002, $24.95, hb , 263pp, ISBN 0-06-621366-5 For review, see August 2001.
THE HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW
FELONY
Emma Tennant, Jonathan Cape, 2002, £15.99, hb, 190pp, ISBN 0224060341
Felony interweaves two stories. One is that of Claire Clairmont, Mary Shelley's step-sister and lo ver of Lord Byron. 1n 1879 Claire is nearly eighty and living in Florence where her American lodger Silsbee pays her an exhorbitant rent, and courts her niece Paula, hoping to get his hands on Claire's literary memorabilia after her death. The juxtaposed story concerns Henry James and the American best selling novelist Constance Fenimore Woolson, a sort of high minded James groupie. In 1887 James is writing The Aspern Papers in which an American editor, the 'Publishing Scoundrel', rents room; in Venice from old Miss Bordereau and courts her niece, Miss Tina, in order to acquire the Romantic poet Jeffrey Aspern's papers. James has portrayed Paula as Miss Bordereau and Constance as Miss Tina. But is the 'P ublishing Scoundrel' Silsbee - or James himself?
This is a story of literary theft, both actual, but also emotional. James is exploiting Constance's affection for him, just as, earlier, Silsbee exploited Paula's. It is about emotional dishonesty , greed and re-writing the past. Some background knowledge is essential. Fortunately Emma Tennant provides a Dramatis Personae and an Author's Note for those who need to brush up on their Shelley and Henry James. An interesting piece of literary detection. Elizabeth Hawksley
THE LOST YEARS
E V Thompson, Time Warner, 2002, £16.99, hb, 403pp, ISBN 0316857181
Perys Tremayne, a minor member of the family which owns Heligan, is orphaned and illegitimate. His grandparents, ashamed of his birth, send him to school and ignore him. It is 1914, he has just left school and paying his first visit to Cornwall, hoping to enlist in the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry. A meeting with his cousin Rupert, however, directs him to the Royal Flying Corps, where he becomes an ace pilot. He leaves behind Annie, daughter of a fann tenant, and various problems, malicious gossip, the social gap, and Annie's sense of duty, keep them apart for the duration of the war.
With his usual flair, Thompson combines a tender love story with fascinating detail of the exploits of the RFC. He does this without too much heavy information about the general progress of the war, striking a balance between the personal and the historical in a way that few authors do. He evokes brilliantly the mores of the time, the grim reality of the war, and the effects on the countryside when so many of the young men have left the sea and the land to
enlist, and few return whole. It's a thought provoking novel as well as a good read.
Marina Oliver
THE GIRL FROM THE COAST
Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Hyperion, 2002, $22.95/C$32.95 (£13.32), hb, 280pp, ISBN 0786862801
This novel is based on the life of the author's grandmother. At age 14, the 'girl from the coast,' as she is anonymously referred to, is married to an Indonesian aristocrat. Torn away from her family and the only home she has ever known, she is forced to adapt to the stifling world of wealthy city life. In her husband's home, she lives a life of privileged imprisonment, sitting in her room for weeks on end, with only a servant for company between her husband's sporadic visits. As a girl from a poor fishing village, she is acutely aware of the status difference between herself and the other members of her husband's family. Even so, she is dismayed when she eventually learn s that her status as wife is not at a ll secure, that she is merely a 'practice wife,' to be discarded when her husband decides to take a wife of his own social class. How does she cope with this knowledge? What does she do next? And what happens if she should bear a child from this marriage?
Although this is an intriguing topic for fictional treatment, The Girl from the Coast reads more like a political and social manifesto than a novel. This is not surprising g iven the author's history as an activist and political prisoner in Indonesia during Dutch colonral rule and the Suharto regime. The book has a contrived feel, as though the message was more important than the telling. The dialogue is stilted and choppy, although this may have more to do with the translation than the writing. I was disappointed in this book, hoping for more focus on the plot and les s political discourse.
Andrea Connell
HARLEM REDUX
Persia Walker, Simon & Schuster, 2002, $23/C$36 (£12.91), hb, 3llpp, ISBN 0743224973
The prologue reveals author Persia Walker as a great talent, through the craftsmanship of her nouns and verbs, spiced with qualifiers. The wind is Lilian's enemy. We are convinced that we have gone to the brink of death with her. This is powerful writing that makes you say, 'Wow.' Walker has a pairterly command of the language Then comes Chapter 1, which reverts to the expository style. It' s a good narrative, but it is not lyrical.
David McKay returns to Harlem to investigate his sister's death. He suspects the new man in her life, Jameson Sweet. David is a
ISSUE 23, FEBRUARY
flawed human being with a guilty secret. Themes of alienation, madness and suicide, rivalry and conflict keep the brew bubbling. Author Walker keeps the shell game going by revealing selective facts. She never gives you all the clues to so lve the mystery, but rather makes you wonder.
Texture is in the details, which recreate the Harlem of the '20s among the elite on Strivers' Row. Complex characterization deepens the involvement. We learn a new concept: Negrotarian, a white person who majors in black culture. We learn what it is like to fight in the war for your country, only to confront a race war back home.
This is an important book, an instant classic.
Marcia K. Matthews
HOPES AND DREAMS
Dee Williams, Headline, 2002, £18.99, hb, 280pp, ISBN 0755300963
This absorbing novel will bring back bittersweet memories for anyone who lived through World War II. It gives a clear insight into what life was like for the civilian population.
Dolly is 17, tired of wartime restrictions and shortages, and terrified by the ever-present threat of German bombing. Her childhood sweetheart is serving in the Middle East and she is lonely. When the American troops arrive, with their sp lendid uniforms, charming manners, and apparently unlimited access to money, food and such luxuries as nylons, all the fantasies created by American films seem to have come true. It is only when Dolly becomes a GI bride and moves to the USA that she is forced to face reality.
This is a story of our time and all the characters are credible. Dolly makes mistakes, and is all the more human for that. The author's research is flawless, even to the polio outbreak in this country in the late 1940s.
If I have a criticism, it is that on occasion Dee Williams is inclined to relate the story herself, rather than allowing the characters to do it through action and dialogue. 'S how , don 't tell' is useful advice for any writer. Margaret Crosland
MULTI-PERIOD
HELLO TO THE CAN IBALS
Richard Bausch, HarperCollins , 2002, $27.95/C$39.95 (£15.69), 66lpp, pb , ISBN 006-019295-X
On the evening of her 14th birthday, Lily receives a book on the life of Victorian explorer and writer, Mary Kingsley; meets Dom , a young man destined to become a very integral part of her life ; and undergoes a traumatic
THE HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW
experience that will haunt her for years to come. Both the book and the traumatic experience have an immediate and profound effect on Lily, the former inspiring a major goal for her future, which is to write a play about Mary's life , while the latter rips away her childhood and all of its accompanying illusions in one fell swoop. Lily and Dom's initial contact on the night of her 14th birthday matures into a strong and lasting bond of friendship when they reconnect in college some years later, a facet of which ultimately creates a major upheaval in their lives and the lives of all their loved ones.
Throughout the novel, the author weaves a rich tapestry of contrasts between history's Mary Kingsley and the fictionalized, modem day Lily Austin via imaginary letters between the two and flashbacks to various periods in Mary's life. And, although Lily tells herself the purpose of this imaginary correspondence is only to intensify her own feel for Mary's life in order to write a more meaningful play, her true motives obviously go much deeper than that. In addition to captivating storytelling, the author's excellent research of the Victorian era and Mary Kingsley's life is evident from start to finish. Highly recommended.
Pat Maynard
THE VIRGIN BLUE
Tracy Chevalier, HarperCollins , 2002, pb, £6.99, 304pp, ISBN 0007108273
First published in 1997 , this novel has been reissued in the wake of the success of Chevalier's superb Girl with a Pearl Earring and Falling Angels.
Ella Turner and her husband have moved to France, where, incidentally Ella's ancestors came from. She finds it difficult to be accepted by the inhabitants of the small town in the Tam region, although she feels a strange affinity with the place. Allied with her sense of alienation are the nightmares she suffers in which a beautiful shade of blue is associated.
The novel also tells the story of 16th century Isabelle du Moulin. She marries into a strict Huguenot family, the Toumiers, although she cannot bring herself not to venerate Mary, Mother of God, in spite of the suspicion and hatred this engenders. Her story is alternated with Ella's search for her roots and the source of her nightmares. Slowly and inevitably, the connection is found and it is horrific and devastating.
Whilst this novel is not as assured as Chevalier's later works - the structure and plotting is a little predictable - it is a fine novel and shows yet again how in the present as well as the past, 'not belongilg' lies at the heart of humanity's ills.
Sally Zigmond
QUATTROCENTO
James McKean, Doubleday , 2002, $23/C$35 (£ 12 .9 1), hb, 307pp, ISBN 0385503199 Matt O'Brien works for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. When we meet him, he is restoring an old Italian painting that he found in depths of the Museum's storerooms. The painting is of a woman whom Matt finds mesmerizing. His life begins to center around this unknown woman, and portents keep readers from being surprised when Matt finds himself back in her world, in Renaissance Italy. Once there, it takes some time for Matt and Anna, the woman in the portrait, to interact in any meaningful sense, slowing the pace of the book. I found it hard to get a very good sense of Matt. He often declaims, rather than converses. At times, ideas take precedence over characterization, so the reasons for behaviors or events seem sketchy. The book becomes more engaging about halfway through: the information about evolving painting techniques is most interesting. The historical details are prominent: an example is an engrossing scene of hawking Music theory and fundamentals of physics play a role. One niggle . The publisher has selected a typeset that uses an odd doublelined hyphen, which stopped me cold each time I encountered it. In a book where pacing was an issue, this was not beneficial.
Trudi E. Jacobson
ALASKA
James A. Michener, Random House, 2002, $I4.95/C$22.95 (£8.39), 868pp, pb, ISBN 0375-76I42-X
In a novel almost as magnificent as its subject matter, Michener tells the engrossing story of Alaska (derived from the Aleut word 'Alyeska' meaning 'great land ' or 'that which the sea breaks against'). From its primitive beginnings on through its long and agonizing quest for statehood, I was mesmerized by the author's rich historical detail and finely drawn , colorful characterizations of the natives and pioneers who settled this vast and often formidable land Nicknamed 'Seward's Folly' (after U.S. Secretary of State William Seward who signed the agreement for its purchase from Russia in 1867) , the American government foolishly and shamefully ignored the well being of Alaska's people and natural resources for well over one hundred years. In the interim, this 'great land' was left at the mercy of dirty politics and even dirtier politicians, lobbied by gluttonous west coast merchants making money hand over fist in their Alaskan trade ventures, which drained Alaska's resources with no concern given to their replenishment.
The Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98 and subsequent gold discoveries at Dawson's Creek, Nome and other areas initially, and finally, caught America's eye. This awakening
ISSUE 23, FEBRUARY
was a very slow process; however , as it took another sixty-two years before Alaska would to win its hard-fought battle for statehood in 1959
Alaska is a lush , enjoyable reading experience as well as an educational one, and I truly appreciate the fact that it served up both ingredients in such abundance. Who says we can't have it all?
Pat Maynard
HAWAII
James A. Michener, Random House , 2002 (cl959), $14.95/C$22.95, pb, 937pp, ISBN 0375760377
Since its original publication , Michener's sprawling saga of the Hawaiian Islands has been enjoyed by millions of readers. Tracing the islands' rich and varied history from its volcanic beginnings through its turbulent years toward statehood, the author relates a colorful and absorbing tale of the territory that eventually became part of the United States.
Although most critics have complained that his characters are not well drawn, there are several standouts: gentle New England missionary Jerusha Bromley and her stem husband Abner Hale; adventurer Rafer Hoxworth ; native queen Malama and her beautiful daughter, Noelani; indomitable Chinese matriarch Nyuk Tsin; empire builder Hoxworth Hale. Michener skillfully weaves his large cast into an enormous tapestry of interconnected stories that highlight important periods in the island's history. Filled with lush description , dramatic events, and accurate, informative historical and cultural details, the author clearly depicts how a continuous influx of peoples of different backgrounds and interests transfonned the exotic island paradise into a modem state.
Many readers may find Michener's writing style slow and sometimes dull. However, the ultimate reward is a memorable and fascinating portrait of our fiftieth state.
Michael I. Shoop
THE SOURCE
James A Michener, Random House, 2002 (cl 965), US$14.95/C$22.95, 909pp, pb , ISBN 0-375- 76038-5
When archaeologists begin uncovering relics in Tell Makor, they are also uncovering the lives of countless people who went before them. Slowly the archaeologists dig deeper and deeper past one find after another, backwards in history. At each point, every amazing find comes alive with the possibilities of what lives and events may have surrounded it. Then, step by step, the reader is brought back to the present through amazing vignettes of history from Ur and his family many thousands of years ago to events surrounding the little town during David's time, Herod's time, the
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Crusaders' time and more. Each story stands by itself, but also shows how history affects the present time of each 'generation.'
' Possibilities ' is probaliy the best word for the multitude of stories collected in this book. Written in the grand epic style so characteristic of Michener, this book is a window on life through a number of historical periods. Flavorful descriptions of life , religion, art, nationalities , war and much more are masterfully stirred together into a lengthy look at one tiny piece of Middle Eastern ground. Even the book references the unlikeliness of many of the tales. Still, considering that each anecdote is based on the finding of a single artifact, each possesses a vivid and imaginative portrayal of what might have been. What more can any historian do than what this fictional account does? This book is not for the faint at heart considering the length and race through 12,000 years of history. Still, it will appeal to loyal fans of Michener and those fascinated with anthropology, history, and the Middle East.
Alycia Harris
TEXAS
James Michener, Random House, 2002, $14.95, pb , I 096pp, ISBN 0-375- 76141-1 Random House recently re-released several of James Michener's epic classics, including the popular Texas. Texas covers the history of the largest state in the continental United States with one of the most varied and interesting backgrounds. To tackle such a history must have been a daunting task, but Michener cleverly and warmly shows readers what the frontier and settling of Texas was all about. Texans and the rest of the world should not miss one of the best-loved author's take on the Lone Star State.
Beginning with Spain's exploratory journeys in the 1500s and leading up to the real estate boom and bust of the 1980s, Michener enriches historical fact with larger-than-life characters. The fictional governor puts together a Task Force with some of the predominant Texas citizens to study and re-shape Texas History classes, given to 7th graders across the state. Each chapter of the novel explores a different period in Texas ' formation with ancestors of the Task Force members leading the way. In between chapters, readers meet back up with the Task Force to study their progress and see how their relationships with each other have changed.
As a native Texan, I didn't find it difficult to finish the novel despite its mammoth length. Readers, regardless of connection or feelings about Texas itself, will cheer on the heroes during their trials and tribulations.
Melissa Galyon
THECO QUEST
Yxta Maya Murray, HarperCollin s, 2002, $24.95/C$37.95 (£14.01), hb , 288pp, ISBN 006-009359-5
Sara Rosario Gonzalez is a rare book restorer at the Getty Museum in modem-day Los Angeles. An attractive young Chicana fascinated by all things literary , she is the type of woman who, upon entering a room, instantly remarks upon the number of bookshelves its walls could hold She plays Scheherazade to her lover from high school days , Karl, by telling him exotic stories she hopes will keep him enthralled long enough for her to face her fear of commitment. I !er talents only extend so far, however , as Sara's refusal to abandon her latest project , the translation of a Spanish manuscript of unknown authorship, pushes Karl into the am1s of another woman. This manuscript is narrated by the mysterious Helen, a former member of Montezuma's harem who, disguised as a male juggler, stole off to Rome on Cortes's ship after the burning of Tenochtitlan. As Sara rediscovers her own past through the narrator 's experiences and obsesses that Helen's largerthan-life tale may contain some truth, her own true love may be slipping away from her This intelligent , romantic, and adventure-filled novel will have obvious appeal to bibliophiles, which probably includes all of us.
Sarah Nesbeitt
MUCH ADO ABOUT MURDER
Anne Perry, ed., Berkley Prime Crime, 2002, $23.95 /C$34.99 (£13.45), 352pp, hb, ISBN 0425-18650-4
This delightful compilation of seventeen historical mysteries written in the style of Shakespeare or using themes from his plays is like a box of bonbons. This time, though, you know what you're going to get because Anne Perry introduces the collection with enough 'blurb' about each tale-including her own-making it difficult to choose the first 'taste.'
The most surprising and enjoyable talc was Jeffery Deaver's sleight-of-hand story, All the World's a Stage, where he captures the eloquence of the language along with a good read. Robert Barnard's modem take on the Hamlet problem struck a funny note in The Fall of the House of Oldenburg, and for an elaborate mythical tale, you can get lost in Carole Nelson Douglas' Those Are Pearls Thal Were His Eyes. Gillian Linscott's chilling tale, Gracious Silence, caught me off guard whilst reading it in a queue. I nearly lost my place in line Every tale is a treat, so putting this book on your nightstand to nip into before sleep will keep you sated for some time
Tess Allegra
ISSUE 23, FEBRUARY
IN THE HAND OF DANTE
Nick Tosches, Little, Brown, 2002, $24.95 US /C$36.95, hb , 375 pp, ISBN 0316895245 This novel defies labels or even description. Nick Tosches is a streetwise tough guy and a self-taught medievalist. Nick Tosches is the author of this novel , and he is also the main protagonist in the modern era of the novel. Dante is the protagonist in the middle ages. Nick tells the story of how he came to possess a rare and priceless manuscript , Th e Divine Comedy, written in Dante's own hand. Dante tells how he came to write it.
The author presents us with a number of bizarre, even disturbing juxtapositions. The novel starts with a description of the most foulmouthed, bloodthirsty , savage mobster you could ever hope to avoid meeting. Nick is not much better, describing how he committed his first murder when he was 6 years old. The images and language of these two characters contrast tremendously with the language of Dante , who waxes poetic about his childhood and people who influenced him. Unfortunately, Dante's serene , mildly poetic chapters are just not beautiful enough to compensate for the gritty , violent imagery of the modern day. This is not a novel for the weak of heart, or the easily offended.
Alexandra Ceely
TIMESLIP
F ALLAM'S SECRET
Denise Giardina , WW Norton , $24.95 / C$35.99 (£14.01), hb , 33lpp, 0393052060
2003, ISBN
In the year 2001, Lydde Falcone is a 55-yearold single woman living abroad when she's notified of the death of her dearly loved uncle. Returning home to rural West Virginia to comfort her grieving aunt, she discovers - and follows--some unusual directions that her physicist uncle had left behind. No one could be more surprised than Lydde when she enters a nearby cave and suddenly discovers herself back in England - but England in the year 1657, the next to la st year of Cromwell ' s rule. Though the route back to the present is left open , she finds some compelling reasons to remain, such as her growing attraction to a 17th century Robin Hood who secretly braves the wrath of the town ' s Puritan leaders to smuggle goods to the town's starving poor. Though this intriguing romance would have been sufficient to keep me reading , there are some humorous moments , too - such as when an adventurer from the past, discovering a 21st century toilet , believes it to be a sink to wash his soiled clothing . The author ' s fluid prose has a quiet power that engages the mind as well as the heart, and her environmental beliefs are inserted gracefully
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into the text. Though Giardina doesn ' t tie up all the loose threads she begins, the conclusion is entirely satisfactory , and it left me as few novels do - with a smile on my face
Sarah Nesbeitt
ALTERNATIVE HISTORY
HANNIBAL'S CHILDREN
John Maddox Roberts, Ace, 2002 , $22.95 /C$33.99 (£13.09), hb, 359pp, ISBN 0441-00933-6
'What if the past had been different? What if one war had changed the world?' Such is the focus of this novel wherein the author speculates how history might have been altered if Hannibal and his Carthaginians had defeated Rome rather than the other way around Considering the fact that Hannibal stands out as one of history ' s great generals , it certainly wasn ' t beyond the realm of possibility. Had young King Philip V of Macedon been willing to form the alliance that Hannibal was seeking with him in his efforts to defeat Rome, their combined strength might well have changed the course of history and, thus , the world as we know it today.
As the story opens , Philip V of Macedon has indeed formed an alliance with Hannibal , and their combined armies so grossly outnumber Rome's that there is no question as to who will prevail, particularly under Hannibal ' s brilliant generalship. At this point, Hannibal gives the Romans three choices: either fight to the death , surrender unconditionally, or pack up their belongings and move their people north out of Italy. The Romans end up choosing the last option although, in doing so, vow to return one day and take back their homeland. The question is, will they succeed in doing so? This novel has a well developed plot, is loaded with plenty of well researched historical data and is an excellent read all the way around.
Pat Maynard
RULED BRITANNIA
Harry Turtledove, New American Library, 2002 , $24.95 / C$35.99 (£14.01) , hb , 458pp , ISBN 0-451-20717 -3
In 1588 the Spanish Armada failed in its attempt to invade England, but what if it hadn ' t? That is the premise of this novel , which takes place ten years after England falls to Spain. With the Spanish king hovering near death, those loyal to Elizabeth, who languishes in the Tower, choose a simple playwright and actor to spark the flame that will foment the masses to rebel , but William Shakespeare is a reluctant hero. To complicate matters, the
Spaniards suspect treason stirs w ithin the theater and commission Shakespeare to memorialize King Phillip II whi le ordering one of their officers who dabbles in writing to thwart all treachery.
While an interesting story, Turtledove never quite achieves the mastery of alternative history that he's so accomplished at rendering. Prior to page 296 the action consists of the Spanish officer ' s affairs , Shakespeare's writing, his friendship with Christopher Marlowe , and the acting troupe's performances and rehearsals. While Engl ish characters are well drawn and compell ing , the Spaniards are less so. A more even rendering would have enhanced the telling. Perhaps the treasure here lies not in recreating history , but in capturing the essence of Tudor England. The language alone transports the reader back in time, and although some words are strange, it's delightful to discover that even Londoners of yore could misconstrue and massacre the language. Cindy Vallar
