Historical Novels Review, Issue 56 (May 2011) by The Historical Novel Society

A PUBLICATION OF THE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY

HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW ISSUE 56, MAY 2011

30 Y EARS G ONE

The Last of the Earth’s Children Series a king in the making karleen koen on louis xiv hf for the younger set a brief literature review james bond & women at war an interview with hilary green not the titanic! passenger ships as setting for love of history william c. hammond’s nautical fiction in search of a moment in the sun john sayles’s 1,000-page epic

IN EVERY ISSUE historical fiction market news | history & film | new voices | how not to write...

Historical Novels R eview

Hamilton, Michael Joseph, Viking); Short Books; Snowbooks; and Transworld (inc. Bantam Press, Black Swan, Corgi, Doubleday)

pub lis h er

edit o r ial boa r d

Publisher Coverage: all self-published, subsidy, and electronically published novels

Managing Editor: Bethany Latham Houston Cole Library, Jacksonville State University 700 Pelham Road North Jacksonville, AL 36265-1602 USA <blatham@jsu.edu> Book Review Editor (USA): Sarah Johnson 6868 Knollcrest Drive Charleston, IL 61920 USA <sljohnson2@eiu.edu>

Publisher Coverage: Bethany House; HarperCollins; Penguin Putnam; Random House (all imprints); university presses; and any North American presses not mentioned below

Book Review Editor (UK): Richard Lee Marine Cottage, The Strand Starcross, Devon EX6 8NY United Kingdom <richard@historicalnovelsociety.org> Features Editors: Myfanwy Cook 47 Old Exeter Road Tavistock, Devon PL19 OJE UK <myfanwyc@btinternet.com>

Ken Kreckel 3670 Placid Drive Casper, WY 82604 USA <kreckel1@yahoo.com>

Film Editor: Hannah Sternberg 1125 Old Eagle Road Lancaster, PA 17601 USA <hesternberg@gmail.com>

review s edit o r s , u k

Steve Donoghue PO Box 15546 Boston, MA 02215 USA <st.donoghue@comcast.net>

Richard Lee Marine Cottage, The Strand Starcross, Devon EX6 8NY United Kingdom <richard@historicalnovelsociety.org>

re v i e ws e d i tors , u s a

Jane Kessler University Library 119, University at Albany, SUNY 1400 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12222 USA <jkessler@uamail.albany.edu>

Publisher Coverage: Algonquin; FSG; Five Star; IPG; Kensington; and Trafalgar Square

Trudi Jacobson University Library, University at Albany 1400 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12222 USA <readbks@verizon.net>

Publisher Coverage: Arcade; Crippen & Landru; Hilliard & Harris; HMH Children’s; Houghton Mifflin (inc. Mariner); Hyperion; Little Brown; Medallion; New Directions; Simon & Schuster (inc. Atria, Scribner, Touchstone, Washington Square), Steerforth; Toby; Warner; and WW Norton

Ilysa Magnus 5430 Netherland Avenue #C41 Bronx, NY 10471 USA <goodlaw2@optonline.net>

Publisher Coverage: Dorchester; Grove/Atlantic; Minotaur Books; Picador USA; Poisoned Pen Press; Soho Press; St Martin’s Press; Tor/Forge; and Tyndale

Ann Pedtke 38-13 52nd Street Sunnyside, NY 11104 USA

Publisher coverage: US/Canadian children’s publishers (except S&S, HMH)

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Alan Fisk Flat 25, Lancaster Court, Lancaster Avenue London SE27 9HU UK <alanfisk@yahoo.com>

Publisher Coverage: Creme de la Crime; Duckworth; HarperCollins UK (inc. Flamingo, Fourth Estate, Voyager); Orion Group (inc. Cassell, Gollancz, Phoenix, Weidenfeld & Nicolson); Piatkus; Picnic Publishing; Quaestor2000; Quercus; Severn House; and all small independent UK publishers not handled by other editors

Edward James 2 Hayman Close Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 9FD UK <edward654@btinternet.com>

Publisher Coverage: Arcadia; Canongate; Hodder Headline (inc. Coronet, Hodder & Stoughton, NEL, Sceptre); John Murray; and Robert Hale

Doug Kemp Tulip Lodge, Harrowden Road Wellingborough, Northamptonshire NN8 5BD UK <doug.kemp@lineone.net>

confe re nce s

The Society organizes annual conferences in the UK and biennial conferences in the US. Contact Richard Lee (UK) or Sarah Johnson (USA).

m e m be rs h i p d e ta i l s

Membership in the Historical Novel Society is by calendar year (January to December) and entitles members to all the year’s publications: two issues of Solander, and four issues of Historical Novels Review. Back issues of society magazines are also available. For current rates, contact: Sue Hyams 56 Ackroyd Road Honor Oak Park, London SE23 1DL UK <sue.hyams@virgin.net>

e d i tori a l pol i cy

Georgine Olson 400 Dark Star Court Fairbanks, AK 99709 USA <georgine@mosquitonet.com>

Reviews, articles, and letters may be edited for reasons of space, clarity, and grammatical correctness. We will endeavour to reflect the authors’ intent as closely as possible, and will contact the authors for approval of any major change. We welcome ideas for articles, but have specific requirements to consider. Before submitting material, please contact the editor to discuss whether the proposed article is appropriate for the HNS magazines.

copy ri g h t

Publisher Coverage: Allison & Busby; Little, Brown & Co (inc. Abacus, Virago, Warner); Random House UK (inc. Arrow, Cape, Century, Chatto & Windus, Harvill, Heinemann, Hutchinson, Pimlico, Secker & Warburg, Vintage), Simon & Schuster (inc. Scribner)

In all cases, the copyright remains with the authors of the articles. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the authors concerned.

Gordon O’Sullivan 20 Morgan Avenue London, E17 3PL UK <osullivangordon@yahoo.co.uk>

THE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY was formed in 1997 to help promote historical fiction. All staff and contributors are volunteers and work unpaid. We are an open society — if you want to get involved, get in touch.

Publisher Coverage: Birlinn/Polygon; Bloomsbury; Constable & Robinson; Faber & Faber; The History Press; Macmillan (inc. Pan, Picador, Sidgwick & Jackson); Penguin (inc. Allen Lane, Hamish

HNS WEBSITE: www.historicalnovelsociety.org EMAIL NEWSLETTER. Read news and reviews: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HNSNewsletter

HNR I

Historical Novels R eview I s s u e 5 6 , Ma y 2011 | I SSN 1471-7492

| columns |

ed itor ia l b e t ha ny la th a m

histor ic a l fic tion market n ews s ar a h joh nson

histor y & film r e a l pe r son fic tion | han n ah s tern berg

n ew voic e s p r of ile s of debut his torical f iction authors c hr is tina cour te nay, j oan f allon , lyn n s he ene & s t e w a r t binns | my f anw y cook

how no t to. . . c r af t a pe r fe c t tudor tome | s us an hig g in b otha m

| features & interviews |

9 30 Y EARS G ON E jean auel’s earth’s children series | by ken kreckel 11 a kin g in the ma k i ng k a r l e e n koe n on louis xiv | by dian e s cott l ew i s 13

h isto rical f iction f or the younger set a literature review | b y j ulie pa rker

1 5 j am es b on d & wom en a t w a r an inter view with hilar y green | by myfanw y cook 16 n ot the tita nic! pa sse nge r s hip s as his torical s ett i ng | by m y f anw y co o k 18 f or love of hi sto r y willia m c . hamm on d’s n autical f ict i o n | by ken k reckel 20 in s earch of a m om ent in the su n john sayles’s 1,000-page epic | by ken kreckel

| reviews |

book r e v ie ws e d ito rs’ c h oic e & m ore

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR f you’re lucky, this may be the last column from me you’ ll have to read for a while. In an effort to make HNR’s coverage more balanced, we’re going to focus on acquiring more UK-based content. One of the efforts we’ve made to address this is to bring on a new Book Review Editor to keep an eye on the market in the United Kingdom, coordinate our UK review team, and hopefully ferret out more UK titles for review. Also (and as always), if you have suggestions for interviews or features you’d like to see in upcoming issues of the magazine, please contact me at blatham@jsu.edu. But back to you not having to listen to me in this column—our new UK coordinating Book Review Editor will be Richard Lee, and I’ ll be sharing this space with him, in another effort to bring more UK content to the forefront. So look for Richard’s comments in upcoming issues of HNR as we welcome him to the editorial team. HNR’s Film Editor, Hannah Sternberg, will be stepping down with this issue to pursue other projects, so HNR wishes her the best, and is now looking for a new editor for the History & Film column. If you’re interested in taking on this position, or just have ideas for future columns, please contact me. As usual, we hope you’ ll enjoy the offerings in this issue of HNR. They run the gamut from the prehistoric work of Jean Auel to the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry of the First World War. Julie Parker takes a look at the literature covering historical fiction for the younger set, and HNR gets nautical with historical fiction set on passenger ships as well as the work of William C. Hammond. Karleen Koen looks at Louis XIV ’s younger years, and filmmaker John Sayles opens up about his 1,000-page epic, A Moment in the Sun. In addition, Myfanwy Cook interviews four debut historical fiction authors: Christina Courtenay, Joan Fallon, Lynn Sheene, and Stewart Binns.

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BETHANY LATHAM is a professor, librarian, and Managing Editor of HNR. She publishes in various scholarly and popular journals, as well as writing for the EBSCO NoveList database. She also serves as Internet Editor and a regular reviewer for Reference Reviews.

HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Columns | 1

H I STO R I C AL FICTION MAR K ET NE W S

ould you like your latest publishing deal to appear here? Email me at sljohnson2@eiu.edu.

HNS updates Georgine Olson is the new US membership secretary. Georgine is a librarian and avid historical fiction reader who freely admits she has no hidden desire to write historical novels! An attendee at all previous North American HNS conferences, she calls them “manna for her reader’s soul.” Georgine’s address can be found on the masthead. Kelly Cannon Hess will be retiring soon from her post as a volunteer co-editor of the Historical Novel Society’s biweekly e-newsletter. This means we need one or two new volunteers to cover American newspapers. Any HNS member interested in joining the e-newsletter editorial staff, please contact Kelly (kschess@gmail.com). Know any libraries who may want to receive HNR? HNS memberships can be purchased through subscription vendor EBSCO. Special thanks to Troy Reed for magazine distribution and to Tamela McCann for compiling a list of forthcoming YA titles for the website. Hope to meet many of you in person at our San Diego conference! Contest! Penguin UK is generously sponsoring a giveaway contest. To win one of six copies of Conquest by Stewart Binns, a novel of Hereward the Wake set in 1066 (see review this issue), email Helen Holman of Penguin at helen.holman@uk.penguingroup. com with a note of interest. Offer open to HNS members worldwide. New publishing deals Sources include author and publisher submissions, Publishers Marketplace, Booktrade.info, Publishers Weekly, The Bookseller, and more. Michelle Moran’s Empress Josephine’s Crown, about three women in Napoleon’s life: his somewhat wicked sister, the older wife he scorned, and his new young bride, sold to Charlotte Clerk at Quercus, for publication in 2012, by Angharad Kowal at Writers House UK on behalf of Dan Lazar. Sphere Senior Editor Rebecca Saunders bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Elizabeth Chadwick’s upcoming Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy – The Summer Queen, The Winter Crown, and The Autumn Throne – via Carole Blake at Blake Friedmann. 2 | Columns | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

Sophie Perinot’s debut The Sister Queens, the story of 13thcentury sisters Marguerite and Eleanor of Provence who became the Queens of France and England respectively, sold to Claire Zion at NAL by Jacques de Spoelberch of J de S Associates, for publication in 2012. Wendy Wallace’s The Painted Bridge, a mid-19th century story about a woman’s self-discovery at a time when superstitions collide with scientific understanding, sold to Samantha Martin at Scribner and Francesca Main at Simon & Schuster UK by Ivan Mulcahy and Laetitia Rutherford at Mulcahy Conway Associates. Penguin UK won an eight-way auction for The House at Kreis Pinneberg, prizewinning author Rhidian Brook’s novel about an unexpected love affair in Hamburg, Germany, in 1946, via Caroline Wood at Felicity Bryan Associates. Print rights (excluding digital) to Oliver Pötzsch’s three sequels to The Hangman’s Daughter, a historical mystery set in 17th-c Bavaria (an Editors’ Choice this issue), went to Bruce Nichols at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, by AmazonCrossing (NA). The Valley of Amazement, by Amy Tan, set in 1890-1940 San Francisco and Shanghai, about a painting passed along through three generations of women, sold to Dan Halpern at Ecco by Sandra Dijkstra at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, and to Iris Tupholme at Harper Canada, by John Pearce at Westwood Creative Artists via Sandy Dijkstra. UK rights to Clare Reihill at Fourth Estate. Victoria Lamb’s The Queen’s Secret, focusing on the love triangle between Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley, and the Countess of Essex, observed by a young black singer at Elizabeth’s court, and His Dark Lady, sold to Selina Walker at Bantam Press, in a three-book deal, for March 2012 publication, by Luigi Bonomi at Luigi Bonomi Associates. Annamaria Alfieri’s An Invisible Country, set in 1868 Paraguay, in which villagers must identify the murderer of Ricardo Yotté—a powerful ally of the Dictator Francisco López and his consort Eliza Lynch—or pay with their lives, sold to Toni Plummer of Thomas Dunne Books, in a two-book deal, by Adrienne Rosado of PMA Literary & Film Management. Also, pb rights for Alfieri’s City of Silver, a past Editors’ Choice title, sold to Felony & Mayhem Press. Originally a Minotaur/Thomas Dunne hardcover, the story is a lockedroom murder mystery cum political thriller set in Potosí in the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru in 1650. John Shors’s as-yet-untitled historical novel set in 12th century Angkor Wat sold to Ellen Edwards of NAL, by Laura Dail at Laura Dail Literary Agency. The Observations by Amy Brill, about a Quaker woman in 1845 Nantucket with a passion for astronomy, sold to Sarah McGrath at Riverhead, in a pre-empt, by Julie Barer at Barer Literary. Maggie Anton’s Rav Hisda’s Daughter, Book 1: Apprentice and Book 2: Enchantress, set in the 3rd-century Persian Empire and inspired by one of the few women of that time mentioned in the

Vengeance Thwarted, Prue Phillipson’s novel about a young noblewoman and a former soldier whose lives become linked by a brutal lynching in 1640 Northumberland, sold to Dana Celeste Robinson of Knox Robinson for May 2011 release. Harry Sidebottom’s The Caspian Gates, in the Warrior of Rome series, sold to Alex Clarke at Michael Joseph, in a major deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in 2011, 2012, and 2013, by James Gill at United Agents. The God of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye, about a reluctant young police officer tracking down a serial killer fanning the flames of anti-Irish sentiment in 1845 NYC, sold to Amy Einhorn of Amy Einhorn Books by Erin Malone at William Morris Endeavor, and to Claire Baldwin at Headline, by Cathryn Summerhayes of William Morris Endeavor. Miles Franklin Award winner Kim Scott’s That Deadman Dance, about an Aboriginal boy in 19th-century Australia drawn into conflict with the first European colonizers, sold to Anton Mueller at Bloomsbury, for Winter 2012 publication, by Kathleen Anderson at Anderson Literary Management. Gabrielle Kimm’s His Last Duchess (Sphere, 2010), about a Medici duchess who mysteriously disappeared after three years of marriage, and The Courtesan’s Revenge, sold to Shana Drehs at Sourcebooks, by Jennifer Weltz at Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, on behalf of Judith Murray at Greene & Heaton. In stores soon Karen Harper’s The Queen’s Governess appears in trade paperback from NAL in June. In July, with a different cover, the novel will be released in the UK by Random House UK (Ebury). Also, in Oct, Harper’s Mistress Shakespeare will be released in the UK by Ebury with the title Shakespeare’s Mistress. Thorn in the Flesh by Michael Dean will be published by Bluemoose Books in July 2011. Thorn is a comedy, centering on the life of the ultimate outsider, the Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza. HNR reviewer Diane Scott Lewis’s second historical novel, Elysium, about murder and lust on the remote island of St. Helena during Napoleon’s exile, will be published in April by Eternal Press. Erratum In Maggie O’Farrell’s The Hand That First Held Mine, Editors’ Choice in HNR 52 (May 2010), one of the protagonists is named Elina, not Irina. Thanks to HNS member Janet Hancock for catching the error.

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Talmud, sold to Denise Roy at Plume, by Susanna Einstein at LJK Literary Management. Karen Harper’s next historical novel, Mistress of Mourning, a medieval, will be published by NAL in August 2012. Bethan Roberts moves to Chatto & Windus with My Policeman, inspired by the life of E.M. Forster and his relationship with long-time companion Bob Buckingham and his wife, but transposed to late 1950s Brighton. Poppy Hampson at Chatto & Windus acquired world rights from David Riding at MBA, for February 2012 publication. Susan Meissner’s The Girl in the Glass, in which Isabella de Medici Orsini, daughter of Cosimo Medici, narrates the story of her life as it parallels that of a contemporary travel books editor, sold to Shannon Marchese at WaterBrook Multnomah, by Chip MacGregor at MacGregor Literary. Bristol House by Beverly Swerling, a novel of intrigue set in London in the 16th century and today, sold to Clare Ferraro for Viking US, with Carole DeSanti editing, for early 2013 publication, by Marly Rusoff at Marly Rusoff & Associates. Roberta Rich’s The Midwife of Venice, rollicking suspense about a Jewish midwife in 1575 Venice, sold to Jennifer Heddle at Gallery, by Beverley Slopen Literary Agency (US). Look for a review of the Doubleday Canada edition next issue. Historian Lois Leveen’s The Winds of Freedom, based on the true story of Mary Bowser, a former slave who joined a Civil War spy ring run by her former mistress, sold to Laurie Chittenden at William Morrow, at auction, via Laney Katz Becker at Markson Thoma, and to Suzie Doore at Hodder & Stoughton in the UK, for Feb 2012 publication, by Elizabeth Sheinkman at Curtis Brown UK. The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh, set against the backdrop of the 19th-c diamond fields in colonial South Africa, sold to Amy Einhorn for Amy Einhorn Books, in a two-book deal, at auction, by Stephanie Cabot of The Gernert Company on behalf of Araminta Whitley at LAW. Eva Stachniak’s The Winter Palace and The Empire of the Night, about Catherine the Great, sold to Marianne Velmans at Transworld and Kate Miciak at Delacorte, for publication in 2012 and 2013, by Helen Heller at Helen Heller Agency. Under Paris Skies by Lynn Sheene, in which a young ballerina goes undercover to spy for British intelligence as a cabaret dancer in German-occupied Paris, sold to Kate Seaver at Berkley, by Kevan Lyon at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. Ros Barber’s The Marlowe Papers, a novel-in-verse about great Elizabethan poet Christopher Marlowe, sold to Carole Welch at Sceptre, by Rupert Heath. Cambridge-educated historian Dr Evan Ostryzniuk signed his first novel Of Faith and Fidelity: Geoffrey Hotspur and the War for St. Peter’s Throne, first in a series centering on the Western Schism in the late 14th century, with Dana Celeste Robinson of Knox Robinson Publishing. Also to Knox Robinson went Anne Whitfield’s The House of Women, about seven freespirited daughters trapped in an unhappy home at the end of the Victorian Age. Both will appear this summer.

SARAH JOHNSON, Book Review Editor of HNR, is a librarian, readers’ advisor, and author of reference books. She reviews for Booklist and CHOICE and writes about fiction for EBSCO’s NoveList database. Her latest book is Historical Fiction II: A Guide to the Genre.

HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Columns | 3

aHISTORY & FILMe REAL PERSON FICTION

n the world of “fan fiction,” there’s a (rather creepy) corner known as “real person fiction,” in which fanatics of a particular movie or TV show quit writing about the characters and start imagining stories involving the actors. Sounds a little disturbing, right? Until you stop to think that the world of historical fiction abounds in “real person fiction”— just the kind that’s centered around a beloved figure who’s long gone, rather than a current TV celebrity. I recently watched Impromptu, the 1991 film about the love affair between novelist George Sand (yes, she’s a woman) and composer Frédéric Chopin. If ever there were people who were characters, they were the nineteenth-century French bohemians of Sand’s set. Sand herself was fond of striding around in trousers and smoking cigars, at a time in history when that kind of behavior in a woman raised eyebrows. The film is probably best described as a romp. Judy Davis is the blustery novelist and Hugh Grant plays the frail, reserved composer she pursues. George Sand was certainly larger than life, which might be why her story is especially suited for a fictionalized retelling in film. The film’s playful mockery both of the stuffy aristocracy of Sand’s time, and the authoress’s own braggadocio invites elaborations on the truth, a subtle blending of historical fact and sheer fancy. The supporting characters, including well-known figures such as Franz Liszt and Eugene Delacroix, provoke fascination on the basis of their artistic reputations alone. But in the hands of the film’s skillful writers and director, they evolve from well-known names into unique and human characters... with the help of a little factual tweaking here and there. The truth is, if you’re looking for unalloyed biographical fact, you probably shouldn’t be browsing the fiction section. “Fiction is more engaging than biography” is not an excuse. Joseph Ellis and David McCullough’s popularity (and writing skill) amply illustrate the way that even nonfiction can be gripping and colorful. And enough fiction writers have borrowed the format of traditional biography and applied it to their creations to illustrate the way that the nonfiction format’s tropes and style 4 | Columns | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

also have a certain appeal to readers of fiction. The most famous of these spoofs is Virginia Woolf ’s Orlando, the shamelessly academic and outlandish “biography” of its title character, who was born a man in the sixteenth century and lives (after a fantastic transformation into a woman) into the twentieth century. But my favorite fictional biography will always be The Life and Times of Horatio Hornblower by C. Northcote Parkinson. As a child, I had already been enthralled by C. S. Forester’s gripping adventure novels about Hornblower, a fictional captain in the British fleet during the Napoleonic Wars. When I stumbled across this spin-off, a fictional biography of the series’ title character, it took days for my parents to convince me that Hornblower wasn’t real. So, why do fiction and history buffs alike seek out fictionalized biographies of real people? Because, with the safety of time and events padding us from the uncomfortable feeling of being stalkers and fanatics, we can lose ourselves in the fantasies we create about the great figures we love. Writing a fictional story about a living actor might be adolescent or even disturbing, but writing a fictional story about Shakespeare can actually be a scholarly undertaking. What does this mean for writers and critics of historical fiction? Most importantly, I think it means that factual accuracy cannot be a standard of criticism in these kinds of books and films. Instead, it’s more an issue of plausibility; what science-fiction and fantasy writers call “world building.” Just like sci-fi and fantasy writers, historical fiction writers have to create a world that’s simultaneously alien and familiar to readers, and they have to make it internally consistent enough that readers will buy into whatever the author throws at them. It’s plausibility that allows a reader to escape into historical fiction; clearly plausibility suffers when the fiction obviously clashes with commonly-known historical facts, but if the author is successful in creating an internally consistent world, he can get away with a lot. I wouldn’t encourage someone to write a historical novel about a fictional gay relationship of Abraham Lincoln’s; but then again, in that case, I’d say the story’s biggest flaw is its disrespect for such a prominent, iconic and beloved figure—and the fact that his life is so well-known that it would be impossible to build plausibility for the scenario. On top of all that, it would be silly to complain, “But it’s not true.” Of course not. That’s clearly not the point. In Impromptu, I escaped for a couple of hours into the free-

Left to right from top: Julian Sands as Franz Liszt and Hugh Grant as Frédéric Chopin; Judy Davis as George Sand

spirited world of George Sand, in which our heroine could wear pants and flout society, but still had the option, when she chose, of slipping into a gorgeous, huge dress (the outfit more likely to raise eyebrows today) that would make any born romantic sigh. It’s a world in which an artist could gain the patronage of a wealthy bored duchess simply by being funny at dinner, a world in which young people live and love for art’s sake, a world in which being free-spirited was still unique and a value fought for boldly, rather than a look you could buy in the store. Maybe that world is only selectively accurate. But then again, so’s the story your friend tells about the time she met that celebrity.

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HANNAH STERNBERG, HNR’s Film Editor, is a writer and filmmaker living in Washington, DC. Her first novel, Queens of All the Earth, will be released by Bancroft Press this year. To learn more about her and her work, visit www.hannahsternberg.com.

HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Columns | 5

NEW VOICES Christina Courtenay, Joan Fallon, Lynn Sheene, and Stewart Binns discuss their debut historical fiction novels with Myfanwy Cook.

erendipity is the word that Christina Courtenay uses to describe the inspiration for her first novel, Trade Winds (shortlisted for the RNA’s Pure Passion Historical Novel Prize 2011), and it is a word which also applies to the novels of Stewart Binns, Joan Fallon and Lynn Sheene. Coincidence and serendipity played a vital part in inspiring all these authors’ novels. Courtenay explains that she is “half Swedish and lived in Sweden until I was sixteen, when my father was suddenly offered a job in Japan. Moving to Tokyo proved to be one of the best things that ever happened to me, and I fell in love with everything about the country, its culture and its people. When, years later, I came to write my debut novel, I decided to combine my love of the Far East with my own roots. Trade Winds (Choc Lit, 2010) is based on the Swedish East India Company (SOIC)’s first journey to China in 1732. It’s the story of a Scotsman who goes to Sweden to try to make his fortune. There he meets a merchant’s daughter who believes she’s being swindled out of her inheritance. They join forces in a marriage of convenience, but when my hero is offered the chance to go on the SOIC’s first expedition to Canton, he can’t refuse. The journey doesn’t quite turn out as he expects though …” Courtenay continues: “I first became fascinated by the SOIC during a school trip to Gothenburg’s City Museum, which has a collection of the company employees’ artifacts. It seemed like fate was pointing my writing in this direction when the sailing ship Götheborg docked at Canary Wharf in the spring of 2007. It’s an exact replica of a ship used by the SOIC to sail to China, and members of the public were allowed on board to explore. I became hooked all over again and began to research in more detail. I discovered the Swedes didn’t have much experience of trading in the Far East so they had to employ Scotsmen and Englishmen to help them. In fact, Gothenburg was a bit of a melting pot at this time and this fit in well with my own international background. Having a Scottish hero helped me to show Sweden through the eyes of a foreigner, and I was able to draw on my own experiences of being a foreigner in the 6 | Columns | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

Far East to show the hero’s reaction to the sights in Canton. Serendipity?” For Lynn Sheene it was the discovery of a piece of jewellery that acted as a catalyst. She became “fascinated with the drama of 1940’s Occupied Paris when she discovered a French Art Deco brooch. Captivated by the jewel’s possible wartime past, she began to study this intriguing and dangerous time through research trips, memoirs and news accounts.” The Last Time I Saw Paris (Berkley, 2011) is a romantic thriller which begins in the spring of 1940, when Claire Harris flees her glamorous Manhattan life built on lies, and arrives in Paris with a romantic vision of starting anew. But Claire didn’t anticipate the sight of Nazi soldiers marching under the Arc de Triomphe… Sheene’s novel, inspired by an art deco brooch and her own love of anything French, was a fortuitous combination, as was the series of connected events that inspired Joan Fallon to write Between the Sierra and the Sea (Pegasus, 2011). Fallon explains that she “moved to Spain fifteen years ago, and over the years has become immersed in the language and the culture of the country. It was while I was in the middle of writing an oral history on women in contemporary Spain that one of my interviewees started to tell me about what had happened to her father during the Spanish Civil War. I was so intrigued by what she had to say that I suspended my research on the book I was writing, Daughters of Spain, and devoted myself to telling this story.” Fallon shares: “I have always been interested in Spain and its Civil War, partly because I remember my father telling me that, when he was seventeen, he had come to Spain as one of the volunteer soldiers who made up the International Brigade to fight against Franco. At the time, like most teenagers, I was not interested in his exploits. Only later, when it was too late, did I want to know more.” “Like many people, I had never heard about the massacre on the Málaga-Almería road. I knew of other famous battles, such as the bombing of Guernica, the siege of Madrid and the battle of the Ebro, but nowhere had I read anything about innocent women and children, as they tried to flee from Málaga, being shelled by German and Spanish gunboats. When I began to research the subject I discovered that, even as late as the 1960s, they were still discovering the bones of the victims along that particular stretch of road.” “But I did not want my novel to be yet another dry account of the Civil War. Around the same time that I was researching the book, a good friend of mine, a woman in her fifties, discovered

Left to right from top: Stewart Binns, Joan Fallon, Lynn Sheene, and Christina Courtenay

have a mythical hero like William Wallace. Then I remembered Hereward the Wake and thought he was ideal for an English epic. Although Charles Kingsley made him into a big Victorian hero, in modern times he is largely forgotten. The more I read about him, the more I realised what a remarkable character he must have been to have appeared out of nowhere to lead the final revolt against the Conqueror. The fact that so little was known about his life before the Siege of Ely also gave me lots of scope to build a fictional account of the missing years of his life. This also worked perfectly in allowing Hereward’s adventures to give me a canvas upon which to paint the amazing events and personalities in 11th century Britain and Europe. Not only were there the three mighty protagonists of 1066 to savour: Harold Godwinson, Harald Hardrada and William of Normandy, but Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, Macbeth and El Cid were also alive; the Normans were in southern Italy, the Moors were in Spain and the Vikings ruled in Russia. They were remarkable times.” “I am convinced that 1066 was the single most important moment in British history and that everything we understand today about Englishness, Britishness and what we call the AngloSaxon world, hinged on those few minutes when the battle was decided at the end of the day on 14 October 1066. I also believe that we can see in Hereward, and those that fought with him at Ely, the beginnings of the British people’s clamour for freedom and liberty. The romantic notion of the ‘noble outlaw’ – the Robin Hood character – fighting for the oppressed, has lasted for 1000 years. The stand by the brave rebels of 1071 is reflected in Magna Carta, the Peasants’ Revolt, the English Commonwealth, Chartism, the Reform Movement and so on, right up to the present day. I had great fun telling Hereward’s story and weaving these themes into it.” The novels of Binns, Courtenay, Fallon and Sheene may all have been inspired by a sequence of coincidences, but for the reader, it certainly is “serendipitous” that these chance occurrences have resulted in four entertaining new novels for us to enjoy.

MYFANWY COOK is currently an HNR Features editor. She recently published How to Write Historical Fiction—A Practical Guide and Tool Kit, which contains contributions from more than 50 authors and experts, and is aimed at providing those who aspire to write historical fiction with an activity-based guide book.

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quite by accident that she was adopted. This gave me the idea to introduce some doubts over Kate’s parentage and allow her to complete the story by searching for her real grandfather.” When Stewart Binns decided that he “would like to try and write fiction,” he came to the conclusion that “the best chance I had was to attempt an historical adventure based around a hero. So I went in search of one.” However, the inspiration for Conquest (Penguin UK, 2011) sprang from a chance occurrence, which Binns couldn’t have foreseen. Shortly after deciding to seek out a suitable hero, says Binns, “by coincidence, I was watching Braveheart for the umpteenth time and thought, ‘Why are British heroes always Celts and the English always the villains?’ Other than Robin Hood, the English didn’t seem to

For more information about these authors, please see their websites: Stewart Binns http:// http://www.penguin.co.uk Christina Courtenay http://www.christinacourtenay.com Joan Fallon http://joanfallon.co.uk Lynn Sheene: http://www.lynnsheene.com

HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Columns | 7

HOW NOT TO... CRAFT THE PERFECT TUDOR TOME. Started writing a Tudor novel? Not sure how to proceed? Just follow these ten handy tips, and soon you’ll be humming “Greensleeves” all the way to the bank. 1. The early Tudors are boring, and thus best ignored entirely. If you simply must use them, be sure that Margaret Beaufort cackles a great deal, Henry VII spends most of his time counting money and looking for Plantagenets to kill, and Elizabeth of York consistently mopes in corners. By no means should Margaret be seen doing charitable works, Henry placing bets and enjoying musical performances, or Elizabeth of York wearing fine clothes and receiving gifts from her husband. What’s that you say?—the historical record shows they did just that? Ignore it. 2. Having disposed of the early Tudors in a paragraph or so, you are now free to turn your attention to Henry VIII. Make sure that he does absolutely nothing but get married, bewail his lack of a male heir, get married some more, dissolve the monasteries, execute Plantagenets and sundry other people, and constantly complain about his leg. Oh, and get married a lot.

4. Anne Boleyn must have at least some hint of a sixth finger. Generally, the more unsympathetic Anne is, the more of a sixth finger you can give her. N.B.: Henry VIII can never be made to comment on the incongruity of trusting a woman with six fingers to produce a healthy male heir. 5. Katherine Howard must be made to say on the scaffold that she would rather die the wife of Thomas Culpeper, because the Spanish Chronicle says so, and a chronicle that has Katherine Howard marrying Henry before he marries Anne of Cleves cannot possibly be wrong. 6. Nothing interesting happened in Tudor England between the execution of Thomas Seymour and the death of Edward VI. Ignore this period. 7. To avoid having to deal with the messy business of religion, refrain from giving your hero or heroine strong religious convictions of any sort. Unless, of course, she’s Mary Tudor or Lady Jane Grey, in which case she can be allowed to think of nothing but religion. 8 | Columns | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

Who is this guy? 8. Speaking of Lady Jane Grey, it’s indisputable that her mother was the only person in Tudor England (a) to use corporeal punishment on a child and (b) to go hunting. If your Frances Grey doesn’t make Joan Crawford in her Mommie Dearest phase look like Mary Poppins, then you deserve some pinches yourself. Not to mention some nips and bobs. 9. There are hundreds of books about Elizabeth I, dealing with every possible aspect of her life and reign. Ignore them all and focus on her sex life. 10. Not only must Elizabeth I not be a virgin, she should ideally have a secret baby. With Thomas Seymour? With Robert Dudley? It really doesn’t matter. Just get that kid in there. If you managed to get two kids in, you should be writing this list, not reading it.

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3. If you make Catharine of Aragon a sympathetic character, you must make Anne Boleyn a completely unsympathetic character, and vice versa. Even a 500-page novel is not large enough to hold two complex, multi-faceted queens. Don’t even attempt it.

SUSAN HIGGINBOTHAM is working on a Tudor novel, to be published in 2012. If she breaks any of these rules, hit her on the head with Henry’s big turkey leg.

The Last of Jean Auel’s Earth’s Children Series

Ken Kreckel interviews Jean Auel about the final installment in the series it took her thirty years to write. If you think it was dangerous living in a Tudor court, consider the world created by Jean Auel. Here you have to face predators that make present-day lions, tigers and even kings seem like kittens. You have nothing but your own hands, a few primitive weapons, and the power of your superior brain to overcome them. Living in the Stone Age was no royal court. Things weren’t easy for Jean Auel either. She taught herself to write in middle age, learning her craft primarily by reading. She also chose a field that was more scientific than historic. Indeed, strictly speaking, her books really are pre-historical novels. Auel’s novels are long; even her debut work weighed in at nearly 500 pages. Despite all these seeming strikes against her, that first in the series, The Clan of the Cave Bear, set a record for the highest advance ever paid for a debut novel ($130,000) in 1980.1 Even so, one could grow old waiting for the sequels, as Auel averages about one book every five years, with the longest taking her a whopping twelve to produce. Her latest release and the last installment in the Earth’s Children series, Land of the Painted Caves (Crown and Hodder & Stoughton, 2011), marks more than thirty years of work. In the process, Auel established not just a new series, but an entirely new subgenre. As the length of that commitment shows, this is a person who has always been true to herself. At age forty, armed with a newlyminted MBA, she eschewed an excellent job offer from a bank in favor of writing a book.2 Not only that, but it was a book unlike any that had been published at the time. Auel remembers: “If I had planned to write a best-selling novel, I wouldn’t have picked Upper-Paleolithic cave man as my subject. I wrote the story that I loved, that I wanted to read, and it turned out that a lot of other people wanted to read it, too. I was lucky enough to find an

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agent who loved it, and who was smart enough to find an editor who also loved it, and since she was Editor-in-Chief, she had the clout to push it through the editorial process. But I wrote my story first, before any of that ever happened, and I wrote it for myself.” Nevertheless, a bestseller it became, rapidly attaining a sort of cult status among legions of fans. As the series has progressed, over 45 million copies have been sold worldwide.3 Undoubtedly, a major appeal factor lies in the books’ main character, Ayla. A strong, resourceful, and independent female, not unlike the author herself, Ayla resonated with readers. Another element that makes Auel’s work attractive is the intelligence of the people she depicts. There are no Hollywood cavemen here — the folks who populate Auel’s Paleolithic landscape are smart, emotionally mature human beings. For the card-carrying Mensa author, this was no accident: “My characters are hunters and gatherers. In their day, they were the most advanced form of society that was known. Anthropologists who study people that live entirely off the land know how intelligent they have to be just to survive. Who taught a native of the north, the ones we call Eskimos, to make an igloo? Or how to hunt seals? Who taught a plains Indian woman to weave a watertight basket that could be used as a cooking pot? Who taught a Cro-Magnon hunter to make a spear-thrower? Or how to paint beautiful animals on the walls of caves? They taught themselves. That means they were intelligent. I don’t think there is any doubt.” This isn’t just her opinion. Perhaps the hallmark of the series has been Auel’s research. The lengths to which the author goes are legendary, such as spending a night in a snow cave, or learning firsthand how aboriginals tanned leather. As for formal sources, although there is no history to fall back on, there is a considerable body of scientific knowledge available to the author, which she has taken full advantage of, whether it be in a library or at a

by Ken Kreckel

WROTE...

the story that I loved, that I wanted to read, and it turned out that a lot of other people wanted to read it, too.” HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Features | 9

10 | Features | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

available, and that world is fairly complete. The background setting, the world, of a novel doesn’t have to be one hundred percent accurate, it just has to be self-consistent, and logical, which is what I’ve always tried to do, and the parts that you can check have to be correct.” In contrast with many authors, Auel works mainly late at night: “I am a night person by nature. If I have to, I can get up, but I don’t do mornings well. I have always been a night person. Even when I was working days, even when I had to get up to get children off to school, I think even when I was a child, I have been a night person. When the sun goes down, my brain turns on, and I often see the sun come up and then I go to bed. I have at least one granddaughter who is as much a night person as I am. I have spoken to several people, some writers, who say they are also night people. Some say they do it because it is uninterrupted time; I just do it.” That Nike conviction is clearly one of her virtues: “You don’t wait until the spirit moves you, or until inspiration strikes, you find your time and just settle down and write.” Still, for all her success, one has to wonder if Auel could have sold that first novel today, in our current publishing climate — an unknown author with no writing credentials, presenting a very long book about a people no one ever heard of, who lived a very long time ago. Would a publisher take such a risk? Auel’s agent wonders, given the changes that have occurred over the last three decades. But the author, displaying the same kind of confidence that led her to write and publish that first novel, doesn’t question it at all: “My agent tells me things in publishing are different now, and it might be more difficult today, but I believe that if you write a good story, it will get published and people will find it.” They did, and thirty years later, there remains much more for her readers to discover.

References: 1. Crown Publishing, publicity release. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Andreadis, Athena. “The House with Many Doors (or, at the Caucasus, Hang a Right!).” The Huffington Post, 18 January 2011. 5. Crown Publishing, publicity release.

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conference or in the field. She has visited archeological sites across the globe. Some of this work had to be done before she dotted a single “i”: “Before I could write a Neanderthal character, I had to invent my Neanderthals, my Clan. I did a lot of reading from various perspectives — scientists have never fully agreed with each other — but that gave me an opportunity to reason things out for myself, to pick and choose what made sense to me. And sometimes what worked for the story. I understand the science, but I’m a novelist. I have been known to judge a scientific theory by how well I could move my characters around it. If it doesn’t make logical sense for people to behave in the way that a theory suggests, I tend to doubt the theory. People need logical motives for doing something. What’s most important to me are the actions of the characters, and because I try to make my characters behave as people do, they need appropriate motivation.” Scientists surely do not always agree with each other, and some do not agree with Auel’s interpretations. Biochemist and author Athena Andreadis, for example, dismisses her novels as “sugarcoated anachronisms,” preferring instead the much less successful Reindeer Moon and Animal Wife by anthropologist Elizabeth Marshall Thomas.4 These books depict Paleolithic times as much more brutal, and the inhabitants as correspondingly more violent. Although the author makes “it a practice not to respond to negative reviews,” she did comment on this particular issue. Acknowledging Ms. Thomas’s scientific credentials and expressing that there is much to like in the books, she states: “But my biggest problem is still character motivation. When I have read fiction written by scientists, I am often disappointed. Although it is assumed that they do, they don’t always research their fiction as well as they research their own science. After all, it’s only fiction.” Auel bristles at the suggestion that her depictions might be too “nice”: “I don’t think my books are ‘too idyllic,’ not when I’ve had several archaeologists who specialize in the Paleolithic tell me that my characters could have lived the way I’ve depicted them.” Fair enough. She herself has compiled honorary degrees from four universities and has been awarded the medal of Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government’s Ministry of Culture.5 She has done the work. But I submit that her knowledge of human beings is what makes her books special, and her fiction so powerful and popular. In addition, it is an axiom of geology that the gaps in the geologic record far exceed what we can observe. At the end of the day, what we “know” is often an interpretation made from incomplete observations. Auel agrees, “Now I can plead that I’m writing fiction. I created my world based on the facts that were

KEN KRECKEL is a features editor for HNR. Besides writing historical fiction, he is a faculty member in the Earth Science Department at Casper College.

An Interview with Karleen Koen

ouis XIV in his youthful, exuberant days: part boy, part man, carving his way as leader of France after the death of his godfather, Cardinal Mazarin, and before he built his grand palace outside Paris. Author Karleen Koen explores the young king’s beginnings in her upcoming novel, Before Versailles: A Novel of Louis XIV (Crown, June 2011). The novel is a rich blend of romance, politics, betrayal, and intrigue as seen through the eyes of numerous historical personages, all of whom have their own agendas. DSL: Your novel is lush with clothing details, palace descriptions, even the countryside around Fontainebleau. Did you travel to France for research, and how long did your research take? KK: My interest in Louis XIV began when I was 20 and read Nancy Mitford’s coffee-table book, The Sun King. From that time on, as I’ve always done about some person or point in history in which I’m interested, I read biographies, memoirs, histories about him and his descendants — but for pleasure, not for research. So I knew a lot before I began this novel, not knowing when I read the Mitford book or any of the others that one day I would write this novel. I did go to Fontainebleau and to Vaux le Vicomte (Fouquet’s chateau) for research, and was lucky at both places to get behindthe-scenes tours. DSL: You’ve picked a short window of time in the king’s life. Was it easy to find detailed information on Louis XIV at age twentytwo? KK: No, the focus, the detail (which Louis himself provided; he was his own best marketing person) comes in his late 20s/early 30s and particularly when the Versailles culture has coalesced. As my foundation, I used a long note written about him by the Italians when he was 16 or 17. DSL: The intrigue and betrayal that surrounded Louis XIV

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A King in the Making

is extremely well-drawn. How much was true (e.g., were there Mazarinades?) and how much fiction? KK: The intrigue is true. His court grew up in civil war. His uncle had betrayed his father over and over, as had his mother until he was born. The Mazarinades [pamphlets printed before and during the Fronde] existed, were prominent throughout the reign of his mother and the cardinal. Did someone send them to Louis when he was 22 and at Fontainebleau? No, not that I know of, but their existence (all the verbiage in them is historically accurate) gave me the perfect plotting tool to underline the dangers of the court he was born into. And, of course, the iron mask isn’t true…as far as we know. DSL: As you mention, you even weave in the legend of the boy/man in the iron mask. What compelled you to include that and to involve Louise, Louis’s future mistress? KK: When the story began, it was going to be either Louise’s or Madame’s (Henriette). As time went by, to my surprise, Louis XIV became the main character, and the ladies shifted down a notch. History gives Louise far less importance and credit than is due her, in my opinion. Very little is known about her. There are few anecdotes, in contrast to Athénaïs. Louise, according to my read of her (and I trust my read on historical figures), was a sweet, kind, shy person, and the fact is, Louis loved her tenderly. It’s quite affecting, his love for her. I always knew I was going to use some twist with the iron mask. It’s too yummy a plot point, as Dumas proved so well. As it turns out, the iron mask gave a plot purpose for Louise and a way to build and show her quieter character. To my surprise and gratitude, the iron mask helped ratchet the plot into a higher gear, and I could touch on but not drone endlessly about tedious, mundane finances, which were at the heart of Louis’s political battle with Fouquet. I feel Louise was the wind beneath Louis’s XIV’s burgeoning wings…I think only a kind-hearted, generous, noble girl could

by Diane Scott Lewis

As time went by... to my surprise, Louis XIV became the main character, and the ladies shifted down a notch.”

HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Features | 11

DSL: You paint Viscount Nicholas as a greedy villain, albeit a charming one. History doesn’t show him as such. What were your reasons? KK: Actually, depending upon the historian, Nicholas Fouquet is indeed shown as such. There is a continuing debate in France as to the extent of his guilt. The details of his dealings, the island, the buying of arms and admirals, the positioning of friends, the spies, are true. But the big truth for a fiction writer is: a story needs an opposing force for the tension to be high, and I chose Nicholas as the opposing force. He must be as strong as Louis for the story to work — and in actuality he was. What he underestimated was the determination and pride of Louis and skills of the great Colbert. I don’t see Nicholas as a villain, but as a complex, talented man. DSL: Louis’s brother, Philippe, is shown as a weak and strident homosexual, more interested in his male lovers than his wife. Did you have any concerns about portraying him in this light? KK: I don’t see or read Philippe that way. I really, really love the character as he appears in Before Versailles; I love his joie de vivre and his innocence and his open-heartedness. Historically, he was gay, he did love Guy-Armand, and yet he was delighted in his new wife, all of which I’ve shown. Henriette made the first moves away from fidelity, not Philippe, and I’ve shown that, too. I was looking for the young Prince Philippe who grew up in the shadow of his brother; I was looking for a man I saw as caring and extravagant and full of promise, a promise no one wanted to see flower because of politics. If anything, Philippe was the victim of others’ ambitions. As for Philippe’s behavior toward the one he truly loved, I see it as the normal behavior of anyone deeply in love. These are the facts: his brother began a strong, dangerous flirtation with his wife and his best friend/lover also fell in love with her, and she became one of the great flirts of the reign — a very explosive mix. How would one respond to all that, gay or otherwise? There was a dark side to Philippe (explored more fully in my third novel, Dark Angels). But I don’t think he’s dark in this novel. I think he’s very human and dear. History isn’t kind to Philippe, and I wanted to show his beauty and complexity at this age. DSL: Your depiction of Louise de la Vallière is poignant, especially when we know she will be discarded later on by the king. I’d love to see a sequel that involves their progressing relationship, then her downfall. Have you considered writing such a novel? KK: I tried to write a Louis XIV story for years. I was fascinated by his relationships with women and how the women were so 12 | Features | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

interconnected. How did he manage the complications of it? How did the women feel? They all started as rivals, and some of them ended as friends. Yum. I couldn’t do it, but my third novel, Dark Angels, emerged out of the attempt. Dark Angels is a story of Alice and Richard, the creators of the Tamworth legacy, but a piece of the Louis XIV story is there, the very real life, very dramatic story of Madame/ Henriette. After I broke off that piece to use as a plot motor in Dark Angels, I realized the reason I couldn’t write the Louis XIV story I wished to was because the story itself was too big. So a piece of that big story I was considering is this novel, Before Versailles. And another piece will be in the novel I’m working on now, Our Bed is Green — an Alice and Richard novel. How big a part Louis will have, or Louise, I don’t know yet. Personally, I really only like him at the moment I depict him in Before Versailles. I don’t like the man Louis XIV became, and I don’t like Athénaïs. I never make people I don’t like the heroes or heroines of my novels. A piece of the whole Louise/Louis/Athénaïs story will be in my next novel, but Louis and his trophy mistress (whom he sincerely loved, but I don’t care) won’t carry the story…at least, that’s how it looks now. A writer should never say never, so I take back my first never. DSL: What is your next project, and how much research have you accomplished? Do you give yourself a set amount of time for research before beginning a novel? KK: I know so much about certain periods — having a real interest in them, the way a historian would — that I am always reading, always researching, just for the knowing of things. I have an immense personal library, as well as two wonderful university libraries here in Houston, and let us not forget the internet, where I’ve found all sorts of arcane, interesting material. I get stopped in my tracks by certain events, and then I try to create a story, a place readers can go to and get lost. I don’t have a set way I do anything, except attempt to approach writing a story on a regular basis. I never have any idea what I’m doing…feeling blindly toward story always. And it feels like Alice and Richard are the next story, but that it’s in France, in Louis’s early court. No more than that can I tell you; nothing is formed strongly yet.

Ms. Koen’s previous works include Through a Glass Darkly, Now Face to Face and Dark Angels. You can visit her website at: http://www.karleenkoen.net.

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have given him what he needed at this point in his life — a pivotal point in my reading of history. This story began for Louise’s sake, though Louis took it over, and I dedicated the book to her, my sweet friend, whom historians gloss over and underestimate. It’s always that way with the quiet ones.

DIANE SCOTT LEWIS is a reviewer for the Historical Novels Review. Her debut historical novel, The False Light, which takes place in England during the French Revolution, was published last year. Please visit her website: http://www.dianescottlewis.com.

Recent Books on Children’s Literature

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his article considers recent books about children’s literature T that may interest the enthusiast of historical literature for

Sage Sage publishing takes a more hands-on approach and has two younger readers. There has been a very healthy increase in the titles which would be of practical use to teachers and librarians. quantity of such books published in the last ten years, and this Exploring Children’s Literature by Nikki Gamble and Sally Yeates article concentrates on the past two years. (2nd edition, 2009) has a very useful section on “Time and place in children’s fiction”. This book is aimed at those involved with Palgrave Macmillan children and young adults, and provides practical ideas for At present, I have on my desk two books published in 2009 useful activities and reading lists. Although more of a manual by Palgrave Macmillan for the new Open University course, than a critical work, it is full of enthusiasm for the subject and Children’s Literature. The books are: Children’s Literature: explores many different categories of historical fiction, such as: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends historical fantasy, alternative histories, edited by Heather Montgomery and family chronicles, period fiction, point of Nicola J. Watson and Children’s Literature: view, language and memoirs. Approaches and Territories edited by Janet Sage has also published Multicultural Maybin and Nicola J. Watson. Children’s Literature: A Critical Issues The first book has several chapters of Approach by Ambika Gopalakrishnan interest. There is a section on the post(2011). The emphasis is very much on war children’s classic Tom’s Midnight use in situ when working with children’s Garden by Philippa Pearce, famous for groups, with many suggestions for its time-slip narrative. The chapter also discussion and project work. Its interest contains essays by Margaret & Michael to readers and teachers of historical Rustin, Maria Nikolajeva and Roni fiction is in the integration of such topics Natov on various aspects of the story, for as “Gender, sexuality and equality”, “War, example: loneliness, isolation, childhood terrorism, justice and freedom”, “Prejudice consciousness, awareness of the past and and abuse” and so on. history. Another section looks at Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Routledge Taylor, a classic novel depicting the life of Routledge has a very good list of books a black American family during the Great in its Children’s Literature and Culture Depression. Lastly, there is a section on series, and two of the most recent are Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin, winner of the David Rudd’s Routledge Companion to Whitbread Children’s Book Award. The essays by Christopher Children’s Literature (2010) and Lydia Kokkola’a Representing Ringrose and Jamila Gavin, the author of Coram Boy, are the Holocaust in Children’s Literature (2009 re-issue), a brave particularly engaging as they consider the emergence of the new overview of a difficult subject. David Rudd’s book is of two historical fiction movement beginning in the Millenium. parts: first, essays on various subjects by various authors; second, The second book is a more general overview with references to an encyclopaedic arrangement of “Names and terms”. The historical fiction occurring in the context of other considerations. second section is not as helpful as it could be—while it includes For example, the chapter by Kimberley Reynolds on definitions of such genres as the school story, carnivalesque, “Transformative energies” and “Prizes! Prizes! Newbery Gold” the gothic and Disneyfication, it does not mention historical indicates the popularity of historical fiction in the early years of realism, time-slip or alternative history. There are sections on the award and its recent revival. folk tales, myths and legends and the definitions of these are

Parents & writers...

by Julie Parker

also have to recognise that primary school children learn about the effects of war as part of their curriculum, and fiction can be an invaluable learning tool.” HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Features | 13

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invaluable learning tool if the subject is tackled appropriately. Lutterworth An insightful book by Dennis Butts, Children’s Literature and Social Change: Some Case Studies from Barbara Hofland to Philip Pullman was published by Lutterworth Press in 2010. There is much in this volume to interest the reader of children’s historical fiction: a consideration of Captain Marryat’s Children of the New Forest (written in 1847, but set during the English Civil War), Charles Kingsley’s Westward Ho! (written in 1855, but set in the 16th century), and the nationalistic tales of George Alfred Henty. From these to the historical tales of Pullman, each writer’s work is contextualised against the backdrop of their social and economic milieu. An entire chapter is devoted to the life and works of Henty, famous for his tales of battle and adventure, most of which have an historical setting. His experiences as a journalist in the Crimean War and his other foreign travels prove his familiarity with the subjects about which he writes. Chapter five, “Rider Haggard and the pattern of defeat”, mentions historical works such as his trilogy on the history of the Zulu people, beginning with Marie (1912). Chapter six, “Some questions about Kidnapped, Stevenson and the Act of Union”, discusses Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel and its historical context, dealing, as it does, with the aftermath of the unsuccessful Jacobite rebellion of 1746.The chapter on E. Nesbit includes a passing mention of her historical time fantasies, which take her characters to Ancient Egypt and the Napoleonic era respectively, though much of the chapter is about The Railway Children. In Chapter ten, “A few dissenters”, there are references to the work of Geoffrey Trease and L.A.G. Strong’s political motivation in writing historical fiction for children. Finally, the book concludes with an annotated bibliography which offers scope for further reading. There are many more books in the pipeline for 2011, including an encyclopedia on Irish children’s writers, so if you are interested in keeping up with the world of children’s writing, there will be ample opportunity.

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interesting. The first section of the book has essays about the development of children’s literature, the development of literary theory for children’s books, multiculturalism and gender studies, but it is the next three chapters which have merit for the historical fiction reader: narratology, realism and fantasy. The essay on narratology by John Stephens discusses “point of view” and “focalisation”, mentioning Tom’s Midnight Garden and The Pied Piper of Hamelin. It also examines the arrangement of time in a novel, again considering Tom’s Midnight Garden as well as the sense of ending in David Almond’s The Fire-eaters, set in 1962. The chapter on realism by Lucy Pearson and Kimberley Reynolds has some good ideas and provides a particularly interesting take on the realistic treatment of tragic events, such as death, bereavement and the Holocaust, mentioning Robert Innocenti’s Rose Blanche, Morris Gleitzman’s trilogy, Once; Then and Now and John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. The next chapter on fantasy, by Karen Coats, makes a good case for fantasy being an excellent vehicle for tackling uncomfortable and frightening ideas headon. Heroes can take on an extra dimensions through special objects in their care (e.g., Arthur’s sword, Excalibur). The book also includes a timeline of children’s literature and a bibliography which runs to 26 pages. Lydia Kokkola’s Representing the Holocaust in Children’s Literature provides an international perspective on writers in this subject area, though most of the writers included are American, with some European. Kokkola considers the premise that writers have a greater moral obligation to be accurate when telling stories about the Holocaust, though some considerations will be the same as in other historical fiction (e.g. accuracy in details of clothing, food, work, tools, housing, travel, language; cultural accuracy in matters of religion, festivals, celebrations, and attitudes). In the chapter “Crossing borders”, Kokkola examines the definition of fiction and its closeness to autobiography with the problems inherent in writing of human lives. She considers the constitutents of memory, notoriously unreliable, and those of historical research. Writers will recognise that the concepts of horror and evil may not be ones that parents want their children to know too early. More importantly, will children want to read books about the Holocaust? They are used to the idea of scary stories, but when the Nazi becomes the Bogeyman, is it a step too far? The reason for writing and publishing books for children in this subject area is to encourage insight, knowledge and understanding, and introducing such books to young children has to be done sensitively. Parents and writers also have to recognise that primary school children learn about the effects of war as part of their curriculum and fiction can be an

JULIE PARKER trained as a librarian in the 1970s at Birmingham Polytechnic and studied children’s literature. She later obtained a qualification in adult education at Liverpool University and MA in English Literature at Oxford Brookes University. After many working years as a librarian, she is now more interested in genealogical research, but enjoys reading historical fiction to give an impression of the times.

an interview with Hilary Green

ilary Green is trained as an actress and a teacher of drama (Daniel Craig, the latest James Bond, was one of Green’s “star” pupils). She won the Historical Novel Society Kythira Short Story prize, and has had seven novels published. She has also written for the BBC, and now works full time on her writing. MC: What impact did winning the Historical Novel Society Kythira Short Story Prize have on your career as a writer? HG: It gave me the encouragement to carry on writing in the face of rejection. Being told by Louis de Bernières that my work was definitely publishable was an enormous boost. MC: Do you think that your career and background in the theatre have helped you to create more memorable characters? HG: Yes, definitely. As an actor, you have to think and feel as the character you are playing, and as a director you have to have a strong visual sense. When I am writing, I often feel as if I am watching a play. MC: What fascinates you about war? HG: All drama requires conflict of some kind. I think being at war strips away all sorts of mundane preoccupations and makes people live more intensely. My interest in the Second World War springs from my memories of stories told by my parents, who were both in the entertainment world before the war broke out. I was interested in how the war had changed people’s lives and sent them off on paths they would never have followed otherwise. Also, I wanted to examine the role entertainment had played in maintaining morale. This was the inspiration for the Follies saga. I found myself researching so many different aspects of the conflict that all sorts of other stories suggested themselves, and that has led me on to write other books, such as the two First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) books; We’ll Meet Again and Never Say Goodbye.

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James Bond & Women at War

MC: After the Follies series, what next? HG: My next book is Daughters Of War. It’s the first in a trilogy that starts in 1912 and will go right through World War I. It was inspired by the lives of two remarkable women. Mabel Stobart founded the Women’s Sick and Wounded Convoy and went to Bulgaria to nurse soldiers wounded in the First Balkan War and later returned to nurse Serbian soldiers in WWI. Flora Sands was an early member of the FANY who also went to Serbia. She got separated from her unit and joined up with a company of Serbian soldiers. She was the first woman ever to be commissioned as a fighting soldier. In my novel, Leonora, the heroine, is a feisty young woman who rebels against the conventions of Edwardian society and runs away to join Stobart, accompanied by her friend Victoria. She falls in love with a charismatic Serbian colonel, but it seems the romance cannot prosper because he is engaged to someone else. Victoria also has an affair, with Luke, a New Zealander who has volunteered as a stretcher bearer. The subsequent books, Passions Of War and Harvest Of War, follow Leo and her brother, Ralph, and his friend, Tom, through WWI. Leo returns to Serbia and is caught up in the tragic retreat through the Albanian mountains in the winter of 1915. Victoria serves in France with the FANY. Tom and Ralph endure the horrors of the trenches on the Western Front while Luke fights in the Gallipoli campaign. There is tragedy but also, finally, hope through new life. MC: Are your main characters your favourite ones? HG: I fall in love with all my characters. I don’t think it is possible to write convincingly otherwise. For further information about Daughters Of War, published by Severn House, see http://hilarygreen.co.uk.

by Myfanwy Cook

When I am writing... I often feel as if I am watching a play.” HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Features | 15

passenger ships as historical setting

oday, cruise liners are a popular way of enjoying a holiday T and visiting new places. These floating cities have also provided

settings for a plethora of contemporary murder, romance and adventure novels. But what of their historical forerunners, the passenger liners such as the SS Great Britain, Aquitania, Normandie, Queen Mary, Ile de France, RMS Mauretania, Lusitania, and the ill-fated Titanic? The answer is that many historical novelists have focused on the Titanic as centrepiece around which to weave their stories, to the neglect of all the other passenger ships. Few novelists have set their stories aboard these vessels, despite the rising popularity of today’s cruise liners, such as the Oasis of the Seas and the Queen Victoria, which are designed to carry a similar number of passengers as the ships that crossed the Atlantic in the early 20th century. These ships are most often mentioned in passing, in tales set around the lives of immigrant families travelling to Australia, America and elsewhere.1 Some novels even centre on specific events, such as Exiles by Ron Hansen, a narrative about the wreck of the Deutschland in December, 1875. Hansen recounts the tale of this passenger vessel sailing from Germany to New York and the lives of five young nuns who died in the disaster. However, considering the impact of these ships and the effect they had (not only in enabling more people to travel and opening up the world to third as well as first class passengers, but also in the spheres of art, architecture and design), there are only a handful of novelists who have exploited the wonderful settings that these steamships provide. The sheer opulence of the interiors (e.g., the Art Déco design of the Normandie with its Lalique glass pillars or the Queen Mary with its Starlight Club and Verandah Grill) should make perfect settings for novels. Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear2 does involve a channel crossing, and nautical imagery also appears in another form. While hunting a murder suspect, her main character, Maisie Dobbs, parks her car alongside a modern (for the 1920s) block

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Not the Titanic!

of flats, and stands for a moment “to observe the white building. Designed to resemble an ocean liner, each of the building’s three floors seemed enlarged by a wrap-around balcony in the same white finish, though portholes in the balcony allowed glimpses of the floor to ceiling windows of each flat beyond.” Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin,3 Murder on the Lusitania by Conrad Allen4 and Dangerous Sea by David Roberts5 are all set onboard passenger steamships. The murders of Lord Littleby and his staff may take place on land, in 1878 Paris, but the eventual uncovering of the murderer’s identity is made at sea. Akunin’s Leviathan, “this miracle of a ship [that] has two steam engines, two powerful paddle wheels on its sides and, in addition, a gigantic propeller on its stern,” is a creation of his imagination. The three-funnelled SS Leviathan, originally the German SS Vaterland, sailed first in 1914, years after the setting of Akunin’s novel. Nonetheless, it makes an ideal setting for an Agatha Christie-style murder investigation. The novels of Allen and Roberts are full of intricate details about the ships upon which they have set their stories, and Roberts’s liner is less than ideal underneath its luxurious veneer. He points out all the inadequacies of the Queen Mary that kept her from winning the Blue Riband (an unofficial award dating from circa 1910, given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed). Roberts skilfully uses his knowledge of the ship to create more than just a glamorous setting for multiple-murder during toplevel diplomatic talks between Lord Benyon and President Roosevelt. Roberts also points out the list of potential hazards for passengers, including the lack of handrails, a faulty steam room, and the deficiencies in the ship’s stabilizers. Roberts creates a captivating setting for his murders through evocative description: “As they entered the restaurant through the silvermetal screens, they were struck by the magnificence of the scene that presented itself to their gaze. Surmounted by a vast

by Myfanwy Cook

The sheer opulence... of the interiors (e.g., the Art Déco design of the Normandie with its Lalique glass pillars or the Queen Mary with its Starlight Club and Verandah Grill) should make perfect settings for novels.” 16 | Features | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

The steamship Orford, docked at Brett's Wharf, Hamilton, Brisbane, Australia, circa 1929.

class passengers, but this is less than half the story, and most of it was decidedly less glamorous. For instance, in 1852 Allan Gilmor sailed on the SS Great Britain’s first voyage to Australia as a third class, or steerage, passenger. He wrote in detail about the gold-miners and the gambling: “A good deal of money has changed hands today, a number of wagers having been made this morning as to the run...considerable sums have changed hands, one person lost £500 and another £120 in this way besides innumerable smaller sums...”6 Besides gambling, they also kept occupied by making tents, hammocks and shovels. As sources such as this attest, there are numerous rich veins of factual information about passengers ships, and a range of primary sources such as journals and diaries kept by passengers which could be mined for setting fodder. So why are there so few novels featuring the setting of passenger ships? Let’s hope that, in future, more historical novelists will take up the challenge and write novels which take advantage of the unique passenger ship setting — just please not the Titanic!

References:

1. http:// nycbooks.tripod.com and http://jadwigascrossing.com 2. http:// www.jacquelinewinspear.com 3. http:// www.boris-akunin.com 4. http:// www.edwardmarston.com 5. http:// www.lordedwardcorinth.co.uk 6. http://www.ssgreatbritain.org

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dome, the great room, the whole width of the ship and over a hundred feet in length, glistened in the subtle, indirect lighting. A huge painting of the English countryside embraced the bronze grille doors which dominated the room. The tables laid with silver were reflected in the glass wall panels, but the brilliance was tempered by wood and bronze...” While Roberts’s main character, Lord Edward Corinth, inhabits the first class decks, Allen’s central character is a ship’s detective whose mobility enables glimpses of the second class accommodations and even the engine room. Allen’s novel, set in 1907, entwines love and murder on the Lusitania’s maiden voyage. This is a recurring theme for Allen, whose other novels set on passenger ships include Murder on the Salsette, Murder on the Oceanic and Murder on the Celtic. These novels combine an interesting plot with tantalising details about the vessels Allen chooses as settings. Though it is an element, romance is not always centre stage in the novels of Allen, Akunin and Roberts, unlike the plotting to be found in the Onedin Line saga. The first five Onedin Line novels were written by Cyril Abraham, who created the popular 1970s television series. The ships of the Onedin Line are not passenger ships, but they do carry passengers along with their cargo. These stories help to highlight life on board for the passengers and crew, but perhaps not in the way that the legacy of passenger diaries do. Readers will be more familiar with those of first-

MYFANWY COOK is currently an HNR features editor. Her latest publication, How to Write Historical Fiction—A Practical Guide and Tool Kit (2011), features contributions from professor Bernard Knight and tips from over 50 professional historical novelists and experts in the fields of publishing, research, and literature.

HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Features | 17

William C. Hammond’s nautical historical fiction

of William C. Hammond’s readers about his work Aandsktheanyword “history” is sure to be in the first sentence. His readership is effusive in its praise of the meticulous research evident in his novels. Not that it’s the dry stuff of textbooks. As one put it, “I was so caught up in the story [of A Matter of Honor], I didn’t realize how much history I had learned until I was finished and began thinking about it.” 1 Another states, “All history should be taught this way.”2 Quotes like these drive the author to excel at his craft— for Bill Hammond, history is the thing. His latest work, For Love of Country (Naval Institute Press, 2010), is the first in a projected six sequels to the first novel, A Matter of Honor, which was released in 2007. Together they form the Cutler Family Chronicles, a series that will take the reader from 1774 to 1815. His protagonist, Richard Cutler, was born in Massachusetts and is engaged in the business of shipping sugar, molasses and rum from the family plantation on the island of Barbados. While in England, the young Richard steals the heart of the aristocratic Katherine Hardcastle away from a young officer of the Royal Navy. This sets up the primary, personal tension in the series, as the family negotiates a world in which their two countries go to war not once, but twice. Although focusing on a particular family, the subject is really much broader. Hammond explains, “…the backdrop of all seven novels is the creation of the U.S. Navy and the emergence of the United States as a naval and commercial power on the world stage, the backbone of each novel is the strong interpersonal relationships that exist among the Cutler family on both sides of the Atlantic and in the West Indies. These relationships, coupled with a uniquely American perspective on the Age of Fighting Sail, is what differentiates these novels from other novels in the genre.”3

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For Love of HISTORY

Thus, it is apparent that his writing is first and foremost about history. “Nothing is more important. Although I majored in American history in college and I have read many books of historical works since graduation ….there is more history in these novels than in other works of nautical fiction I have read – in fact, in most works of historical fiction I have read. And this history has been vetted by highly regarded naval historians. Simply put, I believe I have a commitment to my readers to present the history as accurately as possible in every scene of every chapter I write.” 4 So why write about the beginnings of the U.S. Navy? Hammons explains: “First, I have been a lifelong student of history, particularly American and British history. I majored in British history in college and have read an untold number of books, both fiction and nonfiction, that focus on American history. Second, I dreamed of attending the Naval Academy before a high school football injury earned me a 4-F classification. And third, having at least sampled nearly all modern writers of nautical fiction, I found precious few of them writing about the early days of the U.S. Navy. The Royal Navy and the Napoleonic Wars are the usual subjects of choice. No one, to my knowledge, is writing a fictional series, steeped in well-researched history, on the beginnings of the modern American Navy. So call it a perceived market niche, one that holds profound interest for me.” Since the history in his books is of such importance, so, too, is the research. To Hammond, it means getting back to basics: “Despite my lifelong commitment to studying history, I invested three years of research before starting chapter one of A Matter of Honor. The best way to get a sense of an historical individual’s true character is by studying original source material unique to that individual. An example is the ship’s log of Bonhomme

by Ken Kreckel

I CONSIDER... my novels to be hybrids between works of nautical fiction and works of historical fiction.” 18 | Features | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

And the reward for his readers? “That by reading these books, you can, I trust, enjoy the escape that comes from reading any good work of fiction, and at the same time learn a lot about the early history of the United States. It’s a history in which every American can take pride.

References: 1. Hammond, William C. “For Love of Country.” Historical Fiction.com, November, 2010; http://historical-fiction. com/?p=2423. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Hayes, David. “An Interview with William C. Hammond.” Astrodene’s Historic Naval Fiction, July 2010, http://historical navalfiction.com/index.php/general-hnf-info/astrodenesblog/1582-an-interview-with-william-c-hammond. 5. Hammond, William C. “For Love of Country.” Historical Fiction.com, November, 2010, http://historical-fiction. com/?p=2423.

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Richard. Many of the books I used as primary research were dust-covered with pages edged in yellow. No Kindle Editions here.” If all this seems a bit confining, the author bristles at the suggestion his books have a limited audience scope. “I don’t consider my novels to be ‘military books’ as such. At their core are love stories – love of a man for a woman, of course – but also love of family, love of tradition, love of service, and love of country. One can certainly argue that works of nautical fiction have a narrow but deep market share, whereas novels of historical fiction have a broader but shallower share of market. But nothing is written in stone. I consider my novels to be hybrids between works of nautical fiction and works of historical fiction. I think you’d have a hard time convincing the estates of C.S. Forester and Patrick O’Brian that works of nautical fiction have a limited audience. Similarly, I doubt either Bernard Cornwell or Philippa Gregory is currently bemoaning the state of the market for wellwritten historical fiction.” So there is a softer side to his novels: “…women have a key role to play, confirming the age-old adage that behind every successful man is a woman urging him forward. Were it not for his love of country, his love of family and friends, and especially his love for his beautiful wife, Richard could not achieve what he has achieved, and he is the first to admit it. Much like Abigail Adams serving as first adviser to President Adams, Katherine is forever at Richard’s side, in spirit if not in physical presence, and it is her unabating love and respect for him that urges him forward to glory.”5 Hammond elaborates: “Katherine Cutler is the love of Richard’s life, as is ever more evident in For Love of Country. Richard is often away at sea, but separation serves only to intensify their relationship.” In common with many authors, Hammond had his share of problems bringing his stories to an audience. His first publisher, Cumberland House, went out of business just six weeks before the release date of For Love of Country. Hammond explains the subsequent problems: “Because the original jacket and some sales literature had already been posted on Amazon and elsewhere on the Internet, there was confusion in the marketplace on whether or not the book had been published. Ghosts of that confusion still lurk out there today, although everyone involved has done a good job exorcising them.” Hopefully, that’s all behind him. “As to my current publisher, the Naval Institute Press, I have no such problems. It’s a wonderful publisher.” With five more books to go in the series, there is a lot at stake, and a great deal of time involved: “call it a year and a half for each book. I am currently half-way through Book IV. I now expect there to be seven, not six, novels in the series. So I have three and a half novels to go. So if I stay healthy and can continue my daily routine uninterrupted, I’ll be 70, give or take, when all is said and done. But even then all will not be said and done. I will be writing, perhaps with additional books in this series, until I go to my Great Reward – which, if I am found worthy, will be a writing desk somewhere.”

KEN KRECKEL is a features editor for HNR and has published a military-based historical novel, among other works.

HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Features | 19

John Sayles on his thousand-page historical novel

ohn Sayles had something to say, and wrote a thousand-page historical j novel to give voice to it. His book, A Moment in the Sun (McSweeney’s,

2011), has now been released, but not by the major publishers that had first crack at it. It very nearly didn’t get published at all. Although you may not think you know John Sayles, you almost certainly know his work as a screenwriter, director, and novelist. Early in his career, he was responsible for Return of the Secaucus 7, which won the L.A. Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay, as well as inspiring The Big Chill and a host of similar movies. Primarily known as a director and screenwriter, Sayles has also acted in numerous plays and films, as well as producing several, and has even dabbled in music. He went on to write and direct a plethora of films, including The Secret of Roan Inish, Sunshine State and Matewan. He has received a host of honors, including the Eugene V. Debs Award, the John Steinbeck Award and the John Cassavettes Award. Recently, he was honored with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Writer’s Guild of America. 1 Perhaps as a result of all this success, John Sayles’s writing career has always been a bit of an avocation. No stranger to rejections, he received a flurry of them before finding a publisher in 1975 for his first work, Pride of the Bimbos. His 1977 novel, Union Dues, was nominated for a National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. After a long hiatus, he achieved in 1991 what would be considered impossible today: selling Los Gusanos to HarperCollins without an agent. A critically acclaimed anthology, Dillinger in Hollywood, followed in 2004 after another long dry period.2 A man with many irons in the fire, Sayles tends to write sporadically. As a consequence, he often has trouble finding a publisher. “I write a book every 15 years,” he says, “and by the time I have another one done, I really don’t know anybody in the business. It’s just not my world.” 3 A Moment in the Sun brought him into our world of historical fiction, though the book had been gestating in his mind for a long time: “I first encountered the fact of the Philippine-American War when I was doing research for my novel, Los Gusanos, in the

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s earch of a M m oment in the S s un inS I

80s, and had to wonder—how did I get to be thirty-something years old without knowing about this? After asking some Filipino friends what they knew about it and discovering their schools had omitted or concealed a war that took over a million lives, I became intrigued by the cover-up and the reasons for it. Looking deeper into the period and discovering the Wilmington racial coup of 1898, I was struck by the bold racism and jingoism of the time—the last nail in the coffin of Reconstruction being driven in just as our nation was proudly (and loudly) embarking on the imperialist path for the first time.” So the idea blossomed into a book. Besides its size (seven binders were delivered to his agent in shopping bags), it covers a subject that is epic in scope: America’s involvement in the Philippines at the turn of the last century. The Philippines, Cuba and the U.S. provide the vast canvas for this novel, and among its characters are the white and African-American soldiers actually doing the fighting, as well as such historical figures as Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, William Randolph Hearst, and Damon Runyon. 4 The book describes a time that eerily echoes our own, especially when compared to our present involvement in the Middle East. American forces took Manila with a handful of casualties (only 17 combat deaths) in just four months during the Spanish American War. However, less than year afterward, America found itself in a much more protracted war against indigenous Filipinos seeking independence. Officially lasting a little more than three years (1899-1902) but in reality continuing until 1913, the war saw the commitment of over 125,000 U.S. soldiers and resulted in over 4,000 U.S. combat deaths. At the time, this Philippine-American War was controversial. Even today, some historians view it as America’s first colonial war, a blatant act of imperialism. Others see it as a “benevolent assimilation,” as then-President McKinley put it. Support for the war in the States was mixed, and a significant protest movement arose, including none other than Mark Twain. However, the insurgent Filipinos were by no means united, and U.S. forces eventually overwhelmed their formal forces, leaving the

by Ken Kreckel

The economics... change, but writing books will always be a cheaper way to tell a story than making a movie, so I don’t think it’s going to disappear.”

20 | Features | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

screenwriter and director had a great deal of trouble getting such a book published, but the author himself had no illusions on this score: “There’s no way a publisher is going to be influenced just by somebody mentioning my name. They’ll check out the numbers of the latest title.” That is, apparently, exactly what happened— the author’s numbers have never been as stellar as his reviews. It did find a home, a year later. After the major publishers took a pass, Dave Eggers of McSweeney’s agreed to take it on, slating it for an April 2011 release. To Sayles, it was a sign of the times. “The economics of publishing are now corporate economics. I had a few editors at larger houses that wanted to publish the book but got a thumbs down (by people who didn’t read the book) from their parent companies. If you’re in business for profit and expect a high reward-to-risk ratio, you’re not interested in ‘serious’ fiction unless the writer is a brand name.” Sayles’s experience is certainly not unique. Two successful historical novels of the past few years, The Help and Matterhorn, traversed a long road to publication as well. When asked if we were getting dumber as a nation, or just more risk averse, Sayles answers, “Both. I think that corporate economics skew things toward things easily consumable by a great mass, and that modern media has been influential in shortening people’s attention spans and willingness to look into subjects in any depth.” He goes on, “Writing novels has always been a bit of a hobby even for published and known authors. If you don’t do your own typing, you can spend more on that than you get for an advance. What has changed is the sheer amount of information/ entertainment available to a person at every moment. So many choices create a kind of overload that is tough for humans to process—stimulation replaces thought.” Still, Sayles doesn’t seem as despairing as his agent, who remarked, “I think serious intellectual historical fiction will have a much harder time finding the home it deserves.”7 The author is less pessimistic: “The economics change, but writing books will always be a cheaper way to tell a story than making a movie, so I don’t think it’s going to disappear.” In the name of fans of serious historical fiction, I sincerely hope he’s right.

References: 1. John Sayles website, http://www.johnsayles.com/biography.html 2. Ibid. 3. Getlin, Josh. “John Sayles, novelist, seeks a binding agreement.” LA Times, May 26, 2009 4. John Sayles website, http://www.johnsayles.com/biography.html 5. John Sayles Amigo blog, “Novel News;” http://johnsaylesbaryo.blogspot. com, April 15, 2010 6. Du Bois, William Edward Burghardt, Black Reconstruction in America, 1860-1880. New York: Free Press, 1935. 7. Getlin, Josh. “John Sayles, novelist, seeks a binding agreement.” LA Times, May 26, 2009

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survivors to wage a guerilla war. America did eventually prevail, but by many accounts the war was a bitter time in American history. Sound familiar? To the author, it was all too familiar. Sayles says, “Vietnam was enormously different in that it was almost instantly challenged and became widely unpopular because of the draft. The similarity is that it turned into a ‘dirty’ guerilla war. Iraq is analogous in that it was a bait-and-switch war that was popular enough at first to attract a large number of volunteers. The Spanish-American War was very popular among young American men, many volunteering either because they really thought we should liberate the oppressed Cuban people, or just for the glorious adventure of the thing (they’d grown up hearing of the Civil War, at a time lag from the slaughter, from fathers and grandfathers), just as many young Americans signed up to fight after the 9/11 murders. In both cases though, many ended up being sent to fight in a cynical side-show to the original purpose—the Filipinos were fighting the Spanish just as the Cubans were, and the Iraqis, whatever one thinks of Saddam Hussein, were not the instigators of the attack on the World Trade Center. In both cases, capitalist expansionists used the vocabulary of patriotism to get young people to kill and die for their own profitable agendas.” There’s no mistaking Sayles’s passion, especially when considering another theme of the work—racism. Sayles explains: “A racist assumption of superiority was the cornerstone of that period of imperialism—thus Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘The White Man’s Burden’ bearing the subtitle ‘The U.S. and the Philippines’. White Christians were able to feel justified, proud even, to colonize darker, more ‘backward’ peoples. The Spanish had dismissed Filipinos, even the most educated and accomplished among them, as ‘indios’ for centuries. Our current adventures in the Middle East owe some of their popularity to the feeling that Arabs are not really white and certainly not Christian.” Reportedly5 Sayles titled his book after reading the following quote from W.E.B. Dubois: “The slave went free; stood a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery.” 6 While the novel has a strong point of view, it is still intended to entertain. “First of all,” says Sayles, “it is a story, and I hope the readers will get involved in the lives of the characters and want to know how things turn out for them. Secondly, A Moment in the Sun is written almost entirely in the present tense and through the perceptions of dozens of characters. I hope this will give the reader a kind of access to the minds and worldview of different people, and get them thinking about the fact that in any conflict there may be a dozen different sides, each with its own rationale for its actions.” Getting at these “rationales” is important to Sayles. To him, a key point is explaining what they meant at the time, which may not necessarily be how we understand them today. “I think that if you are going to believe any part of the rhetoric (freedom, morality, democracy) that politicians and the corporations that support (or control) them use to get people to do their bidding, you should know what those terms have meant in practice—now and then. People often commit themselves to war for principles that their leaders do not believe in or observe.” It seems astonishing that a critically-acclaimed author,

KEN KRECKEL is a features editor for HNR. He has published a novel set during World War II and has contributed to magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. After a long career in oil and gas exploration in Europe and North America, he now lives in Wyoming, where he teaches at Casper College and consults for environmental organizations.

HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Features | 21

Reviews |

prehistoric

THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES Jean M. Auel, Crown, 2011, $30.00/C$35.00, hb, 768pp, 9780517580516 / Hodder & Stoughton, 2011, £19.99, hb, 672pp, 9780340824252 Having read the previous five books of this series, I looked forward to this sixth volume, expected to be the final one and a culmination of what went before. The Earth’s Children series tells the story of Ayla, a Cro-Magnon woman orphaned as a child and raised by Neanderthals. She must eventually leave them and find her own people. In this volume, we find Ayla comfortably ensconced with a Cro-Magnon group, married with a child, and preparing to become a spiritual leader. If you have read the previous books you may find a certain pleasure just in spending time with Ayla and her friends in the fictional world that Jean M. Auel has so carefully constructed. But like the previous volume, this one is lacking in plot—at least until the last 200 pages of this very long novel. There are some exciting episodes—Ayla’s confrontation with a cave lion at the beginning, for example. But there is no building tension carried through the work as a whole. Even the marital difficulties between Ayla and her husband, which give the last chapters some drama, are downplayed. The problem may be that having created a perfect prehistoric world for Ayla, in which people have enlightened views on a whole range of subjects— among them women’s roles—Auel is unwilling to have real danger and conflict intrude. I had hoped in this final volume the Neanderthal clan that raised Ayla would reappear. I would have given a great deal for a stage entrance by the infamous, male chauvinist Neanderthal Broud, or Ayla’s half Neanderthal son. No luck. Ayla glimpses them both in a mystical vision, but that’s it. Compared to the truly wonderful first volumes of this series, the end—if this is really it—is a letdown. Phyllis T. Smith

classical

CAPTAIN OF ROME John Stack, HarperCollins UK/Trafalgar Square, 2011, £7.99/$12.95, pb, 375pp, 9780007351442 The Roman Republic was just beginning naval warfare during what has come to be known as the First Punic War. It had experienced some success with the corvus, a plank that enabled them to move soldiers onto the enemy ship, thus creating land warfare at sea. The title character Atticus is a Greek 22 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

in service to Rome, as his name suggests. He is readily accepted by his Roman colleagues until he begins a romance with one of their sisters. The main conflict is between Atticus and Varro, a Roman senator’s son promoted beyond his competence through political connections and fearful of having his cowardice exposed. His political sponsor is Scipio Asina, not to be confused with the heroic Scipiones of future generations. Roman politics are seen in simplistic terms of patricians jealous of their status set against rising new men. Carthaginian internal conflicts concern the forces back home opposing Hamilcar Barça, thrust back twenty years in history “for narrative purposes.” The liberties taken with history could be forgiven in a book with a more original style. One politician is drawn to another “like a moth to a flame.” Roman merchantmen who fight “like men possessed” are circled by pirates “like a pack of baying wolves.” Two spying slaves (not one, but two) are described as unique, but they disappear before we can find out what made either of them unique. The characters are flat without being memorable, and the plot is predictable without being satisfying. Not recommended. James Hawking

1st century

THE DAMASCUS WAY Davis Bunn & Janette Oke, Bethany House, 2011, $14.99, pb, 368pp, 9780764208669 This third book in the Acts of Faith series continues the story of the fledging church and the group of believers who are facing a fearsome persecution led by the Pharisee, Saul. Jacob, the centurion’s servant who had been healed by Jesus, is now a young man struggling for independence from his guardian. Jacob’s position as a guard in the caravan of a wealthy trader, Jamal, makes it easy for him to carry messages between Christians. Unknown to Jacob, Jamal’s daughter also is a messenger for the underground faith. Recently shattered by the twin revelations that her parents are not married and her father’s true wife and children live in Damascus, Julia struggles to readjust to the new realities of her life. Nevertheless, when her father desires her to travel in company with Jacob, as a ruse to transport a valuable shipment of frankincense, Julia readily agrees. Sandstorms, bandits, and zealots all threaten their lives, but nothing is as frightening as being forced to carry the fanatic, Saul, on his journey to Damascus to destroy the Christians. Although many of the scene-shifts are confusing, this slight annoyance is more than compensated for by the realistic descriptions of daily life in a

1st-century desert environment. A perfect blend of history and fiction, this final book in the trilogy is a wonderful read and a fitting conclusion to an exciting and inspirational series. Nancy J. Attwell DAUGHTERS OF ROME Kate Quinn, Berkley, 2011, $15.00/C$18.50, pb, 480pp, 9780425238974 / Headline Review, 2011, pb, £6.99, 364pp, 97807553 81029 In 69 A.D., one of the most tumultuous years in the history of Rome, four women of the Cornelii family struggle to survive the shifting tides. Cornelia, the eldest, wishes to uphold the family honor and see her husband take his rightful place as Emperor. Lollia longs to escape war and politics and enjoy the simple pleasures of life, but must reconcile herself to being a pawn in a series of political marriages. Diana has a passion for horses and chariot racing, but risks shaming the family by involving herself in a man’s sport. And Marcella, caught in an apathetic marriage and subject to the whims of a controlling sister-in-law, devotes herself to history, recording events even as she yearns for the chance to take a more active role. As the infamous Year of the Four Emperors takes its toll on Rome, the four Cornelii cousins strive to stay together and find solace in each other. As traditional boundaries crumble, the women find love in unexpected places – and learn that they may have greater roles to play than they imagined. Following her debut novel Mistress of Rome, Kate Quinn offers another vision of Roman history more engaging than the first. Daughters of Rome has an appealing symmetry – the succession of four emperors, the alternating narratives of the four cousins – and strikes an authentic balance between poetic justice and harsh reality. While the book is advertised as a prequel to Mistress of Rome, the connections between the two novels are very subtle, and only fully emerge near the end of the narrative. This second book stands on its own two feet, and offers a compelling experience of one of the most turbulent years of the Roman Empire. Ann Pedtke

5th century

THE BELOVED DEAD Tony Hays, Forge, 2011, $25.99/C$29.99, hb, 384pp, 9780765326287 King Arthur is setting aside Guinevere, his lover of ten years, to make a political match with the daughter of King Aircol, hoping to solidify the alliance with this northern monarch. Our hero, Malgwyn ap Cuneglas, a member of Arthur’s consilium and one-armed veteran of his wars, is Prehistoric — 5th Century

sent to fetch the young lady. Gruesome murders of the daughters of local chieftains, however, follow the entourage across Britain. Malgwyn, a relative of Guinevere, with much to lose in the royal match, becomes a prisoner of Mordred in Ynys-witrin in the Summerlands and risks his own love, Ygerne, in his pursuit of the truth of this. In this third title of the mysteries with sleuth Malgwyn, Hays succeeds where few mid-series novelists do. I was involved with the story from the start, never confused by characters I should have met in earlier books I hadn’t read. The world where St. Patrick has just died and Saxons smell bad comes to well-drawn life. The familiar tales of the Queen of the Summerlands, Bran’s head, Merlin, and so on, seem perfect history in this recreation. Only Malgwyn’s missing arm magically seeming present in a few places, as when he swings easily down from a horse, briefly threw me off. Ann Chamberlin

6th century

THE COLOUR OF POWER: A Story of Theodora, Empress of Byzantium Marié Heese, Human & Rousseau, 2011, SAR220, pb, 336pp, 9780798152808 The Colour of Power is a fictional narrative set in Byzantium, the name given to the ancient Greek city founded on the site of modern Istanbul. It remained the capital of the Greek-speaking Eastern Roman Empire well into the Middle Ages. The story opens with a prologue written by Narses, a court eunuch who becomes a famous military general, and throughout the book he charts the story of the Nika Revolt which overshadows all their lives. I found the inserts written by him puzzling, as they do not run concurrently with Theodora’s life, and seem to be telling a different story set not in the past, but in the future. But at the end of the book both stories come together. Theodora’s early life was a constant struggle against poverty. I looked forward to recognising some parts of the Byzantine city, having visited Istanbul three or four times, but the Greek names defeated me, and I was never sure where I stood. Had I done the amount of research Ms Heese has obviously done to create this story, I should have had no problem. The writing is clear and easy to read. The author deploys a vast range of characters to good effect, and her detailed descriptions of food, clothes and palaces are well done. Theodora’s childhood and adolescence seem pitifully short by today’s standards, but captured my interest rather more than the more political second half of the book, and I regretted that though Theodora became a spy, the reader learns very little of her exploits in that area. But on the whole it is a solid tale, well told. (Available for purchase through kalahari.net – ed.) Jen Black 6th Century — 11th Century

A SUDDEN DAWN: A Martial Arts Novel Goran Powell, YMAA Publication Center, 2010, $12.95, pb, 182pp, 9781594391989 Da Mo, the nickname for Bodhidharma, begins his life as the privileged son of a military official in 6th-century India. Skilled in every aspect of a soldier’s life, Sardili, as he was originally named, is distracted and mesmerized by the teachings of a renowned Buddhist Master, Prajnatara. Infuriating and deeply disappointing his father, Sardili declares he must seek a different purpose in life. After a few years of this wandering and seemingly futile quest, Sardili experiences a life-changing spiritual moment. He is able to understand the oneness of life, admitting at the same time that the Buddhist sutras and other texts are necessary guides for beginning the spiritual life. Now he accepts Prajnatara’s vision, spreading Buddhism in far-away China. In the midst of this profound life cycle, the Bodhidharma meets a young soldier, Kuang, escaping a murder conviction of a fellow soldier. After causing the loss of the Bodhidharma’s dearest friend, Kuang seeks to follow the Way as penance and redemption. He receives a series of peaceful training juxtaposed by intense military arts training from his Master, Da Mo. Together they travel through the treacherous mountains of Tibet and land leading to China. Nature, animals, and human enemies present formidable, unending challenges along this journey, but Da Mo uses all to foster the spirit of the Buddhist Way. Humor, pathos, sarcasm, meditation, and provocative challenges fill their days. All leads to the founding of the famed Shaolin Temple and new style of Buddhism in China by Da Mo and Kuang (now called Brother Ko). Whether you are a fan of the martial arts, a follower of spiritual living, or one who just loves a great adventure story, you’ll find those elements and much more. Delightful, inspiring novel! Viviane Crystal

9th century

ODIN’S WOLVES Giles Kristian, Bantam Press, 2011, £12.99, hb, 410pp, 9780593061664 Raven and his comrades in the Fellowship return in the final part of Giles Kristian’s Norse trilogy. In Odin’s Wolves, this strange collection of Norsemen, Englishmen, Danes, a woman and a monk ride the wide sea road from the desolate marshes of the Carmargue to the bloody arena of a diseased and decayed Rome in their continued quest for glory and wealth. There, in the Eternal City, this Wolfpack undertakes to restore an emperor to the Byzantine throne. Finally it is Constantinople, which they call Miklagard, where the Wolfpack will face their greatest test as they attempt to win through against the might of the world’s greatest city? Will the battered remnants of the Fellowship survive or will it be their last shieldwall?

As in the previous books, Kristian’s use of use of period language is particularly skilful, his salty Norse vocabulary, ‘wyrd-cursed nithing’ for example, used judiciously. The descriptions of the twin metropolises of Rome and Miklagard are also excellent and the action scenes, using every variation of sound, smell and taste possible, sing like a true Norse saga. But it is when the pace slackens that Kristian shines. The quieter scenes as the Fellowship drink together around the campfire are superb, and the characterisation of Raven and his comrades is vibrant and superbly rendered, right through from their leader Sigurd to his comrades like Red Svein and Bram Bear. While Odin’s Wolves is the end of this trilogy, hopefully it is not the last time Raven and his comrades take the wide sea road together. A terrific read and highly recommended. Gordon O’Sullivan

11th century

CONQUEST Stewart Binns, Penguin, 2011, £6.99, pb, 497pp, 9780718156770 Prince John Comnenus seeks out the Old Man of the Mountains in the western Peloponnese, determined to acquire the wisdom he will need to rule the Byzantine Empire on the death of his father. Godwin of Ely tells him the story of the warrior Hereward of Bourne. Impetuous and unruly, Hereward is outlawed by King Edward and begins his journey towards knowledge. Entrusted with a powerful Talisman and guided by Torfida, his beloved wife, Hereward journeys round Europe acting as a mercenary to King Macbeth and William of Normandy amongst others. With England’s future under threat, Hereward returns to his homeland with Harold Godwinsson and, when Harold is proclaimed King, Hereward fights with him on Senlac Ridge. He survives the battle and escapes to lead the resistance against William I’s oppressive rule. Hereward will be remembered through the generations and why he will become known as Hereward the Wake – Last of the English. Through his experiences Hereward has become a wise man and passes his final years as Godwin of Ely, living far from home, and willingly passes his wisdom to Prince John, who will himself become a wise and honest ruler. This is a fabulous adventure story, gritty, gory and unflinching. It takes the real historical character of Hereward and spins a mesmerising story around his exploits in the 11th Century. Like Robin Hood, Hereward is part man/part myth and the fables around his life were just ripe for reimagining. Although not strictly necessary, the Epilogue and Prologue do bookend the story suitably and the inclusion of the Talisman also added an extra, mystical, dimension. Conquest is a very visual and visceral novel that would also work well HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 23

I AM THE CHOSEN KING

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Helen Hollick, Sourcebooks, 2011, $16.99, pb, 592pp, 9781402240669. There are many historical fiction authors I admire: writers who can tell a good story, keep my interest, and whisk me away to times and places far away. There are, however, very few of whom I am in awe; ones whose writing skill and depth are so encompassing that I am no longer an observer of events, but a participant. Helen Hollick is that sort of author, and I Am the Chosen King is arguably her best writing. The story begins after Hollick’s The Forever Queen; Edward the Confessor is now king, though his mother Queen Emma is still making her presence known. Edward is a weak king, often finding himself at odds with the powerful Godwin family which holds many of the earldoms of the kingdom. Among Earl Godwine’s formidable sons is Harold (later Harold II), seen here as a noble man whose heart is held by his hand-fast wife, Edyth. Though the Godwine family’s power is far-reaching, in Normandy another young man is eyeing the English throne; Duke William is a driven ruler who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. All of these strong personalities are brought vividly to life through multiple viewpoints over a twentyyear period that culminates with the Battle of Hastings. My knowledge of Saxon England is murky, but Helen Hollick’s writing is so rich and vibrant that it was not difficult to lose myself within the world she recreated. Especially to her credit is her ability to help the reader distinguish among the shared names, and there is a most welcome Author’s Note at the end. The depth of character is outstanding; the home and battle scenes equally captivating. This is an exquisite saga that will envelop you wholly. (Revised version of the author’s Harold the King. – ed.) Tamela McCann as a screenplay. If you like plenty of action and adventure then this is definitely worth getting. Sara Wilson THE FIRES OF THE GODS: A Sugawara Akitada Mystery I. J. Parker, Severn House, 2011, £18.99/$28.95, hb, 256pp, 9780727869890 The eighth mystery set in 11th-century Japan begins with Sugawara Akitada pondering many worries. His wife is again pregnant, and Sugawara fears for her life and the outcome of this birth, since they lost their first child to illness and still feel that devastating loss. Add to that a series of unexplained fires that many are explaining as the anger of the Gods over the current ruler. A rash of robberies and gang attacks exacerbates the fears of the local populace and even unnerves the sordid underworld inhabited by the poor. But that distraction temporarily disappears when Sugawara is summoned to the Ministry, where he is first demoted to Junior Secretary and later dismissed due to a slander campaign with unexplainable origins. How will he support his family and servants? Can he apologize for his rash reactions to the demotion and dismissal? Suddenly, he is the object of official investigation when the man who seems to be behind all these changes is murdered. This novel is an excellent depiction of the actual power and scheming behind the Fujiwara clan’s role in controlling the Japanese government during this 24 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

tempestuous historical period. Parker continues to be a master of the multilayered plot, which eventually coalesces into a story that includes a wayward official and his angry son, a missing young monk in training, a wife and servant secretary who are reluctant participants in the murder investigation, and Sugawara’s sidekick, dangerous discoveries of Sugawara’s sidekick, Tora. Although Sugawara always winds up okay in a somewhat predictable end, this in no way lessens the high quality mystery elements that I. J. Parker continues to infuse into her tales. A fine novel guaranteed to satisfy all who love great mysteries and historical fiction about Japan! Viviane Crystal BOUND TO THE BARBARIAN Carol Townend, Harlequin Mills & Boon, 2011, £3.99, pb, 298pp, 9780263881127 A quick dip into Wikipedia for a chronology of Byzantine emperors reveals that this story is set in the spring of 1081. Our heroine, Katerina, has been freed from slavery by Princess Theodora, fiancée of Prince Peter of Rascia, but now Prince Peter is dead, and Commander Ashfirth Saxon of the Varangian Guard has been sent to escort Theodora back to Constantinople for another, unwanted, arranged marriage. Eager to repay the princess’s kindness to her, Katerina agrees to step into her shoes, just for a short while … Of course, there is an instant attraction between

the black-haired, blue-eyed Ash and the “doe-eyed” Katerina. Arriving in Constantinople, they find the city on the verge of insurrection as General Alexios Komnenos prepares his coup against the Emperor. Katerina’s main concern is what will happen when Ash discovers she is not the princess and not even a noblewoman; his main concern is to protect the woman with whom he has fallen in love. Early mediaeval Constantinople and its “Byzantine” politics provide an exotic backdrop to the central, rather predictable, love story. The reader wants Katerina and Ash to overcome their past demons and achieve a happy ending. The outcome is not in doubt, but it is fun watching them get there. There are a couple of very loose ends that made me wonder if there were other books planned as companions to this one. Mary Seeley

12th century

A TAPESTRY OF DREAMS Roberta Gellis, Sourcebooks, 2011, $9.99/£9.99, pb, 496 pp, 9781402254987 Set during in the 12th century, A Tapestry of Dreams takes place in the northern marches where English landowners, caught up in the rivalry between Matilda and Stephen, engage in a bloody struggle against their Scottish neighbors. High atop a rock promontory, Jernaeve is the only English fort unassailable from without. There Lady Audris works at her loom in safety, weaving tapestries prized for beauty and uniqueness. Sometimes, however, she weaves a story of danger yet to come. To avoid accusations of witchcraft, Audris denies foreknowledge. She believes her gift comes from God; and her people revere her ability to protect them. Audris is content with her life. She has no wish to marry but when the story of a handsome unicorn begins to develop beneath her shuttle, the lady realizes that neither her heart nor her castle will be impregnable from within. This fine historical novel was originally published in 1985. This should not deter readers in search of a well-written, thoroughly researched, medieval romance. A Tapestry of Dreams is one to savor. Jeanne Greene EAGLE Jack Hight, John Murray, 2011, £12.99, hb, 400pp, 9781848542976 This exciting and interesting novel is the first installment of a planned trilogy following the life and fortunes of the great Salah ad-Din (Saladin) who became famous as a warrior and Sultan of Egypt and Syria. He is remembered for defeating Richard the Lionheart in battle, uniting the Arab world and recapturing Jerusalem. This first part tells the story of the early life and career of Saladin as he learns to overcome his 11th Century — 12th Century

bullying older brother and control his asthma. The character of John, a Saxon captured in battle and forced to become a slave, is also a central figure as he and Saladin become good friends. This is the one part which isn’t based on historical fact, but it allows the reader to picture the Islamic world of the time through the eyes of a European and it works well to introduce customs and traditions which are obviously significantly different to today’s world. The novel naturally includes lots of action and battles, and it introduces some of the key characters such as Reynaud de Chatillon and King Baldwin, whose story will presumably be continued in the next installment. The most telling question is whether I will want to read the next part, and the truth is I most certainly will. It is an interesting look at a fascinating historical figure, and time and place are conveyed powerfully throughout. The historical note at the end offers helpful clarification of the true facts, and I am very much looking forward to the next book. Recommended. Ann Northfield

13th century

ARMOR OF LIGHT Ellen L. Ekstrom, ireadiwrite, 2010, $13.95, pb, 179pp, 9781926760391 England, 1204. George of Ascalon returns traumatized from the sack of Constantinople, only to find that his father has committed this stressedout Crusader to a dangerous quest. George assembles a large group of unlikely companions— including a woman he rescues from immolation, a noble lady who seems to be part demon, and his sister—and takes a road trip from Cumbria to Yorkshire. This story is a re-working of “Saint George and the Dragon,” with echoes of Beowulf and Lord of the Rings. The feel is lushly medieval, like a colorful tapestry come to life. A riveting battle between Christian elements and pagan evil is almost three-dimensional in nature. There are some anachronisms—it is hard to believe that two of the women are as deadly in a swordfight as any trained knights. It also seems doubtful that George’s sister would abandon the wealthy, noble Earl of Chester on their wedding day and embark on a dangerous journey with her brother. There are far too many characters for a book of this length, and not enough backstory. Still, Ekstrom’s prose is luminous, particularly in areas where she is writing about medieval religion. The author knows her purificators from her ambries, and a timeless tale of good versus evil always strikes a chord. Despite the flaws, this story engages the emotions, and the ending surprises and intrigues. Recommended with reservations. Elizabeth Knowles DEFIANT Kris Kennedy, Pocket, 2011, $7.99, pb, 392pp, 9781439195901 Jamie Lost is a knight in service to King John, 13th Century — 14th Century

and his most recent orders are to abduct a rebellious priest and bring him to the king. It’s not a difficult job for a knight of Jamie’s caliber, but he finds his plans thwarted by Eva, a sensual young woman with a mysterious background. Eva has been on the run with Father Peter and a young man named Roger for several years, and Jamie quickly finds himself attracted to this self-sufficient woman who is willing to risk her life to protect those she loves. Their goals seem to be at odds, but the passion they feel for each other is undeniable. The main characters in Defiant have so many secrets that it’s difficult to figure out who they are or what motivates them. When all is revealed, there’s so much double-crossing and so many runaway heirs that it’s still a bit confusing. The relationship between Jamie and Eva develops very quickly, and their respective secrets, when revealed, don’t add much tension. The secondary characters are the high point, particularly Angus, a gruff Scotsman who owes Jamie a debt, and Ry, a Jew who has spent his life fighting against prejudice. Both of these characters would make fine heroes for future novels. Nanette Donohue BREAKING BAMBOO Tim Murgatroyd, Myrmidon, 2010, £16.99, hb, 508pp, 9781905802401 The novel begins in Nancheng, China in 1266 and is the second instalment of a trilogy, although it works fine as a standalone story. The previous novel in the series is called Taming Poison Dragons (reviewed in HNR, Aug. 2010, p.22). Poor humble Dr Shih is called to the sickbed of the son and heir of an important official. The complexity of Chinese politics and customs are already evident, as it is clear that many would have preferred for the child to die, thus paving the way for an alternative heir. Meanwhile Shih’s identical twin brother Guang is busy braving the wrath of the Mongol hordes by rescuing his father from behind enemy lines. For this honourable deed, he is made Commander of Artillery and must try everything to maintain resistance and preserve Nancheng from the Mongol invasion. Against a backdrop of war, violence and political machinations, we follow the personal and private fortunes of the two brothers on their different paths. Dr Shih’s life has been complicated by the unwanted and unexpected gift of a beautiful concubine. His wife is less than thrilled, but his brother struggles to resist the concubine’s charms. All the characters are well-drawn and develop throughout the novel with various twists and turns. The author’s knowledge of and love for this region and era are clear, and the reader is definitely immersed in the atmosphere and culture of the time. I recommend this to anyone interested in China and also anyone who feels like reading an interesting and well- written tale of love, betrayal, war and difficult decisions. Ann Northfield THE DEVIL TO PAY

Hugh Fitzgerald Ryan, Lilliput Press, 2011, £10.99, pb, 288pp, 9781843511793 Alice Kyteler has become a wealthy woman due to a combination of four fortuitous marriages and sharp business practices. Unfortunately her ambitions have made her many enemies, especially the families of her respective late husbands. Richard de Ledrede, an English Franciscan, scholar, poet and now bishop of Ossory, is determined to restore clerical power in the town. To do this he deliberately challenges the power of her lover Sir Arnaud le Poer, who is seneschal and lord of South Leinster. Using the threat of excommunication as powerful weapon against the opposition of the local nobles, the Bishop unleashes an accusation of witchcraft against Alice Kyteler and her maid Petronilla, the child of a local shoemaker. Outside the city the local Norman nobility are in conflict with the native Irish, restless after 150 years of dispossession, while the English court is engaged in almost continuous warfare. This is a riveting tale which brings alive the life and times. The characters are well drawn and vibrant. The twist at the end of the story is very satisfying, if a little predictable. High quality writing makes this a novel to read, enjoy, and then read again. Highly recommended. Mike Ashworth

14th century

THE LAW OF ANGELS Cassandra Clark, Allison & Busby, 2011, £19.99, hb, 400pp, 9780749009427 / Minotaur, 2011, $25.99, hb, 368pp, 9780312674557 In the summer of 1384, Hildegarde of Meaux, Abbess of the Cistercian order, is forced to leave Deepdale when armed men ransack the place seeking a bonded maid recently given shelter. She takes the terrified maid to York, which is stirring like a pot about to boil over because of the upcoming Corpus Christi festival of pageants, and soon finds herself in the centre of several odd happenings. Workshops burst into flames, the Guildmaster’s young wife behaves strangely and his young servant Jankin disappears. Then Hildegarde’s ancient cross is stolen from her and she sets out to retrieve it. In London, seventeenyear-old King Richard struggles against his uncle John of Gaunt, who refuses to give up control of the country to his ward. The plot strands weave confusingly against one another in this historical crime novel, and kept this reader engaged until the very last page. The book is engaging and informative, written in a lively style, though the reader must not mind the occasional lapse into modern slang with expressions like ‘half-cut’ or ‘get the show on the road.’ The stern yet likeable Hildegarde is always centre stage. This is her third adventure, and those who have read Hangman Blind and The Red Velvet Turnshoe will know what to expect. There is no need to have read the previous novels, and this adventure stands well HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 25

on its own, offering an intriguing glimpse of life among candle makers, artists and glaziers in 14thcentury York. Students of literature will enjoy the working pageants towards the end of the story. I recommend it for your enjoyment. Jen Black NIGHTSHADE P.C. Doherty, Minotaur, 2011, $25.99, hb, 291pp, 9780312678180 / Headline, 2008, £7.99, pb, 384pp, 9780755338412 In this, the 16th of the Hugh Corbett medieval mysteries, Doherty has poor Hugh out on the road again at the behest of his often petulant, scheming King (Edward I). A bejewelled, stolen Templar cross is the MacGuffin for this adventure, kept from the King by an unscrupulous manor lord who has also caused unrest in his lands by the sudden massacre of fourteen “heretics” of a new age-y religious order. Add in the usual suspects—a young, beautiful and unhappy wife, an imperious abbess, a couple of ambitious priests and a ghostlike “sniper/ archer”—and you’re all set for another suspenseful few days of murder and mayhem as Hugh and his assistants track down the truth. It’s an engaging enough read, but there’s a slight feeling of weariness to the writing, aka serial fatigue on the author’s part. I just happened to have picked up a previous Hugh Corbett novel before I received this one to review, and the similarities of both plot and character presentation are striking. However, Doherty’s attention to the details of life in 1304 is outstanding (sometimes maybe a little too much), and the reader becomes readily immersed into a different time and place that makes for an interesting reader’s get-away for a rainy afternoon. Mary F. Burns

15th century

SINS OF THE HOUSE OF BORGIA (US) / THE BOOK OF LOVE (UK) Sarah Bower, Sourcebooks, 2011, $14.99, pb, 544pp, 9781402259630 / Snowbooks, 2008, £7.99, pb, 520pp, 9781905005826 Things have not been easy for Esther; expelled with her fellow Jews from her home in Spain, she first loses her mother and then is prodded (if not exactly forced) into the service of Lucrezia Borgia by a father who has emigrated to Italy to become banker to Pope Alexander. Things are complicated when Esther (now dubbed “La Violante” and converted to Christianity) falls inextricably in love with the near sociopathic Cesare Borgia, a dangerous man not only incapable of matching her depth of feeling, but whose relationship with his sister plunges Violante into further doubt and confusion. Bower’s descriptive prose is sensual and elegant, which makes the rare flub (e.g., a courtier whose nose looks as if it were smashed by a football) more jarring. The story is slow-moving, but this allows for sight-seeing within the historical ambiance, 26 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

and also for well-realized characterization. There is little polarization here; these are neither villains nor heroes, simply human beings, dynamic but selfish and very flawed. Despite the Italian sun and countryside, the story somehow manages an almost domestic/Gothic feel at times, as Violante navigates the claustrophobic confines of Lucrezia’s palazzos and tries to weather the storms caused by sickness, intrigue and personality conflict. The effect the powerful Borgia family has on Violante and all those under their sphere of influence is not pretty to watch. Violante is a sharp observer, intelligent and practical, but for all that, she willingly succumbs to the force of personality of the Borgias—these people who use, destroy, and discard others without a backward glance. Violante throws herself to these wolves with her eyes wide open, destroying the sympathy the reader would otherwise feel for her, but her narration provides an interesting filter through which to view the scions of a powerful dynasty. Bethany Latham THE DAWN COUNTRY W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear, Forge, 2011, $25.99, hb, 304pp, 9780765320179 The Dawn Country concerns the peoples of the Iroquois in the generation before the coming of their great peacemaker Deganawidah, when the several clans’ unrelenting warfare was destroying them all. As the novel begins one tribe has attacked another and stolen several children, who are being carried off into slavery. The slave trader is a fearsome witch, Gannajero, whose cruel ambitions and terrifying magic overshadow the novel like a spell. The children’s parents give chase through the dripping oak forests and rushing rivers of primeval New York, while the witch schemes and the children try valiantly to escape. The authors’ deep immersion in native cultures (this is the latest in a long string of books on First Peoples) brings this book to a fierce and wonderful life. The many characters move with assurance through a landscape steeped in magic and spirit, where the evil of the witch and the steadfast courage of the children take on a mythic intensity. The Gears express the stirrings toward a better way with an understated charm, saving the big wallop for another book, one suspects, but affectingly human. There are a lot of characters, not that well defined, but the real hero is the Iroquois people, so this worked. The writers adhere to a very European approach to time which jarred me. Nonetheless the novel comes across as experience, as a gateway into a past unavailable to many of us, presented in vivid and immediate life. This is part of the American story as surely as the pilgrims, and the Gears have given us access to it. Cecelia Holland THE MASTER OF BRUGES Terence Morgan, Pan Books, 2011, £7.99, pb, 314pp, 9780230744134 The title of the book refers to Hans Memling

the painter (1430 – 1494), the central character. With the Duke of Burgundy as his powerful patron Memling looks set for a productive and profitable life, although made more complicated when he falls in love with the Duke’s daughter, Princess Marie. However this is the mid to late 1460s, a time of turbulence, and Hans finds that being a court painter is no protection against the almost continuous warfare which is politics at this time. Invited to England by Sir John Donne, the painter finds himself involved in the final stages of the Wars of the Roses, in particular with the Princes in the Tower. Well researched, all the major characters in the novel are actual historical personages, bringing immediacy to the plot. While the ultimate fate of the Princes in the Tower is still open to discussion, the author offers an interesting and plausible alternative. With short passages from the painter regarding the art of painting providing an interesting counterpoint to the plot, this is an enjoyable first novel by Terence Morgan; I look forward to his next. Mike Ashworth THE BORGIA BETRAYAL Sara Poole, St. Martin’s, 2011, $14.99/C$16.99, pb, 389pp, 9780312609849 Rome, 1493: Francesca Giordano, a young woman of dark passions and even darker talents, is the court poisoner to Pope Alexander VI, Rodrigo Borgia. Her task is to protect Rodrigo, his papal throne, and the lives of the Borgia family from the threats of enemies both within and outside of Rome—including the mad monk Savonarola. Underlying these obligations is Francesca’s obsessive need to find and kill Bernando Morozzi, the priest who killed her father the previous year. She also must protect her friends, including a family of Jews, from the danger of attack. Working through this complex story, Poole weaves her tale like a fine piece of cloth, pulling the reader into the threads of Renaissance Rome. Here the Church is enveloped in corruption and foreign monarchs vie for the control of Christopher Columbus’s newly discovered Novi Orbis, the New World. The novel, conveniently timed with the release of the HBO series The Borgias, is Poole’s second book with this cast of characters. The first, Poison, is the prequel to this story. It is already sitting on my nightstand. I can’t wait to start it. Monica E. Spence QUEEN BY RIGHT Anne Easter Smith, Touchstone, 2011, $16.99/ C$19.99, pb, 528pp, 9781416550471 Anne Easter Smith has written three wellresearched and entertaining books featuring the children and grandchildren of Richard, Duke of York and his duchess, Cecily Neville. In this, her 4th book, she focuses on Cecily and Richard themselves, fascinating subjects in their own right. Cecily, known as the Rose of Raby and Proud Cis, was the mother of two kings (Edward IV and the 14th Century — 15th Century

notorious Richard III), the great-grandmother of Henry VIII, and is the ancestor of all subsequent English monarchs. The novel begins in 1461 after the deaths of Richard of York and his and Cecily’s second son, Edmund, at the Battle of Wakefield. Cecily looks back on her life with Richard and the events leading up to that fateful day. The story spans her childhood at Raby Castle, where she grew up with Richard, who was her father’s ward, through the events of the Wars of the Roses. While it appears to have been a loving and fruitful marriage (she bore him 13 children), it was not easy. Because of Richard’s lineage as a descendant of Edward III, he had a legitimate claim to the English throne, and was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses. Cecily helped her husband navigate the unstable political climate, in addition to her duties as duchess, managing homes and raising children. Anne Easter Smith is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Although much research went into this book, she seems to effortlessly bring the 15th century and Cecily Neville to life. The reader experiences not only the turbulent political events of the times, but sees the human cost of these events, through the eyes of a wife and mother. She includes a historical note explaining where she took liberty with facts in the story, something I always appreciate. Jane Kessler

16th century

RIVALS IN THE TUDOR COURT D.L. Bogdan, Kensington, 2011, $15.00, pb, 344pp, 9780758242006 Bogdan’s second Tudor-era novel opens with an angry Thomas Howard bemoaning his imprisonment in the Tower of London, and the next 300 pages explain how he got there and why he’s so angry. Thomas was a sensitive boy scarred by the cruelty of his father and grandfather, then embittered by the death of his beloved wife and several of his children. His second wife, Elizabeth Stafford, is the opposite of his sainted first wife (who he called his princess). While there’s no lack of passion between the two, Elizabeth’s opinionated nature and unwillingness to play the meek noble wife quickly drive the couple apart. Thomas takes the comely (and ditzy) Bess Holland as his mistress, and begins to play the two women against each other. As his fortunes in Henry’s court rise and fall, Thomas becomes more bitter and cruel, until he eventually finds himself losing the regard and influence he fought so hard to gain. Bogdan’s treatment of her subjects is superficial at best, and Rivals in the Tudor Court is basically a Tudor-era soap opera, complete with love triangles, plot twists, court politics, and manipulative characters. However, it’s enjoyable for what it is – a fast-paced, quick, and entertaining read for those times when you just want something fluffy that doesn’t require much thought. 15th Century — 16th Century

Nanette Donohue THE CONFESSION OF KATHERINE HOWARD Suzannah Dunn, Harper, 2011, $14.99, pb, 320pp, 9780062011473 / HarperPress, 2010, £7.99, pb, 320pp, 9780007258307 At the opening of this novel, the fate of Henry VIII’s fifth queen has already been sealed, even though she remains optimistic that her husband will not find out everything or that he will forgive her if he does. Alternating chapters take us back to her story’s origins in the loosely supervised dormitory which the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk maintains for Howard girls and their connections. The story is narrated by Cat Tilney, a distant relative of the duchess who is hoping to advance in the world through Howard patronage. Young Katherine Howard becomes a leader of the girls upon her arrival. She knows or pretends to know more about what goes on between men and women than the others, and she increases her knowledge by kissing and petting and more with Francis Dereham. Cat becomes young Katherine’s confidant when her experiments advance to the point where they require contraception in the form of half of a lemon, an early IUD. A surprising sudden marriage makes her queen. Katherine’s recklessness, especially intercourse

ELIZABETH I

with Thomas Culpeper, will eventually reach the tragic conclusion that the reader will already know. The book’s weakness is that the characterization of the young queen is more suited to comedy than tragedy. Adolescent sexual discovery leads to the realization that she will need a whole orchard of lemon trees. Later Cat understands that Katherine intends that Culpeper will provide England with an heir that old, fat, smelly King Henry is unlikely to produce. The subplot of Cat’s own relationship with Dereham adds little to the story and is also fated to end poorly. Not recommended. James Hawking FIRE THE SKY W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear, Gallery, 2011, $26.00/C$29.99, hb, 512 pp, 9781439153895 In 1540, Hernando De Soto led hundreds of Spanish soldiers into the interior of southern North America. Searching for gold and valuable treasure held by the Native American tribes living in what would later become Florida and Alabama, the Spanish invaders captured, raped, and killed to accomplish their goal. Black Shell and his wife, Pearl Hand, followed the invading army, on a mission to fight and kill the “Kristianos” and warn the tribes of the invasion of the evil soldiers led by the monster, De Soto. In October of 1540, a major

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Margaret George, Viking, 2011, $30.00/C$37.50, hb, 671pp, 9780670022533 How can an historical novelist up the ante on the life of Elizabeth I when so much has been written about her and so little is unknown? Margaret George has found the answer is this stunning tour de force doorstop of a presentation. The first few pages introduce us to an aging queen facing the daunting task of defeating the Spanish Armada. Close to her side are the stalwarts: Walsingham, Cecil, Drake, Raleigh. Narrated throughout in the first person, Elizabeth is mature, confident on the outside, ever-questioning on the inside. Is she anywhere near as regal as her father, Henry VIII? Do her beloved people recognize that she has become the bride of England, having given up the joys of true love, marriage, motherhood? As Elizabeth faces her uncertain future in the final 25 years of her reign, enemies emerge – known and unknown. Her cousin and erstwhile enemy (who “stole” the love of Robert Dudley), Lettice Knollys, trades chapters with Elizabeth, and their intensely personal stories criss-cross time and again over those years. Certainly, the most gripping and transcendent of those stories is about Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex, Lettice’s son, beautiful and arrogant, his own worst enemy after Elizabeth, who truly loves him, gives him one opportunity after another to prove himself worthy. Not simply content to give us the historical backdrop of Elizabeth’s age through her relationships, her victories and her failures, George gives us far more – Will Shakespeare as a living, breathing character as he morphs into the greatest playwright perhaps of all time; Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen, who is more like Elizabeth than even she cares to admit; Francis Bacon, a brilliant legal mind. The pages fly by, immersing us in lives that, even today, have us awestruck. By far, the best book I have read in a long time. Ilysa Magnus HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 27

battle was fought that would turn the tide of the war. This novel is Book 2 of the authors’ new series entitled Contact: The Battle for America. The authors have written a number of books about the early Native Americans before the arrival of the white man. This new series tells of how the Native American tribes dealt with the invasion. I have read most of Gears’ books and enjoyed most of them. At times, they emphasized too much of their supernatural religion for my enjoyment, but this book and Book 1 in the series dealt more with the contact problem and less with the tribal religions, although the power struggle between Christianity and the Native American religions play a part in the story. You don’t have to read Book 1 of the Contact series to enjoy this, but I would suggest you do so because of the character development. The Gears are very good writers, with well-researched descriptions of the food, fauna and flora. Because they do anthropological research, they know their subject. I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoy reading about the early Native American culture or want to learn more about how these tribes managed to survive the senseless killings and contracting the deadly white men’s diseases. Jeff Westerhoff SEDUCED BY DESTINY Kira Morgan, Hachette, 2011, $7.99/C$8.99, pb, 352pp, 9780446548175 In 16th-century Scotland, Jossy Ancrum, an orphan raised by three bachelor Highlanders, dreams of a life filled with adventure, swordplay, and revenge for her mother’s death. She gets the chance for all three when her tomboyish hi-jinks get her recruited as a spy for the newly returned Mary, Queen of Scots. In Edinburgh she meets Drew MacAdam, a fellow adventurer who, like Jossy, is more than what he appears. Sparks and sparring fly from their first meeting, but when Adam’s true past is revealed, Jossy realizes that she has fallen in love with everything she has sworn to hate. The premise and plot require suspension of disbelief, and the writing contains a few modern terms like “misogynist,” but the historical setting is authentic and the characters are refreshing and charming. Jossy is a fun and exuberant heroine, and Drew is a likable, earnest hero instead of an overbearing alpha male; they have great chemistry right from the start, and their banter is very entertaining. This is high adventure and high romance that invites the reader to come along for the ride; fans of this author will not be disappointed. Heather Domin TO SERVE A KING Donna Russo Morin, Kensington, 2011, $15.00, pb, 384pp, 9780758246813 Set in 16th century France at the court of François I, To Serve a King, the third novel from 28 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

Morin (The Secret of the Glass), is a tale of intrigue and rivalry that will be sure to please fans of both French and Tudor historical fiction. Headstrong and independent Genevieve Gravois is raised in France by an emotionally frigid aunt and is taught to believe that François I is her bitter enemy, responsible for the death of her parents. Genevieve is trained in espionage, can cipher and decipher codes, shoot an arrow with skilled precision, and can kill if need be. Once Genevieve comes of age, she is sent to François’s court as a maid of honor to François’s mistress, the beautiful and powerful Anne de Pisseleau, in order to spy for her own king, Henry VIII of England. As Genevieve gets to know François as a person rather than her enemy, she is torn between her sense of duty to Henry VIII and the feelings in her heart. Rich descriptions of the sumptuous court abound throughout the book, making the reader feel as though they are there. Genevieve’s determination and quest for the truth about her past make this novel a worthy and delightful read. Troy Reed

17th century

CALEB’S CROSSING Geraldine Brooks, Viking, 2011, $26.95, hb, 306pp, 9780670021048 / Fourth Estate, 2011, £16.99, hb, 320pp, 9780007333530 Twelve-year-old Bethia Mayfield was raised in a God-fearing colonial household on what is now Martha’s Vineyard, off the Massachusetts coast. It is a rough existence, and day-to-day living in primitive conditions is often difficult. Her father ministers to the local Native Americans, and though his goal is to convert them to Christianity, he treats them fairly and with dignity. Education is rare in the colonial wilderness, and unheard of for young women, yet Bethia’s natural curiosity leads her to absorb all that she can from her brothers’ lessons. While on a walk, Bethia encounters a young Wampanoag man whose English name is Caleb. Caleb shares his knowledge of survival in the wild and teaches Bethia his language, while Bethia begins to share the bits of knowledge she has picked up. Both are quick learners, and they soon find themselves friends, despite their vastly different backgrounds. When Caleb’s extraordinary knowledge is “discovered,” he is taken in by the Mayfield family in the hopes of furthering his education—thus beginning a chain of events that lead Caleb, and Bethia, to the fledgling Harvard University. Very little is known about Caleb, and only one document—a letter, in Latin, to Caleb’s benefactors in England—survives. Brooks has taken the barest scrap of a story and breathed life into it, turning Caleb into a realistic, conflicted young man with drives and desires. Bethia is a fine narrator whose curiosity and innocence provide her with an open mind and a perspective untainted by the bitterness

of survival. The settings are vividly described— there were moments when I felt I could smell the tang of salt in the island air or the stench of colonial Cambridge. This is a rich, thought-provoking novel that will stay with readers long after the last page has been turned. Nanette Donohue THE SCARLET KIMONO Christina Courtenay, Choc Lit, 2011, £7.99, pb, 332 p., 9781906931292 In the spring of 1611, warlord Taro Kumashiro is warned by a seer of a red-haired, blue-eyed woman sailing to Japan. Meanwhile, in England, 17-year‑old Hannah Marston (red-haired and blue-eyed) is determined to avoid marriage to the odious Mr Hesketh, her parents’ choice. She disguises herself as a boy and stows away on what she believes is her brother’s ship on a flotilla that her father is sending to “the Japans”. Surviving the two-year voyage undetected is just the beginning of her adventure, because not long after her arrival in Japan, she is abducted on Taro’s orders and taken to his castle in the north of the country. At first she is an object of curiosity, but it is not long before she and Taro find a mutual attraction. This puts Hannah truly in danger, as she must now contend with the icy Lady Reiko, who believes she has a prior claim on Taro and will stop at nothing to remove her rival. The author has lived in Japan, and this shows in a sensibility for and obvious love of the country and its culture. Taro and Hannah are both of their time as well as being a hero and heroine that a modern reader can relate to. At the beginning of the story, Hannah and Taro’s narratives are out of sequence to allow particular plot strands to be developed, so the reader needs to keep an eye on the chapter headings. Taro’s first appearance in Hannah’s narrative, as an imposing figure dressed in black silks, is very much that of the archetypal romance hero. The occasional vocalisation of “ows” and “humphs” jarred slightly. However, all in all, this was a very enjoyable read. Mary Seeley THE BODY IN THE THAMES Susanna Gregory, Sphere/Trafalgar Square, 2011, £19.99/$29.95, hb, 468pp, 9781847442536 In early June, 1664, Thomas Chaloner was married in one of the fiercest summer storms in living memory. The presiding vicar seemed more concerned with the fabric of his church withstanding this onslaught than with the joining together of the groom and his betrothed, Hannah. As the storm reaches its peak and the legalities are swiftly dispatched, the wedding party prepare to exit when a poorly clothed man is found stabbed in the back with a note attached. From here on Chaloner is thrown into a complicated plot in his attempts to unravel the mysteries surrounding numerous unexplained deaths. The initial body belongs to a one-time Cavalier spy who has fallen onto hard times through gambling, and the attached note makes 16th Century — 17th Century

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

THE HANGMAN’S DAUGHTER

Oliver Pötzsch (trans. Lee Chadeayne), AmazonCrossing, 2010, $13.95, pb, 435pp, 9781935597056 Germany in 1659 lay between the terrors of the wars of religion and the relative upswing of the Age of Reason, and this amazing book works that boundary beautifully. The little city of Schongau is finally recovering from the brutal Thirty Years War and its cruel aftermath; then a child dies, and another, and the horror of the witch hunt rises again. The local hangman has to find the real murderers before he’s forced to execute an innocent woman. The story centers on the hangman himself, not his daughter, and he is a wonderful figure, a killer and a healer, calmly rational in a world of witches and demons and fires in the night, an angel with a sword who does battle with the devil himself, equipped with a skeleton hand. The plot is just that over the top, too, but the picture of daily life, the crafts and lore, the work and the politics, the whole web of the community in Schongau fills the book like a Bruegel. Pötzsch’s omniscient narration, always chancy in a mystery (why not tell us everything, then?), allows for a wide variety of viewpoints and motives, and through the range of characters shows both the terrible grip of the past and the hope of an uncertain future. If the plot gets a little knotty at the end, it’s a great read, and a fine inhabiting of the time and place. Cecelia Holland no sense to those who found him. Another body is found in the Thames and belongs to the brother of Tom’s first wife, in London with the Dutch delegation hoping to reach a peace agreement which will avoid war. Chaloner has the unenviable task of identifying the body, already decomposing from the summer heatwave, surrounded by a stench so great that he feels unequal to the task. Without many promising leads and fewer allies, Chaloner pushes forward to identify the person responsible for this mayhem, gathering pace as he uncovers the interconnecting links. In each of the books in this series Susanna Gregory jettisons you backwards in time to the sights, sounds and smells of the 17th century. Her descriptive passages, and the development of characters, place the reader within the text, not flinching from actions and reactions, rushing onwards to the crime solutions with the lead character. Cathy Kemp MONSIEUR MONTESPAN Jean Teulé, Gallic, 2010, £7.99, pb, 335pp, 9781906040307 The Marquis de Montespan and his new wife Athenais are a truly devoted love match, which is a rare thing amongst the nobility of 17thcentury France. They never cease to display their fervent desires for each other even whilst riding in their coach or in front of courtiers or their own household. Madame de Montespan, a beautiful and sexually desirable woman who enjoys attending parties and balls, soon becomes the talk of Paris 17th Century — 18th Century

and attracts the attention of Louis XIV, the Sun King. The Marquis and his wife build up large debts, but luckily for the Marquise she is offered the opportunity to change their fortunes by becoming lady-in-waiting to the Queen. It is no surprise to anyone, except perhaps the Marquis, that his ravishing wife catches the attention of King Louis. Congratulated by everyone on his new status of cuckold by royal appointment, the Marquis is broken‑hearted, determined to seek revenge on the monarch and win back his adored wife. He visits brothels with the intention of acquiring a venereal disease and raping his own wife, who would of course pass on ‘the clap’ to the King. He also makes an attempt to make love to the Queen and so cuckold the King. It may be a surprise to many readers that in the 17th century the court at Versailles was not seriously affected already by venereal disease, but be that as it may, the picture of life at court and amongst Paris ‘society’ makes interesting and colourful reading. The book is certainly a page-turner. Jane E. Hill

18th century

FALL OF A SPARROW Sam Benady and Mary Chiappe, HKB Press, 2010, £8.99, pb, 285pp, 9780956144300 Set during the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779), this is an unusual crime novel. When a young Scottish soldier, childlike Jamie Macfarlane,

is found hanged, suicide is assumed. But Jamie’s friend, Giovanni Bresciano, is convinced he was murdered and sets out to find the killer. Bresciano is an unconventional hero – a Gibraltar boy recruited into the British Army, he combines dogged determination and local knowledge with a feverish adolescent imagination. His scattershot selection of suspects and motives is ridiculed by friends and soldiers alike. But rising above his lack of experience and method, he perseveres. Gibraltar besieged makes an interesting setting for a novel. Eight thousand people crammed into three square miles of barren rock create a potent backdrop. Hunger, frustration, boredom and a hodge-podge population collected from 18th‑century Europe are all cleverly woven into the (rather far-fetched) plot, and Gibraltar is so well described it almost becomes a character itself. Bresciano’s callow youth makes him an attractive, if sometimes irritating, hero. The authors have taken care to create many three‑dimensional minor characters and this, combined with their affection for Bresciano and for Gibraltar, contributes to a very enjoyable read. A second novel about Bresciano is on the way. Lynn Guest NAPOLEON’S PYRAMIDS William Dietrich, Allison & Busby, 2011, £7.99, pb, 512pp, 9780749009366 / Harper, 2007, $7.99, pb, 416pp, 9780060848330 Paris, 1798. When American adventurer, sharpshooter and gambler Ethan Gage wins a supposedly cursed ancient Egyptian medallion, and then refuses to sell it to the powerful Count Silvano, he little realizes the trouble it will bring. Within hours, he’s framed for murder and must flee for his life. He finds himself sailing with Bonaparte on his mission to conquer Egypt and joins the group of savants invited to record the Egyptian antiquities. Soon it’s clear that a number of people, including Silvano, are on the trail of the medallion – and they will stop at nothing. What is the medallion’s secret? What does the beautiful slave, Astiza know about it? And who can Ethan trust? This, the first of Ethan Gage’s adventures, sets a cracking pace. There are some splendid set pieces – the battle of Aboukir Bay, for example, where Nelson destroyed the French Navy; Ethan’s nailbiting desert flight to escape a band of Mamelukes intent on killing him; and a chilling and murderous chase inside the great pyramid. Dietrich intriguingly interweaves various modern theories about the astrological significance and purpose of the great pyramid, Freemasonry ideas about its ancient power, together with contemporary 18th century discoveries by the French savants, the fathers of modern Egyptian archaeology. The result is a powerful story which combines mathematics, astronomy, astrology, mysticism and a large dose of murderous human greed. It’s a terrific read, and I particularly enjoyed the whistle-stop tour through late 18th century history, politics and personalities. Ethan, a oneHNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 29

FINDING EMILIE

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Laurel Corona, Gallery, 2011, $15.00/C$17.00, pb, 427pp, 9781451615067 Laurel Corona, author of The Four Seasons, an outstanding novel of Vivaldi’s Venice, turns to 18thcentury France in her enthralling new novel, Finding Emilie. Emilie du Chatelet, a brilliant physicist, died a few days after giving birth to Lili, the novel’s heroine, who is raised by her mother’s friend, Parisian salon hostess Julie de Bercy, along with Julie’s own daughter, Delphine. The two girls are extremely close, but very different: Delphine loves beautiful dresses and cannot wait to be presented at Versailles, where she hopes to marry an aristocrat, while Lili, who has inherited her mother’s intelligence, wishes to pursue her literary and scientific interests and is much more excited by her conversations with Enlightenment philosophers than by the frivolous world of the court. As children, she and Delphine board at a convent school where the nuns punish Lili for expressing her Enlightenment thought, which is seen as a threat to Church doctrine. And she must make frequent visits to her mother’s widowed sister-in-law, Baronne Lomont, who insists on a strict Catholic upbringing and, later, wants to force Lili into a marriage with an elderly widower. Lili finds refuge in writing stories about the adventures of a girl named Meadowlark and in her visits to the Jardin de Roi, where she assists the Comte de Buffon in his scientific experiments. Interspersed with Lili’s story are brief chapters about Emilie, her scientific pursuits, and her relationship with Voltaire. Lili, who grew up knowing little of her mother’s life, gradually learns about Emilie and, in the process, discovers her own strength of character. Eighteenth-century France comes brilliantly to life in this novel, and the fictional Lili seems like a real person, with all her hopes and fears and doubts. This is a masterful depiction of a woman of intellect. Vicki Kondelik time apprentice of Benjamin Franklin, meets with Sir Sidney Smith, renowned naval captain and British secret agent, Admiral Nelson, soon to be created Baron Nelson of the Nile for his victory at Aboukir Bay, and Bonaparte himself. If I found the mathematics baffling at times, that in no way diminished my pleasure. Elizabeth Hawksley THE PURSUIT OF PLEASURE Elizabeth Essex, Brava, 2010, $14.00, pb, 344pp, 9780758251541 Lizzie Paxton wants nothing more than to be a widow, in charge of her own destiny and free to make her own choices. She feels that it’s the only choice for her – as a young lady of the late 18th century, she’s expected to marry, but a husband would only try to control her. An opportunity arises in the form of Lizzie’s childhood sweetheart, naval captain Jamie Marlowe, whose upcoming tour of duty will put his life in grave danger. If Lizzie will agree to marry him on short notice, Jamie promises to bequeath his property and his fortune to her so he can keep it out of his preening cousin’s hands. What begins as a marriage of convenience quickly turns to passion, and the couple is forced to face their impending separation. Plenty of twists and turns (and a few erotic love scenes) ensue. While the pacing is a little slow at times, Lizzie 30 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

is an appealing heroine whose curiosity and zest for life is enjoyable. The chemistry between Lizzie and Jamie is believable, although they spend much of the book separated, and the espionage/smuggling subplot adds suspense to the story. Recommended for readers who enjoy spicy historical romance. Nanette Donohue MINE IS THE NIGHT Liz Curtis Higgs, WaterBrook, 2011, $14.99, pb, 480pp, 9781400070022 After a failed Jacobite rising, Marjory and Elisabeth Kerr, their husbands dead in battle, are thrown out of their home and sent wandering. Bess Kerr is quick-witted, good with a needle; when they find lodging in Selkirk, she takes up dress-making. Both she and Marjory, her mother-in-law, are used to a much finer lifestyle, but they cope bravely with their poverty, and soon enough, new possibilities open to each of them. But their Jacobite allegiances hover over them, and old problems keep on coming back, and each one falls in love with a man who seems out of reach. This quiet narrative, drenched in faith and plentiful Scots dialect, gradually won me over by its sheer presence. The plot is standard issue romance, gears grinding in the background, but the portrayal of ordinary life has a sure, lived feel, and many of the characters are very appealing. There’s a lot of

piety and quoting of psalms; this is a sort of bonnet fiction, only with a Scottish burr, but you feel as well the entwined and narrow ways of an old town, the eager gossip and the uncomfortable intimacies. Cecelia Holland HUNT THE WHITE GOLD Mark Keating, Hodder & Stoughton, 2010, £14.99, hb, 436pp, 9780340992692 In 1717 Valentim Mendes, Governor of the Portuguese Verdes, midway between Portugal and Brazil, was relieved of his left hand by the pirate Patrick Devlin and seeks revenge. In the same year a set of letters, revealing the secret of how Chinese porcelain is made, which was the envy of the world and much sought after by kings, was smuggled out of China. Two English aristocrats on The Grand Tour make the acquaintance of Patrick Devlin on the island of Madagascar, a more welcoming place for pirates (of whom William Teach, more commonly known as Blackbeard, was one of the more infamous) than the Caribbean where Woodes Rogers had been sent to clear the island of New Providence in the Bahamas of pirates and to issue The King’s Proclamation Act. The scene is set. The various strands gradually come together, and eventually all is revealed. The story moves from Madagascar and the Verde islands to the Bahamas and the mainland of America, namely the Carolinas, and gives a good insight into the lives of the pirates, King’s officials and people who made up the beginning of the colonisation of America. The pace is fast and the characterisation is good, while the descriptions of the various groups from the pirates to the poverty stricken inhabitants of New Providence vividly bring the scenes alive. Once I got into the book I quite enjoyed it but found the first few chapters confusing with the constant change of scene and characters. I had to re-read them more than once in order to sort it out. Better pre-knowledge of the times would have helped, and a glossary of who’s who would have been useful. Marilyn Sherlock UNDER SIEGE Edward Marston, Allison & Busby, 2010, £19.99/$29.95, hb, 351pp, 9780749008178 Low Countries, summer 1708. Captain Daniel Rawson, who rose from the ranks to the Duke of Marlborough’s staff, is happy with his career, his love life, and even his latest dangerous assignment: spiriting away from the French town of Lille the plans of its supposedly impregnable fortifications. Infiltrating the place with the help of a cheeky camp follower is easy enough, but then things become… interesting. Meanwhile, Daniel’s Dutch fiancée Amalia, on her way to England with her tapestry-maker father, is in for quite some trouble of her own. Will Daniel succeed? Will the lovers be reunited? Will Lille capitulate under the siege of the Allied troops? This fourth instalment in the Captain Rawson series is an adventure filled with peril, love, intrigue, 18th Century

and all the gleeful disregard for plausibility of a Boy’s Own Adventure. Bi-dimensional characters who act on scant motivation, the occasional error (strategy mistaken for tactics, serendipity mentioned several decades before Walpole even coined the word…) and a lot of awkward, expository dialogue do much to spoil what could have been a fun adventure set in an interesting period. Rather disappointing – and I have to wonder who chose the cover art, depicting uniforms of the Napoleonic era. Chiara Prezzavento

19th century

THE PERFECT MISTRESS Victoria Alexander, Kensington, 2011, $7.99/ C$10.99, pb, 394pp, 9781420117059 Proper Victorian Harrison, Lord Montdale, is distressed to discover a memoir on the point of publication detailing Lady Hermione Middlebury’s salacious affairs. One of the dead noblewoman’s amours was Harrison’s still living father. Intent on protecting the family name, Lord Montdale approaches the owner of the memoirs. Hermione’s great granddaughter Julia, Lady Winterset, is a widow and facing poverty, yet she resents Harrison’s offer to purchase the memoir, which he intends to destroy. Several other London gentlemen are interested in Julia and the memoir. Initial resentment and annoyance between Harrison and Julia develops into something different as Julia decides both her own fate and that of her ancestor’s legacy. The Perfect Mistress deals with a perennially interesting topic, the relations of men and women. Julia is an intelligent woman, forced into selfreliance when her dead husband’s family refused their support. At thirty-three Harrison wants to marry, even making a list of the qualities he desires in a mate; intelligence isn’t on it. The narrative is interspersed with selections from Hermione’s memoir in which she delivers home truths to the Victorians, now experiencing the backlash of their ancestors’ misdeeds. An appealing and well crafted story. Eva Ulett THEODORA IN LOVE Ann Barker, Hale, 2011, £18.99, hb, 224pp, 9780709091769 After her father’s death, Theodora goes to live with her new adopted family, but she is dreading the London season. While she is a pretty girl she has had a limp since birth. This makes her very self-conscious so she avoids high society whenever possible. However Theodora accepts an invitation from her newly found friend, Dorothy Wordsworth, to stay with her and her brother, the poet William Wordsworth. They are soon joined by his friend Samuel Coleridge to whom Theodora, shy as she is, is soon attracted. In this new society she meets danger and intrigue and a 18th Century

new friend, Alex Kydd. As with a lot of Regency romances, this follows a similar pattern but it also incorporates real life people. While this may add a touch of reality, this combination does not suit everybody. You need to read it simply as a love story rather than any actual comment on the people involved – but who’s to say the events did not slip through the cracks in the history books! It all adds spice. A pleasant enough read and well written with an imaginative story. Karen Wintle UNCERTAIN HEART Andrea Boeshaar, Realms, 2010, $12.99, pb, 295pp, 9781616380236 1866 Milwaukee. Sarah McCabe leaves her large family in Missouri, seeking the excitement of city life. She accepts a summer job as a governess to Captain Brian Sinclair’s four children. The Captain is dashing and changeable; his assistant Richard is handsome and solidly Christian; both men are attracted to Sarah, but she is not interested in either, as she plans to teach music at a school in Chicago when her summer is over. But will she be able to resist their charms? The story has many holes. Why does the wealthy Captain live in a mansion but have only three servants (cook, housekeeper, governess)? Why are the children so easy for Sarah, when no other governess could handle them? Why do Richard and Sarah stop talking to one another after a summer of being best friends? I had to reread pages to figure out that one, and the answer was not convincing. Readers of Christian romance who are unconcerned about these types of issues may find much to like in the story. The Christian characters pray often, and when they give their problems to the Lord, their problems are solved. The morally bankrupt non-believers are not so lucky. Elizabeth Caulfield Felt OSCAR WILDE AND THE VAMPIRE MURDERS (US) / OSCAR WILDE AND THE NEST OF VIPERS (UK) Gyles Brandreth, Touchstone, 2011, $14.00/ C$16.00, pb, 368pp, 9781439153680, John Murray, 2011, £7.99, pb, 448pp, 9781848542495 Wait! It’s not what you think. The latest installment in Gyles Brandreth’s popular Oscar Wilde series is no trendy monster mash – this story is a mystery of the very earthly kind. At a party for the elite of London society, a beautiful young duchess is found dead in a most unVictorian manner: half nude, abused, with two puncture wounds in her throat. To prevent scandal the Prince of Wales asks Oscar Wilde to put his considerable wit to the task of deducing what (or who) killed the lady; Oscar, however, is distracted by his new friend, a young actor who claims to be a vampire. Accompanied by famous faces including Arthur Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker, Oscar begins an investigation that soon delves into the dark underbelly of Victorian society: night clubs, opium dens, lunatic asylums, and graveyards where

men claim to know creatures of the night. And he remains fabulous while doing so. Mystery is not my usual genre, but the action in this novel is so crisp, the plot so tight, dialogue so witty, and world-building so natural, that I couldn’t put it down. You can smell the cigars and brandy on every page, hear the rustle of starched shirtfronts and the jingle of carriage livery. One minute the boys are having oysters and champagne at a gentleman’s club; the next they’re examining corpses and discussing the habits of the Undead. The writing is as charming and charismatic as Oscar himself, and the pages turn of their own accord. You might need to make a flowchart to keep track of the myriad characters, but it’s well worth the effort. Recommended for fans of murder mysteries, Victorian fiction, and excellent entertainment. Heather Domin THE BIG THICKET Jerry Craven, Slough Press, 2010, $15.95, pb, 236pp, 9780982734230 This novel is set in East Texas in the late 1870s. The story focuses on the relationships between whites and blacks living side by side after the American Civil War. Tim Coke, a young white man, along with his friend Lucius Simmons, a former slave, are caught up in this violent era and the culture of the Big Thicket region. Both Lucius and Tim kill two white men who attempted to rape a young white girl. They dispose of the bodies and keep the killings secret from their families. Eventually, a young black man is blamed for the killings and is dragged to death by relatives of the missing white men. Both Tim and Lucius must decide how to deal with the situation in this racially charged area of the South. The author, Jerry Craven, lives in the Big Thicket of East Texas, so he writes about a part of America with which he is familiar. The descriptive settings put the reader in the story, while the characters appear real and well drawn out. I became absorbed in the twisting plots and subplots – the crimes committed with little justice for the blacks, interracial relations that were not condoned by the white majority, and the rural poverty of the characters while still enjoying weekend celebrations of life. A serious novel for readers who enjoy stories of hope and passion; love and friendship; hate and injustice. Highly recommended. Jeff Westerhoff TREASURE ME Robyn DeHart, Forever, 2011, $7.99/C$8.99, pb, 315pp, 9780446541985 This historical romance, set in the 1880s, features two amateur archaeologists as protagonists. Graeme Langford, Duke of Rothmore, believes the Stone of Destiny in Westminster is a fake, and is determined to find the authentic one. Bookish Vanessa Pembroke, escaping an unfaithful fiancé, arrives in Scotland to do her own research. When locals at an inn make unwelcome advances HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 31

to Vanessa, Graeme rescues her in a makeshift “handfasting” ceremony. They decide to team up to search for the true stone. But the mysterious Raven is also pursuing it, with nefarious intentions against the Crown. Can Graeme and Vanessa find it before he harms the Queen? This is volume three of the Legend Hunters series. The plot succeeds as a framework to hang the bedroom scenes on, but otherwise provides adventure without believability. Graeme and Vanessa survive an explosion in a confined space without so much as a bit of hearing loss. Nonperiod expressions and Americanisms abound, the Raven is a flatter-than-flat villain, and while I don’t expect a lot of depth in historical romance plots, the ending is especially egregious. The sex may sizzle for historical romance fans, but look elsewhere for a believable plot or historical accuracy. B.J. Sedlock NEVER A GENTLEMAN Eileen Dreyer, Forever, 2011, $7.99/C$8.99, 462pp, 9780446542067 Readers first met Grace Fairchild, worthy friend and daughter of a general in the Napoleonic Wars, who stalwartly accompanied her father on campaign in Dreyer’s Barely a Lady. Given her persona, it is a bit of a shock to the reader to find Grace waking up in bed with Diccan Hilliard, “the single most elegant man in England.” Actually, it is an incredible shock to Grace, too, as she believes she has just been dreaming of Diccan. And Diccan shares in the surprise. Even though it seems the situation has been machinated by the Lions, enemies of Diccan’s and of England, he is willing to do the right thing and marry Grace. Then follows the story of Grace and Diccan’s growing appreciation of each other, perpetually threatened by Diccan’s actions to uncover the treason of the Lions and to keep Grace safe. Grace, who knows nothing of what is happening, shows incredible inner strength as she faces a multitude of humiliations. Despite the strong element of misunderstanding, which I find annoying in historical romances, Dreyer has written another captivating book in her Drake’s Rakes series. Historical personages and situations add to the strong characterization. Trudi E. Jacobson LADY IN THE MIST Laurie Alice Eakes, Revell, 2011, $14.99, pb, 402 pp, 9780800734527 As tensions mount between England and the United States in 1809, a coastal Virginia town midwife, Tabitha Eckles, not only becomes embroiled in the personal secrets of the women she cares for, but she learns about recent impressments of men into the British navy. Tabitha’s Christian faith has been tested since her fiancé’s abandonment and the deaths of her mother and grandmother. She has stopped attending church, and has resigned herself to a single life, even after her intended returns and resumes his courtship. Along comes charming and handsome (and Scarlet Pimpernel-like) Dominick 32 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

Cherrett, a British aristocrat whose mysterious past has now made him an indentured servant. Kidnappings, death threats, public disgrace and secret meetings keep the two busier than their stations in life, but by the end they have sorted out good from evil-doers and have their Christian commitment restored. Well researched and full of incident, Lady in the Mist felt curiously bloodless. Characters who whine about simple tasks like picking strawberries or cutting meat do not endear. Chapters that end before the scene’s building conflict, only to be talked about later, may be partly to blame too, especially once the technique becomes predictable. Eileen Charbonneau MARRY ME Jo Goodman, Zebra, 2010, $6.99/C$8.99, pb, 439pp, 9781420101768 This historical romance breaks some conventions and comes out a winner. Coleridge Monroe takes a job as physician to Reidsville, Colorado in 1884. When meeting an outlying family, Cole discovers that the “son” is actually a woman, who is in the midst of a miscarriage caused by physical abuse. Rhyne’s father had raised her as a boy, for reasons revealed later. After she recovers, Cole hires her as a housekeeper/companion to his sister Whitney.

VIENNA WALTZ

Rhyne finds the abrupt change to living as a woman difficult. And because of her background, she feels unworthy of Cole’s attraction, since he comes from a cultured Philadelphia family. When a typhoid fever epidemic leads to a confrontation with her father, she learns a stunning secret about her past. The sensual passages are well done: bedroom scenes are neither lurid nor coy. Goodman doesn’t hit the reader over the head with information. Sometimes you have to wait till later in the story to find out why a character acted or spoke a certain way. She also skips certain scenes (like weddings) that historical romance fans might think compulsory. My only complaint is that the climax is more low-key than I expected. An excellent, character-driven historical romance. B.J. Sedlock WICKHAM’S DIARY Amanda Grange, Sourcebooks, 2011, $11.99/£7.99, pb, 208pp, 9781402251863 This is an account of George Wickham’s life before he joined the army and moved to the village of Meryton. It explains his childhood friendship with Darcy and their time at Eton and Oxford together. We get insight into the development of Wickham’s character. Basically, he is his beautiful, spoiled, self-indulgent mother’s son. She raised him to rise

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Teresa Grant, Kensington, 2011, $15.00, pb, 400pp, 9780758254238 In 1815, all of Europe’s major political figures are attending the Congress to determine the future of Europe. They intend returning France to her original borders, but the new Bourbon king has sent the cunning Talleyrand to negotiate for France. Tsar Alexander has his own agenda regarding Poland and Prussia and means to foil his rival, the Austrian Foreign Minister Prince Metternich. Even Poland’s Prince Czartoryski is there, playing parts beyond that of diplomat and political adviser to the Tsar. And most importantly, these men did not come without their ladies. Grant assigns major roles to the Duchess of Courland, the Tsarina of Russia, and Dorothee, Prince Talleyrand’s niece and hostess at the Congress. At its core, Vienna Waltz is a whodunit with a murder in the opening pages and a sleuthing young couple determined to find the killer. Malcolm Rannoch is an attaché to the British delegation headed by the Foreign Secretary, Lord Castlereagh. He and his wife, Suzanne, are tasked to investigate the slaying of a Russian princess who secretly spied for the English. As we learn that the young woman had numerous lovers and was a blackmailer, all the major political figures at the Congress become suspects. Each has ample motivation. Well plotted, Vienna Waltz successfully builds tension and intrigue. The author deserves high praise for her remarkably accurate retelling of this short but very important piece of European history. She is especially adept at informing the reader about relevant political issues without resorting to long narratives. Grant takes considerable risk in including actual historical characters and even more risk by ascribing them dialog and motivation. Yet she succeeds and does so most admirably. Although the romance between Suzanne and her husband anchors the story, the setting and the inclusion of historical characters elevate this book to a well-written historical novel. Veronika Pelka 19th Century

above his station, convincing him that he will marry a rich heiress and have a life of luxury. Wickham has some assets to help him toward his goal. He is handsome and charming and extravagant. His largest defect is his failure to recognize that his irresponsibility has consequences, at times serious consequences; due, in part, because he always lands on his feet. Grange, an obvious Jane Austen fan, has given an amusing and totally believable account of a wastrel’s life. Wickham’s Diary takes its place among her previous diaries of Jane Austen heroes. Audrey Braver SERENDIPITY Cathy Marie Hake, Bethany House, 2010, $14.99, pb, 336pp, 9780764203213 It’s 1893 in Carver’s Hollow, Arkansas and healer Maggie Rose is doted on by a gaggle of older men for whom she has lovingly taken on the role of caretaker. Who’s had time to marry? Not Maggie—besides there are no single men around to tempt the dark-haired beauty, who is perfectly happy making soaps and such from an old family rose recipe and bickering good-naturedly with her adoring Uncle Bo, who thinks it’s high-time Maggie settled down with a good man. “The time’s a-comin’ for you to meet the future God has planned for you.” Enter farmer Todd Valmer and his ailing Ma, who, seeking medical help for Ma while traveling to Texas, find themselves stranded in the hollow with Maggie and her adoring “family.” Will Maggie and Todd fall in love and marry? Well, yes, though it’s quite the other way around. While there are no surprises here, Serendipity will, no doubt, appeal to Hake’s loyal audience, specifically those who are particular fans of Christian romance. Alana White WHERE SHADOWS DANCE C.S. Harris, NAL, 2011, $24.95/C$31.00, hb, 389pp, 9780451232236 In the sixth book featuring Sebastian St. Cyr, the suspense revolves around the murder of Alexander Ross. The twist is that very few people know that Ross was, in fact, a murder victim. Also, the circumstances surrounding that discovery are best kept secret. The year is 1812. The King, who has succumbed to madness for the last time, will never return to the throne. Men who stand behind the Prince Regent are maneuvering for prime positions. Napoleon has just invaded Russia, and diplomats from all over Europe are vying for information that will both further their careers and empower their leaders. Amidst this setting, St. Cyr’s friend and medical resource, Dr. Paul Gibson, unwittingly stumbles upon a mystery. When St. Cyr realizes the implications of the case, both personal and professional, he realizes there is no way for him to leave it alone. A familiar cast of characters is soon drawn into the story, as St. Cyr uses all of his contacts to gather information. First, there is Hero Jarvis, his erstwhile lover and daughter of his nemesis, 19th Century

Lord Jarvis, one of the prime contenders for power should the Regent assume the throne. Others include Sir Henry Lovejoy, a Bow Street magistrate; St. Cyr’s father, the Earl of Hendon; his aunt, Henrietta, the Dowager Duchess of Claiborne; and even Kat Boleyn, the love of his life, but the one person with whom it is impossible for him to ever find happiness. I love this series. It has it all: romance, political intrigue, dark humor, and memorable characters. I think new readers should start from the beginning, however, because I wouldn’t want them to miss a single line of what I consider to be a first quality series. Alice Logsdon THE VIGILANTE’S BRIDE Yvonne Harris, Bethany House, 2010, $14.99, pb, 297pp, 9780764208041 Emily McCarthy goes to Montana with great misgivings about marrying a wealthy stranger, who advertised for a wife. On Christmas Eve 1884, Luke Sullivan, a reluctant vigilante, hears about Bart Axel getting hitched. Luke’s intent is merely to rob the stage carrying Axel’s money, but his conscience prevents him from allowing feisty, but beautiful, Emily from wedding the nasty old man who swindled Luke’s father out of their ranch. After he kidnaps her, he seeks a safe haven – the orphanage where he grew up. Emily and Luke spar constantly, neither willing to admit what they feel toward one another. While out searching for missing cattle, Luke is ambushed and seriously injured. Later they discover Axel’s been lying about the acreage the orphanage owns, but proving it gets complicated when a hired gun shows up and the nearby Crow become involved. Harris’ depictions of Montana, late 19thcentury life, and the independent people who settled the West captivate the reader to such an extent that the outside world disappears. Humor and love are intertwined with regret and rugged determination. The reader will long remember and savor the experience of reading this inspirational western romance. Cindy Vallar THE KYDD INHERITANCE Jan Jones, Robert Hale, 2011, £18.99, hb, 224pp, 9780709091714 Nell Kydd has problems. The death of her beloved father has left her mother in a state of such shock that she has become vague and detached from the world. With Nell’s brother Kit mysteriously missing on his way home from India, it has been left to her untrustworthy Uncle Jasper to take charge of the family estates and finances. Hugh Derringer, an old school friend of Kit’s, seems sympathetic to Nell, but can she trust him when he appears to be hiding things from her, and dare she give in to the attraction that sparks between them? This is a light, entertaining Regency romance, fast-paced with prose that flows easily. It is very well researched but the detail never impinges on the

page-turning quality. There are secret revelations, subterfuge, desperate rides, and moments of even more desperate disguise. One of the latter scenes in the novel caused me to laugh out loud. As you would expect in this particular genre, the villain is thoroughly contemptible, and quite satisfyingly so. I found myself rooting for the hero and heroine and becoming caught up in their dilemmas, especially Nell’s. Her despair and frustration at what was happening to the family home right under her nose, was palpable. All in all, this is an effervescent, enjoyable read, ideal I would say for when one is in need of a pickme-up or a little romance that wears its colours lightly but with an underlying sparkle. Susan Hicks IN THE KING’S NAME Alexander Kent, Century, 2011, £18.99, hb, 346pp, 9781846055430 / McBooks, 2011, $24.95, hb, 288pp, 9781590134801 In the King’s Name is the latest in a long naval series, set during the Napoleonic wars, ‘starring’ first Richard Bolitho and then nephew, Adam Bolitho. Author Alexander Kent – pen name of Douglas Reeman who also writes novels under his own name – has had a long and distinguished career as a writer. He is regarded as one of the best naval writers, and is praised for his research; certainly he sets the reader in 19th century naval life and gives a good sense of the sea as well as the century. In the King’s Name can be read comfortably without having knowledge of the other novels, but I think it would give a deeper understanding if the reader had read the other novels in the series. It helps give depth to the minor characters. It begins in 1819, Adam Bolitho, newly married, must leave his wife and sail for Freetown. His journey is mysterious; there are sealed documents, then a wrecked ship. The only survivor dies saying ‘Mutiny’, and so adventures fall thick and fast. Adam is a captain who cares, his crew are a mixture of ambitious, old hands and sinners, but all must work together to save their skins and the ship. Definitely a good read for men, and for anyone who enjoys naval adventures, or action and adventure. The plot is tight, and the book well written, well worth a read. pdr lindsay-salmon THE ORPHAN CHILD Catherine King, Sphere, 2011, £6.99, pb, 384pp, 9780751543865 A newborn baby is found on Christmas Day in the grounds of Meadow Hall. Named Sarah Meadow, the orphan is given a home at the Hall and after a few years becomes a lowly scullery maid. Boisterous and outspoken, she finds it hard to conform and, at fourteen, loses her position and dresses as a boy to find work. Falling into the company of honest blacksmith Aidan and the less reliable Danby, she finds companionship and a family – as long as she can keep her disguise. After her secret is uncovered, Sarah is forced into the workhouse and Aidan is prevented from returning HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 33

for her by tragic circumstances. Eventually she finds a position and meets up with Danby once again, but her heart remains with Aidan. It will take strength of character and luck for her dreams of a settled family life to come true. There is a lot of drama and story in The Orphan Child. The characters are well-drawn and fight against their circumstances with clenched teeth and gritty determination. Sarah Meadows is a feisty heroine and Aidan and Danby are excellent foils for her character. All-round a good regional saga, well worth reading. Sara Wilson THE DAUGHTER’S WALK Jane Kirkpatrick, WaterBrook, 2011, $14.99/ C$16.99, pb, 400pp, 9781400074297 In 1896 Norwegian-American Helga Etsby accepts a challenge from the New York World and the fashion industry to walk 3500 miles from Spokane to New York City. As a suffragette, the challenge appeals to Helga. She can show off the practicality of the reform dress she’ll wear – shorter skirts, no corsets – while proving women have stamina. If she makes the journey in seven months, she’ll win ten thousand dollars, enough to keep the family farm from foreclosure. Nineteen-year-old daughter Clara joins her mother in the walk. The Daughter’s Walk follows Clara after the journey ends, after they return to a family destroyed by a mother’s absence. Helga regrets and

atones; Clara can’t. She makes a walk of her own, away from the family, attempting to recapture some of the independence of that cross-country hike. As a woman working and living alone in a man’s world, Clara struggles to keep her self-sufficiency. Meticulously researched and drawing on extensive resources from Etsby descendants, Kirkpatrick crafts a satisfying novel set at a time when women fought for so much. From Helga to Clara, the novel is full of strong women making their mark on the world on their own. No matter how strong, though, the pull of home and family remain, as Clara tries to make peace with her estranged family. My one complaint is that the novel feels disconnected at times. Kirkpatrick has done her research and tries to account for all of Clara’s movements and decisions throughout the years, whether or not they directly contribute to a central storyline. I think some could have been left out, to present a more succinct portrait of this intrepid woman. Jessica Brockmole

Mariah Aubrey has been banished from her family’s home because of her sexual indiscretion with the man she thought loved her. When he announces his engagement to another, Mariah’s father sends her to live with her former nanny in the dilapidated gatehouse of the estate of a distant relative. Mariah lives in seclusion and near poverty until she begins to secretly write and publish novels. The leasing of her relative’s estate to a wealthy sea captain and the existence of a poor house with its intriguing residents outside the estate’s walls add romance and mystery to Mariah’s struggling existence. The author skillfully introduces a number of subplots involving the people surrounding Mariah and Captain Bryant, all adding humor, interest, and surprises to their eventual and inevitable love. Throughout the book, the author captures the true spirit and mindset of a Jane Austen heroine – intelligence, commonsense, integrity, humor and spirit – all combined to offer an engaging and very satisfying read. A must for any lover of wellwritten Regency romances. Pamela Ferrell Ortega

THE GIRL IN THE GATEHOUSE Julie Klassen, Bethany House, 2010, $14.99, pb, 391pp, 978076420708 Basing her book on several elements and characters of Austen novels and on Jane’s life itself, Klassen combines numerous characters, situations, and plotlines that are true to the Regency period.

THE SEAL KING MURDERS Alanna Knight, Allison & Busby, 2011, £19.99/$29.95, hb, 317pp, 9780749009656 In 1861 Detective Constable Faro returns to his native Orkney, ostensibly to visit his mother but actually tasked to investigate the drowning of Dave Claydon – a champion swimmer. To complicate matters this mysterious death coincided with the disappearance of artifacts recovered from a sunken Armada galleon. Staying with his mother at Scarthbreck, where she is housekeeper to the wealthy Prentiss-Grants, Faro meets Celia, the daughter of the household on an evening walk on the beach. By the next morning she has disappeared, leaving a pile of her clothes on the shore. There is a legend that the seal king annually steals a human bride and once before a local girl, Thora, went missing on the beach at Lammastide, only to turn up a year later with apparently no memory of where she had been. But the local Inspector believes that a real man is responsible for Celia’s disappearance – Constable Faro himself. It is up to Faro now to clear his name and get to the bottom of both the mysteries. This is part a series of books on Faro as a Chief Inspector in the Edinburgh City Police, but The Seal King Murders is only the second to be written about his early career in the 1860s. It can easily be read by anyone unacquainted with the other Faro novels and assumes no previous knowledge of the character or his exploits. It is a good solid work of historical detective fiction, providing plenty of action and plot twists to keep the reader interested. There is a good sense of time and place, with the Orkney Islands and people being particularly well realised. The resolutions to the twin plots are not too hard to guess, but they are well-written and satisfying nonetheless. All-in-all a very enjoyable read. Sara Wilson

ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF FREE

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Jessica McCann, Bell Bridge Books, 2011, $14.95, pb, 276pp, 9781453877814 “Bad things happen on Wednesdays” is what Margaret Morgan’s mother always said. Margaret, a free woman of color living in York, Pennsylvania, finds this to be true on a Wednesday in 1837. Mr. Prigg, a former neighbor from Mill Green, Maryland, comes to York to claim Margaret as an escaped slave along with her three children. The local sheriff denies his claim, but when Margaret’s husband leaves for work, Prigg kidnaps Margaret and the children, taking them back to Maryland. To her dismay, Margaret finds her former employer, Mrs. Ashmore, denies all knowledge of her late husband giving Margaret her freedom and seeks to put Margaret and her children up for auction to pay off her debts. McCann alternates Margaret’s harrowing story with the tale of the state of Pennsylvania’s suit against Prigg for kidnapping, a suit that went all the way to the Supreme Court. Prigg v. Pennsylvania was an actual case, and in her author’s note, McCann explains she was drawn to it due to the paucity of information she could find on Margaret and her children. She re-imagines Margaret’s plight in painful, realistic detail. I read this book in one sitting, at first to finish it quickly because the era it described was so shameful for the United States as a country and so heartrending for all those who were denied their rights as human beings. As I read, though, I was drawn in by Margaret’s strength and will to survive and anxious to learn her outcome. McCann acknowledges that Margaret’s fate after being returned to Maryland is unknown. The denouement she gives her is credible and also hopeful without being improbable. Kudos to the author for bringing Margaret’s story to life. Ellen Keith 34 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

19th Century

MURDER FOR GREENHORNS Robert Kresge, ABQ Press, 2010, $15.95, pb, 308pp, 9780984302482 In 1870, Wyoming lawman Sam Taggart is killed by a long-range rifle while his two traveling companions look on. Texas cowboy Monday Malone and Kate Upshaw, the new schoolteacher for the isolated town of Warbonnet, are outraged by the murder. Because the lawman is unknown to the town, Monday and Kate decide to find the killer, so Monday impersonates the marshal. He agrees to give it a week or two to find the killer before moving on. Monday and Kate fall in love shortly after arriving in Warbonnet, but have to hide their affair because the real Taggart is married and has a wife living in Kansas. Robert Kresge’s first historical mystery is also a fine Western novel with two protagonists who keep the story moving along. The characters and dialog tell the story better than the descriptive settings often found in many Westerns. The identity of the unknown assassin was predictable after the character was introduced into the story, but that didn’t keep me from continuing to enjoy reading it. If you enjoy reading Westerns, I highly recommend this book and look forward to another from this author. Jeff Westerhoff THE ORACLE OF STAMBOUL Michael David Lukas, Harper, 2010, $24.99, hb, 294pp, 9780062012098 / Headline Review, 2011, £12.99, hb, 306pp, 9780755377695 In the late 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was a husk of the power that had shaken the Mediterranean world. The last autocratic Sultan, Abdul Hamid II, reigned over a society hopelessly corrupt and divided, surrounded by avaricious modern states. Michael David Lukas’s much trumpeted novel The Oracle of Stamboul is set in this period, exercising the conceit that the Sultan at some point fell under the influence of an eightyear-old girl. The girl, Eleanora Cohen, is a savant, brilliant from the cradle, and having no resemblance to a real child; she serves to see the details of a gorgeous display. Beginning in Constanta, where she is born (accompanied by a faithful flock of purple hoopoes), she provides a placid description of provincial life in the Empire; then she whisks herself off to Stamboul, where almost effortlessly she reaches the palace. “Through an open doorway, she could see a vast courtyard peopled with beautiful young women, plucking at string instruments and murmuring to each other in quiet, giggling tones. Here was the fountain flowing, there the carpets spread out and cushions set in a row.” Not too much else happens. The details of life, the suffocating weight of history, are lovingly and exquisitely written, but it seems at a distance. There’s no engagement, no excitement, we all know how this ends, and Lukas doesn’t really make us care. Cecelia Holland 19th Century

THE KING OF KAHEL Tierno Monenembo (trans. Nicholas Elliott), AmazonCrossing, 2010, $13.95, pb, 304pp, 9780982555071 This tale is a loosely based story of Olivier de Sanderval, a Frenchman with an obsessive desire to explore Fouta Djallon, located in the current country of Guiana, and become its ruler. In 1879, he left France for Africa. Making friends and enemies along the way, he met several African tribes and suffered from terrible diseases. He learned the customs of the tribes, which enabled him to eventually negotiate his terms for obtaining a small kingdom to rule. With a wife and son remaining in France, he managed to return home periodically, until his wife died. He then returned to Africa with his only son. While living in France, he became famous for his books on Africa, while attempting to rule Kahel from a distance. A war between the French army and the local tribes eventually caused him to lose his kingdom and his reputation. This novel is an English translation of a French novel written in 2008. The French-speaking author, Tierno Monenembo, is a native of Guinea. He researched the life of Sanderval and grew to like and respect his determination, courage and obsession to become ruler of a French territory at a time when many European countries were racing to colonize African tribal areas, usually by force. I found the story confusing at times because it introduced so many minor characters, who were interspersed throughout the book. A list would have been helpful. Also, much of it read like a non-fiction travelogue, without any consideration to fleshing out the characters. Even though the protagonist suffered throughout the book, either from disease or from being alone, I never felt compassion for him. I must admit I was glad when I finished reading it. Jeff Westerhoff LOVE’S FIRST BLOOM Delia Parr, Bethany House, 2010, $14.99, pb, 318pp, 9780764206719 Ruth Livingstone arrives in 1838 Toms River, New Jersey, with a prostitute’s baby in her arms. Her minister father, who rehabilitates “fallen angels,” has sent her to the country while he faces charges of murdering the baby’s mother. Naturally the New York newspapers are eager to exploit a story about a sinning pastor, and ne’er-do-well reporter Jake Spencer is sent by his editor brother to look for Livingstone’s daughter. If Jake gets her story, his brother will allow him to keep his share in the newspaper. But how can Ruth trust a reporter with her true story? And will Jake confess his past sins to the woman he is growing to love? This Christian novel has short chapters and religious content is on the moderate side. There’s an amusing passage where local women bring Ruth “weapons,” such as an old hat decorated with sharp, removable quills, to defend herself against nosy reporters. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel much spark between the romantic leads, and thought the pace was slow. I liked Parr’s attempt to address themes

unusual in Christian fiction, like prostitution and tabloid newspapers, but the end result didn’t quite work for me. B.J. Sedlock WHAT WOULD MR. DARCY DO? Abigail Reynolds, Sourcebooks Landmark, 2011, $12.99, pb, 230pp, 9781402240935 This what-if retelling of events in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice explores what would have happened if Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy had expressed their feelings for each other somewhat sooner. Darcy walks in on Elizabeth just as she has received the news of her sister Lydia’s elopement, as in the original, but instead of assuming that Darcy will want nothing to do with her, Elizabeth lets him know her feelings have changed since she rejected his marriage proposal. Her aunt and uncle find them kissing and assume the worst, but after Darcy assures them that he loves her, they agree that the couple should marry in a few months’ time. Elizabeth returns to her home at Longbourn, where Darcy’s sister Georgiana visits her and forms a close friendship with her younger sisters Mary and Kitty. Jane Bennet’s suitor Mr. Bingley returns to Netherfield to propose sooner than in the original. As preparations for Jane’s wedding are in progress, Darcy returns to Elizabeth, and they explore the depths of their passion for each other. The many displays of affection become repetitious after a while, but this is a quick, entertaining read for Austen fans. Vicki Kondelik DOC Mary Doria Russell, Random House, 2011, $26.00, hb, 389pp, 9781400068043. In her fifth novel, Mary Doria Russell creates an engaging saga of the American West, circa 1878, when Dr. John Henry Holliday, better known as “Doc,” travels from his home state, Georgia, to the infamous Dodge City, Kansas. A Southern aristocrat whose manners and gentlemanly conversation endear him to his sprawling family, Doc heads west to begin his career in dentistry, where the dry air and heat may improve his health. At twenty-one, Doc has contracted consumption, the very disease that killed his beloved mother. As Doc establishes himself in his new home, he makes the acquaintance of several men whose names have become part of American folklore: the Earp brothers, Bat and Ed Masterson. Doc has learned card-playing from Sophie Walton, a mulatto child who lived on the family farm in Georgia. Sophie’s instruction serves Doc well as he earns his keep gambling while waiting for his dental practice to grow. Nothing can prepare the gentle Southerner for the deprivation he finds in the Wild West. Starved for gentile conversation and the collapsing culture he left behind, Doc takes up with Kate Horony, another lost soul from the aristocracy of Mexico. Kate speaks several languages, as does Doc, and she is familiar with Latin and Greek classics – an educated, spirited woman blowing across the range HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 35

like tumbleweed. They are a match of sorts, each taking what is needed and calling it love. Russell draws a bead on Doc Holliday and nails him – his Southern drawl, his innate kindness and the hard steel that lies beneath it – as she reimagines his story. Well-written and provocative, Doc is a book that will haunt you as you imagine this refined, educated man dwindling to nothing more than a hollow cough and a bloodied handkerchief. Anne Barnhill COURTING MISS AMSEL Kim Vogel Sawyer, Bethany House, 2011, $14.99, pb, 346pp, 9780764207846 Edythe Amsel, an insecure, but headstrong, young woman with a belief in a well-rounded education, has accepted her first teaching assignment in the small farm community of Walnut Hill, Nebraska, in the late 19th century. Joel Townsend is a God-fearing local farmer who, with the Lord’s help, has accepted the job of raising his two young nephews after the death of their parents. Edythe is attracted to Joel, but after years of caring for her father and her siblings, does not want a commitment to anyone, other than her students. Joel is attracted to Edythe, but when he finds that her faith is not as strong and as focused as his, he has second thoughts about courting the pretty teacher. When Edythe’s sister Missy shows up, half dead, cold and hungry, Edythe’s dreams of a simple, single life ends. Not only is Joel in the mix, but the Town Council decides that Edythe’s teaching methods are way too radical for their tastes. It is up to Edythe to decide if she wants her job, Joel and the life she imagined for herself, or if she is willing to trust he life and her heart to God. Sawyer is an excellent storyteller, and uses a light hand in terms of religious beliefs and faith. I recommend Courting Miss Amsel to lovers of the inspirational romance genre who are looking for something sweet and sincere and love a good “happily-ever-after” story. Monica Spence SECRET OF THE SANDS Sara Sheridan, Avon, 2011, £7.99, pb, 430pp, 9781847561992 In 1833, Lieutenant James Wellsted is an officer in the British Navy surveying the coast of the Arabian Peninsula as part of a mission to link the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. When two fellow officers are kidnapped by Bedu tribesmen, Wellsted is permitted by the Sultan of Oman to search for them in the Empty Quarter, the vast South Arabian desert, forbidden to Europeans. His guides are two Bedu slavers whose knowledge of the desert is matched by their contempt for white infidels. Wellsted must dress and live as a Turk to travel safely. Also in the caravan is Zena, an Abyssinian girl captured by the two slavers and given to Wellsted. The novel is mainly concerned with the expedition. Anyone enthralled by deserts (me) will find the terrain, the heat and the people fascinating. 36 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

Sheridan makes the landscape sing, and the picture of Bedu life is wonderful. Gradually the hazards faced bring a grudging respect between Muslim slavers and Christian officer. A side issue is slavery and the Arab slave trade. The casual way the Arabs, the French and many British accept the fact of human beings as disposable merchandise is powerfully presented. As in her The Secret Mandarin, Sheridan uses historical figures interacting with fictional ones to create an exciting and often thought-provoking read. One caveat: a glossary for Arab words would have been very useful. Lynn Guest MY LOVE, MY ENEMY Jan Cox Speas, Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2011 (c1961), $9.99, pb, 288pp, 97814022557700 This fresh edition of the classic romantic historical novel set during the War of 1812 combines the wit and tenderness of Georgette Heyer with the martial detail and atmosphere of Patrick O’Brian, and deserves placement at the pinnacle of its genre. Despite the British blockade of the Chesapeake, adventurous Page Bradley slips into Annapolis, piloted by MacDougall, the disapproving Scotsman who serves her father. When she saves suspected English spy Jocelyn Trevor from mob violence and a likely hanging, she falls into more adventure—and danger—than she ever imagined.

LEAVING VAN GOGH

While making her way home to her wealthy father’s plantation, her vessel is captured by the British and she becomes a prisoner and pawn. Trevor, by birth a viscount, becomes responsible for her safety and her innocence—quite a challenge in the midst of war. As their unspoken attachment grows, they find themselves divided by their patriotism. A deeper knowledge of one another is forged on shipboard and during battle, on the island of Barbados, in Brittany, and in Trevor’s native London, where his American charge manages to escape his vigilance. With every reversal of fortune come doubts that test their hearts and loyalties. The couple and the vivid secondary characters are realistically, reasonably, and poignantly affected by momentous events, culminating with the burning of Washington. Margaret Barr A ROYAL LIKENESS Christine Trent, Kensington, 2011, $15.00/ C$17.95, pb, 468pp, 0758238584 Marguerite Ashby, daughter of a Frenchwoman, runs a doll shop in 1803 London. Married to her childhood sweetheart, she happily creates dolls for even the royal family. When a riot breaks out in the city, drunkards storm their shop. Angry at any French-linked citizens, they threaten her life. Her husband intervenes and is murdered. Marguerite is devastated and retreats to the countryside to find refuge. Marguerite’s haughty mother-in-law

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Carol Wallace, Spiegel & Grau, 2011, $25.00, hb, 266 pp, 9781400068791 In his 37 years, Vincent van Gogh produced hundreds of paintings and letters, but there is still much we do not know about his life and death. In this fine novel, Carol Wallace finds a way around a mass of confusing data by having his physician describe the months prior to van Gogh’s suicide in 1890. Dr. Paul-Ferdinand Gachet, art patron and physician of the mind, has an incomplete knowledge of van Gogh’s troubled history when he agrees to oversee him informally. The unkempt painter visits the Gachet house, frequently at first, where they converse as equals. The visits give Gachet hope that he can cure van Gogh’s mental illness—and his own feelings of inadequacy as well. Gachet, who believes he failed his dying wife, is haunted by guilt and regret. Van Gogh’s companionship brings some pleasure back into the Gachet home. The doctor, an amateur artist, begins to observe the painter at work and, thrilled by the unconventional use of pigment, sees colors as new. The vivid language used to describe the paintings is one of the pleasures of this book. For a while, Gachet excuses Vincent’s moodiness, his anger, and irrationality; but what must come, will come. Theo, Vincent’s brother and only means of support, is dying. Depression overcomes the painter’s will. He cannot paint—or live without painting. Gachet recognizes despair beyond his reach and, unable to prevent van Gogh from taking his own life, he may even have helped. Even after Vincent is buried beside Theo, there are splashes of paint on the floor of the doctor’s house where, symbolic of one man’s lasting effect on another, they still remain. Leaving Van Gogh is highly recommended. Jeanne Greene 19th Century

insists that Marguerite marry her dead husband’s feckless brother. To escape this horrible fate, and her suicidal thoughts, Marguerite joins Madame Tussaud’s wax figure exhibition, which then travels to Scotland. Taught by the formidable Marie Tussaud, Marguerite learns the art of wax working and meets famous people to make their wax effigies. But Marie’s partner has designs on Marguerite, and threatens to ruin Marie by calling in her debts. To protect Marie, Marguerite marries the man, learns later he tricked her, but he drowns in a shipping accident where Marie loses many of her precious wax figures. Nevertheless, the two women prevail. The waxwork exhibition now famous, Prime Minister Pitt asks them to make a wax figure of Admiral Nelson. As Marie is busy, Marguerite is sent alone to accomplish this. Through a mishap, Marguerite is trapped on Nelson’s ship Victory as it sails into the Battle of Trafalgar. She must prove her courage and fight her attraction to one of Nelson’s aides. Marguerite makes naïve choices—such as her bizarre second marriage—and has too many italicized inner thoughts. The author “tells” more than “shows” in her prose. But Marie Tussaud and her exploits are intriguing. The historical descriptions are well done. The wax working details are fascinating, as are the gritty details of the naval ship and the epic battle that changed history. Diane Scott Lewis THE STRANGER’S SECRETS Beth Williamson, Brava, 2010, $14.00/C$16.95, pb, 352pp, 9780758234735 This historical romance with a mystery subplot is set during Reconstruction. Tough-talking Sarah Spaulding leaves her family’s plantation in Virginia, a source of bad memories after she was raped and permanently injured by a Yankee sergeant during the war. She shares a train compartment with Whit Kendrick, an ex-soldier. Despite his being a hated Yankee, sparks fly between them and Sarah initiates wild sex. Whit remorsefully tells himself that he can’t fall for Sarah, since he’s on his way to marry another woman. Then they become suspects in the murder of Sarah’s hired companion. Can they help find the real killer? And how can Whit tell Sarah he served under the NCO who assaulted her? Sarah is a strong character. I liked that she doesn’t let her disability get in the way of what she wants, and that she is a proactive heroine. A drawback: some non-period expressions pepper the story, such as “amazing,” used in the modern-day sense as a synonym for “good,” and an anatomical term or two that postdate the story’s timeline. These distracted me from immersion in the historical period. Nevertheless, the steamy romance was enjoyable, and I would definitely recommend it to historical romance fans. B.J. Sedlock

20th century

19th Century — 20th Century

AT MIDNIGHT IN A FLAMING TOWN Lorraine Bateman with Paul Cole, Karnac, 2011, £19.99, hb, 357pp, 9781857758599 This collaborative story, inspired by written reports, documents and diaries, reveals the impact and consequences for both real and imaginary characters in Belgium at the outbreak of the First World War. The writers interweave the world of military, political and civilian personnel, the most notable being Miss Edith Cavell, Matron of the Brussels Medical Institute, who was responsible for the training and welfare of probationer and qualified nurses. She directs determined probationer Marion Drake to escort a group of repatriated German nurses to the residency of the American Legate. There she meets the voluntary aide Russell Clarke, who is calmly alleviating panic and dissension. He secures the nurses lodgings at a convent until the train service is eventually restored. The pair are mutually impressed and attracted to each other. Miss Cavell has prepared and equipped secret rooms at the hospital for all those in need of help. The Germans have conducted mass murders, random shootings, village burnings and multiple rapes as they invaded. After the Battle of Mons physically and psychologically wounded soldiers, displaced soldiers and residents without the relevant documents, and women impregnated after being raped, received attention. Therese, a raped nun, was despatched by the church authorities

to have her baby delivered at the hospital. There she bonds with Marion, who agrees to protect her unborn baby from life in an orphanage. When Miss Cavell is arrested after being betrayed by a Frenchman, Marion finds herself in danger for actively aiding in the transfer of the refugees to safe houses within the city. I hope there is a sequel to this novel. Janet Williamson IN ZANESVILLE Jo Ann Beard, Little, Brown, 2011, $23.99/ C$26.99, hb, 304pp, 9780316084475 The unnamed narrator in Jo Ann Beard’s coming-of-age story is just trying to make it through ninth grade. Mom says she and her best friend Felicia are late bloomers, which sounds better than “weird”. From a failed summer babysitting gig to a very intentional stint in detention, the two friends don’t mind being weird as long as they’re together. But even the late ones have to bloom at some point. Things like boys and whether they look dorky in their band uniforms suddenly become more important than sleepovers in Felicia’s camper. When the narrator is invited to an in-crowd bonfire without Felicia, she has to decide if being popular is more important than being a friend. Although set in the 1970s, it didn’t read as a historical novel. The ’70s (and never specified more than that) are just a backdrop of lava lamps and

THE HOUSE OF THE MOSQUE

Kader Abdollah, 9780847672407

Canongate/Trafalgar

Square,

E D I TORS’ CH OICE 2011,

£7.99/$19.95,

pb,

436pp,

Like a lovely dream turned nightmare The House of the Mosque shakes us awake. The author, Kader Abdollah, a pseudonym, paints the picture of an idyllic life before the 1979 Iranian revolution. It is the story of the family of Aqa Jaan, a successful merchant who leads the city’s bazaar and the family that, for over eight centuries, has lived in the house of the mosque, its sons becoming the mosque’s imams, muezzins, and caretakers. The family is prosperous, well-ordered, and content. Tragedies take their toll but do not disrupt life’s harmony. This stable balance is first challenged when a revolutionary young imam asks to marry Aka Jaan’s daughter. For the best of reasons permission is given and the family is forever changed. Events move quickly after that as the revolution erupts, drawing family members into its mad maelstrom. In a series of chilling events, the family of the mosque is decimated. The House of the Mosque was first published in 2005 in the Netherlands, where the author has been a political refugee since 1988. In spite of its intense themes, it is a pleasure to read. The pre-revolution part of the story is almost a fairy tale, funny and innocent, told in simple language. The second part reads like a fast-paced crime novel with terse language and violent scenes. The characters are well-developed, intensely human, and colorful. As best I could ascertain the story is historically accurate. This is a wonderful introduction to everyday life in a Moslem culture minus ranting demagogues and violence-loving fanatics, then to the horror of everyday life with them. Highly recommended. A book to purchase and pass on. Lucille Cormier HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 37

peasant skirts for a coming-of-age story that could have been set at any time. Told through a seemingly unconnected series of events, the novel felt almost like a memoir-disguised-as-fiction at times. I did enjoy the relationship between the two friends and the realism of their interactions – the author does an excellent job of painting those awkward tween years – but there isn’t a cohesive plot or definite character growth. Most of the narrator’s successes are through accidents, not intention. The novel is well-written, but just not for me. Jessica Brockmole BLESS THE BRIDE Rhys Bowen, Minotaur, 2011, $24.99/$C28.99, hb, 261pp, 9780312628109 Private investigator Molly Murphy and NYPD Captain Daniel Sullivan are finally planning their wedding! Daniel is in New York City, refurbishing Molly’s little Greenwich Village house, and Molly is in Westchester county with Daniel’s mother, attempting to help with sewing the trousseau that a bride in 1903 would be expected to have. Except Molly isn’t much of a sewer, and she and Daniel’s mother don’t exactly see eye-to-eye on much of anything. Molly is desperate to escape back to the city, and is delighted when a letter from her friends and neighbors, Sid and Gus, gives her reasons to return. Despite having told Daniel that she is done investigating cases, she finds herself hired by a most autocratic Chinese man from Chinatown. She is to search for his missing bride. But when she learns more about the situation, she wonders whether she should try to find the young woman. The plot provides the author with the opportunity to introduce readers to the difficult situation that Chinese immigrants to America found themselves in, due both to government restrictions and prejudice from others. The complex relations amongst the Chinese themselves are also introduced, as is the lowly status of the women involved. This is another engaging mystery in the series. Trudi E. Jacobson KNIGHT OF SWORDS Ian Breckon, Counterpoint, 2011, $14.95/ C$16.95, pb, 280pp, 9781906964122 / Old Street, 2010, £7.99, pb, 280pp, 9781906964122 The winter of 1944 closes in on Northern Italy, and an officer fighting with the partisans is accused of betraying the group. He’s injured in a bloody rout, and the next thing he knows he awakens in a castle. The mysterious aristocratic Cavigliani family has rescued him and will hide him until he’s well enough to leave. Except as the snows pile up around the castle, it’s clear that everyone in the story is keeping secrets from one another – deadly secrets. The claustrophobic realization sets in that no one is going to be allowed to go free. It’s an intriguing premise for this polished debut. First-time author Breckon’s anti-hero, a Kafkaesque James Bond, is as mysterious as the family. That was a problem for this reader. I heartily disliked him (and the book!) for the first 38 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

24 pages, in which he was nameless. During the long, tension-filled and gothic midsection, as the novel flirted with the occult, I kept hoping to get a better connection with all the necessarily secretive characters, even as Breckon’s writing won me over. Atmospheric scenes like this did it – the protagonist is on his way to a midnight tryst: “The vast hall was deep with moving shadows and frosted moonlight; through the tall arched windows the night sky was filled with falling snow… He was halfway to the far door when he halted. Standing still, he felt again the swift cold apprehension that somebody was close to him, a tightness at the nape of his neck…” Breckon’s mix of genres, gothic and World War II-tough guy, worked, but I still question the nameless protagonist at the book’s beginning and the disconcerting twist at the end. Kristen Hannum THE QUEST FOR ANNA KLEIN Thomas H. Cook, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011, $27.00, 352pp, 9780547364643 I have to admit, I found this book slow-going at first. But knowing the author and his credentials, I trusted that it would pick up. And it did. On the eve of the Second World War, a friend approaches wealthy (and naïve) Thomas Danforth and asks if he’d house a young woman named Anna Klein as she trains for a mysterious “Project.” Danforth doesn’t know a thing about the “Project” or the people behind it, but, craving a little adventure, he agrees. He never expects that he’ll be pulled into an international plot...or that he’ll fall in love with Anna. Once in Europe, the plan falls apart and Anna is arrested. Danforth, who never seemed to have his eye on the bigger picture in the first place, decides to go in search of her rather than continue on with the “Project.” He follows rumors across wartime Germany and then Cold War Soviet Union, discovering along the way that Anna wasn’t quite what she seemed to be. None of his associates were. Danforth begins to wonder whether the adventure is worth the betrayals and loss. The first half of the book, as Anna trained and Danforth quietly fell in love, dragged. The “Project” was nebulous rather than tantalizing, the characters were fairly well-wrapped in their secrets, and Danforth was pretty self-absorbed. Once Anna was arrested and the secrets began to leak, the story became interesting. More clues were tossed the reader’s way and Danforth took on a more active role than mooning lover. The ending was a little too neat and convenient for my liking, but the twists that brought the characters there were well done. If you stick through the slow parts at the beginning, you’ll find this a satisfying mystery full of postwar intrigue and treachery. Jessica Brockmole PARADISE VALLEY Dale Cramer, Bethany House, 2011, $14.99, pb, 368pp, 9780764208386 In this beautifully written and deeply moving novel, Cramer uses details of his own family history

to tell a little-known American story of justice gone awry. In 1921, the state of Ohio passed a law requiring all children between the ages of six and sixteen to attend public school, five days a week. Although the intent was to prevent the abuse of children in the factories, the hard-working Amish families of Salt Creek Township were caught in the law’s trap. When the Amish refused to send their children into an environment they believed would be damaging, the state removed several children from their homes, cut their hair, and forced them to dress like “Englishers.” To escape this persecution, Caleb Bender purchases a tract of land, called Paradise Valley, in the Sierra Madre of Mexico. He, his wife, and most of their eleven children, pack their belongings into three railcars and make the long, cross-border journey into post-Revolution Mexico. Fifteenyear-old Rachel is desolate at leaving behind her boyfriend, Jake Weaver, but consoles herself with her belief that he and his family will soon follow. Life in Mexico is not easy: Bandits roam the hills, the Spanish hide within their haciendas, and the native Nahua struggle for survival. As Rachel and her older sisters, Miriam and Emma, grow into womanhood, they must find the strength within themselves to face their fears and embrace this magnificent country. Although marketed as inspirational fiction, Paradise Valley should have wide appeal to a varied audience. Nancy J. Attwell THE MATCHMAKER OF KENMARE Frank Delaney, Random House, 2011, $26.00/ C$30.00, hb, 416pp, 9781400067848 World War II, or “The Emergency,” as it’s referred to in neutral Ireland, is in its fourth year, and researcher Ben MacCarthy is traveling around Ireland gathering tales for the Folklore Commission. Ben makes his living listening to the stories of others, which is a convenient way to ignore his own sad tale of loss and despair. When he meets Miss Kate Begley, matchmaker to all who ask her assistance (and some who don’t), he begins to tell his own story in response to her sharp queries, and his healing begins. The arrival of military intelligence officer Charles Miller disrupts everyone’s world: the usually-unflappable Miss Begley falls for the handsome American, Ben senses Miller isn’t telling the truth about his work and life, and the reader discovers that Irish neutrality doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t wartime politics and military activities taking place in that country. What follows is an adventure into the underside of World War II, complete with spies, intrigue, and danger. Ben’s re-telling of his and Miss Begley’s travels to England and Europe brings to life the stories of the people they meet along the way— from German soldiers to resistance fighters to the people who are trying to live their lives in the midst of war. While some of their later ventures may at first seem outlandish, Miss Begley’s attitudes towards people and life tie the disparate pieces together into a world that makes sense. Delaney’s 20th Century

descriptions, told from Ben’s Folklore Commission point of view, evoke a wide range of images, from the peaceful pastures of Ireland to the war-torn villages of Germany. He skillfully portrays the physical and emotional effects of the changing world in the lives of two would-be bystanders who get caught up in the turmoil on their way to finding their true selves. Helene Williams ANTHEM FOR DOOMED YOUTH Carola Dunn, St. Martin’s, 2011, $24.99/C28.99, hb, 304pp, 9780312387761 / Robinson, 2011, £6.99, pb, 256pp, 9781849015646 In 1926, Scotland Yard’s DCI Alec Fletcher investigates three murders near London. The corpses are shot through the heart and were apparently killed several months apart. As he struggles to discover if these murders are related, his superior warns him not to involve his wife in the case. Alec’s wife, Daisy Dalrymple, is a clever, aristocratic woman who can’t help involving herself, and meddling in the mysteries of his past cases. Alec tells Daisy as little as possible, but since the one victim was a colonel, she suggests he check a military connection. Daisy leaves him to his inquiry and travels with friends to the quant town of Saffron Walden to attend her stepdaughter’s school function. The next day, one of the girls discovers a body in a park’s maze. Daisy is determined to solve this murder, which may be related to her husband’s case. This was my first Daisy Dalrymple mystery, and it took me awhile to get to know the characters. I enjoyed the progression of clues as Alec investigated a crime connected to a tragic incident in The Great War. Coincidences and contrivances abound, but the novel is a light, entertaining read. Diane Scott Lewis THE GIRL WHO WOULD SPEAK FOR THE DEAD Paul Elwork, Amy Einhorn Books, 2011, $24.95, hb, 320pp, 9780399157172 Emily and Michael, the thirteen-year-old Stewart twins, are wealthy and bored. Their widowed mother is distant and emotionally fragile, and the summer seems endless, with only the neighborhood children and regular visits from their tutor to break up the monotony. One afternoon, Emily discovers that she can make a sound with her ankle that sounds like a knock, and the twins devise a plan: they’ll invite one of the neighbor children over for a “spirit knocking” session with a distant ancestor who died at the age of sixteen. The rumors that Emily can communicate with the dead soon spread throughout the neighborhood, and the twins soon find their parlor game turning into something far more serious than they could have expected. The twins’ coming-of-age is combined with the national sense of grief following World War I. While their original intent was to play a trick on one of their peers, their “spirit knocking” sessions 20th Century

BLEAKLY HALL

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Elaine di Rollo, Chatto & Windus, 2011, £12.99, hb, 360pp, 9780701181796 After reviewing and very much enjoying Ms di Rollo’s first novel, A Proper Education for Girls, I eagerly awaited this, her second foray into fiction. Thankfully I was not at all disappointed and am now already keenly anticipating a third book from her talented pen. The novel, told partly in flashbacks, follows the story of Monty, Nurse Montgomery during the First World War, and afterwards when she goes to Bleakly Hall, which is a failing hydropathic hotel run by two brothers, one of whom was crippled in the war. She is reunited there with her friend, ambulance driver Ada, and more of their adventures are revealed. Monty has a score to settle with one of the inhabitants, a Captain Foxley who is fighting his own terrible memories and bad demons from the tragedy of the war that altered forever or ended so many people’s lives. The Gothic-style setting of run-down country manor adds to the atmosphere as disembodied voices are heard through the pipes even as a psychic medium is attempting to contact one of the scores of the dead for their grieving friends and relatives left behind. Di Rollo has a really distinctive voice, at times sardonic and amusing but also managing to elicit clearly the full horror and trauma of the experiences undergone by nurses and soldiers in places such as Ypres and the Somme. Tragic and humorous in equal measure, this novel is also really well researched and beautifully written with a deep feel for the era coming through. Very highly recommended indeed. Ann Northfield are akin to therapy for some of the more troubled adults in their midst, many of whom lost children and spouses to the devastation of the Great War. The people who believe in the spirit knockings desperately want to believe, each for his or her own personal reason. Interspersed throughout the story are flashbacks to the tragic youth of the twins’ mother, who was caught in the midst of a tragic love triangle, as well as flashbacks to earlier ancestors who were involved in similar romantic tragedies. Elwork’s debut is dark, meditative, and thought-provoking, and will remain with readers long after the book is finished. Nanette Donohue A STORM IN THE BLOOD Jon Stephen Fink, Cutting Edge, 2011, 397pp, £9.99pb, 9780956544513 / HarperPerennial, 2010, $14.99, pb, 416pp, 9780061715426 As the cover blurb for this novel points out, it is not difficult to draw parallels between the Siege of Sidney Street in 1911 and more recent terrorist atrocities – the Iranian Embassy siege, the murder of Yvonne Fletcher, the Bishopsgate bomb, 7/7. In December 1910, a Latvian revolutionary group murdered three unarmed policemen in Houndsditch. The murderers were finally tracked down to a house in Sidney Street, where they were besieged by hundreds of heavily armed troops under the direction of the Home Secretary, Winston Churchill. London was in the grip of a wary xenophobia, its population terrified

of anarchists and the new breed of Communists, uneasy at the presence in the city of growing numbers of Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe. The refugees kept to themselves, in their own communities, speaking their own languages and eating the food they were accustomed to in cafes visited by few outsiders. While the modern parallels serve to draw the reader into the novel, Fink largely ignores them and immerses himself in the story of the siege as experienced by his mixed cast of fictional and historical characters. There is no heavy handed moralising here about the circularity of history. The novel is thoroughly researched and the atmosphere of the Jewish East End in the early years of the 20th century is lovingly created. The pace, however, is a little slow and unvarying, making this a workmanlike and enjoyable read but not a brilliant one. Sarah Bower WINGS: A Novel of World War II Flygirls Karl Friedrich, McBooks, 2011, $23.95, hb, 304pp, 9781590135709. Sally Ketchum, a poor farmer’s daughter has little opportunity until one day she falls in love with a pilot named Tex. When he teaches her to fly they become barnstormers, forging a future together. Sally’s world crashes when Tex, a competent pilot, is killed instantly in a bizarre accident. World War II presents a plethora of new opportunities for women. Men recruited for active HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 39

duty created jobs that were normally held by men. Sally learns about a new pilot school, a place where women will be trained to fly the military’s newest and most powerful planes. She immediately applies and is accepted. The program is commonly known as WASP, an acronym for Women Airforce Service Pilots. Not everyone is happy with this experimental program. Many believe flying and the military is no place for “skirts”. However, women pilots training at the Avenger school soon surprise the pundits as they prove their prowess, tenacity and agility. Mr. Waterman, a Washington lawyer, is hell bent on closing down the WASP program. One of the best pilots, Sally demonstrates exceptional talent; however, a series of mishaps draws a deadly focus on her. When she voices her candid opinion to Mr. Waterman, she becomes his sole target. This begins his relentless pursuit to close the WASP program and destroy Sally Ketchum. The author skillfully sets the stage for a shocking ending as he imbeds a discerning subplot. The unexpected twist provides anxious drama with disturbing developments up to the final chapter. The novel illuminates the dedicated and dangerous service that women assumed in the military during wartime. Karl Friedrich’s ability to see history through a woman’s eyes is insightful. His novel is a welcome addition to the historical novels depicting the marginalized position of women during America’s wars. Wisteria Leigh ANGEL SISTER Ann H. Gabhart, Revell, 2011, $14.99, pb, 407pp, 9780800733810 When fourteen-year-old Kate Merritt goes to her grandfather’s church early one morning, she is surprised to find a five-year-old child sitting on the steps. Lorena Birdsong sees Kate and immediately decides she is the “angel” her mother said would take care of her. It is 1936, and the lean years of the Depression have forced Lorena’s family to abandon her. The Merritt family may not have much money, but they have plenty of love and welcome Lorena into their family. However, Kate’s two grandfathers have other plans for Lorena. The 1936 story alternates with flashbacks to the lives of Kate’s parents, slowly revealing how their family’s many troubles came to be. Gabhart is one of the best Christian-oriented historical fiction authors writing today. Her characters have depth, her plots are complex, and there are no easy answers. Praying does not always work, at least not in obvious ways, and her characters struggle with their faith the way any sane person would when confronted with war, alcoholism, abuse, and abandonment. Angel Sister is the beautiful, sometimes difficult, story of a family using love, faith and forgiveness to hold itself together. Elizabeth Caulfield Felt DEAD MAN’S CHEST: A Phryne Fisher Mystery 40 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

Kerry Greenwood, Poisoned Pen Press, 2010, $24.95, hb, 259pp, 9781590587973 Promises of a peaceful seaside holiday in late 1920s Queenscliff brings the elegant Miss Fisher and her charmingly eccentric household out of Melbourne for two months. In her latest outing, witty, high-living amateur crime solver Phryne (pronounced fry-nee) rents a beach house, and encounters mysteriously missing servants, rumors of smugglers and pirate treasure, and suspect neighbors giving wild surrealist parties. Her investigation is aided by a new character, intrepid kitchen boy and detective story fan Tinker. Phryne’s teenage adoptive daughters Ruth and Jane play larger roles this time, as apprentice chef Ruth ponders the mysteries of Impossible Pie and Jane nearly has her hair bobbed by the local Phantom Snipper. Dead Man’s Chest is eighteenth in this clever series by Greenwood, who won a lifetime achievement award from the Crime Writers’ Association of Australia in 2003. It also includes recipes and bibliography. Nina de Angeli TWO UNKNOWN Alan Hamilton, Sparkling Books, 2010, £14.99, hb, 290pp, 9781907230134 Ian Markham is a successful GP, living with his wife and bringing up twins, Jessica and David, the children of his former lover who died

OFF THE RECORD

nine years previously. As Jessica grows older, her resemblance to her mother pushes Ian’s feelings into new territories. Unable to suppress his urges he finally forces a sexual relationship on his teenage stepdaughter, first by persuasion and then by intimidation. His feelings for David are less positive. He becomes ever more aggressive towards his “unmanly” stepson. His wife, Alice, is unloved by her husband and an unwilling stepmother. She yearns for equality in her marriage, becoming ever more disillusioned with the life she accepted. Eventually matters come to a crisis and the twins decide to run away. They board a train heading for Bristol, where they hope to find their mother’s family, and this seals their fate. The train crashes, causing the lives of many people to be lost – most identified, two unknown. The central premise of this novel is based on a true incident – on 13 October 1928 the Leeds to Bristol mail train ran into another on the line and was wrecked. Two of the dead, a teenage boy and girl, were never identified. The author has used this significant detail to spin a disturbing story of oppression and incest, hidden behind a respectable front door. It is a story in which the innocence of childhood is abruptly crushed and where betrayal hides behind a paternal smile. As the tale unwinds the reader is slowly drawn into the horrifying lives of the young children, where a series of unsettling incidents culminate

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Dolores Gordon-Smith, Severn House, 2010, $18.99/$28.95, hb, 240pp, 9781847513045 Recording tape and gramophones probably don’t sound like promising grounds for a novel, but in Off the Record the technology is the MacGuffin for a splendid little mystery, a story put together so deftly I read it a second time to see how it worked. The setting is 1920s England. The First World War still haunts people who are now enduring the fading of the British Empire, the crumbling of social tradition. In the village of Stoke Haram, opinionated baronial Charles Otterbourne has a gramophone factory. Nutty genius Alan Carrington comes to him with a revolutionary new idea for recording sound. They meet but don’t mesh. Soon bodies are showing up all over the place, and detective story writer Jack Haldean, who has captained several other novels by Gordon-Smith, comes in to make sense of it all. Gordon-Smith’s writing is quick and sure; her characters emerge as real people within a few lines. The period dialog is especially good, colloquial without affectation, and the historical detail, unobtrusive and precise, conveys a beautiful sense of the time before instant communication collapsed all our lives into a single moment. Rereading the novel was a thorough pleasure. The plot is seamlessly assembled; GordonSmith, a devotee of Agatha Christie, puts the truth always there in front of you, manipulating emphasis and expectations to keep it all a surprise. The solution to the mystery, incorporating the technology that started everything off, ties up the whole story in a single satisfying knot. Off the Record should appeal equally to lovers of historical fiction and detective novels, and doubly to fans of both. Cecelia Holland 20th Century

22 BRITANNIA ROAD

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Amanda Hodgkinson, Pamela Dorman/Viking, 2011, $25.95, 323pp, 9780670022632 / Fig Tree, 2011, £12.99, hb, 320pp, 9781905490707 In the aftermath of World War II, Polish native Silvana Nowak flees her homeland, devastated by war, on a ship destined for England. With her she brings Aurek, the son she loves more than her soul. She plans on being reunited with her husband, whom she has not seen in six years. Janusz, Silvana’s husband, was a member of the Polish army who spent the last six years fighting German soldiers while his wife spent the time hiding from them with her son, in a forest. As the family reunites, domestic bliss is constantly threatened by the secrets that each holds. The essence of this deftly written debut novel is the struggle of three people to rebuild their shattered lives. The narrative is compelling, frequently switching setting and point of view to give the reader a clearer picture of both the present day and the past experiences which led up to it, from each of the major characters’ perspectives. A host of minor characters is cleverly interwoven to advance (and, in certain cases, complicate) the plot. Historical details are certainly not lacking in the novel. We feel the time period through the characters’ eyes. This book is a not-to-be-missed page-turner that kept me engrossed from start to finish. With three- dimensional characters and clever plot twists, it is guaranteed not to disappoint; very highly recommended. Michael DiSchiavi in brutal assaults. Post-accident the novel speeds up considerably and the ending seems just a little rushed, but that aside this was a thoughtprovoking read. Sara Wilson TULAGI HOTEL Heikki Hietala, Dragon International Independent Arts, 2010, £11.99, pb, 367pp, 9781907386107 Tulagi Hotel is a wonderful, very readable novel which follows the life of ace US Marine fighter pilot Jack McGuire. Trying to rebuild his life post WW2, he moves to the Solomon Islands, where he builds a hotel on an island he flew over in his combat years and settles down to a life of sun and relaxation. With his authentic well written language Hietala magically transports the reader into the hotel. It is a compelling, relaxed read. It really feels like a story written at the time it takes place. The reader is taken on holiday with the breathtaking scenery and the friendship the reader makes with the other guests in the hotel as its realistic and likeable characters come alive. There are heart‑wrenching stories to be told, lots of nostalgia and some sadness as we share the hopes and disappointments of Jack, a very gentle man who remains in your heart long after his story ends. There is love, friendships and strong bonds throughout the novel. Don Wheeler, the romantic hero, is the best friend and wingman Jack shares so many vividly descriptive adventures with and Kay, Don’s widow who comes to visit the island and manages to disrupt Jack’s orderly world. 20th Century

The book is hard to put down once started, and the detailed descriptions of the dogfights contain lots of technical and accurate historical details. Along with the romantic engaging characters it is a brilliant mix. The location is beautiful, the hotel well worth a visit, and the lives of the guests are intriguing. The book moves at a gentle pace with emotional twists and turns along the way, and although the storylines brings tears on occasion and smiles on others, there are some quite funny moments as well. A great read. Barbara Goldie COLD APRIL Phyllis A. Humphrey, Camel Press, $15.95, pb, 202pp, 9781603818223 There’s enough foreshadowing in chapter one of this romance to sink the Titanic, which is what heroine Beth Smallcross is sailing on. Beth is serving as governess for a three-year-old girl; she is rapidly falling in love with the girl’s father, her employer, rich American Richard Graham. She also entertains some thoughts of setting out on her own, once she reaches New York, and beginning a career as a typist. In the several days on shipboard before the Event, Beth meets a handsome, giddy magician, who challenges her growing love for Richard, and the author gets to parade a lot of detail about the great doomed liner. But the novel is curiously flat. The writing limps, tuneless; people drink “liquid” and gowns are “creations.” The characters are only outlines of people, with no ascertainable inner lives, and none of the outward gestures that would

suggest such inner lives. The author clearly knows everything about the Titanic and its sinking but the event itself seems undramatic and unsuspenseful, especially as we always know the main characters will survive. Readers wanting a soothing bedtime read might enjoy this, but those looking for a quick course in the Titanic should just go back to Walter Lord. Cecelia Holland THE KATYN ORDER Douglas W. Jacobson, McBooks, 2011, $24.95/ C$25.95/£20.99, hb, 392pp, 9781590135723 Poland’s dilemma has always been based on geography. Located between Germany and Russia, Poland and its people have time and again been caught in the iron grip of one or both of these two rapacious neighbors. Douglas Jacobson relates a story of two examples of Polish suffering in a novel which combines the Soviet murder of thousands of Poles in the Katyn Forest in 1940 with the German campaign against Polish resistance fighters in Warsaw in 1944. Adam Nowak, or “Wolf,” is a Polish-American trained by British intelligence and sent to Poland to assist the Home Army in the Warsaw Rebellion against its Nazi overlords. Nowak is, at first glance, a cold-blooded killer isolated from his comrades and concerned only with eliminating as many SS troopers as possible. Natalia Kowalski meets Nowak by chance in the doomed city, and the two patriots join forces to locate the document signed by Stalin ordering the murder of 22,000 Polish officers in Soviet prison camps. Providing the world with this proof of Soviet war crimes would, it was hoped, aid Poland in its quest for freedom from its communist “liberators.” Soviet policeman Dimitri Tarnov is equally determined to find the document to both forestall Polish plans and also to save himself from being implicated in his relationship with the Nazis. Nowak and Natalia are continually threatened by Nazi forces as they are pursued by the equally bloodthirsty Tarnov. The reader is, of course, aware that the world did not learn of this proof of Stalin’s guilt until long after war’s end, but this doesn’t intrude upon the author’s well-constructed struggle between Communist and Nazi psychopaths and two lovers risking all to relieve Polish suffering. John R. Vallely RODIN’S DEBUTANTE Ward Just, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011, $26.00, hb, 263pp, 9780547504193 The first short section presents Tommy Odgen, an early 20th century Illinoisan whose inherited railroad money allows him to indulge in his favorite pastime, shooting animals. A disagreement with his wife leads him to decide to found a boys’ school in their mansion. Cut to mid-century, when young Lee Goodell, son of a judge in New Jesper, overhears his father and other town leaders discussing how to suppress news the vicious rape of one of Lee’s schoolmates. Of course keeping it quiet is intended for the girl’s HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 41

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

WITCHES ON THE ROAD TONIGHT

Sheri Holman, Atlantic Monthly, 2011, $24/C$28, hb, 400pp, 9780802119438 A writer and photographer, writing and shooting a travel guide for the WPA, drive the unmarked back roads of Appalachia in 1940. They clip a boy who darts in front of the car, beginning this suspenseful tale that skips about from the present day back to 1940, to 1967, to 1980, and back again. Holman draws her readers in with the mesmerizing cadences of poetry, secrets, sin, and regret. As the boy’s mother, Cora, matter-of-factly tells the writer, once witches slip into a family, they’re hard to get rid of. When he asks her just what her business is, Cora tells him she’d like to be… a hairdresser. So goes Holman’s mix of magical realism, perfectly tinting this true story – true as in how Cora explains it: “Nobody wins. And that’s how you can tell it’s the truth.” Cora’s son Eddie leaves the hollows, becomes a television weatherman and horror movie host, and tries for redemption by saving a stranger. His daughter, in turn, takes up her grandmother’s ambiguous mantle, learning that unkind truth has all the destructive force of a curse. Intent, premeditated or thoughtless, shows its potency in these characters’ lives. On the victims’ parts, there’s despair, a turning away from the intent to survive. One lesson, for readers, is that it’s never safe to be a stranger. This is a masterful book by a talented writer practiced in the sorcery of plot and language. Kristen Hannum sake as well as the town’s. Lee’s mother no longer feels safe, so she persuades her husband to move the family to a “nice” suburb of Chicago. Lee is enrolled in the Ogden School for Boys, where

MR. CHARTWELL

Tommy Ogden still makes covert visits. After he graduates and enrolls at the University of Chicago, Lee studies sculpture and reluctantly works in a South Side health clinic. Then Lee finds out that

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Rebecca Hunt, Dial, 2011, $24.00, hb, 242pp, 9781400069408 / Penguin, 2011, £7.99, pb, 224pp, 9780141049878 Esther Hammerhans, a young librarian with the House of Commons, is disturbed when she finds a prospective new lodger at her front door. For this is no ordinary tenant: it is instead a dog, a large black dog no less, and one that not only walks on two feet but talks as well. Meanwhile, to the south of London, Winston Churchill has just awakened to a familiar presence in his room. It is an old adversary, one that has dogged him his entire life. He calls himself “Black Pat,” and his appearance on the eve of the Prime Minister’s final retirement from office is hardly welcome. This is a gem of a book, one that tackles the enigma of depression in a completely original, engaging way. Taking her cue from the “black dog,” as Churchill describes the deep bouts of depression that followed him throughout his life, Hunt weaves a tale that both explores and illuminates the condition that afflicts so many. Giving the malady a physical presence enables her to describe a disorder that seems so baffling to those who live with a depressed person, who, unlike Esther and Sir Winston, cannot see the black dog of mental illness, but nevertheless live with its effects. With prose nothing short of brilliant, she does this in an entertaining, sometimes comical, but always poignant manner. Highly recommended. Ken Kreckel 42 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

the raped girl from his school has returned to the area and wants to find out what he remembers about the unsolved crime. Ogden’s love of hunting, the rape, Lee being attacked on the South Side streets, and injured victims in the clinic weave violence into this coming-of-age story. Yet except for the mugging, most of the violence happens at one remove from Lee, so the impact on the reader is minimal. The storytelling tends to the non-linear, yet was not difficult to follow. Ogden was a more memorable character than Lee. The author joins a current literary trend of omitting quotation marks. Call me reactionary, but I think the technique detracts from, rather than aids, the stories that employ it. Bottom line: portions of this novel were interesting, but the whole didn’t live up to the better parts. B.J. Sedlock A HOPE UNDAUNTED Julie Lessman, Revell, 2010, $14.99, pb, 505pp, 9780800734152 In Boston, 1929, Katie Rose O’Connor is a smart, feisty woman who knows what she wants from life: a law career and marriage to stable, rich, Jack Worthington. Her father, Patrick O’Connor, however, believes Katie must first develop responsibility and faith. Much to her chagrin, he forces Katie to volunteer at the Boston Society for the Care of Goods and Massachusetts Infant Asylum, who just happens to be run by her detested childhood enemy: Luke McGee. Katie and Luke naturally clash and continually bicker, inevitably secretly falling in love with one another. In typical Christian romance formula, Luke and Katie encounter misunderstandings, troubles, and lessons of the heart. With some surprising twists, A Hope Undaunted sparkles with emotion, drama, and upstanding morals. While this is a spiritually pleasing romantic read, Lessman undertakes a bit too much in the novel. She updates readers on the lives of the other O’Connors (whose stories were told in the Daughters of Boston series), going into intricate detail regarding the hardships, issues, and troubles each face as the Depression approaches, and as marriages lose its first bloom. While this information will be appealing to Lessman fans, it often interrupts Katie and Luke’s story, undermining the importance of their tale. A lot of the charm, heartache, and final passionate ending were lost in Lessman’s endeavors to include all O’Connors in the story. Overall, recommended for anyone curious to know how the entire O’Connor family fares. Rebecca Cochran THE BURNING SKY Jack Ludlow, Allison & Busby, 2011, £19.99/$29.95, hb, 399pp, 9780749008321 In 1935, Mussolini’s “need to colonise” is directed at Abyssinia, where an ancient way of life faces an obliterating build up of military might. The world’s great nations wait, cautious and uncommitted. Callum Jardine knows war from 1914-1918. 20th Century

In Romania, he has initiated an urgent, dangerous plan – a consignment of the most modern weapons, large enough to give the Abyssinians a chance if it can reach them in time. All his experience and quick wit is needed to bring his illegal cargo, by train and by ship, to British Somalia and onward by camel train. Cal’s trusted and enterprising companion, Vince Castellano, cockney-Italian exboxer, is augmented by two Americans: journalist Tyler Alverson, hoping to report a war, and Miss Corrie Littleton, looking for her missing mother who gives the snappy young lady an excuse to join the men in their journey to Aksum. The occasional presence of air ace Henri de Billancourt, heroic and courteous, annoys Cal but he can’t resist the thrilling new experience of aeronautics. This fictional story with its background of a little-remembered war builds up from pure adventure with excitement and daring all the way. Cal seems indestructible. But the day-long battle that settles the fate of Abyssinia is a devastatingly grim and detailed demonstration of the truth of warfare. Nancy Henshaw HEART OF DECEPTION M.L. Malcolm, Harper, 2011, $13.99/C$15.99, pb, 342pp, 9780061962196 M.L. Malcolm’s previous novel, Heart of Lies, follows young Hungarian expat Leo Hoffman in 1930s Shanghai as he scrambles to salvage what he can of his life from disaster. This sequel (and it’s not necessary to read the first before the second; I didn’t) begins with Hoffman now stranded in North Africa. He’s not interested in risking his life for the Allies; he just wants to get to the United States, where he has sent his daughter Maddy for safekeeping. This second book is mostly Maddy’s story. A mix of lies, some malicious and others spy-driven, keep Leo out. Maddy must choose between a handsome, boring medical student and a rich, sexy stalker with no discernable source of income; between her innate musical talent and a more practical degree. Leo’s choices are more intriguing. Should he agree to go to France to save Jews, thus delay his reaching Maddy? Will his relationship with Christine Granville (a real WWII spy and by far the most interesting character in the book) amount to anything? This is a perfectly enjoyable novel, and the author skillfully brings us through two decades to a satisfying conclusion. I would have preferred more Christine Granville, however, and less Maddy. Kristen Hannum THE DRY GRASS OF AUGUST Anna Jean Mayhew, Kensington, 2011, $15.00/ C$17.95, pb, 294pp, 9780758254092 In 1954, thirteen-year-old Jubie Watts takes a car trip from Charlotte, North Carolina, to vacation in Florida. She is accompanied by her family, including her abusive father and her selfishly oblivious mother, and their African-American maid, Mary Luther, Jubie’s friend and protector. 20th Century

FIELD GRAY (US) / FIELD GREY (UK)

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Philip Kerr, Putnam, 2011, $25.95, pb, 434pp, 9780399157417 / Quercus, 2010, £17.99, hb, 384pp, 9781849164122 This latest installment in the Bernie Gunther series finds the former Berlin detective doing well in 1950s Cuba, that is, until he is taken into custody by American authorities and forced to face possible war crimes from his past. This leads Bernie back to a nowdivided Germany and into a world of Cold War plots and counterplots, agents and double crosses. Not that any of this is exactly new to him, as surviving his years working for the Nazis can attest. Ultimately, with his very life in the balance, he must face a criminal who has eluded him throughout his career. To succeed, Bernie must confront the difficult choices he made in the past to survive, and relearn the skills that brought him through with just a shred of the self-esteem still left to him. As the Bernie Gunther has series grown to attract legions of fans and capture several awards, so has the author’s power to deliver a thought-provoking, informative, yet utterly suspenseful and moving account. A hallmark of the series has been Kerr’s ability to display, through his hard-bitten detective, the moral ambiguity which boiled just beneath the surface of the oft-portrayed black and white of the World War II and Cold War eras. This ambiguity is borne out though some outstanding historical research, whether it be the questionable role of the Allies’ intelligence services, the stark brutality of the Soviet regime, or the shortcomings of a justice system trying to come to terms with the immense crimes of the Nazi’s, often only to surrender to the demands of Realpolitik. Indeed, we come to see the Field Gray of Bernie’s old SS uniform as a metaphor for the moral gray areas in which citizens of many nations lived through the mid 20th century. Highly recommended. Ken Kreckel As the family travels south, the landscape figuratively darkens. Each rest stop becomes a crisis. Mary has difficulty finding accommodations in the segregated South, and Jubie is witness to her humiliation. Eventually, when tragedy strikes, Jubie and her parents have their humanity tested. This is a coming of age story. Jubie matures rapidly and learns to make her own independent judgments about the social milieu in which she finds herself. The setting is important in this novel, and it vividly comes to life. All the small details of life in the South at this time ring true. Jubie is a likable, intelligent young heroine. The family dysfunction is believable and the parents are well-fleshed-out characters. The father is capable of tenderness as well as brutality, and the mother eventually shows some degree of inner strength. Anna Jean Mayhew’s writing is graceful, laced with a riveting sense of danger and menace that makes the book difficult to put down. Mary is not a stereotyped maid but a person with aspirations and a family of her own. She is the moral center of the book, the catalyst for Jubie’s evolution into a young woman of conviction and integrity. The reader certainly comes to care about her. But I found myself questioning whether anybody could be as noble as she was in the face of racist cruelty. I might have preferred it if Mary had a few warts. That quibble aside, this is an extraordinary, absorbing novel.

Phyllis T. Smith LETTERS FROM HOME Kristina McMorris, Kensington, 2011, $15.00/ C$17.95, pb, 369pp, 9780758246844 In the summer of 1944 three roommates, Liz and Julie, who both come from a privileged background, and Betty, raised on the wrong side of the tracks, are facing, analyzing and redefining their futures. Liz is engaged to her childhood sweetheart and Julie’s fiancé is in the navy serving on a battleship. Betty’s situation is different. She has ambitions beyond just marriage. She is an exceptionally beautiful, talented singer who performs at the local USO where, one night, Liz and Betty meet a GI, Morgan McLain. Despite her engagement, Liz finds Morgan attractive. However, it is Betty who sends him her photograph and address. When Morgan finally responds to Betty, she barely remembers him and asks Liz to answer his letter for her. Liz’s letters surprise Morgan by their depth and perception. Still thinking he is corresponding with Betty, he begins to fall in love with her, while Liz is falling in love with him and doubting all the plans she has for her future. In the meantime, Julie, a talented wannabe dress designer, turns down an internship at Vogue magazine so she can remain true to her fiancé and their plans of marriage. Betty, seeking the universal approval that a uniform elicits, enlists in the WACs and is sent to HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 43

the Pacific. When the war ends, the return to peace requires adjustments on everyone’s part. This is a debut novel for McMorris, who writes of the people and the period with a great deal of insight and compassion. Through the three heroines she captures a cross-section of the myriad experiences and coping mechanisms of the women left behind with their hopes and dreams and fears. Audrey Braver MURDER YOUR DARLINGS J.J. Murphy, Obsidian, 2011, $6.99/C$8.50, pb, 320pp, 9780451231994 An esteemed author Sir Arthur QuillerCouch suggested removing beautifully written phrases from one’s writing: “murder your darlings”. Someone has taken him literally at the Algonquin Roundtable, the luncheon “mise en scène” of Dorothy Parker’s Vicious Circle, which included her witty chums writing for Vanity Fair. Arriving early for a change, Dorothy notices a body lying under their table when drinks had not yet been served. This lifeless form was recognized as a critic, stabbed through the heart with a fountain pen. Interrupted by a newcomer who introduces himself as Billy Faulkner from the South, Dorothy realizes her life may be picking up in interest as she decides to pursue the murderer of said critic and adopts the hapless Billy in aid of her quest. Other members of the famous “Roundtable” play their parts. Robert Benchley, her cuddly cohort, helps if only to thwart those who would

THE SOJOURN

thwart Dorothy in her mission for the truth. This new series shows comical and intelligent promise. Each character stays true to the original in comment and personality. Being the 1920s, the author’s marvelous foreword may become the prototype for modern readers of historical novels of the more recent past. Tess Heckel THE PENNINGTONS Pamela Oldfield, Severn House, 2011, £18.99/$28.95, hb, 192pp, 9780727869883 Oldfield’s latest is a uncomplicated mystery with stock characters, familiar plot, and very little suspense. Although not intended for young readers, the tribulations of a 17-year-old servant may not seem very exciting to adults. Daisy is a housemaid in the home of Montague Pennington, an elderly invalid. When his housekeeper resigns, Daisy, who sees a chance for a promotion, steps into the breach—just as a stranger begins to harass the family. The man’s motives are unclear, even to his targets, who are unaware of (all) the buried secrets. The reader will be out in front as the plot unrolls – revealing liaisons that revise the family tree and divert the family fortunes. Oldfield’s books are described as a “blend of historical fiction and family saga.” The Penningtons is too slight to classify as a saga, however, and lacks a convincing historical setting. Language and manners are not enough to convince us it is 1902. Jeanne Greene

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Andrew Krivak, Bellevue Literary Press, 2011, $14.95, pb, 192pp, 9781934137345 The Sojourn is a beautiful sliver of a literary novel. A story about fathers, brothers, and finding inner strength, it is set against the unforgiving landscape of an impoverished Rusyn village in a corner of the AustroHungarian Empire on the eve of the First World War. Josef is raised by his shepherd father, along with Zlee, a hotheaded boy abandoned by a distant cousin. The two grow up as brothers, learning to hunt in the mountains and read in English. When Zlee is conscripted at the start of the war, Josef follows. The pair single themselves out as a crack sharpshooting team, until capture and imprisonment on Sardinia separate them. After the Armistice, Josef is set free and pointed in the direction of home. The boy who was never more than a follower to his beloved adopted brother now must find his way home, discovering love and a newfound strength on his journey. Deftly wrought, quietly told, the story of Josef and his love for father and brother tugs at the emotions without trying too hard. Krivak wields the first person point of view skillfully, with Josef becoming more distant from his own point of view as the trenches desensitize him, and coming closer to it as he regains his sense of self on the way home. The language is subtle in its elegance, the simple language of a shepherd wrought into the narrative of a poet. The words, the winding sentences, sound almost like German-in-translation, making it feel more like a Remarque. Krivak studied all the Great War novels before writing, and the result is a debut novel at home amongst those classics. Highly recommended. Jessica Brockmole 44 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

FOREIGN BODIES Cynthia Ozick, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010, $26.00, hb, 255pp, 9780547435572 / Atlantic, 2011, £16.99, hb, 272pp, 9781848877351 I had never read any of Ozick’s work before this one. Being a diehard Henry James devotee, I was intrigued by the claim that Foreign Bodies was “a photographic negative” of The Ambassadors, “in which the plot is the same but the meaning is reversed,” as the book flap put it. In 1952, Bea Nightingale is a fifty-something schoolteacher who has let her life slip away silently, unresisting, in the many years following her divorce from her free-wheeling, ego-crushing musician husband. His grand piano, left behind in her New York flat, embodies the weight of his domineering legacy on her spirit. Out of the blue, her long-estranged, annoying, arrogant, wealthy brother writes to her and asks her to go to Paris and find his son who has “taken up” with a woman who is keeping him there, and probably ruining him. This is the main parallel to the plot of The Ambassadors. Through letters and in-person encounters, we enter into the sad and angry lives of Bea, her brother Marvin and his mentally unbalanced wife Margaret, and their two spoiled teenaged children, Julian and Iris. I have to confess that I was perplexed and put off by the story. I have never encountered so many frankly unpleasant characters, about whose lives and ultimate destinies I really did not care. Everyone lies, outright or by omission; everyone is angry and belligerent; everyone uses everyone else for his or her own selfish ends. There is no generosity of spirit, no opening to a larger world or a greater love or even a pleasant life; in short, no redemption after all the sorrow and pain, even for Bea, who theoretically finds some freedom from the ex-husband’s spell she’s been under—but I didn’t see it or feel it. In that unhappy sense it is a “negative” of James’s book. I humbly hope I haven’t misunderstood a great writer’s novel, but this book was a dark and puzzling disappointment. Mary F. Burns LUMEN Ben Pastor, Bitter Lemon Press, 2011, £8.99, pb, 310pp, 9781904738664 This intelligent crime novel begins a new series following the experiences of Martin Bora, a captain in the Wehrmacht. The novel begins in October 1939; the Germans have taken over Poland, and Bora is sent to Cracow to investigate the murder of a nun, the abbess Mother Kazimierza, who has been shot dead in her convent garden. Considered a saint by many, she has made many prophecies and the title lumen (light) is connected with these foretellings which may have inspired the Germans to get rid of her, but on the other hand, they can do such a deed far more openly if they wish. The whole idea of light and darkness forms an important theme within the novel. The atmosphere, ideas and inclusion of the Catholic faith remind the reader of Graham Greene, and certainly it is in many ways not an easy read. The reader is left with a lot to do working out the attitudes and interior 20th Century

motives and feelings of the characters. This is very much a show rather than tell novel. Politics and ethics are mixed together as they are within the soul of Bora, who is conflicted between his duty as a captain and potential father of the German race and his conscience as a human being and lapsed Catholic. The foreknowledge by the reader of the horrific events of the Holocaust to come add real poignancy and cast a black shadow over the events described, some of which are disturbing enough already. It is far from being a cheerful book, but it is thought‑provoking and powerful. I am very grateful I didn’t have to live through such a terrible conflict of soul and body. Ann Northfield IN THE SHADOW OF GOTHAM Stefanie Pintoff, Penguin, 2010, £6.99, pb, 433pp, 9780141399706 / Minotaur, 2010, $14.99, pb, 400pp, 9780312628123 After the untimely death of his fiancée in the General Slocum ferry disaster, Detective Simon Ziele has transferred away from the city in search of the quiet life north of Manhattan. Unfortunately the expected solitude is abruptly shattered by the brutal murder of Sarah Wingate, a young but brilliant academic. Almost immediately Ziele is contacted by a noted criminologist from Columbia University. Alistair Sinclair is certain he recognises the murder as the work of one of his research subjects. Teaming up with Sinclair and his associates, Ziele must discover if their theories are correct. If not, then who is the murderer? But if they are right then must they take some blame for allowing a deranged lunatic walk the streets? To complicate the matter further Ziele finds himself increasingly drawn to Sinclair’s widowed daughter-in-law, Isabella, as they race against time to stop the killer striking again. In the Shadow of Gotham is a resounding good read. Early 20th-century New York is lovingly recreated with a real sense of history and place. Each and every character, from bit part to leading role, is fully rounded and seems to almost step out of the pages. The plot itself is intricate and satisfying with an unexpected and rewarding conclusion. Stefanie Pintoff has won several prestigious first crime novel awards – including the Edgar Award – and it is easy to see why. This must surely be the first of a long run of excellent historical crime novels, and hopefully Simon Ziele will make a return in the not-too-distant future. Sara Wilson SECRET OF THE WHITE ROSE Stefanie Pintoff, Minotaur, 2011, $24.99, hb, 400pp, 9780312583972 There are far too few historical mysteries that succeed in balancing their fiction elements with accurate historical details. In actuality, it’s a real challenge. Too much history, and the story is overwhelmed, disappears. Too little history, and the scenes fade out to an uninteresting, anonymous gray before readers’ eyes. Thankfully, Pintoff has a 20th Century

knack for balancing acts. She has managed twice, very well thank you, in the two previous titles of her turn-of-the-century Gotham series, In the Shadow of Gotham and A Curtain Falls, the first winning an Edgar Award as a debut novel. In this next installment of hero Detective Ziele’s adventures, Pintoff delivers again, providing readers with gripping gothic tale of conspiracy, anarchy, and the struggle to bring justice to the city. This is the story of the high-profile murder of a judge who was presiding over the trial of a controversial anarchist. The man’s most recent bomb, it is believed, killed a child, among others. Before the case can be decided, the judge is killed. The pressure is on to solve the case, prompting Ziele to pair up with an old classmate, criminologist Alistair Sinclair, whose unorthodox methods rattle the cages of Manhattan’s West Side police. Rich period detail, gritty or glamorous depending upon the location, and intriguing characters will encourage Caleb Carr devotees to join in the fun. Kathryn Johnson THE BIRD SISTERS Rebecca Rasmussen, Crown, 2011, $24.00, hb, 304pp, 9780307717962 This story opens in the summer of 1947 in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Sisters Milly and Twiss are fourteen and twelve respectively. There does not seem to be the usual sibling rivalry because these girls are so different they somehow complement each other. Their father is a golf pro, giving lessons at the local country club and sacrificing his family to the sport. A car accident changes his ability and causes a rift in the marriage. He moves to the barn and communicates through a series of notes carried by the girls. Their mother spends her time dealing with the local Sewing Society at church, where they scheme and judge each other with all the gusto found in small town cultures. She dreams of the life she set aside in order to marry and marks off the days until her niece, Bett, arrives from Deadwater. Twiss idolizes her father, but hardly a kind word passes between her and her mother through the entire book. Milly is beautiful and levelheaded. She is feeling the pangs of first love for Asa, who mows their lawn. All are subconsciously looking to Cousin Bett to change the tedium of their lives that summer. Her arrival does more than assuage the boredom; it changes them all forever. The story moves between their youth and old age with a myriad of memorable characters from beginning to end. When Twiss puts happiness in Mason jars and sells it at the local fair, I was hoping it would work for all of them. But alas, the jar was just blue water and the happiness was a contentment finally realized in their old age. I learned something about sacrifice, too. I’d recommend this debut novel to anyone who had a childhood, which is all of us. Susan Zabolotny THE BADGER RIOT J.A. Ricketts, Flanker Press, 2009, $19.95, pb,

300pp, 9781897317327 THE BADGER CONFESSION J.A. Ricketts, Flanker Press, 2010, $19.95, pb, 305pp, 9781897317662 In 1959, an isolated Newfoundland town, Badger, is the scene of a violent labor confrontation, which leads to the death of an Officer of the Constabulary. This unsolved crime leaves an indelible mark, not only upon the name of the town, but upon the lives of its citizens. The author has undertaken an ambitious project, introducing her readers to a large cast of characters and the dramas of their lives, as well as making a record of a profound social change. Some of her characters are ordinary loggers, hoping to secure a better wage and reasonable living conditions at the camps, others—small cogs in the corporation’s big wheel—find themselves in opposition. There are love stories, family stories and friendship stories, stories of religious and racial prejudice and of childhood pain. A strong sense of place is created by the use of dialect as well as evocative descriptions of the natural grandeur of the area and its native past. The tension generated by a long strike is well-crafted, and when their newly formed union is abruptly decertified—an unforeseen betrayal by a well-liked politician—the reader is as stunned and dismayed as the strikers. The Badger Riot ends with the explosion of violence which leads to the death of a Constabulary Officer, an unsolved murder. After the tragedy, Badger will never be the same. The second book carries on with favorite characters who are still unraveling tangled relationships. Occasionally, the ripples caused by memories of the Riot will disturb their unexceptional lives. The children who witnessed the action from the top of a snow bank grow and form families of their own. Industries disappear and occupations change. Old habits die hard as do the old prejudices—things about race and religion. The 1960s comes in. We learn at last how the riot was fomented by management and who among the strikers was paid to play management spy and provocateur—who may even have been the undiscovered killer. Overall, I enjoyed these books, although I was sometimes jarred by viewpoint shifts and occasional awkward construction. The striker’s story—in these modern union busting times—the hardships endured by the loggers, the power-hungry role of politicians and their collusion with the corporation to create the violence—is a highly pertinent theme. These novels have plenty to hold many interests, and will appeal to readers who stories of the trials of folks who might be anyone’s neighbors. Juliet Waldron THE MAGNIFICENT SPILSBURY AND THE CASE OF THE BRIDES IN THE BATH Jane Robins, John Murray, 2011, £8.99, pb, 292pp, 9781848541092 Between 1910 and 1914, three respectable women a little past their prime were found drowned in their baths not long after rushing HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 45

into marriage with dapper, smooth-talking men. In each case there were no signs of violence or struggle. That two women should die in this way shortly after marriage might be coincidence, but three pointed decisively to murder. Determined, meticulous Inspector Neil of Scotland Yard was brought in to investigate, aided by the equally painstaking forensic pathologist Bernard Spilsbury, a household name since his work on the 1910 Crippen murder. Jane Robins enthrallingly interweaves her account of the Brides in the Bath case with the lifestories of the naïve victims, the callous murderer and the brilliant pathologist. Whilst this makes for an absorbing tale in itself, the author enriches it with details that create a vivid snapshot of the period. The suffragettes were on the march; women could work as teachers, nurses and secretaries. But marriage was still the ultimate female goal, and a set of dentures had become ‘an aspirational beauty product’. It was also a time when there weren’t enough men to go round and women’s greatest fear was being ‘left on the shelf ’ to eke out lonely lives in rented rooms or seedy seaside boardinghouses. Nor are we allowed to forget that the trial took place during the First World War. ‘It was a diversion from the Zeppelins and the terrifying events in Europe,’ Robins writes, ‘and it had a reassuring element to it. Here was evil that could be recognised and contained within the embrace of British justice – unlike the evil of war, which was rampant and beyond control.’ Sarah Cuthbertson

STALINA Emily Rubin, Amazon Encore, 2011, $13.95, pb, 220pp, 9781935597179. Stalina is a determined Russian immigrant who arrives in the United States after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Immediately her instincts to survive are apparent, as she creates a song to remember her itinerary: “Moscow, Kennedy, PortAuthori-tay.” She has also packed in her suitcase, along with her minimal essentials, a bundle of sexy bras, hoping her plan to sell intimate lingerie will subsidize her income. In Leningrad she worked as a chemist, providing aromatic scents to hide chemical compounds for the KGB. Now in the U.S. she finds a job at a popular short-stay motel in the dying town of Berlin, Connecticut. She quickly becomes an asset to the owner, Mr. Suri, when she presents her ideas for redesign. With a quirky off-the-wall vision, she plans and creates thematic rooms, naming them The Roller Coaster Room, The Highway to Heaven Room and The Gazebo Room, among others. Soon the premium rooms become favored requests by returning clientele. Stalina’s story is humorous, sometimes sad and reflective as the author alternates between her present and past. Stalina has survival instincts, and her life in America provides the reader with funny, often silly moments. At the same time she faces the reawakened harsh reality of her childhood, leading to difficult choices with a drive for revenge. The story is especially plausible if you are familiar with the secondary highways that

THE CALLIGRAPHER’S SECRET

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Rafik Schami (trans. Anthea Bell), Interlink, 2010, $20.00, pb, 464pp, 9781566568302 / Arabia, 2011, pb, 450pp, 9781906697280 Noura is a woman who is educated by her scholarly father in mid-20th century Damascus, Syria. However, that spirit of curiosity and her learning do not prepare her for the mundane world of being a wife, homemaker and dressmaker that she is expected to embrace. Schami’s novel first depicts the backgrounds of all the major characters so that the reader may truly understand what shapes the hopes and dreams of all. We meet the young boy, Salman, who begins life as a protector of his abused mother and is ready for little else than a life as someone else’s apprentice in poverty. All of this changes when he is introduced to the world of learning by a caring friend. Meet Nasri Abbani, a rich and vain man who spends his time womanizing and carrying on like a playboy, never having to worry since his assistant Tawfiq is a mathematical genius who perfectly manages Nasri’s business affairs. Noura will marry the great calligrapher, Hamid Farsi, a man who loves calligraphy not only as an art but also as a means to reform the Arabic language and modern world, including the role of Islam in that world. The world of all these characters will change forever when Nasri falls in love, with a stunning final surprise. A passionate love for the art of calligraphy sustains all through the trauma and chaos that follow, enduring for generations. A magical quality enchants the reader on every page of this unusual novel, which unfolds universal and exotic sensibilities on every page. Fascinating! Viviane Crystal 46 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

crisscross the once- thriving suburbs throughout America. Taking a quick journey, you will find shabby abandoned parking lots of potholes and grass-filled crevices, alongside burned dilapidated motels struggling to stay afloat. Rubin’s work is symbolic in many ways, and Stalina’s struggle to become a citizen in her adopted land is a delightful story of survival. Wisteria Leigh THE DRUGGIST OF AUSCHWITZ Dieter Schlesak, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011, $26.00, pb, 357pp, 9780374144067 This work, described as a ‘documentary novel’, follows the true story of Dr. Victor Capesius, an ethnic German pharmacist from Transylvania who eventually found himself a member of the SS assigned to duty at the infamous death camp at Auschwitz. It follows his activities at the camp, his prosperous life in post-war Germany, followed by his arrest and subsequent trial at Frankfurt in the mid-1960s. Much of this trial focused on his duty as a ‘sorter’ who, like the infamous Dr. Mengele, was responsible for choosing who would live and who would immediately die. Poignantly, he performed this sorting even when the transports delivered people from his homeland, many of whom knew him well. Much of the ‘novel’ consists of actual testimony from the trial, as well as the author’s own interviews. The only fictional portions concern a camp worker named ‘Adam’, who offers his own interpretations of life in the camp, as well as the meaning to be the found in all the apparently pointless suffering. The book itself is divided into sections, each carrying a particular theme, such as ‘Love of Order’ and ‘The Suspension of Time’, which attempt to explore how it all happened, and more importantly, why. This is an important work in the literature of the Holocaust, delivering further testimony as to what exactly happened. Moreover, in the person of Dr. Capesius, we have someone who seemingly considered himself as much a victim as the rest, albeit one who had the capacity to do what was necessary to survive. It calls into question once again the question of guilt, and the inadequacy of the justice system to deal with crimes of such enormity. At its core, however, are the voices of the real victims, the fathers and the mothers and the children, whose fate was to be obliterated, only to live again in pages of books such as this, adding their voices to those who implore us to ‘never forget’. Ken Kreckel THE END Salvatore Scibona, Jonathan Cape, 2010, 294pp, £16.99, hb, 9780224091497 It is August 15th 1953, the Festival of the Assumption. As the celebrations get underway in the Italian immigrant district of Elephant Park, a local baker learns that his son has died in a Korean PoW camp. The news sets in train a series of interconnected stories, covering the first half of the 20th century. We meet an aging abortionist looking for an heir to whom she can bequeath the secrets of 20th Century

her trade, an enigmatic seamstress, a teenage boy and a jeweller, all of whose lives are changed by a terrible crime. This is a fiendishly clever book. Its construction is complex, its plot crammed with jinks and deviations and blind alleys, its chronology looping around and around the key date in 1953. Scibona’s language has all the richness and originality of immigrant English, full of accretions of inherited tongues and the freedoms of syntax of those for whom it is not the only mother tongue. It is easy to see why the author has won or been shortlisted for a number of major awards in his native America. Ultimately, however, for this reader, the novel relies too heavily on its cleverness and, in spite of Scibona’s obvious affection and compassion for his motley crew of characters, it feels cold. There are passages of disconnected dialogue, overheard as one of the protagonists makes his way through a crowd, which read exactly like transcriptions from the author’s notebook. You can see his mind at work, which is a bit like seeing the strings at a puppet show or hearing a ballerina’s feet thumping on the stage. I think Scibona will develop into a great writer, but this is a first novel and it feels like one. Sarah Bower THE WAR IN BOM FIM Moacyr Scliar, Texas Tech Univ. Press, 2010, $24.95, 144pp, 9780896727120 The late Moacyr Scliar, one of Latin America’s most important contemporary writers, gives us a portrait of the Jewish neighborhood in Brazil where he grew up in the 1940s. Rather than a coherent narrative, each chapter offers a painting in brief, colorful, childish and imaginative strokes, rich with the magical realism of the genre of the continent found in Like Water for Chocolate or Gabriel Garcia Márquez. Scliar evokes the colors and feeling of painter Marc Chagall so I believed I’d missed something and that Chagall was also part of this “gang” of kids lurking under night windows, fighting off the Nazis in imaginative battles, living with ghosts of the stehtl, suffering the brutalization of Holy Week in their adopted land when the Jews must carry the burden of guilt for the crucifixion. Here is the floating fiddler, the goat and cart from family seaside vacations, and the old mare who is one of the most memorable characters. Here also are the collaborators, the lush mulattas and the black laborer whose ham and beans sustain the boy wasting away on kosher food. 144 pages are just enough to taste a world where our imaginations are awakened to celebrating the Festival of Lights in the long, sweltering days of summer. Ann Chamberlin THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS Lynn Sheene, Berkley, 2011, $15/C$17.50, pb, 368pp, 9780425240847 In May 1940, Claire Harris’s thuggish millionaire husband discovers the truth about her hardscrabble background. She therefore flees Manhattan for the safety of her artist lover’s arms 20th Century

in Paris. In May 1940. If a reader can accept that premise, The Last Time I Saw Paris offers an enjoyable, adjective-packed escape together with Claire as she falls in love with the Nazi-occupied City of Light. Claire’s lack of documents force her, balking all the way, to join the Resistance, and her antiNazi services then provide for mounting suspense, albeit via predictable scenes. That tension plus a love story and Sheene’s sweet descriptions of Paris pulled me along despite my impatience with her uncomprehending protagonist. The assurance that “Claire wasn’t naïve,” seemed, er, naïve – but it did provide room for character growth. I would have preferred more of Claire’s mentor, an aristocratic Parisian florist, and Madame’s spot-on advice: “Elegance is in the details,” she says, and, “You seek artistry, Claire. But discipline must come first.” No thinking is required for this light, historical romance, which can be as corny as a ‘50s musical. But then, Paris loves accordions, n’est-ce pas? Kristen Hannum THE KING OF DIAMONDS Simon Tolkien, Minotaur, 2011, $24.99/C$28.99, hb, 336pp, 9780312539085 In 1958 David Swain was found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s lover. Although the evidence against Swain was overwhelming, Inspector Trave of the Oxford police was uncomfortable with the verdict. Two years later, on the night Swain escapes from prison, Swain’s ex-girlfriend Katya is found murdered. Again, the

DEATH AND THE MAIDEN

evidence points to Swain, but Trave is suspicious of Osman, Katya’s uncle, a wealthy Dutch immigrant who made his fortune on diamonds in World War II. The fact that Trave’s estranged wife is now sleeping with Osman makes the investigation seem, to his fellow officers, to be about more than Katya’s murder. The reader trusts Trave’s suspicions, but some of his early decisions in the investigation are frustratingly stupid. Swain doesn’t help his case, doing things that make him look guilty. Osman is a smooth but creepy suspect, and Osman’s brotherin-law is fearsome. Inspector Macrae, newly transferred to Oxford, seeks revenge on Trave for making him look bad in an investigation years ago. Macrae would like nothing better than to take this case from Trave and have Swain hang. This is a gripping read with the search for evidence the driving force of the story. For even when we know who committed the crimes, we know that knowledge is not enough. There must be proof in order to save Swain from hanging. The evidence must exist, but gathering it is a lifeendangering activity. Exciting and intense, this story resolves all conflicts but one. Perhaps we will see Trave in another thriller in the near future. Elizabeth Caulfield Felt A RACE TO SPLENDOR Ciji Ware, Sourcebooks Landmark, 2011, $16.99/£11.99, pb, 528pp, 9781402222696 On April 18th, 1906, San Francisco residents awoke to waves of destruction when the earth’s

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Frank Tallis, Century, 2011, £11.99, pb, 369pp, 9781846053573 1903. After the scandal and tragedy of Mayerling, Vienna is herself again. The scents and flavours are as delectable as ever: coffee, pastries, perfume and expensive cigars. Anti-Semitism casts only the smallest shadow, an occasional irritation that the Jewish population must bear. New ideas abound. Sigmund Freud has already startled the intellectual world, and everywhere there is music. At the court opera house where temperaments clash, the masterful genius of Gustav Mahler rules singers and orchestra. The sudden death of the opera’s most dazzlingly diva, Ida Rosenkrantz, must surely be an accident, or at worst an impulsive suicide. Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt, niggled by anomalies at the scene of death, is able to establish a cruel and bizarre murder. But by whom, and why? He is helped in his enquiries by Doctor Max Liebermann, a man in the forefront of the new science of psychoanalysis. Acute and persistent, the detective and the doctor follow clues which lead them dangerously close to people with power: on one side the imperial court surrounding the aged Emperor, on the other an impending mayoral election in which “Handsome Karl” Lueger campaigns for an unprecedented fourth term in office and the possibility of radical change. With plenty of entertaining, intelligent dialogue and two subplots – a long ago musical mystery and Liebermann’s own will-she-won’t-she romance – this novel convinces with every word. Nancy Henshaw HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 47

THE BLUE SUITCASE

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Marianne Wheelaghan, Pilrig Press, 2010, £8.99, pb, 289pp, 9780956614407 In Silesia, Germany, in 1932, Antonia Nasiski is about to celebrate her 12th birthday. Hitler’s Brownshirts are fighting Red Front Marxists in the streets, but all Antonia cares about is her birthday. However, the political unrest is a constant source of argument in her family. Her mother, a doctor, is outraged by Hitler but her father, a civil servant, is more conciliatory. As Hitler takes control of Germany Antonia’s family disintegrates. The reader is drawn into a world not often portrayed in fiction—that of the German civilian during Hitler’s reign. Antonia tells her story through her diary. At twelve she’s self‑absorbed and unaware of the political upheaval. By the end of her journey she’s an adult who has somehow survived the most harrowing of experiences and emerged a strong and resourceful woman. Antonia shows how the German population gradually came to understand what a monster Hitler was but was helpless in the face of the Gestapo and SS. The devastation the British bombings caused to the civilian population is graphically depicted. Having survived the Nazis and the war, Antonia then has to face the barbarity of the Russian troops. When Silesia becomes part of Poland, Antonia and the remainder of her family are displaced. This is not an easy read but it is a compelling one. The simple narrative style of a diary is exactly right. The most appalling deprivations and gruesome events are related in a matter‑of‑fact way that makes them even more horrific. This superb book is based on the life of Marianne Wheelaghan’s mother, and she has seamlessly supplemented the facts with impeccable research. I found this story uncomfortable to read but couldn’t put it down. It’s a story that will stay with you for ever. This is a must‑read book for 2011. Fenella Miller Pacific plates shifted offshore. This April marks the 105th anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake that pummeled the city and destroyed nearly 400 city blocks. Following the recent ruination of Japan by one of the worst earthquakes on record, and the subsequent wrath of the deadly tsunami, this historical fiction novel is an almost surreal reminder of our own frailty. Ciji Ware has an admitted drive to tell the stories that weren’t told, those of the women who lived our past and contributed to history. This story surrounds the life of a formidable woman, Amelia Bradshaw, an emerging architect who arrives stateside to claim her inheritance. She is shocked to learn that her foolhardy father has gambled away her fortune, the Bay View Hotel, in a winner-take-all card game. Her court battle to capture her legitimate right is defeated as the corrupt cronies working with the new charismatic owner, J.D. Thayer, ensure his victory. Forced to seek employment, Amelia is offered temporary work by her friend and mentor Julia Morgan. After the earthquake insinuates itself into the lives of the residents, the race to rebuild from the rubble begins in earnest. Amelia’s voice tells the story, and through the survivors, prejudice and avarice embedded for years are unearthed. Ware uses primary and secondary sources to support her 48 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

opulent story of desire and greed. She sheds light on the influence of women professionals who, like Amelia and Julia, had much at stake and much to prove during the turn of the century. Ciji Ware continues to shine a spotlight on women’s accomplishments in history. Highly recommended, this novel glows with a careful blend of history and romance. Wisteria Leigh THE HOUSE OF HOPE Audrey Willsher, Robert Hale, 2011, £18.99, hb, 222pp, 9780709092018 At the end of the Second World War there were over a million German soldiers and airmen in Britain, more than served outside Germany in any other country except Russia. They were prisoners taken by the British and Americans and, despite the Geneva Convention, the last of them was not repatriated until 1948 (except for those given permission to stay). The German prisoners were needed to help rebuild war-torn Britain. The country was short of labour, largely because a large British army was stationed in Germany. The two nations had embarked on a large scale, long-term exchange of young men. To add spice to the romantic liaisons which inevitably ensued they were declared illicit

on both sides of the North Sea, under the so-called ‘non-fraternisation’ rules – as if brotherly love was the problem! The plot was set for a thousand romantic novels. Despite the picture of the two lovers on the cover and its setting in 1946, The House of Hope is not primarily a POW romance. The essence of the story is Victorian gothic; a young servant girl starts work in a sinister mansion with a dark secret. Eventually the deranged master of the house is killed falling over the banisters while assaulting the young servant and her German lover arrives in the nick of time to take her away. They marry and presumably live happily ever after. The book is good at recalling the austerities (and the hopefulness) of postwar Britain, and lest you should think this last winter was bad, it reminds us of what the winter of 1947 was like. The plot is melodramatic and unsurprising, but it is nonetheless a pleasant read. Edward James AN EMPTY DEATH Laura Wilson, Minotaur, 2011, $25.99, hb, 424pp, 9780312538118 / Orion, 2010, £7.99, pb, 432pp, 9781409102717 Summer, 1944. After almost five years of conflict, London’s exhausted inhabitants live in a world of dereliction and fear. War-weary Detective Inspector Ted Stratton investigates the case of a murdered doctor, found on the rumble-strewn site of a bombed out building, across from Middlesex Hospital. Stratton follows multiple twists in the case, as the murderer has adopted and discarded multiple identities, and that person is on a killing spree at the hospital. As Stratton becomes involved in the case, his life, and that of his pregnant wife Jenny, is put in danger. Meanwhile, the prime suspect assumes the identity of James Dacre, abandoning his post in the autopsy lab to become a full-fledged doctor on staff. Since it is wartime, no one checks his bona fides, and he soon becomes well-liked – even loved – by the staff and a particular nurse named Fay after whom he lusts. When Dr. Byrne, a pathologist from the autopsy lab, notices something amiss and recognizes Dacre, Byrne comes to a violent end, leaving many clues for Stratton to unravel. Ted Stratton is a thoroughly likeable hero. The antagonist/murderer Dacre gains a certain sympathy from the audience as Stratton uncovers the layers of lies surrounding his past and his various identities. This novel is hard to put down – Wilson weaves her multi-layered plot with skill and expertise. Her depiction of shattered London during this time period proves most convincing. Liz Allenby A LESSON IN SECRETS Jacqueline Winspear, HarperCollins, 2011, $25.99, hb, 336pp, 9780061727672 This is Winspear’s eighth Maisie Dobbs novel, and like all the others it is well-plotted and enjoyable to read. In England between the wars, Maisie has been recruited by the British Secret 20th Century

Service to monitor activities at one of the colleges in Cambridge. Having secured a position as a philosophy lecturer, Maisie almost immediately becomes involved in unofficially investigating the murder of Greville Liddicote, the college’s controversial pacifist founder. Although Detective Chief Superintendent Robert MacFarlane and Detective Chief Inspector Stratton are called in to solve the murder, the suspicious activities of the college’s faculty and students soon have Maisie following her own leads. As in all good mysteries, there are multiple suspects and a variety of motives. There are additional minor plotlines, and characters from previous novels play small roles. Also, Maisie’s romance with James Compton moves forward although slowly. At its heart, A Lesson in Secrets deals with the issue of pacifism and foreshadows much of the future events in Europe including the rise of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei – the Nazi party. Although it is 1932, Winspear wants us to understand that many of the consequences of World War I are still lingering in English society decades later. We readers of course know of the outcome that Maisie and the British Secret Service can only suspect. Recommended. Veronika Pelka PAPER DOLL Janet Woods, Severn House, 2011, £18.99/$28.95, hb, 240pp, 9780727869708 In 1921, London, Julia Howard is just like the paper doll her father created in her image for his toy factory: perfectly assembled, well behaved, and lacking personality. Mr. Howard’s once-flourishing business now faces bankruptcy, so he hires a new manager, Doctor Martin Lee-Tafford, emotionally scarred from the war. Martin and Julia feel an instant connection to one another, but Julia soon marries wealthy businessman Latham Miller to please her ailing father. Latham, naturally, proves to be possessive, calculating and unfaithful. Julia and Martin meet one day, and they easily enter into an illicit affair. Sure that Latham will never let her go, Julia suffers in her marriage while Martin moves on and re-enters the field of doctoring. While the story has great promise, Woods only touches the surface of some of the more interesting aspects, like Martin’s recovery. Julia’s constant naivety and lack of backbone create a rather frustrating heroine. For example, when Latham decides to transform her father’s beloved toy factory into a domestic wares factory, she barely bats an eye. Despite the hardships in her life, Julia meekly does as she’s told, even when abused. She only makes her own decisions at the very end of the story, when convenient plot developments make the story unravel a bit too neatly. Like a paper doll, this story is a bit stiff, artificial, and easily forgotten when more exciting enticements present themselves. Rebecca Cochran OLD TOWN 20th Century — Multi-period

Lin Zhe (trans. George A. Fowler), AmazonCrossing, 2010, $13.95, pb, 681pp, 9781611090079 A young girl sits on a train watching the rain splatter against the window as she daydreams about the young man she’s left Old Town to follow. She is lovesick, sure that the young man doesn’t know her. As it turns out, she hardly knows herself. Following her love to California, the girl takes on a series of unsatisfying jobs until returning to China to set up her own business. But business is cutthroat in Beijing and the girl, now a middleaged woman, is on the verge of losing everything. But rather than stay and fight for her business, the woman takes on a project that surprises even her: guiding a young Chinese-American Christian back to Old Town and help him set up his family image data service to help younger generations of Chinese reconnect with their past. Told alternately in the present day and in retrospective, the narrator muses about the strong beliefs that guided her grandparents and parents through war and separation and revolution while her own marriage is in tatters and her life is frighteningly devoid of any substance. This is an epic story of a people’s loss of faith in God, tradition, country, and ultimately themselves. One of the most poignant moments of the novel is when the narrator is standing before a memorial of martyrs, all young men who knew they’d soon be executed

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but whose faces are serene with purpose. Maybe they had been happier than us? the narrator wonders. And that rather than pitying those who died so young for the Revolution, she writes: I envied them for their fulfilled lives. Patricia O’Sullivan

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GALORE Michael Crummey, Other Press, 2011, $15.95, pb, 338pp, 9781590514344 “Newfoundland seemed too severe and formidable, too provocative, too extravagant and singular and harrowing to be real. He half expected to never lay eyes on the place again, as if it didn’t exist outside the stories in his head.” Galore follows the interconnected lives of families on the Newfoundland coast from the late 18th century through the early 20th century. The story of this harsh land, and the development of its towns and communities, is shown through individual triumphs and tragedies and prejudices, which weave together to build the history of an area. But it’s more than that. The history is woven with folk stories and wives’ tales; ghosts pay their daily penance at the fireside, men are born from the belly of a whale, and the residents of Paradise Deep

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Alexi Zentner, Norton, 2011, $24.95, hb, 288 pp, 9780393079876 / Chatto & Windus, 2011, £12.99, hb, 272pp, 9780701185466 On the eve of World War II, an Anglican priest returns, following a twenty year absence, to his birthplace in Sawgamet, a northwoods Canadian gold and lumber boomtown gone bust. Stephen is there to see his mother out of her life, settle in with his own wife and three daughters, and take over pastor duties from his stepfather, but much more is in store for him. Memories careen him back to his own childhood. There his father’s and grandfather’s stories await, all of them haunted by terror and wonder. Sawgamet is a place where “the woods are deeper than can be imagined,” and the human population lives with winters that break the glass of the schoolhouse thermometer, freeze wanderers, and bury the town. Jeannot, the town’s founder, catches a fish with a belly full of gold. He and his young wife give chase to a visionary golden caribou. When he returns after a long desertion, one of his womenfolk gives him a slap “like kindling broken over the knee.” Monsters and witches entice, and the dead return, sometimes to bless and other times for terrible vengeance. With a lean, steely style, first novelist Zenter presents his haunting tale via a listening priest who is wise enough to have faith in stories as well as his God. The near-combustible love of his grandparents might put readers in mind of the magical realism of Laura Esquivel (Like Water for Chocolate), but here, much further north of Mexico, ice dominates. The lives of men and animals are more strongly characterized than their often perplexing and smarter womenfolk, but all take a second place to supernatural forces in the haunted and haunting climate of this sinister and wondrous debut. Eileen Charbonneau HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 49

seem to accept it all in their stride, as a necessary part of their strange land. There are interesting ideas addressed: the tension of the wilderness vs. civilization; the old country vs. the new being built from its broken hull; the impossibility of happiness in love; and the inability to escape inheritances of all kinds. Intricately plotted, with interwoven flashbacks and flash-forwards, it is charming and strange, though I don’t know how much attachment I have to the characters. The character relationships are very complex, so you have to pay close attention and frankly it can be a bit distracting – I’m pulled out of the story to try to remember how 150 years’ worth of characters are related. The strange cadence of Crummey’s language is at turns lovely and off-putting, reflecting, I suppose, the nature of the story. I was compelled by this book, and I liked it, but I would not say that I loved it. Unfortunately, it is ultimately as bleak and beautiful as the landscape Crummey so clearly loves. Julie K. Rose THE LOST MINYAN David M. Gitlitz, Univ. of New Mexico Press, 2010, $29.95, hb, 332pp, 9780826349736 In ten separate, but not unrelated, vignettes, David Gitlitz explores through fiction how the Spanish and Mexican Inquisitions tore apart families in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. Telling their stories through narrative, court interviews, and letters, Gitlitz illustrates how families like the Arias Dávilas, the San Juans, the Rojas, and the Torres struggled with the conflicted identity of being both Jewish and Christian, how they learned to keep their loyalty to the laws of Moses secret from the servants and even from each other, and how, when interrogated and tortured by the Inquisition, they sometimes turned on each other. From a historical perspective this is a fascinating read of the inner workings of the Inquisition in Spain and Mexico. Gitlitz thoroughly documents the primary sources used for his research and provides a generous introduction to the stories and an author’s note on each one at the end of the volume. Each tale is told with a storyteller’s enthusiasm and a historian’s attention to detail. However, I did sometimes find myself bogged down with the sameness of names in the stories and the redundancy of the information about the Inquisition they presented. Of course, the early modern Spanish tradition of naming children after their parents and grandparents is not a detail an author committed to historical accuracy can alter, but it took an especial effort to keep the characters straight. As for my second concern, I think that the repetition of information makes this volume a great educational tool, but I’m not sure it will entertain the casual reader. Patricia O’Sullivan CONAN’S BRETHREN Robert E. Howard, Orion, 2011, £20, hb, 719pp, 9780575089877 50 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

Published as part of the “Classic Heroes” series, which understandably has a massive following, this inventive collection of short stories and epic fantasies relies heavily on legend, folklore, tribal lore, superstition and the paranormal to capture and engage reader interest. The stories recount the exploits of a multitude of unique characters, including the grim, Puritanical Solomon Kane, “a landless man but friend to all in need”, who battles against the dark arts in Africa and then travels the world knowing that it is his destiny to kill all rogues, and to fight oppression, cruelty and tyranny. Most of the characters are kings or leaders schooled in weaponry who are described vividly and colourfully in the tales of Bran Mak Morn, Cormac, King of Caledon, and Kull of Valusia (which was covered by the sea at the same time as Atlantis), who fights with the Viking leader Wulfhere for supremacy and is then accepted by the warriors as their leader. Picts battle against the Romans at Hadrian’s Wall, and Jutes, Saxons, Barbarians, Gaels, Franks, Huns, and Turks solve conflicts between their natural, as well as chosen enemies, or fight over territories. A few lines of apposite verse relating to the theme of war introduce each story. Dread and fear are conveyed convincingly, as are the vibrant and accurately depicted battle scenes. Admittedly, the unrelenting violence becomes excessive when one is exposed to it continually, and the characters nearly all believe that right is on their side as they fight to right all wrongs, yet their narrow‑minded attitudes towards women and ethnic groups are extremely prejudiced. That said, these lively, swashbuckling adventures realistically bring the valour and heroism of ancient times back to us. Janet Williamson THE SACRED STONE The Medieval Murderers, Simon & Schuster UK/Trafalgar Square, 2011, hb, $24.95/£19.99, 400pp, 9781847376763 / also £12.99, pb, 416pp, 9781847376770 Six authors compose the Medieval Murderers: Susanna Gregory, Simon Beaufort, Bernard Knight, Karen Maitland, Ian Morson, and Philip Gooden. I’ve read books by several of these authors, and was interested in trying out the others, and seeing how they were able to fit their tales together. Because of the structure of the book, they didn’t need to spend a lot of time piecing them together—a connecting circumstance was really all that was needed. But I get ahead of myself. In the prologue, a mysterious and powerful skystone is found in Brattahlid, Greenland in 1067. This sky-stone seems to have the power both to heal, and to cause destruction. It does both after its initial discovery. The sky-stone then, in subsequent chapters, reappears in England, in 1101, in 1236, in 1241, in 1272, and in London in 1606. In the epilogue, it is again in London, but the time is the present. This last section neatly ties in with the prologue. Each of the historic sections is followed by a “historical note,” which I much appreciated.

The chapter authorships are not attributed, but knowing the previous work of the writers leads me to believe that the order of the authors on the title page matches that of the chapters, with one person writing the prologue and epilogue. However, this is just a guess. Some chapters were more engaging than others, which is only to be expected. Fans of some of the included authors may want to give this book a try. Trudi E. Jacobson THE LONG-SHINING WATERS Danielle Sosin, Milkweed Editions, 2011, $24.00, hb, 288pp, 9781571310835 Across the centuries, three women find their fates bound to the shores of Lake Superior. In 1622, Grey Rabbit, a member of the Ojibwe tribe, fights for survival through a harsh northern winter, striving to protect her family but inadvertently placing her son in harm’s way. In 1902, Berit, the wife of a Norwegian fisherman, struggles to accept her barrenness and the toll it has taken on her marriage. In 2000, Nora, a grandmother estranged from her daughter and grandchild, finds herself suddenly unemployed and drifting, chasing after the human connections she has let slip away. Each woman must face a loss that tests her way of life – and must battle her own inescapable guilt. Across these three interlocking narratives, Lake Superior itself emerges as the most vivid character – beautiful but harsh, bountiful but unforgiving. As Grey Rabbit, Berit, and Nora fight their disparate battles, it is always the Lake they return to, taking solace in enduring landscape and heritage. Danielle Sosin is a nature writer of the first order, highly sensitive to place, and her lyrical language creates an unforgettable backdrop for the novel. Of the three plot narratives, I admittedly found Nora’s contemporary story to be the most compelling; the themes of Grey Rabbit’s spiritual visions and Berit’s frontier isolation were a bit too familiar, and I did not find much resolution in either narrative. Nora, however, is a delight, and her contemporary journey around Lake Superior – with its attendant flurry of historical anecdotes, from the incursion of the French trappers to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald – links Nora’s character firmly to her historical predecessors and provides a beautiful framework for this many-faceted story. Ann Pedtke SHADOWS OF A DOWN EAST SUMMER Lea Wait, Perseverance Press, 2011, $14.95, pb, 236pp, 9781564744975 This skillfully drawn multi-period mystery blends present-day crime with scenes from 1890, a year when painter Winslow Homer was living and creating his masterworks along the picturesque Maine coast. American Studies professor and antique print dealer Maggie Summer hopes to spend her summer holiday relaxing with her boyfriend Will at his great-aunt Nettie’s house in Waymouth, Maine, but things don’t turn out as planned. While Will dutifully performs home repairs for his relative, Maggie is asked to help a Multi-period

family friend, Carolyn Chase, conduct research on her mother, a noted 20th-century artist. Despite their brief acquaintance, due to her reputation and expertise Maggie ends up as the caretaker for some papers belonging to Carolyn’s family, including a century-old journal. Maggie becomes drawn into the story of Anna May Pratt, a young woman who posed for several of Winslow Homer’s paintings alongside her best friend, Jessie. In her diary, Anna May expresses delight at the opportunity she and Jessie are offered, despite their initial wariness at being asked to let their hair down (literally) and wear outfits more appropriate to fisherwomen. So calming is the seaside atmosphere in both the modern and historical scenarios that when a murder occurs, it comes as a shock. The diary contains long-held secrets someone is willing to kill for. Genealogy buffs will enjoy sorting out the family relationships, and although careful readers will discern part of the puzzle long before Maggie does, it doesn’t make the parallel stories any less involving. The jealous rivalries present in both timelines demonstrate that human nature hasn’t changed much. Wait includes the colorful characters expected for this small-town setting and a sufficient dose of suspense. She also adds plenty of educational details on the antique trade and many mouthwatering examples of Down East cuisine. Recommended. Sarah Johnson

paranormal & | historical fantasy

THE WITCH’S DAUGHTER (US) / THE BOOK OF SHADOWS (UK) Paula Brackston, St. Martin’s, 2010, $24.99/ C$28.99, hb, 320pp, 9780312621681 / Snowbooks, 2009, £7.99, pb, 384pp, 9781905005970 In 1628 Britain young Bess Hawksmith, a girl with healing talents, is nonetheless helpless as the Black Death snatches away her beloved sister, brother, and father. She nearly dies herself but is saved by her mother, who, she discovers, made a pact with the warlock Gideon Masters in return for Bess’s life. When her mother is hanged as a witch, Bess flees to Gideon. He helps her develop her magical powers, but when she discovers his true nature, she is repulsed and runs away. Bess is captured by the authorities, tried as a witch, and sentenced to hang. Only by calling on the powers of Gideon and becoming an immortal witch is she able to escape execution. But Gideon pursues her through the ages, through Victorian England and the trenches of World War I as he tries to bring her to his dark side. The historical saga is framed by a contemporary narrative in which Bess befriends a troubled teenage girl named Tegan. The girl is drawn to Bess, wanting to learn her magic, but is torn when Multi-period — Children & YA

a handsome man enters her life, a man who seems frighteningly familiar to Bess. The publisher calls this fresh, exciting novel “women’s fiction,” but that is too narrow a classification. Women will certainly love the independent, feisty female characters, but the narrative is wonderfully imaginative and the plot fast-moving and filled with action. This novel is highly recommended for witches and warlocks alike. John Kachuba KINGDOM OF SUMMER Gillian Bradshaw, Sourcebooks Landmark, 2011 (c1981), $14.99, pb, 352pp, 9781402240720 Sir Gawain is one of the best-known figures in the legend of King Arthur, and Bradshaw brings him to life as Gwalchmai, a larger-thanlife hero. Gwalchmai’s tale is told through the eyes of Rhys, a young peasant. Rhys has always dreamed of a warrior’s life, and when an injured Gwalchmai arrives at his family’s farm, Rhys seizes the opportunity to travel with him on his return to Camlann, Arthur’s great fortress. Gwalchmai is on a quest to find Elidan, the woman he loves, so he can atone for his wrongdoings. Reaching Elidan is not so easy—she does not wish to be found, and many obstacles stand in Gwalchmai’s way, including his own mother, the legendary witch Morgawse. Blended with Gwalchmai’s story is the story of Rhys’s coming-of-age in the shadow of a great warrior who becomes his mentor and friend. This reprint of the second volume of Bradshaw’s Arthurian trilogy, originally published in 1981, is a welcome re-addition to the world of Arthurian fiction. Though it is part of a trilogy, it is a standalone story, and no prior knowledge of Arthurian legend is necessary. The key social conflict of this era was between Christianity and paganism, and Bradshaw captures this effectively in the battle between Gwalchmai, a Christian convert, and his mother Morgawse, a staunch believer in the old ways. The combination of action, adventure, romance, and history make Kingdom of Summer an enjoyable, balanced, fast-paced Arthurian novel with broad appeal. Nanette Donohue THE DESERT OF SOULS Howard Andrew Jones, St. Martin’s, 2011, $24.99/ C$28.99, hb, 320pp, 9780312646745 In 8th-century Baghdad, the scholar Dabir and household guard captain Asim escort their bored employer to the marketplace. A wise woman reads their fates, and the nobleman Jaffar, disliking his own, insists that the woman confused his with that of the scholar Dabir. Returning to Jaffar’s palace, the trio becomes involved in a street fight, when a dying man thrusts a treasure into their keeping. The mate of the gold and jewel encrusted door-pull is ordered by Jaffar to be brought from the Caliph’s treasure store. When the mysterious ornaments are stolen, Dabir and Captain Asim are dispatched to recover them from thieves led by a powerful sorcerer. Matters are complicated when Jaffar’s

niece Sabirah stows away on the mission. A further mystery is which of the gallant guard captain or the brilliant scholar has won her affections, and whether either man will survive Jaffar’s displeasure. The Desert of Souls takes place in an ancient and fantastic Iraq. The corrupt sorcerer Firouz summons djinn to take his enemies’ souls, commands fire, reanimates dead creatures, and leads Dabir and Asim on a chase to the Atlantis of the desert. The city of Ubar, “destroyed by Allah in a rain of fire and covered over with a sea of sand,” is where the door-pulls will allow entrance to another realm. Author Howard Andrew Jones has accomplished the feat of blending these fantastic elements seamlessly into his fine adventure tale. Dabir and Asim are engaging, their actions heroic, and there is no lack of swordfights with undead monkeys, men, and otherworldly creatures. I look forward to the further adventures of these Middle Eastern heroes. Eva Ulett THE BUNTLINE SPECIAL: A Weird West Tale Mike Resnick, Pyr/Prometheus Books, 2010, $16.00, pb, 321pp, 9781616142490 Prepare for a wild ride! And suspension of any belief you’ve ever held about the Old West. (Readers of historical fiction based on authentic, well-researched facts need not apply.) Resnick’s latest addition to a long line of Hugo Awardwinning books is a departure from his familiar Starship and Stalking series, offering readers a joyful journey into steampunk heaven with a Western setting. If you’d love to spend time with the Earps and Thomas Edison in a Tombstone where electric lights brighten the night; horseless stagecoaches rumble down Main Street; “Bat” Masterson…well, suffice it to say he ranks among the undead; and Doc Holliday takes on a zombie Johnny Ringo in a not-so-classic O.K. Corral gunfight—come along for the adventure. This is all about fun, and the humor is clever, whimsical and quickly paced. Resnick’s more than 60 novels have cut a bold swath through the science fiction genre. In addition, he’s edited fifty anthologies. This talented wordsmith will hopefully give us many more samples of his imagination to take our minds off the serious realities of the 21st century. We look forward to more Weird Western Tales! Kathryn Johnson

children & young adult

FORGE Laurie Halse Anderson, Bloomsbury, 2010, £6.99, pb, 297pp, 9781408803806 / Atheneum, 2010, $16.99, hb, 304pp, 9781416961444 1777. America is fighting for independence from Britain. Curzon, a slave, has managed to HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 51

escape from his British master and is on the run. He gets caught up in a skirmish between British and American soldiers and saves the life of Eben, a young soldier in the newly-raised 16th Massachusetts Regiment. Soon, he is fighting with Eben’s regiment and involved in a war which he is only half-convinced is his war; there’s no guarantee that the Americans will grant him his freedom any more than the British did. The winter of 1778-79 is bitterly cold, and the regiment is poorly equipped and badly-organized. Curzon must cope with not only the prejudice of some of his fellow soldiers, but also cold, hunger and lack of shelter. How can he ever gain his freedom when he’s freezing and half-starved? Forge follows on from Laurie Halse Anderson’s award winning Chains, but it’s a standalone book; the necessary back story information is skilfully woven into the Prelude. I had no difficulty in understanding what was going on. The author’s research is thorough without being intrusive, and the story illuminates a little-known aspect of the War of Independence, that of the suffering of ordinary soldiers from the ineptitude of the planning and the food shortages. Having said that, I read it perfectly happily without being particularly involved. Objectively, I sympathized with Curzon’s position, but somehow I wasn’t emotionally engaged. This may have been because this is a first-person narrative and Curzon is understandably wary of confiding too much to his fellow, white, soldiers. He has to be slightly detached – which affects the reader. Things improve once he meets up with his fellow slave and escapee, Isabel, mainly because we become involved with the dynamic of their relationship and the horrors of Isabel’s experiences of slavery. Elizabeth Hawksley I quite liked this book. I thought its historical context was interesting. The American Revolution is not a historical period I knew much about apart from tea being thrown overboard, so it was interesting to have an insight into the period. I liked the two main characters Curzon and Isabel; the way their relationship developed through the plot was very moving. I specially found that I identified with Isabel since she was a brave and funny character. I thought the action was described well and the fight scenes were gripping. I liked the texts at the beginnings of chapters, for example, the historical précis – talking about laws to do with slavery and descriptions of historical events involving slavery. I thought this was an interesting idea, and wellexecuted. The book fell down because sometimes I found the plot was a bit complicated and slowmoving so I lost interest. Ella McNulty, aged 15 KING OF ITHAKA Tracy Barrett, Henry Holt, 2010, $16.99/ C$19.50, hb, 262pp, 9780805089691 This is a retelling of the homecoming of Odysseus in the Odyssey, recounted from the first-person viewpoint of his sixteen-year-old son, 52 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

Telemachos. The people of Ithaka want a new king. Odysseus must come home at once to keep his throne. Therefore, Telemachos goes off to find the father he never had a chance to know. Accompanied by the centaur Brax, and also – against his will – by a young girl named Polydora, the teenager faces peril and adversity, and in the process finds his own strength. What does it mean to be a man and a king? What is honor? Telemachos eventually comes to his own judgments about these questions, and makes his own independent assessment of his father. I particularly enjoyed the magical world – populated by mythological beings as well as ordinary mortals who happen to be figures of legend – that the author creates. The novel has action and excitement, as well as nuanced characters. Some might find Telemachos a bit too modern in outlook for someone born in his era. Would he really have been so shocked by his father’s less admirable traits? Perhaps not. Just the same, this is an absorbing read that would make a wonderful introduction to Greek mythology for both boys and girls. Phyllis T. Smith SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST Johnny D. Boggs, Five Star, 2011, $25.95, hb, 230pp, 9781594149054 Zeb Hogan has a mission to carry out for the Union’s 16th Wisconsin: find and kill the traitor Sergeant Ben DeVere. It is a mission of honor, one Zeb will do anything to fulfill, even when that means crawling out of his shallow grave outside a Confederate prison camp. But while Zeb is coming back from the dead, he’s being watched by Ebenezer Chase, an escaped slave who is also on a mission: to find his wife and daughter who have been sold and transferred to a plantation in Texas. Zeb and Ebenezer join forces, helping each other survive, sometimes arguing, and all the time developing a deep respect for the other’s experiences and skills. South by Southwest is an engaging story with a terrific opening sequence followed by many more like it. Zeb and Ebenezer are unlikely companions who learn on their journey from South Carolina to Texas a lot about themselves, each other, and life in a South in ruins towards the end of the Civil War. This is strong middle-grade fiction with some Christian themes, especially at the end of the novel. Patricia O’Sullivan KAT, INCORRIGIBLE (US) / A MOST IMPROPER MAGICK (UK) Stephanie Burgis, Atheneum, 2011, $16.99/ C$19.99, pb, 304pp, 9781416994473 / Templar, 2010, £6.99, pb, 304pp, 9781848770072 In 1803 England, mischievous twelve-yearold Kat must deal with her stern stepmother and disapproving elder sisters who constantly criticize her inquisitiveness and recklessness. Threatened to behave like a proper young lady of her time, Kat instinctively turns to her deceased mother’s belongings to find sanctuary. Here, she inadvertently discovers a magical mirror that

changes everything. Determined to stop her sister, Elissa, from marrying a rich scoundrel, and focused on helping her other sister, Angeline, find her true love, Kat soon finds herself turning to magic to help, even if she doesn’t completely understand what to do. As Kat courageously steps into her new role as family rescuer and newfound witch, she finds herself in all sorts of trouble; including helping a handsome highwayman rob the guests at the house party she’s attending, and fending off a mysterious “Order” of witches trying to recruit her. With a quick witted and impulsive heroine, this mix of fantasy, romance, and adventure provides young readers with a lovely introduction to the Regency romance genre. Kat’s inevitable curiosity and attraction for trouble will delight readers, even if the storyline is a bit farfetched and convoluted. It will be interesting to see what escapades and troubles Kat will discover in the upcoming books in this series. Recommended for grades 3-7. Rebecca Cochran THE HAUNTING OF CHARLES DICKENS Lewis Buzbee, illus. Greg Ruth, Feiwel and Friends, 2010, $17.99/C$19.99, hb, 357pp, 9780312382568 When Meg Pickel’s older brother vanishes from the family’s home in Victorian London, taking his copy of Great Expectations with him, a grieving Meg finally makes up her mind to search for him – and for the book that Meg had been impatiently waiting her turn to read. In her quest, Meg enlists a family friend who is also a regular customer of her family’s print shop – Charles Dickens himself, who, like Meg, is having trouble sleeping at night. No admirer of Dickens can fail to like a novel that begins with a nod to the opening of Bleak House, and the rest of Buzbee’s novel lives up to its promise. Buzbee’s prose is lively and quirky, his descriptions and characters vivid. His London is duly Dickensian, and is peopled, appropriately, with a number of figures from Dickens’s novels, though they appear here in somewhat different guises. The family printing business is not mere window dressing but is integral to the plot; readers who love the smell of a printed book above all things will appreciate the loving descriptions of the printing process which appear here. This novel is written for young readers, but I suspect that it is one of those children’s books that will probably appeal more to adults. Susan Higginbotham BOYS OF WARTIME: Will at the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 Laurie Calkhoven, Dutton, 2011, $16.99, hb, 224pp, 9780525421450 Twelve-year-old Will Edmunds daydreams of military glory, but when 150,000 Confederate and Union troops engage in his hometown, Will discovers that the reasons for war are not always black and white and that glory in battle is often tempered with fear and heartbreak. Early on in the conflict Will befriends Abel Hoke, a young Children & YA

Confederate drummer from Tennessee. Will is confused by Abel’s kindness – after all, they are on different sides. But from Abel, Will learns why even Southerners opposed to slavery are willing to lay down their lives for the Confederate cause. As the battle of Gettysburg drags on, Will finds himself risking his own life time after time for the Union, for his family, and for his rebel friend. This is a fast-paced but thoughtful story about a boy who learns how to be both brave and understanding. With the addition of an informative author’s note, a brief essay on children’s roles in the Civil War, a list of historical characters, a Civil War timeline, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading, this book is perfect for a middlegrade history class. Patricia O’Sullivan This book is about a boy, Will Edmunds, who wants to be a drummer in the Union army. Instead, he ends up taking care of the wounded and crossing enemy lines to deliver important messages between Union generals. I liked that the book had a lot of battles, even though they were very bloody. The town of Gettysburg was shelled, but many of the buildings survived, and only one civilian died. Will Edmunds was courageous even though he was young, and though the story is peaceful at the end, I learned from this story that war is really hard on both soldiers and civilians. Colm O’Sullivan, age 11 GOOD FORTUNE Noni Carter, Simon & Schuster, 2010, $9.99/ C$12.99, pb, 485pp, 9781416984818 Good Fortune follows the life of a young AfricanAmerican woman in the early 1800s from her childhood and capture in Africa, her slavery in Tennessee, and her escape north to Dayton, Ohio to her establishment of a new life in freedom. The pro-education bent of this story and the Harvard credentials of its author guarantee that this novel will be widely assigned in middle and upper school classrooms. I, however, think there are better evocations of the experience of slavery, Morrison’s Beloved for example, or even Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The author ill-prepares us for action and emotion. The flashbacks to Africa were too vague, just confusing instead of preparing our heroine for her life. Our heroine’s name is first Sarah, then Anna, with overtones of an African name and then, only at the very end, are we told that her African name was something that means “Good Fortune.” It would have been so much more effective if we had experienced in real time how she received and balked at her English name and learned how she came to be adopted in the family of Mary and Daniel. The setting is poorly drawn, few colors are evoked, and few time-appropriate crafts are explored. I did not believe the flight north because the terrain didn’t seem real. Couldn’t we have had some tree names at least, some more meshing with the environment as surely would happen for people not raised in modern cities. Too much is Children & YA

told in dialogue rather than shown. Even the act of learning to read seemed described as if by someone who’d never done it. Ann Chamberlin PUT OUT THE LIGHT Terry Deary, A & C Black, 2010, £5.99, pb, 255pp, 9781408130544 1940. The Sheffield steel factories are working flat out for the war effort. So far they haven’t been bombed but there are a number of false air-raid warnings which someone is using as an opportunity to steal from empty houses. Billy Thomas and his sister Sally set out to discover who the thief is. In Dachau, Germany, Manfred and his friend Hansl are plotting to bring the war to a speedy end. For that, they need to sneak into the prison camp which houses a munitions factory. And when they meet, Irena, a half-starved Polish inmate, they realize that she can get them inside – but will she help them? When their plan goes horribly wrong,

BRACELET OF BONES

Manfred, Hansl and Irena realize that they will be lucky to escape with their lives. I thought this was a terrific book. I like the street-wise Sally who knows all the black market scams and her spiky relationship with her older brother who is the narrator. But Terry Deary’s skill really shows in the German sections. At first, Manfred buys into the Nazi ideology and only gradually learn the truth about what goes on inside the concentration camp at Dachau. Irena, a cynical child, old before her time, is a beautifully drawn character, and her courage and endurance are very moving. This is a complex story of moral integrity as well as being an exciting war story, told from two different points of view. We see how children on opposite sides face up to the hardships of war. In Nazi Germany, Manfred is given only a distorted version of the truth – a version he has to go along with, or else both he and his family will suffer. Terry Deary skilfully shows us how slowly, bit by

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Kevin Crossley-Holland, Quercus Children’s Books, 2011, £12.99, hb, 260pp, 9781847249395 Kevin Crossley-Holland inverts the Viking stereotypes with this sparkling and poetic story. His Vikings lust for trade, not war. Their bravery is demonstrated by the distance they are prepared to travel in unknown territory. Ignorance and the forces of nature are as dangerous to them as human foes. The viewpoint is that of a girl-woman, Solveig, whose skills are creative and empathic, not martial. I loved it. It is a voyage novel, like Henry Treece’s Viking Dawn, but reworked through the prism of archaeology instead of the sagas. There is plenty of adventure and incident, plenty of that peculiar Viking mistrust, but it is a tale of the culture, the survivors, not the glorious dead. Kevin Crossley-Holland has a passion for words, as you would expect of a poet, and this book will leave you with an acute sense of a tactile world quite alien from ours. Solveig also finds that travel brings her into contact with people who have different religious and social views than those familiar to her (or us), and I think many young readers will find this particularly fascinating. Kevin Crossley-Holland has already won pretty much every award for his children’s fiction. I’m delighted to say that this new series is just as fresh and accomplished as his earlier books, and probably more accessible. Richard Lee Bracelet of Bones is a Viking quest book. One day, Solveig wakes up to find Halfdan, her father, gone so she abandons everything she knows and loves, and finds a group of merchants willing to take her on board their ship, to aid her passage to Miklagard to find him. For her journey, Solveig has to pay with the product of her major skill, to carve runes or pictures in bone. The journey goes to plan until they reach the cataracts, patches of really strong water which cannot be crossed by boat, because archers shoot their captain, Red Ottar, in the mouth, and the crew have to make the decision whether or not they should go on to Miklagard. I really liked Bracelet of Bones, because it feels as though you are always with Solveig on her journey down Eastern Europe, and can vividly imagine every event happening along the way. One of the reasons that I like Solveig is that when she has a comment that she does not like thrown at her, she is always quick to fight back. James Lee, aged 11

HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 53

bit, Manfred learns how brutal the Nazi regime really is. Recommended for 11 plus. Elizabeth Hawksley This is an exciting book. Two groups of children are living through a war created by adults, not understanding why the war is happening. I enjoyed reading it because it wasn’t just about English people in the war, like lots of World War Two books are, but about children in Germany as well. I am thirteen years old, and this book is aimed at people a bit younger than me but I still found it complicated but in an exciting way. It’s good for children who want be challenged and read a different sort of war story to the usual ones. It shows what life was like from both sides, and it gave me an insight into what other people’s lives were like on a personal level, rather than in history lessons which are impersonal. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a taste of culture and a dash of thrilling adrenalin. Hal McNulty, aged 13 THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS Clare B. Dunkle, Henry Holt, 2010, $15.99/ C$18.50, hb, 160pp, 9780805091168 When Tabby comes to Seldom House as the new maid, she quickly realizes that things are not as they should be. Though the rooms are dusty and unused, the staff does nothing to maintain them. Though she locks her bedroom door each night, someone repeatedly enters and rearranges her things. Strange figures appear in the halls, and strange noises haunt her dreams. And, though Tabby was brought to the household as a maid, her sole duty is to watch over the young master: a brazen child who claims he came from Hell itself. As Tabby struggles to adjust to her new home on the Yorkshire Moors, she gradually uncovers the grim secrets of Seldom House – and the true reason she and young Heathcliff were brought there. This book is an aesthetic pleasure – from its trim dimensions and eerily shimmering cover to the lyricism of the writing within. Dunkle adopts a spare style perfect for the period, fitting each word neatly into place. Her voice is authentic, her descriptions exquisite, her sense of setting highly developed. The relationship between Tabby and her six-year-old charge – sometimes loving, sometimes combative – is beautifully portrayed as well. Despite all these joys, however, the plot is decidedly thin. The true nature of Seldom House is never fully disclosed, nor do we hear more than a few tantalizing details regarding the personal histories of the occupants. The connection to Wuthering Heights is a somewhat murky one, revealed only in the final chapter. Nonetheless, Dunkle’s writing is so effortless that I was more than willing to subscribe to yet another gothic tale of an orphan sent to a mysterious manor house to learn the secrets within. A lyrical and atmospheric ghost story, perfect for light reading on any gloomy night. Ann Pedtke 54 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

IN THE SHADOW OF THE LAMP Susanne Dunlap, Bloomsbury, 2011, $16.99/ C$21.00, hb, 352pp, 9781599905655 When Molly is framed for a crime she didn’t commit, she is forced to leave her housemaid position in London and part with her childhood friend Will. Hearing that Florence Nightingale is recruiting nurses to travel to the Crimea as part of the war effort, Molly finagles a place on the mission. But conditions overseas are harsher than Molly expected, and she finds that it is difficult to follow Miss Nightingale’s strict rules and do her duty – especially when Will reappears as a patient, and a handsome young doctor begins to praise Molly’s medical skills. This book tackles a period seldom featured in YA historical novels, and paints a compelling portrait of the woman who brought about so many advances in nursing and medicine. However, the plot does not have the sophistication of Dunlap’s earlier novels. Things fall into place a little too easily for Molly, and it stretches credulity that she is able to dodge recruiting criteria, stow away to the Crimea, and then continue to flout regulations while miraculously staying in everyone’s good graces. In addition, Dunlap misses the opportunity to make the foreign setting come alive: with the exception of a few token observations, most of the action takes place in an amorphous setting that could be anywhere in the Western world, and the politics of the Crimean War are never addressed in any depth. Despite these disappointments – and despite the supernatural aspect introduced late in the story, which I found to be unnecessary and rather jarring – the book was very nearly redeemed by the surprising emotional charge of the final chapters. Just when I thought the plot had become completely predictable, Dunlap proved that she could surprise me. I hope that her next book shows this much verve from start to finish. Ann Pedtke THE QUEEN’S LADY Eve Edwards, Penguin Books (Razorbill), 2011, £6.99, 324pp, 9780141327334 When Lady Jane Rievaulx is widowed at the age of 18, she becomes a Lady of the Privy Chamber at the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Jane’s tyrannical father wants to arrange a new marriage for her, but she is determined to stay in control of her own life. And she already has her eye on an earl’s brother – James Lacey. Initially, James is less than impressed by Jane, but as the two are thrown together, romance develops. Of course, there are many obstacles in their path. Do not be misled by the strapline on the front cover (“Can she resist the danger of desire?”). The little “desire” there is in the book, is understated. Alongside the main story of Jane and James are several subplots and a varied cast of supporting characters, which include the Queen and Walter Ralegh. The reader is drawn into the Tudor world, not only at court through Jane’s work, but also through London’s street-life when Jane visits

her friend, Millie. Plenty of historical detail – especially regarding the fashions – and a sprinkling of 16th-century vocabulary create a believable period atmosphere, and the themes of equality, tolerance and determination are possibly even more relevant to contemporary readers than they were in 1584. Targeted at the young adult audience, this will appeal to girls 12+. Susan Leahy FUGITIVES Aubrey Flegg, O’Brien, 2010, £6.99, pb, 256pp, 9781847172020 This lively adventure story is set in 1607 and based around the historical event known as the Flight of the Earls. Hugh O’Neill, the Earl of Tyrone, needs to flee Ireland after losing to the English at the battle of Kinsale. Around this true story Aubrey Flegg has woven a complex plot with a varied cast of characters, including a spy, an unscrupulous English knight, a wily poet, the larger-than-life Hugh O’Neill himself and four young people whose loyalty and courage are tested to the limit. Hugh O’Neill is in hiding at the castle of his friend, Sir Malachy de Cashel – but it is not long before the English discover that O’Neill is there and set out to capture him. Characters and storytelling are both strong. Young Con O’Neill, Hugh’s son, is a daredevil who unwittingly causes trouble. The older children, James and Sinead de Cashel, and Con’s cousin, Fion O’Neill, are well drawn and likeable. They have much to contend with. James must face up to the possibility that he is being manipulated by his father’s enemies; and Sinead is threatened with marriage to a man she hates. The young peoples’ lives are convincingly rooted in their families and allegiances, and their behaviour is in keeping with the times they lived in – though I did feel at one point that James and Sinead’s reaction to a catastrophic event was far too brief and understated; it seemed that realism had been sacrificed here in order to press on with the action. The notes at the end of the book show how much historical research has gone into this story. In addition, the author clearly knows and loves the countryside he writes about and his description of life at the de Cashel castle with its horses and falcons is very engaging. I enjoyed this book and think it would appeal equally to boys or girls of around 9-14. Ann Turnbull ACROSS THE DIVIDE Brian Gallagher, O’Brien Press, 2010, £6.99, pb, 236pp, 9781847171726 Dublin, 1913. Liam and Nora come from the opposite sides of the social divide. Liam’s father is a mechanic and firmly on the side of the newlyemerging trade union movement. Nora’s father is a prosperous wine importer. When Liam helps Nora out at a music competition, they embark on an unlikely friendship. Nora has had a sheltered upbringing but, unbeknownst to her mother, her eyes are already Children & YA

opened by her inspiring teacher, Miss Dillon, who believes that girls should be allowed to fulfil their potential, just as boys are. In the world outside, suffragettes are agitating for the vote, and Nora is encouraged to make up her own mind about what women should and shouldn’t do. When, through meeting Liam, Nora discovers the appalling living conditions of Dublin’s poor, she is shocked and agrees with her new friend that this isn’t social justice and that workers should earn a living wage. When the charismatic trade union leader, Jim Larkin, takes on the might of the employers and organizes an all-out strike, the docks are closed – and Nora’s father’s business is affected. Nora has some hard decisions to make. Can her friendship with Liam survive? I enjoyed this book. Brian Gallagher is too subtle a writer to go for the easy black and white option. Nora’s father is a fair employer who has some sympathy with the men; her mother is more hidebound and reactionary in her opinions and is determined that Nora shall be brought up as a lady should be – no agitating for the vote from her! Liam meets with petty-minded and unpleasant working men as well as kind and helpful ones. Both children’s courage is tested to the utmost and their lives are changed forever. A fascinating look at an important episode in Ireland’s history. Recommended for 9 plus. Elizabeth Hawksley Across the Divide is a take on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet situation for two children who are friends trying to stay together even though they should be enemies. Nora’s family is really rich, and Liam’s is on strike because of bad pay and working conditions. I liked the way the narrative swaps from Nora to Liam, to hear both sides of the situation. I also think it was very good when Nora was wavering about her father’s position in the battle with the unions. It’s a very well-written book, but you didn’t learn much about the characters, for example, what they looked like, what they enjoyed, and really how they lived their lives. It’s fastmoving and always kept you intrigued. I liked the prologue because it made you anticipate what was going to happen. I think it would suit 9-11 year old readers, they would think it an enjoyable rather than challenging read. Minna McNulty, aged 11 THE MIDNIGHT ZOO Sonya Hartnett, Walker, 2010, £8.99, hb, 192pp, 9781406331493 / Candlewick, Sept. 2011, $16.99, hb, 208pp, 9780763653392 In an unnamed East European country, during World War II, two young Roma brothers wander through a devastated landscape, looking for food and shelter. The youngest boy carries on his back a sack containing their baby sister, only a few weeks old and entirely dependent on her brothers. At night they come to a bombed town, where nothing but rubble remains and all the people have gone, and there they find a small zoo where the animals are still trapped in their cages, without food or Children & YA

water. The entire story takes place during the course of this one moonlit night, and explores the nature of freedom, of captivity, and of our responsibility to one another. Sonya Hartnett’s writing is beautiful, often surprising, yet always clear and simple – particularly when drama and emotion are at their height. And this is a very emotional story. The plight of the two children and their baby sister is incredibly moving, and the older reader will guess at the terrible events waiting to be revealed at the heart of the story. It feels entirely natural when the animals begin to speak. They comment on the events of the war and the nature of humans and how they distort everything for their own ends. But although this is a fable, it is not preachy; the raw emotion of the eagle deprived of flight, the lioness parted from her cubs and the children’s loss of their people is immediate and heart-rending. This is perhaps more an adults’ than a children’s book – but even quite young children will respond to the plight of the animals and their stories. The dramatic black and white illustrations by Jonathan McNaughtt enhance the book. Ann Turnbull FALLING IN LOVE WITH ENGLISH BOYS Melissa Jensen, Speak (Penguin Group), 2011, $8.99, pb, 293pp, 9780142418512 Seventeen-year-old Cat Vernon is stuck in London all summer with her mother, who is doing research on an obscure writer from the early 19th century. Her mother wants her to read the diary of Katherine Percival, daughter of the 19th-century writer, but Cat would rather blog to her friends back home in the States with her observations of London and her lamentations of boredom. But then Cat meets Will Percival, descendant of the Percivals her mother is studying, and suddenly London and Katherine’s diary don’t seem so dull. This is a fun novel that describes the bumpy road to adulthood from the perspective of both a modern teen and a historical teen. The time switch is done very well, with clear distinctions in style between the two periods. The literary references scattered throughout the novel add interest without seeming like a literature lesson; Katherine’s riddles are particularly notable. I had to put the book down several times so that I could spend time figuring them out. I also enjoyed how the author chose to delve deeper into each time period by discussing more than fashion and dating. Both Cat and Katherine learn important truths about their parents, and realize that the consequences of war are not limited to the battlefield. Because of some mature content, I’d recommend this novel for older teens. Patricia O’Sullivan FREEDOM STONE Jeffrey Kluger, Philomel (Penguin Group), 2011, $16.00, hb, 316pp, 9780399252143 Lillie is a slave on Greenfog plantation with her father, mother, and brother. Her father joins the Confederate Army for the promise of freedom.

But when he is killed, he is accused of theft and the family remains in slavery. Lillie sets out to clear her father’s name and win freedom for those she cares about. She uses her own ingenuity and a little magic to help her complete her quest. Freedom Stone was an enjoyable read. The story is told primarily from Lillie’s point of view, but Kluger doesn’t hesitate to shift into the perspectives of other characters, including the daughter of the plantation owner, and Bett, an elderly slave whose baking is infused with a special magic dating back to the Ibo tribe in Africa. The end result is a richer view of plantation life than could be achieved solely through Lillie’s eyes. Kluger shows the brutality and injustice of how the slaves were treated, and how the personalities of both slaves and overseers contributed to the violence. The magic Lillie uses to manipulate time is obviously the most difficult part of the novel to swallow, but Bett and Lillie so clearly believe in the special powers of their ancestry that my disbelief was suspended. The moment where Lillie runs out of Bett’s magic and reaches into herself to find her own was a lovely piece of writing. Further, the time travel device permits Lillie to visit her father on the battlefield before he dies, allowing her and the reader a glimpse of the devastating war around them. I would recommend Freedom Stone to kids who are interested in the Civil War, with the caveat that there is a magical aspect to the story. Michaela MacColl THE BETRAYAL OF MAGGIE BLAIR Elizabeth Laird, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011, $16.99, hb, 432pp, 9780547341262 Maggie’s granny has never been easy to live with, but when she is condemned of witchcraft on the false evidence of a serving girl named Annie, Maggie loses the only family she’s ever known. Maggie, who was also condemned by Annie’s false witness, escapes to her Uncle Blair’s home in another county and begins to find peace when his family accepts her as one of their own. But then Annie shows up, worming her way into the Blairs’ hearts, and Maggie knows that trouble will follow for all of them. When trouble does come, Maggie knows that she is the only one who can help the Blairs recover from Annie’s lies and betrayal. This is an engaging story that combines the history of 17th-century Scotland with a modern ‘mean girl’ character. The drama between Maggie and Annie drives this novel but does not take away from its setting or its interesting lessons about 17thcentury life and politics. In addition, Laird explores in the story how religion tore apart Great Britain and even small communities within Scotland while neither preaching religion nor dismissing it as archaic. Finally, the characterization in this story is quite good, the main individuals not being stock characters. Maggie is a strong young woman, but still has a lot to learn about overcoming her own weaknesses. Annie is horrible, but pitiable. Granny is repulsive, yet brave, and Tam, the thief, is weak, but good-hearted. HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 55

Patricia O’Sullivan MISSION TELEMARK Amanda Mitchison, Walker, 2010, £7.99, pb, 267pp, 9781406311044 December 1942. The world is at war. British Intelligence has learnt that the Germans have developed a ‘heavy water’ plant, which means that they are only weeks away from being able to make an atomic bomb. Europe faces destruction on an unprecedented scale. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Four teenagers who speak fluent Norwegian are trained as Special Operations Agents with a deadly mission – to sabotage the heavy water plant at Vermork, a remote location in the hostile and freezing Hardanger Plateau in northern Norway. Ase, the only girl, is petite, agile and has excellent motor skills. Freddy’s photographic memory will be needed in gathering intelligence, but will his physical clumsiness let them down? Jakob is a natural leader with good communication skills, but can he cope with the mental stress? Lars has already been active in Norwegian resistance and is a skilled navigator in the wild; he has survived interrogation by the Gestapo and is something of a loner. Could he be a loose cannon? All four have good reasons to hate the Nazis. But do they have what it takes to work together to fulfil their dangerous mission and get back safely? I really enjoyed this story, which is based on a real-life incident. The pace is terrific, and the action scenes are nail-bitingly exciting as the children

BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY

must face their deepest fears and push themselves to the limit – and beyond. I was gripped right to the end. The book also has inserts of a number of original documents on how to survive a Gestapo interrogation, how to build a snow hole, and so on, together with maps and sketches which all add to the feeling of verisimilitude. Mission Telemark is a terrific read which illuminates an unjustly neglected piece of World War Two history. Recommended. Elizabeth Hawksley Mission Telemark is not what you’d expect from a book about four wartime adolescents. No evacuations or Anderson shelters but an exciting journey filled with peril. We start off with secret operations’ files on the main characters. This gives us a good feel for their physical appearance and personality traits. The characters all have different personality traits. I would have liked diary entries from Freddie or Lars. Lars’ diary would be especially interesting as he was a quiet, anti-social person who would have had much to write. He grew as we followed his journey and eventually revealed all. I think a more in-depth subplot about Jakob’s father would have given the ending more impact. Freddie was a fantastic character. He was the typical insensitive nerd - when Lars got frostbite, all he was interested in was the science. I loved the inserts; they split up the text and explained things, such as frostbite, in detail. It was easy to relate to the characters because they were

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Ruta Sepetys, Philomel (Penguin Group), 2011, $17.99, hb, 352pp, 9780399254123 This young adult novel takes us on a journey through a land and time that is virtually uncharted territory for historical fiction readers of any age. It’s 1941, and Lina’s family plans to escape from their Lithuanian home before the Soviet secret police can come and take them. Things don’t work out that way. They are captured and sent to Siberia, but that’s not the worst of it. There’s the long trek, thousands of miles across Russia, then farther north still across the Arctic Circle, all the way to Trofimovsk on the Laptev Sea. Along the way Lina’s father is separated from the family and sentenced to death in a prison camp. But Lina is determined not just to survive but to somehow reunite her family through her art. The story is realistic and vividly told, based on the author’s father’s experiences as a refugee. He, like Lina, fled Stalin’s cleansing of the Baltic regions. Sepetys has used stark details to paint a picture of the incidents along the way, creating an exciting, often heartbreaking, but always fascinating adventure for young readers. Hundreds of thousands lost their lives as a result of the dictator’s whims. Those who miraculously survived were brave indeed, and this novel is the author’s homage to both the survivors and the victims. Readers will identify strongly with the ever-determined Lina. The geography lessons of the Asian continent, in addition to the historical notes, lend themselves to classroom reading. We hope this fine debut novel will be followed by others from this author. Kathryn Johnson

the same age as me. The plot was fantastic; I felt in physical pain when Freddie’s arm was dislocated. I recommend Mission Telemark to any keen reader aged 11-14. Rachel Beggs, aged 15 THE GRAVE ROBBER’S SECRET Anna Myers, Walker, 2010, $16.99/C$21.00, hb, 224pp, 9780802721839 In 1800s Philadelphia, Robby Hare is a sensitive and intelligent twelve-year-old boy whose mother runs a boarding house. His ne’er-do-well father, a bully and a drinker, comes up with a plan to bring in some income: he and Robby will steal corpses and sell them to the local medical school for dissection. Robby is repulsed by the thieving, but is intrigued by the activities at the medical school. When a Mr. William Burke arrives with his daughter to seek lodging at the boardinghouse, Robby is glad that the extra money will mean an end to the midnight raids on the graveyard. But Burke proves to be a sinister character with mysterious secrets. Before long, Robby finds his family in peril. This middle grade novel is loosely based on real-life events and draws attention to the ethically challenging question of how bodies were obtained for teaching purposes in the early 19th century. It is fast-paced and well written, and the reader will empathize with Robby’s dilemma. However, younger middle-grade readers may find the material too disturbing. Sue Asher ON THE VOLCANO James Nelson, Putnam, 2010, $16.99/C$21.00, hb, 288pp, 9780399252822 In the 1850s, to escape the increasing lawlessness of town, Jack MacDonald sells his house and moves with his wife into the wilderness, staking a claim on the forested crater of an ancient volcano. Here Katie is born; here her mother dies. As Katie grows, she and her father live quietly, hunting, trapping, and keeping their distance from the turbulent violence of the frontier settlements. The only other people Katie knows are Dan and Lorraine, occasional visitors and fellow refugees from “civilization.” Still, Katie longs to meet others. On her sixteenth birthday, her father takes her on one of his rare trips for supplies into Badwater. Here, as her father has so long feared, they attract unwelcome attention. Despite elaborate precautions, evil follows them home. They will have to fight to protect themselves and their friends, not only from outlaws, but also from Badwater’s new, tough sheriff. This YA novel drifts quickly into a kind of fantasy survivalist narrative, only loosely connected to real places and events. The volcano, smoking ominously in the background, is transformed from a natural symbol into a collaborator. In this world, humankind is far more dangerous than nature. A romance for Katie, apparently brought in for the teen reader, feels out of place in this well-written but disquieting story. Juliet Waldron DOGTAG SUMMER

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Children & YA

Elizabeth Partridge, Bloomsbury, 2011, $16.99, hb, 240pp, 9781599901831 Elizabeth Partridge’s Dogtag Summer tells the moving story of Tracy, or Tuyet, a VietnameseAmerican girl adopted by a Vietnam veteran and his wife. During summer vacation, Tracy and her friend, Stargazer, come across an old ammo box in the family garage. When the box is opened to reveal a set of mysterious dogtags, Tracy’s past and present collide as the “ghosts” of another place come pouring out. As the book progresses, Tracy’s memories of Vietnam are gradually revealed, triggered by the dogtags and the associations they carry. Partridge has crafted a story with rich characters, set in a tumultuous time in American history. Readers will find Tracy’s discovery of her self and her relationship with her adoptive father moving and insightful. A well-written teacher’s guide and appendix provide readers and teachers with more insight into this period in history and make Dogtag Summer a great book to add to middle school reading lists. Nancy Castaldo PURPLE DAZE Sherry Shahan, Running Press, 2011, $16.95, pb, 198pp, 9780762440719 It’s strange to consider that a story that took place in 1965 can be termed historical fiction – but only because I was a teenager at that time. Shahan’s use of her friends’ notes and letters from that year, along with news blurbs and excerpts from famous speeches, skillfully recreates the volatility and fast-paced change of the times, seen from the teenagers’ points of view. For me, it was almost painful to read notes and poems that could have been written by myself and my own friends, and to feel again all that adolescent angst and fury at mindless authorities condemning our young men to die in the insect-ridden swamps of Vietnam. I cannot help but wonder what today’s young readers will make of it. I can imagine that the boyfriendgirlfriend issues and arguments and feelings are pretty much the same no matter what the date – sex, drugs, and rock‘n’roll all over again – and it seems as if there’s been “an unwinnable war” of some kind going on for the last forty years, so that part’s rather timely, too. This is a quick and engaging read, and Shahan’s small group of friends becomes intimately known to us through their writing. What a shame that a similar “box full of letters” will never exist for today’s teenagers to stumble upon in their middleaged attics, unless they save and print out all their emails and tweets. I guess, in the end, that fact alone makes this book properly “historical,” along with those of us who lived back then. I think adults will enjoy reading Purple Daze just as much, or maybe more than, the kids. Mary F. Burns CORSETS & CLOCKWORK Trisha Telep (editor), Running Press, 2011, $9.95/ C$11.50, pb, 448pp, 9780762440924 Corsets & Clockwork is a short-story anthology of steampunk romances. This was my first foray into the world of steampunk, and I found it a fascinating trip. Steampunk stories are often set in a quasi-Victorian or alternative-history world Children & YA

where the supernatural merges with nineteenthcentury inventiveness. I found this collection of stories a delightful introduction to the genre. Because the anthology features a mix of authors, the quality of writing varies from the poetic to the clunky, but I was impressed with the intrigue, creativity, plot, and characters of every story. The settings vary from the typical steampunk Victorian London to Poland under Nazi rule to America’s Old West and more. In addition to the typical human characters, these stories are sprinkled with delightful demigods, clockwork mannequins, responsible vampires, Siamese twins, and a host of other creative creatures. Marketed to the young adult audience, these romances focus on newfound love and stolen kisses, without the bodice-ripping. But why should the young have all the fun? I recommend this to older readers as well. Elizabeth Caulfield Felt FATHER OF LIES Ann Turner, Harper Teen, 2011, $16.99, hb, 256pp, 9780061370854 Fourteen-year-old Lidda has spent much of her life feeling different from others around her in Salem village. Then, she starts to experience strange, yet euphoric, sensations, and “meets” Lucien, a beautiful being who begs to live within her. At the same time, Salem begins to be obsessed by witch-finding fever, and only Lidda – and Lucien – seem to see through the hysteria to the truth. But is Lidda herself possessed by a malevolent being or a benevolent one? And how can she reveal what she perceives without being condemned herself? I did have a little difficulty accepting the fact that Lidda would question absolutely everything

SELLING HOPE

about her culture, from wearing stays to believing in the devil – and since the story is told exclusively from her point of view, this made it harder for me to immerse myself in the historical setting. Nevertheless, Ann Turner offers an interesting perspective on an infamous episode in history. A warning: don’t read the author’s notes before you read the novel (like I did), or some of the suspense will be lost! Susan Cook I somewhat enjoyed reading Father of Lies. It gives a very different perspective on the Salem witch trials from the many other historical novels on the subject, and most of the characters are portrayed believably and with talent. The hypocrisies of the town and its people are displayed realistically, but perhaps a little too pessimistically. On the whole, however, the topic of the Salem witch trials from a young girl’s perspective is overused, and almost always predictable; Lidda’s point of view is more original than others I have read, but is still the same basic variation on the plotline. I feel as if the story would have been much more satisfying had Lidda’s character been from some other historical time, with more controversial happenings. That said, it was also well written, historically accurate, and intriguing. Magdalen Dobson, age 14 THE LUCK OF THE BUTTONS Anne Ylvisaker, Candlewick, 2011, $15.99/ C$18.00, hb, 240pp, 9780763650667 Twelve-year-old Tugs wishes she wasn’t a part of the hapless and disaster-prone Button family. From Great Granddaddy Ike, who accidentally set

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Kristin O’Donnell Tubb, Feiwel and Friends, 2010, $16.99/C$19.50, hb, 215pp, 9780312611224 Thirteen-year-old Hope McDaniels is tired of playing vaudeville houses. Her magician father has been dragging her around the country since her mother’s death five years before, but they’ve never made it beyond the small-small-time circuit. She just wants a normal life. When she hears a rumor that her dad may be fired when they get to Chicago, Hope sees her chance. She just needs to save enough money to set them up until he gets another job. Banking on the 1910 Halley’s Comet hysteria, Hope begins selling mints as “anti-comet pills,” with the help of another member of the vaudeville troupe, a young Buster Keaton. As regular customers begin flocking to her for their pills, she’s drawn in by their quiet desperation, and realizes that she’s doing more than selling them fake medicine: she’s selling them hope. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this. I didn’t want to put down the story of tough-talking Hope McDaniels, her phony pills, and her burgeoning crush on Buster Keaton. The author has done her research well and drops me fully into the era. Hope’s voice is lively – interspersed with snappy vaudeville one-liners – and her view of life is delightfully fresh. As hare-brained as her scheme is, it causes her to reevaluate her definitions of fear, family, and home, and she wins my applause for her decisions in the end. Highly recommended. Jessica Brockmole HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 57

fire to the town hall, to Uncle Norton, who cut off his left foot while mowing hay for the horses, the Buttons are known for their bad luck. When Tugs wins two blue ribbons and a new Brownie camera at the Goodhue Independence Day picnic, she decides to be what no Button has ever been – lucky. A mystery comes to Goodhue in the form of Mr. Harvey Moore, the dapper big-city man who has been soliciting investors to start a local newspaper. Plucky Tugs doesn’t trust Mr. Moore farther than she can throw him. Will her luck hold out long enough to convince everyone else in town – before they fork over their life savings? Tugs is a delightfully quirky character with an energetic voice. Her attempts to fit in and distance herself from her eccentric family will resonate with readers ages 8 to 12. At twelve years old, families can be embarrassing. Recommended. Jessica Brockmole

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GAUTAMA BUDDHA. THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF THE AWAKENED ONE Vishvapani Blomfield, Quercus, 2011, £25, hb, 388pp, 9781849164092 This fascinating book pieces together what little is known about Gautama, the historical Buddha who lived – in accordance with the historical tradition favoured by the author – in the Ganges Valley between 484–404 BCE. Son of a Shakyan ruler, Gautama’s early life was spent in luxurious seclusion before deciding – at the age of 29, according to Buddhist tradition – to start his quest for wisdom by renouncing possessions and status to become a shramana, a wandering holy man. By evaluating the historical evidence, Blomfield highlights the competition between rival beliefs – the Hindu Brahmans and the indigenous shramana tradition in the Ganges valley – and also between the claims asserted by different shramanic sects ( Jains, Ajivakas). His “awakening” – dated here as 449 BCE – occurred in Bodh Gaya, where legend relates that the fig tree bent forward to protect Gautama in his “noble quest” to find liberation. The closing section offers an overview of Gautama’s legacy, particularly the ever‑growing appeal of Buddhism in the West. This compelling account evaluates the elusive historical figure and his impact using the techniques of the elephant tracker “who knows the dimensions of the beast he is following from the size of the footprint it leaves behind”. Lucinda Byatt ROYAL PAINS: A Rogue’s Gallery of Brats, Brutes, and Bad Seeds Leslie Carroll, NAL, 2011, $15.00/C$18.50, pb, 432 pp, 9780451232212 If your view of royalty is romantic, complete with genteel ladies and gents, elegant soirees and lovely manners, you’ll never view them the same after reading Carroll’s latest book. Prepare for a shockingly intimate peek into the lives of some of the most notorious black sheep of a clutch of royal families. Did you know that Napoleon’s sister Pauline created a scandal by ordering a gold goblet 58 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

shaped to resemble her breast? That sexy Princess Margaret was caught at 15 smoking and flirting with a man twice her age? That Richard III may not have been the physically deformed and repulsive character portrayed by Shakespeare, but he became “the consummate multitasker, taking down his perceived enemies on all fronts” with considerable ruthlessness. That Queen Elizabeth’s doppelganger, and cousin, Lettice Knollys, competed with the queen for attention by emphasizing such shared features and succeeded in stealing the queen’s man. That 16th-century countess Erzsebet Bathory’s favorite bath was the blood of virgins and she devised, for her own pleasure, ingenious forms of torture. Carroll’s leap into the pool of naughtiness is fresh, fun, revealing and, above all, proves that the wickedness of today’s ruling bad boys and girls is nothing new. Kathryn Johnson SHE-WOLVES Helen Castor, Faber & Faber, 2010, £20, hb, 448pp, 9780571237050 / Harper, 2011, $27.99, hb, 496pp, 9780061430763 When one thinks of English Queens, one of the first to come to mind is Elizabeth I, but she could be numbered as just one of the powerful Queens who had a profound influence on the governance of the country. Isabella of France, wife to Edward II, certainly played a major and colourful part, not least her affair with Roger Mortimer. Then there was Maud, who so very nearly became Queen in the 12th century if it hadn’t been for a very fast move on the part of her cousin, Stephen, on the death of Henry I. And who can forget Eleanor of Aquitaine, or Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI? This book purports to look at history afresh from the point of view of the parts these women played in the history of this country. I enjoyed it very much, but I would have enjoyed it even more if it had been told with more of their voice. However, it was a good read and certainly emphasised their role in the scheme of things in an age when man was the dominant head of all things – be it the throne of England or a humble cottage in the country. Marilyn Sherlock LONDON’S SINFUL SECRET: The Bawdy History and Very Public Passions of London’s Georgian Age (US) / THE SECRET HISTORY OF GEORGIAN LONDON (UK) Dan Cruickshank, St. Martin’s, 2011, $40.00/ C$46.00, hb, 654pp, 9780312658984 / Windmill, 2010, £9.99, pb, 672pp, 9780099527961 Architectural historian Dan Cruickshank’s newest book is a lengthy but fascinating examination of a not-so-secret aspect of Georgian London: the sex industry. From throngs of streetwalkers and scores of bordellos and bath houses to the open availability of just about any flavor of sexual dalliance and deviance, the author uses massive amounts of information to detail the lives of people on both sides of the transaction. Exhaustively researched and annotated, wide in breadth and scope, the book uses the study of sex work as a microcosm of Georgian culture in London before the advent of Victorianism: its social mores, legal practices, religious views, art and

literature, medical advancements, development of social programs, economic and population growth, and the rights of women, homosexuals, and other oppressed groups. (And yes, even architecture!) The book is written in a tidy and straightforward academic style despite its juicy subject matter, yet it remains accessible and not without moments of comedy and tragedy. Plenty of historical tidbits, primary source quotes, and illustrations keep the reader curiously turning the pages. Recommended for anyone interested in social and cultural history, the Georgian era, or gender and sexuality studies. Heather Domin WARTIME NOTEBOOKS Marguerite Duras, ed. Sophie Bogaert & Olivier Corpet (trans. Linda Coverdale), MacLehose, 2011, 336pp, £9.99, pb, 9781847247339 This is a difficult book to categorise as Duras’s notebooks, like those of most writers, are an amalgam of different things. The book contains material edited from four notebooks kept by Duras between 1943 and 1949 in which she collected an assortment of reminiscences, story drafts and philosophical reflections which, together, make up much of the raw material for her best-known works, The Lover and La Douleur. As such, it is not only important for admirers of Duras but also bears witness to the history of those years in France and of French Indochina in the 1920s, where Duras grew up. The writing is wonderful – dense, passionate, heartbreaking and filled with an angry, mordant wit. The author looks at herself and her times with unflinching honesty and directness. She examines love and loss, adolescence, war and politics scrupulously and remorselessly, and it is particularly fascinating to see, through these informal, unfinished pieces, how she gropes towards the expression she wants, phrasing and rephrasing, building layers of meaning. An informative companion piece to her novels, but also a masterpiece in its own right, full of detail and atmosphere and the revealed workings of a great writer’s creative process. Sarah Bower ANY SURVIVORS? Martin Freud (trans. Anette Fuhrmeister), History Press, 2010, £9.99, pb, 235pp, 9780752453446 The narrator is a refugee in London in 1939. Turfed out of his lodgings and finding himself homeless with five pennies in his pocket and a flute his only possession, he wanders the streets until he drifts into a music club, where he is approached by a representative of Geheme Macht (Secret Force). He is supplied with a Danish passport and instructions to travel to Kiel. A complex conspiracy unfolds as he lives through it. Playing entirely by ear he discovers that he has assumed the identity of a U-Boat sailor who has been awarded the Iron Cross – the reward is a trip to Berghof to meet the Fuhrer himself. The unpublished manuscript of Any Survivors? was discovered in the attic of one of Martin Freud’s grandchildren. It is a satirical tale of the futility of war in which the hero stumbles from one conflict to another. The fast-paced action and the wry humour make for a uniquely fascinating read. Ann Oughton Nonfiction

FROM SPLENDOR TO REVOLUTION: The Romanov Women, 1847-1928 Julia P. Gelardi, St. Martin’s, 2011, $32.50/ C$37.50, hb, 512pp, 9780312371159 Independent historian Gelardi follows the privileged, tumultuous lives of Tsarina Marie Feodorovna (1847-1928) and three of her sistersin-law in this detailed history. Five genealogical tables help keep track of the multitudes of Maries and Sashas, as do 35 black-and-white photos. The book is replete with descriptions of the women’s looks, husbands, pieties, loyalties, squabbles, parties, children, dresses, jewels and the sumptuous palaces they called home. Here’s King George of Greece joining his children “bicycling on wet afternoons through the enormous ball-rooms that ran the whole length of the palace!” Or, in England, the “unaffectedly simple” Marie Alexandrovna showing her jewels to guests, who found “the bed, the tables, the chairs were covered with cases containing tiaras, dog-collars, ropes of pearls, necklaces, bracelets, brooches of rarest luster and beauty and of inestimable value. One would have thought that the world had been ransacked...” The mistresses and wayward grand duchesses in these pages cry out for fictionalization – with Adrienne Sharp already having nabbed one of the best, ballerina and serial Romanov mistress Mathilde Kschessinska, for The True Memoirs of Little K. Two caveats: Gelardi’s earlier books inspired complaints about its editing. This volume is no different. I was also distracted by her portrayal of imperial Russia as a happy place for all, somewhat like the “happy” antebellum South. On the other hand, she doesn’t gloss over the Romanovs’ snobbish egoism and incompetence. All in all, From Splendor to Revolution should provide a good read for royalty fans and a good resource for historical novelists. Kristen Hannum POP GOES THE WEASEL Albert Jack, Penguin, 2010, £7.99, pb, 271pp, 9780141030982 / Perigee, $12.95, 2009, pb, 272pp, 9780399535550 Albert Jack only reluctantly took to studying the history of nursery rhymes, but then found it to be his most rewarding work as he discovered a whole secret of meanings incorporated within the rhymes. How absorbing and fascinating it is to learn that most of the everyday rhymes we repeat as children contain snippets of preserved history. Shakespeare may have written one, Kipling too. They only became known as ‘Nursery’ rhymes during the 18th century, when they were told to children as cautionary tales to instil moral values around which they could build their adult lives. They even contained advice as to healthy eating and good manners! Mr. Jack also analyses some of our most favourite and well-known traditional songs and anthems; how The Star-Spangled Banner started as a London pub drinking song 200 years ago; Swing Low Sweet Chariot, dear to rugby fans, was written by a freed American slave; and God Save the King was a naval catchphrase during the time of Henry VIII. There is a slight vagueness with historical dates at times and inaccuracies sometimes creep in, but Nonfiction

the hidden history is irresistible, often far from innocent, but preserved for all time. Gwen Sly LIBERTY’S EXILES Maya Jasanoff, HarperPress, 2011, £30, hb, 978000718080 / Knopf, 2011, $30.00, hb, 480pp, 9781400041688 The American Loyalists were not the snobbish grandees of legend, but a diverse group with different motives for loyalty to the British Empire: black slaves who knew that this was the only way in which they could gain their freedom; Indians such as the Mohawks who counted on the king and Parliament to hold back the occupation of their lands; and the great majority, who were Loyalists on principle. Some had been peaceable and apolitical subjects, who had been shocked into taking a position by experiencing outrages, atrocities, and dispossession. Some had taken an oath of loyalty and believed that if oaths were dishonoured and laws were disobeyed, society would fall into violence and barbarism. Whatever the motives of the last wave of Loyalists who sailed away from the hitherto solidly Loyalist New York City in 1783, they would meet varied fates and find new homes, literally all over the world. Some settled in the loyal provinces to the north, turning them into a mainly Englishspeaking territory that would evolve into modern Canada. Some tried unsuccessfully to move into existing old colonies in the Bahamas and Jamaica. Some famously stabilised the faltering colony of Sierra Leone. Others ended up as far away as India and Australia. Although steadfast in their loyalty to king and Empire, they would give headaches (and earache) to more than a few colonial governors by demanding the rights and freedoms to which they believed themselves to be entitled as British subjects. There is material for many historical novels in their story, and this book is a fascinating and instructive read. Alan Fisk THE LAST OF THE GREAT SWASHBUCKLERS: A Bio-Bibliography of Rafael Sabatini Jesse F. Knight and Stephen Darley, Oak Knoll Press, 2010, $65.00, hb, 200pp, 9781584562795 This volume is an extensive reference for the book collector and fan of the Anglo-Italian historical adventure writer. The bibliography contains a listing of all 47 of Sabatini’s books, identifying first UK and US editions with many color photographs of dust jackets. A listing of Sabatini’s short fiction and films based on his works is also included. Most interesting is a brief biography by Jesse F. Knight. Sabatini (1875-1950) spoke multiple European languages, succeeding in his maternal country of England in commerce as a translator. But his ambitions were literary, and he chose to write in English because “all the best stories seem to be written in English.” At the height of his career Sabatini produced a novel a year. He was not published in America until 1921, when his novel Scaramouche went through six printings the summer of its release. “…After twenty years of

arduous toil, I was repaid in generous measure. And oddly enough, it came from America,” the author recalled. Scaramouche, Captain Blood, and The Sea Hawk are Sabatini’s best known novels. This slim volume is a comprehensive reference of the superb adventure writer’s career and books. Eva Ulett FORTUNATE SONS Liel Leibovitz and Matthew Miller, Norton, 2011, $26.95/C$33.50, 320pp, hb, 9780393070040 For readers interested in the human side of Chinese history, Fortunate Sons provides a glimpse into the inner workings of the 19th-century Qing empire, and its struggles to come to terms with the modern world. In 1850, a lone Chinese student, Yung Wing, enrolled at Yale, and what he learned there and brought back to China began a slow sea change in that vast country. With the tenets of American education behind him, Yung Wing envisioned a group of students-cum-leaders who knew engineering and science along with the ancient Chinese culture and rituals. Despite setbacks both military and bureaucratic, in 1872 he accompanied the first group of what would eventually total 120 Chinese students to New England, for the inception of the Chinese Educational Mission program. The education of these young men, both in school and outside of it, and their careers after the program abruptly ended, comes alive through diaries, letters, photographs, and other historical documents. Reading how these men survived the conflicts between Chinese patriotism and tradition versus Japanese and western imperialism, and in many cases rose to leadership, is inspiring and provides insight into China’s current place on the world stage. Helene Williams NEWTON AND THE COUNTERFEITER Thomas Levenson, Faber and Faber, 2010, £9.99, pb, 301pp, 9780571229932 / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009, $25, hb, 336pp, 9780151012787 Isaac Newton is celebrated for his part in the English scientific revolution, but it his part in the contemporary financial revolution that is the subject of this book. Newton made a surprising decision in 1695 to move to London to become Warden of His Majesty’s Mint. The country was in economic meltdown due to a shortage of ready coin driven by a criminal army of coiners and clippers and needed its most advanced mind. There is a second genius in this story, the counterfeiter William Chaloner. The uneducated son of a weaver, Chaloner already had a successful counterfeiting business of his own but his ambitions didn’t stop there. He aimed to take on the Mint itself and that meant taking on the new Warden. While the first part is concerned with an account of Newton’s time in Cambridge, Newton and the Counterfeiter really comes to life when the reader arrives in the courts and streets of London where the two men played out their epic battle of wits. Levenson has a terrific eye for the colourful details that bring the time and location to life and charges the narrative with the pace of a historical thriller. Recommended. Gordon O’Sullivan HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 59

RIVER OF DARKNESS Buddy Levy, Ballantine, 2011, $27.00, hb, 352pp, 9780553807500 In River of Darkness, Levy masterfully retells the story of Francisco Orellana’s legendary voyage down the Amazon River in 1541. Based on the true exploits of the Spanish conquistadors and relying heavily on primary and historical sources, Mr. Levy has woven together a riveting adventure of the first Europeans’ encounter with the tribes of the Amazon region. Intent on finding the legendary El Dorado as well as a source for the spice cinnamon, Orellana and his men unintentionally begin a journey that results in their exploring the entire length of the river. The hardships they encounter on their nine-month effort at survival are more harrowing than anything a modern fiction writer could create. As a historical side note, this story, and Levy’s resources regarding the once-called River of the Amazons, again offers evidence for the existence of a ruling warrior class of women living in the South American jungle. River of Darkness is an old-fashioned page-turner and is highly recommended. Veronika Pelka SCANDALOUS WOMEN: The Lives and Loves of History’s Most Notorious Women Elizabeth Kerri Mahon, Perigee Trade, 2011, $15.00, pb, 320pp, 9780399536458 The title of this book is certainly eye-catching in a salacious sort of way, and it reads in much the same manner—quick, vernacular, and very tabloid. (Cleopatra “pissed off ” the Romans, etc.) While the aforementioned Cleopatra certainly fits into the “notorious” category, some of the women in this book do not. Unique for their times, unconventional perhaps, but when I think “scandalous,” Boudicca isn’t the first name that springs to mind. The writing style is very informal, gossipy, and breadth of coverage (over thirty women are examined) is favored over depth; a brief overview of each woman’s life is provided, with the focus more often on romantic relationships than accomplishments. Apocrypha are included as fact, and while there’s little serious history to be found here, there’s a great deal of entertainment to be had. One of the book’s strong suits is covering less well-known “scandalous” women, such as Émilie du Châtelet, a French Enlightenment mathematician, physicist, translator, and author (who also just happened to be sleeping with Voltaire). One could wish for less of the well-knowns in favor of more women like Châtelet or Rose O’Neal Greenhow. Overall, history lite—a very readable flyby of some notables in women’s history. Bethany Latham WITH FIRE AND SWORD James L. Nelson, Thomas Dunne, 2011, $27.99/ C$31.99, 351pp, 9780312576448 General Sir William Howe commanded a British assault force against a ragtag collection of illtrained rebels at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. Howe’s Redcoats were a cross section of units from the army which had gained Britain an empire and were believed by many to be the finest professionals in the world. Victory over farmers, 60 | Reviews | HNR Issue 56, May 2011

tradesmen, and mechanics was assumed, and all but certain. Yet Howe would say he experienced “a moment that I never felt before” when his regular soldiers turned and ran in the first of three charges against the Americans. Where Lexington was a clear victory and Concord was perceived as an oddity, Bunker Hill to the British Army was a chilling introduction to battle in a new world struggling to be born. Win the British certainly did, but at a horrible cost. The prolific James Nelson (16 books since 1996!) brings Redcoat, Loyalist, and Rebel to life by a virtuoso blending of personal narrative and an analysis of events and motives that is absolutely spot-on. Popular history such as this is a challenge to write, and Nelson’s example sets a standard that stands head and shoulders above all but a few. The writer of historical fiction can learn a great deal about structuring their fiction by the gifted prose of Nelson. John R. Vallely THE GIRL IN THE PAINTED CARAVAN Eva Petulengro, Pan, 2011, £6.99, pb, 310pp, 9780330519991 Eva Petulengro was born into the last generation of Romanies who lived the travelling life in painted wooden caravans. She reveals in this intimate biography her childhood memories of roaming through the countryside of Norfolk and the Lincolnshire fens. Instead of schooling, the girls joined the women reading palms, and the boys tended the horses from which they made a living. Evenings were spent around the camp fire singing songs and telling stories. Eva, an enquiring and intelligent child, taught herself to read and write but always regretted her semi-illiteracy. Life began to change. By 1960 travelling, even in the winter months, had become untenable and they moved to Brighton and set themselves up as palmists. Eva finally lived in a house and slept in a bed she did not have to fold away each morning. The Girl in the Painted Caravan is a fascinating story which captures a way of life that has largely gone with the advent of the motor car and increasing hostility. Hard at times, but the large extended family was always there to help. Those gypsies’ clothes pegs I still keep as a souvenir from my own childhood now tell their own tale. Gwen Sly BELOW STAIRS Margaret Powell, Pan, 2011, £6.99, pb, 210pp, 9780330535380 Posthumously reprinted to coincide with the upsurge in interest in the Edwardian era due to the popularity of the television serials Downton Abbey and the updated Upstairs Downstairs, this book is the first volume of the memoirs of a real-life 1920s kitchen maid. Born into a large, impoverished family in Hove in 1907, Margaret Powell nonetheless had aspirations to better herself. Forced to give up a scholarship and leave school at 13, she eventually found work as a kitchen maid, the lowliest, most overworked and worst paid of all domestic servants. With humour and a sharp eye for detail, Margaret Powell exposes the true nature of the relationships between servants and good and bad

employers. She is never afraid of having a laugh at her own inadequacies and mistakes as she blags her way to her dream job as a cook and searches amongst tradesmen and the frequenters of dance halls for a suitable husband. Informative and tremendous fun. Jasmina Svenne TREBLINKA Chil Rajchman, MacLehose, 2010, £16.99, hb, 183pp, 9781906694203 The Holocaust changed our language. The word ‘holocaust’ itself has had, since 1945, no other meaning than that which conjures the unimaginable horrors of the death camps. Unimaginable because there is no need to imagine them; we have the testimonies of liberators, and survivors such as Primo Levi and now, Chil Rajchman, whose brief diary of his incarceration in Treblinka is all the more remarkable for coming out of the first camp which did not even make a pretence of being a work camp but was openly and solely dedicated to the mass destruction of Jews and other ethnic groups. Rajchman’s language is utterly without ornamentation, which gives his account even greater power and authority. His memoir is almost unreadable. When you discover that the SS guards referred to Jewish children as ‘trinkets’, you have to turn away, but then you have to turn back again, to read on, to marvel at Rajchman’s courage, resourcefulness and true witness, and to remind yourself that, by giving us the language with which to describe it, the Holocaust seems to have ensured we carry on committing genocide because we have the terminology now. Rajchman’s example, however, also gives us a language of hope, and that is why everyone should read this book. Treblinka also contains a rather dated, polemical essay by Vassily Grossman, written as his response to witnessing Treblinka after it was liberated by the Red Army in 1945. Sarah Bower AMERICAN UPRISING: The Untold Story of America’s Largest Slave Revolt Daniel Rasmussen, HarperCollins, 2011, $26.99, hb, 276 pp, 9780061995217 It’s a good bet—anyone who knows anything about American history has heard of the slave revolts led by John Brown and Nat Turner. They resonate as symbols of slave resistance, signs of changing times and of a growing consciousness and conscience in the early 19th-century population. But there was, according to author Rasmussen, another revolt that had far more impact and was of larger scale than either of the better known events. This occurred in 1811 in New Orleans and offers fascinating new insight into the rise of slavery in the South and our nation’s tragic course toward Civil War. Rasmussen unearths for the reader a gripping tale of bravery. Not of ignorant, uneducated and downtrodden slaves, but of an elaborate, welldesigned plot to take New Orleans and wrest freedom from slave owners. In the end, the brave effort failed. More than 100 slaves from plantations across several states were slaughtered by Federal troops and French planters, their bodies or heads Nonfiction

displayed for weeks afterward as a warning to others who might contemplate spreading the hope of freedom. This is a highly recommended book, carefully researched and poignantly written, that brings to light a secret shame in our history. Kathryn Johnson STRANGE MEETINGS: The Poets of the Great War Harry Ricketts, Chatto & Windus, 2010, £20, hb, 288pp, 9780701172718 The relatively small number of British poets who have come to epitomise the experience of the Great War continues to exert a literary, biographical and historical fascination. This book recounts fourteen encounters before, during or after the War, when at least two of these poets met, with one imagined conversation. The most famous poets are included, as well as the better known events – Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon at Craiglockhart for example. But there are also other poignant narratives involving less traditional Great War poets, such as Roland Leighton and his fiancée Vera Brittain – as well as times when poets and writers towards the end of their lives spoke and recalled their shattering experiences. The jealousies, rivalries and friendships are narrated in an engaging way. This is a well written and absorbing book – providing both an accessible critical gloss of the poets’ work and putting them into their historical context. Doug Kemp BLOODLANDS Timothy Snyder, The Bodley Head, 2010, £25, 543pp, hb, 9780224081412 The bloodlands are defined by the author as that part of central Europe – Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic states – which suffered grievously from 1933-1945 under both Soviet and Nazi rule. The author narrates a relentlessly gruelling tale of terror against civilians – from Stalin’s collectivised famines of the early 1930s, the Great Terror of 1937-38 and then the deaths in the Second World War – this, of course, is where the Germans “excelled”, though the Soviet Union also played a nefarious part, in the killing of Jews, Poles, Ukrainians, Belarusian and Baltic peoples. Snyder, a respected historian of this region, unfolds this litany of human misery, and also explains and analyses the perverted reasoning that justified the taking of some many millions of lives by these regimes. It is easy to be lulled by the immeasurable weight of numbers in any such study – so that, as an example, an action in an obscure town of Belarus which kills a few hundred people seems to be nothing much in the overall scheme of the atrocities; but Snyder attempts to maintain the focus and understanding that each one of these 14 million or so deaths was the life of a person, just like the reader of the book and this review. After the War, Snyder analyses the expulsion of ethnic Germans from the bloodlands to Germany, as well as discussing how the Soviet Union controlled the national memory of these atrocities to show, incorrectly, how Russians were the overwhelming sufferers of the Great Patriotic War, whereas the Nonfiction

truth is that non-Russian nations and peoples were the worst afflicted. Doug Kemp REPROBATES John Stubbs, Penguin, 2011, £25.00, hb, 549pp, 9780670917532 There is a large body of writing about the English Civil War, the events leading up to it and the Cromwellian aftermath. However, John Stubbs’s new book, Reprobates, looks specifically at the lives of cavaliers. In 1641, as England totters on the brink of civil war, Parliamentarians denounce as cavaliers – “fashionable gallants, braggarts and dandies, distinguished by their long hair, silken suits and hatred of puritans.” Although relatively minor characters in the events leading up to the Civil War, Sir William Davenant, Poet Laureate, and Sir John Suckling, prodigals and playboys, epitomise the men who earned the title of cavalier. Drawing upon extensive research, Reprobates follows the cavaliers as they made their way from early privilege to continental campaigns and the battlefields of Charles I’s kingdom via the Blackfriars Playhouse and royal masques. A refreshing change of perspective which concentrates on the men who were called ‘cavaliers’, rather than the well chronicled historical events of this turbulent period. Full of extensive quotations from a variety of sources, anyone with an interest in this period of English history will find this a welcome addition to their bookshelf. Mike Ashworth CATHERINE OF ARAGON. HENRY’S SPANISH QUEEN Giles Tremlett, Faber & Faber, 2010, £20, hb, 458pp, 9780571235117 /Walker, 2010, $28, hb, 448pp, 9780802779168 This major biography adds a refreshing new focus by using extensive material from Spanish sources. The picture that emerges of this extraordinary woman will excite Tudor aficionados and others. Tremlett highlights two points that continue to intrigue historians: Catherine’s obstinate refusal to concede divorce by admitting that her marriage to Arthur had been consummated, and the question of whether England would have remained Roman Catholic had she chosen to go quietly into a convent. He adds a third, albeit speculative, point that is worth highlighting: even when her situation was most dire, Catherine chose not to instigate her English supporters to demand the protection of her nephew Charles V’s powerful empire. Catherine inspired loyalty in nearly all of those who came to know her, none more so than the faithful Maria de Salinas who sailed to England with the 15-yearold infanta in 1501 and contrived to be at her side a week before she died in January 1536. This enthralling read offered one more surprise: the publishers have successfully resolved an old gripe by including 86 pages of footnotes and a 10-page bibliography on their website, thereby establishing the credentials for this ‘popular’ work to be taken extremely seriously. Lucinda Byatt UNFAMILIAR FISHES

Sarah Vowell, Riverhead, 2011, $25.95/C$32.50, 256pp, hb, 9781594487873 Vowell’s latest foray into history examines “Hawaii’s bit part in the epic of American global domination,” from the first visit by Captain Cook to the annexation of the territory in 1898. Most of the story covers the nearly 80 years of missionary activity on the islands, during which, as Vowell says, our favorite religion (capitalism) and our secondfavorite religion (Christianity) were imported. The missionary zeal of Americans in the 19th century was in full force, when, in 1819, a small band of ministers and teachers, accompanied by several Hawaiian graduates of the Foreign Mission School, left Boston Harbor for a five-month journey to what were then known as the Sandwich Islands. The history of the island people and customs is well-researched and told in perfect Vowell style, accompanied by pop culture references and asides which connect the historical—such as the locking up of Queen Liliuokalani in 1893—with events of today—the capture of Saddam Hussein in 2003. The American side of the story, from the backroom politics to the idea of Manifest Destiny, is told with equal candor, leaving us better informed, and in some ways wanting to apologize, once again, for American behavior abroad. Helene Williams SISTERS OF FORTUNE Jehanne Wake, Touchstone, 2011, $27 US/C$29, hb, 416 pp, 9781451607611 / Chatto & Windus, 2010, £25.00, hb, 416pp, 9780701173081 Wake offers a riveting joint biography of four remarkable sisters: Marianne, Bess, Louisa and Emily Caton. These half-English, devoutly Catholic descendants of the prominent—politically and financially—Carroll family of Maryland were heiresses to their grandfather’s fortune. Raised by slaves, extensively educated, they were acquainted with presidents and princesses—one of them was the sister-in-law of the Baltimore belle Betsy Patterson, so briefly married to Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother Jerome. Another became ladyin-waiting to the Queen of England. Three of the band arrived in Regency England as precursors to the American “dollar princesses” of the late 19th century, moving in aristocratic circles in both Britain and France. In her widowhood Marianne, the Duke of Wellington’s beloved, married his brother, an eccentric marquess. Louisa also married a marquess and in due time became the Duchess of Leeds. Bess, preferring wealthy spinsterhood, had a passion for investing and advised her sisters. Only Emily lived out her life in Maryland, presiding over the family’s various mansions and plantations, occasionally visiting England and sending her children to be educated there. Drawn from the Catons’ extensive and detailed correspondence, Wake presents their social triumphs, their spiritual struggles, and their astute management of their own property and funds. A magnificently entertaining and informative work, illuminating American-Anglo relations in a time of change and progress. Margaret Barr HNR Issue 56, May 2011 | Reviews | 61