Historical Fictionistas discussion

https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/comp...

For 2019, we're going to try a game of Monopoly. The emphasis is on sub-genres of historical fiction. All of the sub-genre categories come from Historical Novel Society. I would highly encourage bookmarking this site if you are able as it will potentially help with any questions or finding books to fit task requirements. The goal is to get us to all branch out and try some sub-genres, we may not try on our own. The object of the game is to land on all the spaces, not necessarily accomplish all the tasks. If you want to challenge yourself to complete all of the tasks, go for it!

Each participant is responsible for tracking their own board. If you are participating, you will need to create your own thread to track your play. Questions about rules and game play can be asked in this thread. A separate thread for questions about task books will be started. An additional thread for Chance and Community Chest spaces will also be started.

To move around the board, you can either use a physical dice or a virtual one. A virtual dice can be found at Random.org. For the purpose of this game, we are just going with one, six-sided die. If using Random.org, you can select the dice roller feature and set your die up accordingly. You can also just enter 1-6 in the randomizer at the top of the page and get a number spit out for you.

Move around the board as you would any typical board game. When you land on a space, you can select any of the tasks available for that space. Once you have selected your book, create your play post ( example shown below). Unless noted, books read for tasks must be from the sub genre the playing space is grouped under. Example, all tasks in Adventure Avenue require an historical fiction novel that is sub-classed as Adventure. Re-reads are not permitted unless a task specifies. The point is to discover new books/authors.

Spaces and Tasks

Adventure Alley (Purples)
Marco Polo Parkway
-Read an adventure novel where the main character goes on a long journey over land
-Read an adventure novel that takes place outside of Europe
-Read a book with a purple cover (does not have to be an adventure genre)
Aloha Wanderwell Way
-Read an adventure novel where the main character takes a journey by air or sea
-Read an adventure novel featuring a female protagonist
-Read a book with an airplane or a ship on the cover

Biography Boulevard (Light Blue)
Royalty Road
-Read a biographical fiction novel about a member of a royal family
-Read a biographical fiction novel about a royal told from a perspective other than the royal’s
-Read a novel with a crown or castle on the cover
Start Up Street
-Read a biographical fiction novel featuring a rags-to-riches character
-Read a biographical fiction novel about someone who is part of a resistance (slavery in the United States, Jewish resistance in WWII, Spanish Inquisition, etc.)
-Read a book with a light blue cover
Reputation Run
-Read a biographical fiction about a historical figure with a bad reputation (ie Catherine d’Medici, any Borgia family members, Mary I, Richard III)
-Read a biographical fiction about someone who has a job with a bad reputation (think bankers, prostitutes, royal officials (think Thomas Cromwell, Rasputin)
-Read a biographical fiction about someone who changes sides

Mystery Midway (Pink)
Amateur Avenue
-Read a historical mystery featuring an amateur detective/sleuth
-Read the first novel in a historical mystery series
-Read a historical fiction mystery novel with a body on the cover
Deduction Drive
-Read a book featured on The Idiot's Guide to Reading - Historical Sleuths List
The Cater Street Hangman - Anne Perry
The Crocodile on the Sandbank - Elizabeth Peters
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice - Laurie King
A Conspiracy of Paper - David Liss
Cut to the Quick - Kate Ross
Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor - Stephanie Brown
The Last Kashmin Rose - Barbara Cleverly
Maisie Dobbs - Jacqueline Winspear
The Novice’s Tale- Margaret Frazer
The Queen’s Man - Sharon Kay Penman
Roman Blood - Steven Saylor
Shinju - Laura Joh Rowland
Silver Pigs - Lindsey Davis
To Shield the Queen - Fiona Buckley
- Read a historical fiction mystery novel where the protagonist’s profession is policeman/detective
- Read a book with pink on the cover
Dark Alley
- Read a historical fiction mystery where the mystery is something other than a murder
- Read a historical fiction mystery where the protagonist does not have a “sidekick” or partner
-Read a book featuring a dark road or alley on the cover

Alternate Fiction Highway (Orange)
As Things We Know It Ave
- Read a historical fiction novel where the outcome of a battle is different from what we know (Napoleon wins at Waterloo, Duke William doesn’t win, etc.
-Read a historical fiction novel where either WWI or WWII happens differently than what we know
- Read an historical fiction with a battle/war scene on the cover
Ancient Ways Circle
- Read an alternate historical fiction novel featuring an ancient empire (Romans, Greeks, Incas, etc.)
- Read an alternate historical fiction that takes place outside of Europe
- Read a book with orange on the cover
Never Happened Road
- Read an alternate historical fiction where a well-known ruler, military official, or other leader, never gets a chance to lead
- Read an alternate historical fiction where someone lives instead of dies or dies instead of lives
- Read a historical fiction novel where one of the title words starts with “A” (a, an, and do not count)

Fantasy Freeway (Red)
Arthur Alley
- Read any novel about King Arthur
- Read a fantasy historical fiction featuring a witch/wizard who is not Merlin
- Read a historical fiction novel with something “glowing” on the cover
Magic Street
- Read a historical fiction fantasy that is a retelling of a myth or fairy tale
- Read a historical fiction fantasy novel where the protagonist does not have magical powers
- Read a historical fiction fantasy novel featuring “mythical” beasts
Power Pathway
- Read a historical fiction fantasy where the protagonist is a god/higher being
-Read a historical fiction fantasy featuring a battle
-Read a historical fiction novel with red on the cover

Time to Change to Classic Circle(Yellow)
Slip Street
- Read a historical fiction time-slip novel featuring a mystery
- Read a historical fiction time-slip novel where the protagonist goes back to the Dark Ages
- Read a historical fiction time-slip novel where the protagonist goes back to a war
Back to Youth
-Read a young adult historical fiction novel that takes place during a time when your parents or grandparents were teenagers
- Read a young adult historical fiction novel that was made into a movie/television show
- Read any young adult historical fiction novel that is part of a series
Timeless Trail
- Read any historical fiction novel that you think should be considered a classic (re-reads are allowed)
-Read any historical fiction novel by one of the following authors (re-reads are allowed but new authors/books are encouraged):
James Clavell
Dorothy Dunnett
Howard Fast
George MacDonald Fraser
Robert Graves
Georgette Heyer
Louis L’Amour
Norman Mailer
James Michener
Patrick O’Brian
Jean Plaidy
Mary Renault
Sir Walter Scott
Anya Seton
Irving Stone
Sigrid Undset
Leon Uris
Gore Vidal
Umberto Eco
Edward Rutherfurd
Elizabeth Chadwick
-Read any historical fiction novel with yellow on the cover

Literary Lane (Green)
Traveler’s Way
-Read a historical fiction literary novel about an immigrant
-Read a historical fiction literary novel that takes place more than 500 miles away from your current location
- Read a historical fiction literary novel by an author who lives in a different country than you
Lover’s Row
- Read a historical fiction literary novel featuring a pair of “star crossed” lovers
- Read a historical fiction literary novel that features male and female point of views
-Read a historical fiction novel by an author you love (re-reads will be allowed)
All Over Avenue
- Read a historical fiction literary novel that takes place in South/Central America
-Read a historical fiction literary novel that takes place in Asia
- Read a historical fiction literary novel that takes place in Europe before WWII

Saga Street(Dark Blue)
Family Matters Row
- Read any historical fiction saga that features an American family
- Read any historical fiction saga that features a family that relocates
On and On Alley
-Read any historical fiction saga that is part of a series with three or more books
-Read any historical fiction saga with 500+ pages

reply | flag *

Other Spaces
Community Chest
-Have a group member pick a historical fiction novel for you based on your TBR
-Have a moderator pick a historical fiction novel for you based on your TBR
-Have a group member pick the historical subject or person - you pick the book

Chance
-Randomize your TBR. Read the book that appears in the top spot - does not have to be historical fiction
-Randomize your TBR - Read the first historical fiction book on the list

Water Works
-Read a historical fiction novel that takes place on a boat
-Read a historical fiction novel that takes place in a country that borders a major body of water
-Read a book that shows a body of water (ocean, lake, river, etc.) on the cover

Electric Company
-Read any historical fiction novel that deals with an important discovery/invention
-Read any historical fiction novel that takes place before the invention of the light bulb (1879)
-Read any historical fiction novel with the word “light” in the title

Reading Railroad
-Read a book that takes place after the printing press was invented (after 1450)
-Read a book that takes place before the the printing press was invented (before 1440)
-Read a historical fiction novel with a book on the cover

Pennsylvania Railroad
-Read a historical fiction novel featuring a non-royal leader (president, prime-minister, dictator, etc.)
-Read a historical fiction novel about the American Revolution
-Read a book with a white building on the cover

B.&O. Railroad
-Read a historical fiction novel written by an author who only uses initials as their “first” name
-Read a historical fiction novel by an author whose name starts with a “B” or an “O” (first or last name)
-Read a historical fiction novel with a black cover

Shortline Railroad
-Read a “short” historical fiction novel- less than 250 pages
-Read a historical fiction novel with lines on the cover
-Read a historical fiction novel that is part of a “short” series - duology or trilogy

Go to Jail
- Read a book of your choosing with 400+ pages. For every 800 pages read, you earn a get out of jail free card. Mods will help track cards earned.

Luxury Tax
- Read any historical fiction novel that takes place in England during the reign of George III
-Read any historical fiction novel with money or jewels on the cover
-Take the number of pages read in your last book and add 15%. Read a historical fiction novel with 15% more pages

To randomize your TBR-
1.) Go into "My Books" and select "To Read" shelf
2.) Scroll to the bottom of your shelf. In the drop down menu, select a specific number of books to be displayed (I would recommend 10). In the drop down menu directly below it, scroll until you see random. Click to select.
3.) A new list of books should appear.
If you are unable to make this feature work, randomly select a book to read for the required task or ask a moderator to help you (this may require making your profile public or adding friends)

reply | flag *

Okay here we go: The Journey Begins!
I'm Super Excited about this Challenge!
Quest Number: 1
Number Rolled: 4
Space Landed on: Free Space
Task to Complete: Own Choice, No Restrictions.
Book to Be Read: (A book I commenced just after I rolled yesterday)
A Gentleman in Moscow Amor Towles
Date Finished: 5th March
Historical Details: Place - Moscow, Russia, Paris
Time -1922 - 1954 , Themes - Integrity, freedom, purpose, perspective, balance, philosophy, change, adaptation, friendship, love, family, fate, chance, class, Bolshevism, loyalty.
Pages: 462
Review:
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This beautifully written, lyrical book takes you on a deep dive into the world of revolutionary and communist Russia, where one man, captured in a guided cage, determines to live with heart and integrity, in a manner that subtly guides and influences all those who come into contact with him. The Metropolian Hotel is a microcosm of the wider world outside of its doors. Within we find Count
Alexander Ilyich Rostov's example of old worldly gentlemanly behaviour that is strangely compelling, due to its inherent authenticity. It is an example that inspires one to re-evaluate the way the way you conduct yourself and view others around you.

Despite being stripped of his freedom, titles and possessions by the Bolsheviks, the Count does not proceed with bitterness or undue regret. Despite his early desperation, he learns to contribute positively towards, cherish and love his new life, to regard those around him with tolerance and affection, and to ultimately contribute love, guidance and paternal security to a little girl, who without him, would have had none.

I especially loved the characters in this book, the individuals who make up the staff of the Metropol Hotel, and the intimate friendship, respect and fun indulged in by the 'Triumvirate' the Count's closest cronies on the hotel staff. My favourite scene was the conspiratorial plotting, planning and making of the bouillabaisse under the very nose of 'The Bishop' - the Proletariat spy in the ranks of the hotel staff, who has a very personal grudge against the Count. I also loved the Count's discovery of the secret room that he proceeds to make into a haven of comfort, privacy and retreat, where only his dearest friends can ever discover him. He thus takes the restrictions and deprivations forced upon him to create from within a deeper, more beautiful stronghold of sanctity illustrated both by his retreat and his inward blossoming of character. An inner, secret world is always a delight to me.

"For if a room that exists under the governance, authority, and intent of others seems smaller than it is, then a room that exists in secret can, regardless of its dimensions, seem vast as one cares to imagine."

When I placed this book aside after the final page, book, I felt like I was leaving a beloved friend behind me. I'm sure it wont be many months before I am tempted to revisit my old friends and favourite passages, and to delve back into the exquisite prose of this book. It contains so things that make up life...reflections of different aspects of all of our lives: humour, pathos, humdrum and adventure, beauty and ugliness, but most of all it inspires one to keep looking for the rainbow, the gleams, the details and the worthiness in an everyday world.

"And there, as the sun begins to rise, he is overcome with thoughts of an affirmation, a proclamation, a promise. A promise to shine everywhere and always, to very depths of the last days; which, after all, is all that anyone has ever asked of love......................................
For it is only our heartbreak that finally refutes all that is ephemeral in love."



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 2
Number rolled: 1
Space landed on: Reading Railroad
Task to complete: Read a book that takes place after the printing press was invented (after 1450)

Book to be read:Alice I Have Been Melanie Benjamin
Date finished: 6th March
Historical Details: England (Oxford)
Time: 1859-1932
Themes: Sibling relationships, war, adult-child relationships.
Pages: 343
My Review: Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I'm finding it hard to pull together exactly what was so wrong with this book for me. Reading it was certainly an unpleasant experience.

It was not the nature of the allegations that the author reported. They are disturbing to read about, but they are real life issues that we all ought to be aware of and to understand... and certainly never accept. In itself, Melanie Benjamin's choice to slant the plot in this manner (covering possible paedophilic leanings, alleged to Charles Dodgson by numerous persons over the years) would have made a reasonable and interesting story. I enjoy an author taking a controversial subject and making a good argument for that perspective within the bounds of a Historical Fiction novel. The problem I have is the author's assertion that from her research, she has built an authentic story of the real Alice Liddell. Unfortunately this book is largely fictitious as the author has used significant and unusual license in changing documented historical facts, calling into question the authenticity of her book.

Because of the author's chosen bias and subsequent eyes-closed approach to facts that would question her perspective, she has not only allowed her own conclusions to be presented irrefutably, but also dared to give the child Alice a personality that reflects her own adult interpretation of this bias. This is neither talented or clever. If your character is 7 years old, and grows up in the Victorian era, under certain privileged and cared for circumstances, as described by the author, you cannot present her private thinking as adult and over sexed. In this manner, by presenting Alice's circumstances, her father, mother, careful sister Ina, her governess and the servants, who within the story all keep a careful watch on the Alice, she has contradicted herself with her initial portrayal of that child.

Below are the notes I made at the end of chapter one and two, while reading the book. I will add that prior to reading the book I was not au fait with this history. The initial chapters felt so unauthentic and rang so many questionable alarm bells for me that I was forced to do the research myself and find out exactly why these allegations were made and what pros and cons were historically recorded to verify either.

'End of Chapter 1
I’m feeling a bit icky so far. I would have liked a little more unworldly childish innocence here instead of something that seems like an unlikely adult consciousness overlaid upon Alice’s perspective of her world. The view point is too self knowing, too aware to be an authentic narrative of a carefully cherished 7 year old.'

'End of Chapter 2
After reading the first two chapters I am extremely suspicious due to the 'voice' Alice was given. It is not the speech nor the thinking of a seven year old child, even today’s modern child. The author needs to have a better understanding of child psychology and how children experience the world. They don’t reason in the adult way that Alice does in this book. If she had left subtle clues that led us to question Mr Dodgson’s motives while preserving the innocence of Alice at this age it would have had more validity but the subtlety was rather laid thick with a trowel.'

In conclusion, I seriously question the authenticity of the author’s portrayal of the real Alice Liddell. It is a perspective of the story that is possibly true, I do not dispute this, but if so it seems entirely inauthentic in portrayal, given the author's choice of Alice herself as the narrator. There is a definitely an adult overlay to the child's voice. I feel I must condemn the author's intentions as sensationalist.



View all my reviews

Quest Number:
Number Rolled:
Space Landed on:
Task to Complete:
Book to Be Read:
Date Finished:
Historical Details:
Place -
Time -
Themes -

Pages:
Review:

Quest Number: 3
Number Rolled: 2
Space Landed on: Chance
Task to Complete: Randomize your TBR. Read the book that appears in the top spot - does not have to be historical fiction

Book to Be Read: Look to the Lady Margery Allingham(Albert Campion #3)
Date Finished: March 13th

Historical Details:
Place - London, Suffolk
Time - ? 1930 - no definite historical markers
Themes - Criminal gangs, medieval traditions, superstitions, supernatural, class distinction, deceptive appearances
Pages: 274
Review:
Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


'Mr Albert Campion at home.....
Any evening after twelve. Improving conversation, beer, light wines and little pink cakes. Do come!'

So read the peculiar note handed to young, down on his luck peer Percival St John Wykes Gyrth, Val to his friends. And so begins a lighthearted and moderately humorous romp through the countryside of Val's famous ancestral home, where a tall tower guards the Gyrth Chalice, a sacred family trust. In order to enter fully into the spirit of this lively adventure, it is necessary to suspend disbelief. In some ways it reminds me of a few of the more bizarre Sherlock Holmes plots, where reality and mysticism are mixed together in a slightly murky tangle. It also has an overtone of the Victorian Gothic Novel, but untrue to genre, it is related more in the manner of a 'Boys Own Adventure Story', with Woodhousian overtones.

If you able to tolerate this eclectic mix of genres and also have a lot of patience to listing to inane but amusing drivel by way of dialogue If you are prepared to pursue through a plot that stretches over twice as many pages as I think strictly necessary, this is a book for you. Either I am a person of unusual tolerance and patience, or this book encountered me at a time when listening to nonsense that made me laugh (not necessarily in the right places), was just what the doctor ordered for me this week.

The character of the sleuth Campion is really exaggerated...he reminds me somewhat of Sir Percy Blakeney from 'The Scarlet Pimpernel', or one of Georgette Heyer's more self-parodic heroes, who seem to enjoy hamming up a natural tendency to 'foppery' and hiding their true character of serious and intelligent purpose, underneath this pose. Even poor Campion's assistants, who are sworn to follow his lead and respect his ability to make sensible decisions at times, are often completely unsure of what to make of him. Penny, Val's loyal sister, speaks to him in exasperation when he won't give her a straight answer to her reasonable questions:

'Albert you're an idiot,' she said, 'What do you think you're doing here anyhow? Where are you going to in London?'
'To buy a ribbon for me straw hat' said Mr Campion promptly, 'The thing I've got now, my Aunt knitted. It's not quite the article, as Lugg would say.'

This ongoing mummery allows Campion to tread through dangerous situations without undue impedance, as the criminal masterminds and cut throat crooks he encounters find it incredible that such a foppish and witless idiot could possibly be of real danger to their nefarious plans. I personally would prefer that the assumed mask was dropped a little more substantively within the narrative for the benefit of the readers, as a little relief to this hyperactive repartee is definitely warranted at times.



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 4
Number Rolled: 6!
Space Landed on: Deduction Drive on Mystery Midway (Pink 2)
Task to Complete: Deduction Drive
(Although I just found Crocodile on the Sandbank at a second hand bookstore yesterday, my March TBR is already bursting at the seams and time running out....need to choose something appropriate from March TBR, so having to go with the easy option this time, although my choice is a Golden Age good old detective series murder mystery, just not strictly HF genre:
Read a book with pink on the cover
Book to Be Read: Richardson's First Case by Basil Thomson
Date Finished: March 28th
Historical Details:
Place - London
Time - Early 1930s
Themes - Scotland Yard, Police Procedure, Legal evidence, Family conflicts, Police hierachy
Pages: 178
Review:

Richardson's First Case by Basil Thomson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is one of the very first ever police procedural crime novels written. It was published in 1933, at the end of the long and varied career of its author, Basil Thomson, who served in various important administrative positions, including the governor of Tonga, the governor of the prisons Dartmoor and Wormwood Scrubs, the head of the CID (Criminal Investigation Department, enforcement arm of British Military Intelligence) during WW1, the Director of Intelligence and the Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard. As such, Basil Thomson is a person of unique authority to write in such a crime fiction genre, and demands a respectful and careful read.

This was a well written first crime novel, the plot was watertight and the many characters described both interesting and appealing. The writing style was somewhat methodical and plodding, not unlike the the quintessential depiction of the typical British Policeman from this era. The emphasis in relating the story was on the way in which Scotland Yard and the greater policing services work as a team, all individuals having their important part to play in such an investigation. The police are shown to be men of high intelligence, confidence, patience and ability, who work methodically to achieve their ultimate goal of a fully watertight case to present to the police prosecutor.

Richardson, about whose adventures further novels are written in this series, is here discovered by the reader as an unusually intelligent, conscientious, ambitious and hardworking police constable on his first assignment on traffic point duty for the metropolitan police force. A chance accident while he is on the scene gives him his opportunity to be noticed by the higher ups in authority at his dream division, the CID. Richardson is not the hero in this story. His brilliance and quickness of intelligence and dedication are described and made use of in a way that gives him his chance to be promoted ahead of time. He plays his part, alongside a number of other police investigators who are expert in their individual roles and work cohesively as a group, certainly not a set of bumbling, egotistical fools that a private citizen investigator can run rings around as depicted in many popular crime novels from this era. The role of the private citizen investigator is taken by Guy Kennedy, who as friend of both one of the suspects and of the police legal advisor, Charles Morden, is in a unique position to illustrate the characters of some of the suspects and investigators with a more intimate hand, and also to move the plot along at times with some less systematic investigations, which he undertakes privately, but with the knowledge of the police.

The focus and purpose of the investigation of the murder is not primarily about identifying the criminal. As in many real life stories, the police in this story seem to have a very strong feeling for whom the guilty party is fairly early, but they do not allow themselves to act peremptorily on this understanding. The stated goal is to present the police prosecutor with a watertight case, with evidence and documentation that is irrefutable so that the criminal is not allowed to escape his fate through some legal technicality, and so result in both a miscarriage of justice and a waste of valuable public resources, not to mention frustration in lack of achievement by the members of the hardworking police force working on the crime.

I enjoyed the book: the style, the realistic portrayal of Scotland Yard, the characters and plot. Although there were some pacing issues in the book, in many ways I feel that it was a far more accurate depiction of the real process of police investigation than one finds in most of the other detective novels we read from this era, and as such a worthwhile read for fans of crime fiction. I actually enjoyed the teamwork and the collective efforts of the many different policemen involved in the investigation and the way that every single end was tied up before it was presented to the prosecution. I was talking the plot over with my Mum, and she related how that she had once sat on mandatory jury duty for a number of weeks. She said it was so frustrating because often all of the jury members as well as the police prosecutors knew that the crimes had been committed, but as there was no indisputable evidence, no irrefutable proof presented to obtain a guilty verdict, the alleged criminal was acquitted. In our justice system, modelled on the British, you are innocent until proven guilty. The jury members were forced by lack of evidence to give frustrated not-guilty verdicts. This relation increased my personal appreciation for a less fictionalised and sensationalised crime story, even if it did make for less exciting reading.

My greatest criticism was that there was an actual opportunity for Basil Thomson to have inserted a nail biting scenario both for the plot and the would be hero, P.C. Richardson during the final denouement. My frustration was very real when at the moment that Richardson is lying in wait in the cold and dark for the criminal to break we leave him. Instead of following this appealing scenario and its subsequent adventure in the first person, with Richardson as the apprehending officer, we are left to jitter at the end of a phone line awaiting news with another senior police officer, back at CID headquarters. The subsequent events are only related at secondhand, in the driest of (admirably factual) police accounts by P.C. Richardson on his return. At this point I could have screamed and thrown the book across the room. Why????? Could we not have left poor Divisional Detective Inspector Foster biting his nails and been granted the privilege of following that coming young constable Richardson on his first big assignment, as we had at other points in the story?

If I had been the editor I would have said "Excellent work, Thomson, a thoroughly plausible and enjoyable read! Now take that manuscript back home with you and rewrite the ending from the point of view of Richardson, not neglecting a single description of the atmosphere and emotion from your retelling in the first person, and you will have yourself a best seller that people will read for generations, instead of a series that has to be rediscovered in nearly a hundred years time and read only for the interest of posterity by golden era of crime buffs."

By the way, is there a good biography of Basil Thomson? Now that is a book I would love to read. The foreword biography by Martin Edwards was all to short, but the absolute best and most interesting thing I read in this book. I am now on the hunt for it as I'm sure it will be a fascinating read.



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 5
Number Rolled: 5
Space Landed on: Ancient Ways Circle on Alternate Road (Orange 2)
Task to Complete: Read an alternate historical fiction novel featuring an ancient empire (Romans, Greeks, Incas, etc.)
Book to Be Read: VIKING: The Green Land by Katie Aiken Ritter
Date Finished: 12th April
Historical Details:
Place - Iceland, Greenland, Greenland Sea and North Atlantic Deep Water
Time - 982 - 985 A.D
Themes - Viking, Icelandic (Nordic & Viking Cultures), Role of Women, First democratic ruling system (Things and the Law), Norse Mythology, Sea voyaging and exploration, First European settlement/colony outside of known Europe, The Dorset people and culture, Tunumiit culture, thinking, reasoning, Survival and food, Hatred and greed, History of Erik Thorvaldsson and his wife Thjodhild of Jorund

Pages: 465
Review:


VIKING: The Green Land by Katie Aiken Ritter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Green Land is an amazing saga retold in story form of the famous Erik Thorvaldsson (Eric the Red) and his discovery of Greenland in an epic voyage from Iceland around 980 AD. The author has based her story as closely as possible to known facts about this adventure, although she notes in her afterword and notes that facts are difficult to pin down on what has largely been an oral history, retold for centuries in the form of legends or sagas in which fact was regularly embellished for dramatic effect. However, history is retold where reasonably verifiable facts we able to be adhered too, and embellished with a talented storyteller's ability to relate a personal narrative which is reflective of what is known of both Norse and Viking Culture, the environments of Iceland and Greenland at this age, and of the heroes of this story, Eric Thorvaldsson and his family.

We first encounter Eric in the person of 'Tiller' who is sent under duress with 25 other men, who were all convicted under the law as criminals and outlaws to undertake an impossible voyage. The viking crew were handpicked to search for the mysterious 'Gunnbjorn's Ulfsson's skerries', sighted nearly one hundred years previously, but never verified. The Athling Council hopes that by discovering and claiming the legendary land, the terrible famine (caused by overpopulation and lack of farmlands) could be overcome by finding a new settlement for the Icelandic people, and so protect their culture and future as a nation. They chose only outlaws for this voyage in the hope that they (with the promise of absolution and reward if their mission were to succeed) would be desperate enough to succeed in their quest. If not, at least they were expendable. Along with this desperate crew travels one woman, under compulsion, to serve as 'fishgirl' to the crew. As the journey proceeds, we begin to learn that there is more to the presence of the fishgirl on board than at first appears. There is a gradual unfolding of a hidden agenda, a twisted plot underpinning the voyage, that unravels as they travel onwards to an unknown destination, the discovery of which may divide all of the individual vikings of the crew along radical lines.

The section set on the knarr is tense and dangerous. I was biting my nails at times, wondering how it would all turn out. The pacing of the book and the attention to descriptive detail, to characters and to authenticity of customs in matters of law, vikking and religion, fascinated me as I began to understand many aspects of the Icelandic norse culture that I had not previously known. I particularly appreciated the character development of the two main characters of this saga. I loved the development of Tiller's character and how he is now growing beyond the limited self belief that his father left him with. Fishgirl is also growing in strength and learning to value herself as a strong, compassionate and ethical woman.

The writing is beautifully expressive. I felt that I was there with them all as they set off on a sea voyage that might never lead to land. I love the way that we gradually discover the personalities of Thio (Fishgirl) and Eric (Tiller) during that voyage, as the crew also begin to identify them as personally important characters. This is so important in the decisions made by the crew further in the plot. They start out to the crew as 'the woman' and 'the tiller' and become "Fishgirl' and 'Tiller'. One is their provider of food, carer, comfort, healing, succour and distraction, as well as being an impartial advocate and the voice of reason when violent disagreements break out. The other is their compass and guide, the authority on path direction for navigating the treacherous and endless seeming seas. Neither is a part of any subgrouping or gang within the crew, they both hold themselves aloof and impartial from such things, regardless of what their personal opinions of the separate crew members are, and so showing their personal strength and courage.

I sometimes struggled with the casual violence displayed by the characters in the book, as my tolerance for such scenes is not high. However, this is not at all an unexpected factor of the history. The historical behaviours of a culture who's understanding of heaven included worthiness based on death attained during combat and from which the word berserk derives, could not but be bloody in some of its retelling. In this book, the characters were compelling and the plot contained so many twists and unexpected outcomes, that I could not put the book down despite my squeamishness at times. To be frank, I was nervous of reading a book about vikings for this very reason, but in saying that, I want to thank Katie Aiken Ritter for making her book such an accessible and absorbing read. Throughout the narrative, I could see the energy extensive research had given the author for her subject. I had been intrigued about the Vikings ever since my son studied them in a history project recently, and I found out about their legal system and the rights and roles of women in their culture. Icelandic Norsemen had the first truly democratic system, including all members of their community in their Thing, and allowing all relevant parties to have their say, including women and anyone accused. I was also so intrigued by the vivid descriptions of Iceland and Greenland in this book that I went so far as to look up the possibilities of them as travel destinations. I believe that there is currently a sequel in the pipeline, which further tells the story of this remarkable family. I look forward to reading it.



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 6
Number Rolled: 1
Space Landed on: Never Happened Road (Orange 3)
Task to Complete: Read an alternate historical fiction where someone lives instead of dies or dies instead of lives
Book to Be Read: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Character concerned: Nicholas Flamel
Date Finished: 16th April
Historical Details: Records show that Flamel died in 1418. He was buried in Paris, beneath a tombstone he designed himself, and his will – dated 1416 – apparently left the majority of his library to a nephew, Perrier, of whom little else is known.

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, set in the year 1991-1992 A.D. in Alternate History London and Scotland (France is mentioned as Flamel's place of current residence), Flamel is known to still be living with his wife Perenelle, due to the immortalising effects of the Philosophers Stone that he made and is in his possession. In the Harry potter Universe, Flamel and his wife are well known and revered for their magical abilities and Flamel is an associate to Albus Dumbledore, the famous wizard, in their magical and scientific exploration and experiments.

The real Nicolas Flamel – because he was a real person – was probably born in 1330 in Pontoise, near Paris. Which would make him around 665 at the time of Philosopher’s Stone.
Place - Surrey, London, Scotland
Time - 1992
Themes - Abandonment, magic, heritage, self discovery, school, peers, choices, bravery, doing what is right, not what is easy, friendship, love and family
Pages: 324
Review:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In some ways this is a difficult review to write. It is the first installment of a book series whose characters grew in age, confidence and self determination over the years, as I also grew in these characteristics, and was a touch stone at many different points of my young adult life. Naturally a book that starts such a journey is always going to be a five star read.

I first encountered this book a year after it was first published, when I was teaching violin lessons to children to help fund myself through a degree in Nursing, after deciding that spending my life as a financially and egotistically insecure musician was not a career I wished to pursue. I had been a highly successful violin teacher for a number of years, but the loss of my birth family through points of moral difference as well as my controversial decision to not pursue a career as a performer, pushed me into abandoning my first degree at the Conservatorium of Music and to finally get the Nursing Degree, that I had wanted all along. I give this personal background because I think it explains how a 23 year old girl could find such immediate link of sympathy and warmth from delving into J.K. Rowling's story about an unwanted child, who is marginalized for perceived and comparative failures since birth and for being different. Harry did not fit in easily anywhere. He was both too weird and strange with talents that set him aside from others in the muggle world, as well as not being outstanding enough, or talented enough to meet the expectations of those who lived in the wizarding world, where he is famous and revered for something he does not even remember doing. He is disliked and feared by his blood family and grows up not knowing what approval, acceptance and unconditional love feel like.

I purchased 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' the week I observed at least two families who came for violin lessons have to strongly persuade their avidly reading child to hand over their book and start their lesson. Once the lesson commenced, the parent in both cases grabbed up the book and began to read it themselves. Of course, I enquired about the book immediately. I was always deeply interested in what was important to my students, and on their encouragement, I went and purchased the book for myself. Fortunately for me, the second installment of the series was only weeks away from publication, but afterwards there began the long and anxious wait for each new installment, made slightly more bearable by sharing this experience with fans from all over the world, courtesy of the new internet and particularly 'The Leaky Cauldron' fan site.

Ron, Harry and Hermione, the Weasley family and the teachers at Hogwarts became very real to me and were such a comfort when life became too isolating or difficult. The happy end to my story is that in the same year I met Harry Potter for the first time, I also became engaged and then soon after married to the love of my life, who looked awfully like Ron Weasley, but is definitely more like a male version of Hermione. I now have two young teen boys who are as passionate about Harry Potter as I am and with whom I continue to share our own unique version of the Wizarding World in our own little home. I am more like a full time Molly Weasley these days, and frequently wish for a magic wand to help me get through my busy day a little more easily. I did become a very successful, qualified paediatric ’Healer’, skills that served me well when my youngest was born with a condition that required expert nursing care. These days I play in a community Symphony Orchestra and friends' weddings just for the joy of it and teach my kids the skills I worked so hard to learn myself, but without the emotional pressure.

This was J,K. Rowling's debut novel, written during the hardest point in her own life where destitution and abandonment were also knocking on her door. With each novel in the series, the age of the children and the maturity and complexity of the themes and their grows significantly. Issues are explored which draw many parrallels with our own world and our shared human history. If you feel that this is only a light hearted series written for children about magic, it would be worthwhile for you to take deeper look at the many themes addressed in this book series. It is widely credited with significantly influencing a generation of readers who on psychological testing display unusual amounts and of empathy, social awareness and value the principals of acceptance and justice to an unusual degree in what may be called 'The Harry Potter Generation'.



View all my reviews

Running a little behind with my reviews due to an excessive amount of travel this month. Fortunately I'm home the next few days and my reviews are close to top priority of things I want to do so they will be up tomorrow or the next day.
Meanwhile:

Quest Number: 7
Number Rolled: 5
Space Landed on: Power Pathway on Fantasy Freeway (Red 3)
Task to Complete: Read a historical fiction fantasy featuring a battle
Book to Be Read: The Iron Duke Meljean Brook
Date Finished: 24th April
Historical Details: Alternate Victorian England
Place - England, France, Venice, Morocco
Time - Some time during the Victorian Period
Themes - Political regimes that remove the right to self determination and assert complete control over their people, relationships and power differentials, the role of family and belonging, racism and perception of racial differences.

Pages: 384
Review:

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Warning. This was a very difficult review to write. First I I wish to say that there is material in this book which may be triggering for people, especially if they have been victims of abuse. There are also way way too graphic and explicit sexual scenes and plenty of really explicit language that I personally was uncomfortable with. It is absolutely not in any way suitable for an immature audience. This is not obvious on any of the available blurbs I read about the book before I commenced it. For many reasons I'm not even sure why I finished reading this book, as so much that is within it is so contrary to my fundamental values and beliefs that really, I'm not quite sure how I managed to complete reading it. And yet for all of my dislike and distaste for certain aspects of the book, it had a subtle but compelling effect on me where I just wanted to know what happened next in the story so badly that I pursued my course through to the very end.

I do not want to rubbish this book. My personal problems with aspects of it, I will delineate below. For many persons, on checking the reviews after I finished, this is a Five Star Read. Therefore, I will outline the reasons I personally was both compelled to finish it, while at the same time was extremely uncomfortable with some of the subject matter. In that way, I hope that someone who reads my review can make an educated, informed choice on whether this book is something you might enjoy or not.

First of all: Why this book could have been a Five Star Read for me personally:

There was so much in this story to fascinate me. I am reasonably new to alternative history (unless you count the likes of Harry Potter) and absolutely new to the genre 'Steampunk'. The plot was intriguing. It was a mix of fantasy, history, murder mystery, romantic fiction, sci-fi and straight out adventure. The plot was brilliant and well paced throughout, the mystery unravelling gradually throughout the story...never too much at any time. The characters were quirky, unique, interesting and frequently likeable...with a few exceptions that I will mention later. But what really made this so exceptional was the world building. It was imaginative, believable and so very original. There were no detectable aspects of borrowed ideas or plots from other fantasy writers that I could find. This is a very creative, clever author with a unique gift for setting, plot and words. It’s completely different from anything I have read before. Alternative reality and steampunk history. The only problem I had with the world building in this book was that because of its uniqueness, it was very hard to wrap my head around aspects of the alternate history, culture and the way magic and science worked in this brand new scenario. My suggestion would be to include a map and information blurb at the beginning of the book in future publications for easy access to new readers who may feel all at sea like I did without them. I found it a little difficult to sort out the meaning of some of the common use words that obviously had different meaning in this universe. A quick trip to Meljean Brooks' website gave me the explanations and maps of her world which helped to orientate me, and make her world more accessible.

Why this book is not a 5 Star Read: I did not wish to condemn this book in any way, but oh, I wish so much that each of the following aspects was not such a big issue in her story. Honestly, I believe that if she would only drop the following themes or mellow them out in her writing, this author could definitely write a best seller. Aspects of the following seriously limit her audience of readers in a way that must be considered, and did not in any way increase the value of the story or plot or characters in my opinion. With amazing world building skills, imagination, engaging narratives, kick ass heroines, awesome supportive characters, nail biting plot, what's not to love?

The following: I deducted one star for each point:
1) The seriously over the top type A on steroids male hero was so disappointing. Meljean Brooks listed several aspects of his history and present thinking which could have led to me absolutely loving this character...but his actions were so contrary to his stated beliefs that he became abhorrent. His background was left one dimensional, alongside his emotional range. The sad thing was that the heroine in this story has more than enough spunk to pull this self absorbed sad person into line and help him learn some important truths. He needs a serious kick where it hurts most (I mean emotionally, not physically) that the heroine is more than capable of dealing him and never does. Why??? When she pulls him into line he is really likeable. Early in the story all of the potential is there. He is learning to respect her and treat her with consideration and respect, but he ends by dominating her thoroughly and she is content to let him. He has no idea about the finer points of romance and seems unable to separate his head from his overwhelmingly over the top physical urges ugh!


2) There was way too much lengthy hijacking of the plot for totally unengaging, uninteresting, repetitive and uninspired sex scenes. I wish to say here that I am no enemy to the romance genre. Neither am I a prude. But the scenes written were way too explicit, violent, rude and frankly tiresome....a real turn off. Such a shame because I had high hopes earlier in the novel with the spunky heroine giving the Iron Duke plenty of lessons he was benefiting nicely from, until she succumbed to his definitely not romantic or respectful sexual demands, all termed in the most graphically explicit and frankly rude language to her. She was also led to believe that she had to barter herself physically to save the life of a loved one...not a trope I appreciate in any way. I would call that duress, personally. Definitely not my idea of romance. I also have a very poor idea of any author who needs to resort to uninteresting expletives throughout a book in such a repetitive manner. It argues a lack of descriptive language, imagination and intelligence, non of which is verifiable by the author's obvious abilities as a writer. May I suggest a Thesaurus as a useful tool when choosing options to describe supposedly romantic or sexually charged scenes?

3) The use of coercion, force and frankly rape in a number of scenes takes this aspect of Meljean Brook's writing to an all time low. I feel like I’m reading a Barbara Cartland story about a desert sheik. Given that this is now the 21st Century and that in every other aspect of the book, women were depicted as equal in status with men in many different aspects of the alternative world, there is absolutely no excuse for writing romance in this thankfully well out of date (and never, ever was acceptable) genre. For a book written for a modern age audience, where consent is essential in acceptable sexual practices, this is a big no no and a huge turn off for me. The last scene was beyond not ok and very, very uncomfortable. Frankly it spoiled the whole plot resolution for me, it was so bad.

Why not one star then? Frankly, my fingers are crossed that this author can understand the points I have made here, and that many other reviewers have also made, and will use her considerable talent to change her old style of writing, just like one takes off the stinky socks at the end of a hard working day, because that is all that the above three points are. There is no need for removal of rotten flesh, just a need for a good cleansing. In the process of shaking herself off, she may realise that she is capable of so much more than the common and banal 'romantic' trope she is currently writing for and inspire us all with more amazing and imaginative plots which have been refined to please a wider and more socially aware audience.



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 8
Number Rolled: 4
Space Landed on: Water Works
Task to Complete: Read a historical fiction novel that takes place in a country that borders a major body of water (Holland - North Sea)
Book to Be Read: Girl in Hyacinth Blue Susan Vreeland
Date Finished: 27th April
Historical Details:
Place - Philadelphia, Amsterdam, Vreeland, The Hague, Oling/Delfzijl/Groningen, Delft
Time - 1980s, 1929, 1890s, 1808, 1717, 1672
Themes - Art work and its personal meaning, Holland, History, living in Holland in different periods of history...everyday lives.

Pages: 242

Review:

Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


'Girl in Hyacinth Blue' was an unexpected and beautiful find. I chose it as the most personally appealing story within a Dutch Cultural theme list and because of its beautiful cover and title. The blurb stated that it was historical and some type of mystery story, so with those recommendations, I was eager to read. What I found within was unexpected, but by no means disappointing.

This is actually a series of short stories (some published in journals prior to the publication of this novel), which are woven around a central theme of a particular work of art, the people who own it, and what it represents to them personally. Starting in the late twentieth century with 'Love Enough', where we meet the painting and its owner, a fusty, reclusive maths professor who is torn between his wish to share his pride and love of a painting, which he claims is a Vermeer, with another human soul whom he believes may understand its value, and a terrible, obsessive secret he has striven to hide all of his life and which the painting (kept hidden in a locked room) may innocently betray him into disclosure. The painting is of a young girl, wearing a hyacinth blue smock and rust coloured skirt, sitting before an open window which she dreamily gazes out of, her mending task neglected by idle hands.

Each of the stories steps backwards in time through the centuries to explore the lives and significant histories of the Dutch people, through the eyes of individual and very personal accounts. At the same time we learn a little more each time of the history of the painting and its mysterious creator. There is an account of the lead up to the forced abduction of Jewish families on Black Thursday August 6 1942, in Amsterdam from the perspective of a young girl. Afterwards we journey back to the end of the 19th Century in rural Vreeland, where a man is looking back over his own life, as his daughter announces her engagement to the man she loves. Next we meet a French woman forced to live in The Hague by an arranged marriage to a diplomat, during the French occupation of the early 1800s. My favourite of all is the account of a young family trapped by the catastrophic flooding of 1717, where the sea dykes failed, bringing disaster to the countryside near Groningen. The floods, bring an unexpected and surprising gift. The story behind this gift is accounted for in the next short story. Finally we meet the artist who created the painting, and are introduced to an intimate portrait of his everyday family life with its successes and failures. In the last story we meet the girl herself and learn her story. We hear from her lips what thoughts were passing in her mind and what she hoped and dreamed for as she sat to have her portrait painted in front of a window in
Delft in around 1670.

Some of the short stories I loved more than others, but all were poignantly narrated, intimately drawn and delicately painted. Reflective of what a beautiful work of art can mean to an individual observer, free to the personal interpretation of emotion and meaning of the one who regards it. In each of these stories, the work of art is treasured by its owner, not for its potential or inherent value, but for the personal connection that character feels with the portrayed girl, her imagined emotions and their conceived intentions of the artist in painting it. This book was a joy to read, each short chapter fitting beautifully into a moment of idle time, where it could be enjoyed fully without interruption. Stolen moments in a busy everyday day. And yet through the connection of the painting, there was a sense of flow and interest to discover where the painting had come from to each of its owners and why. Susan Vreeland also leaves each story delicately unfinished. It is left for your imagination to decide on the final fates and further journeys of each of the characters depicted, and to determine what they will make of their lives beyond the printed words on the page. I found this allowed my imagination to soar in my own personal, wondering 'What if?' daydream, allowing me to interpret my own meaning from the stories. Just in such a way does 'The Girl in Hyacinth Blue' keep her treasured secrets to the very end.



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 9
Number Rolled: 3
Space Landed on: Travellers Way on Literary Lane (Green 1)
Task to Complete: Read a historical fiction literary novel that takes place more than 500 miles away from your current location I live in South Australia...so definitely qualifies.
Book to Be Read: The Aviator's Wife Melanie Benjamin
Date Finished: 30th April
Historical Details:
Place - Mexico, North America (New York, Detroit) and other more rural areas, England, France, Germany, China
Time - 1927-1924
Themes - Fame, self discovery, empowerment, role of women, loss and grief, privacy, the freedom of the press, white supremacist ideas and influences, pioneering, courage, betrayal.

Pages: 416
Review:

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is the second book that I have read by Melanie Benjamin. My first read, 'Alice I Have Been' was a disappointing read for me. I found the character of Alice improbable and one dimensional, the history too biased and suppositional and not authenticated by the characters' thinking or behaviour. That was Melanie Benjamin's first publication in the genre of what she refers to as 'Biographical Historical Fiction'. This book 'The Aviator's Wife', is another matter entirely and I am truly grateful that I have been encouraged by participation in a book club, to read a later published work by this author, despite my heavy reservations. Her writing retains the beautiful and evocative descriptive powers and narrative style that I appreciated before, but here in her portrait of a woman who has lived her life and death in the shadow of a man who was larger than life, even in private, I can truly appreciate Melanie Benjamin's talent for taking us convincingly into another person's private world, to understand and explain what may have been in their heart and mind, their personal experience of their known and verifiable history within an authentic setting of country, culture and world events.

Anne Morrow was the daughter of an ambassador, a woman of education and intelligence and of great courage. She is portrayed (with good historical evidence) by Melanie Benjamin as shy and insecure, never wishing to put herself forward, always the loyal and supportive wife by the man who chose to rocket her quiet life into the spotlight of extreme stardom, by the simple act of marriage alone. Like many people, I had some concept of who Charles Lindbergh was, the first man to cross the Atlantic in a small single piloted plane, 'The Spirit of Saint Louis'. I also was aware, through being an avid Agatha Christie fan, of the story of the kidnapping of his child from his nursery, upon which infamous plot one of the Dame's books centres. But I had never heard of Anne or considered her as a character, except to consider with sympathetic horror what her experience through this must have been. Through diligent research of Anne's diaries, letters and published writings, Melanie Benjamin has reconstructed a diffident, reserved and introverted yet suprisingly courageous young girl, who grew up in the shadow of a beautiful and confident older sister and busy society mother. She sees Charles Lindbergh initially through the hero worshipping eyes of many young women of her era and cannot believe that of all girls out there, he would choose her to be his wife, his life companion, the mother of his future 'dynasty' and above all his 'crew'.

Compliant and self deprecating Anne is quick to excuse and forgive the dominating character of Charles Lindbergh, who wears superiority as a premise from which his entire world view is observed. His arrogance, dominance and control of Anne, while dismissing her rights to personal emotions of sadness, fear or grief, alongside his forbidding her to ever have a public opinion that has not been carefully edited by himself first, is perhaps a good explanation for many things that have always confused those familiar with Anne's story and the contradictions contained within it. The other explanation convincingly portrayed is Anne's desperate wish to live a normal family life protected and safe, outside of the glare of the paparazzi who have plagued her life as a constant since the first time her name was publicly linked to Lindbergh's. The Lindberghs blame the press for facilitating the kidnapping of their child, as well as labeling them completely amoral for their behaviour towards the family after the event, and once the story events was clear, I believed that they were justified in this stance.

As for Charles Lindbergh, I believe Melanie Benjamin has very faithfully described a man with a borderline personality and possibly also narcissist disorder. All of the hallmarks are there. The classic childhood of both emotional neglect and psychological abuse. The inability to self blame or consider the needs of others beyond what the short term manipulative love bombing behaviours with subsequent emotional isolating and emotional distancing behaviours necessary for complete control of others will achieve. The gaslighting games of psychological abuse and emotional abuse and complete control of his family members including enforcing social isolation from all others outside of the immediate family circle. These people seek out the sweet, courageous, caring and insecure personality as life partners quite deliberately. The ones with big hearts who love and forgive easily and are quick to believe it was all in their own heads, that they were the one who was wrong. This being said I think Anne Morrow was a truly remarkable woman to have survived this noxious partnership and the public attitude of entitlement to her privacy, rivaled only by that of Princess Diana. I believe that she ended life with her integrity intact. She pulled herself together and did her best to make a happy and secure home for her children. And she refused to be buried with her husband. It is the story of a woman who was without any personal power or control in her life, who through the process of writing and introspection (a process revealed to readers in her work 'Gift from the Sea'), managed to separate from her husband's edicts her own personal values and beliefs about what really mattered to her in her life. As such, it is an inspiring story of survival and empowerment.

"Don't wish me happiness. I don't expect to be happy all the time....It's gotten beyond that somehow. Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor. I will need them all."
Anne Morrow Lindburgh, Gift from the Sea, 1955



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 10
Number Rolled: 4
Space Landed on: Short Line Railroad
Task to Complete: Read a “short” historical fiction novel- less than 250 pages
Book to Be Read: The Flight of the Phoenix by R.L. LaFevers: definitely short (141 pages), children's literature, alternative historical fiction/fantasy genre (Set in 1928)
Date Finished: 4th May
Historical Details:
Place - England, Turkey, Arabia
Time - 1928
Themes - Love and Duty, Parental loss and grief, abandonment, belonging, family, adventure, courage, resourcefulness

Pages: 138
Review:

The Flight of the Phoenix by R.L. LaFevers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Nathaniel Fludd is a ten year old boy, brought up in the sole care of a strict and unimaginative governess, Miss Lumpton, who was entrusted with his care by his world exploring parents. Horatio and Adele Fludd promised the distressed seven year old that they would send for him on his eighth birthday, when they judged that he would be more 'grown up' and old enough to cope with and enjoy their adventuring lifestyle. However, three birthdays have passed by with no communication from young Nate's parents, evincing no desire for their son to join them on their travels.

Finally, a lawyer contacts Miss Lumpton to inform her that Nate's parents have been legally pronounced 'lost at sea' after the crash of their airship 'Italia', on ice somewhere near the north pole. The search parties have now been called off after months of searching. Only half of the missing crew have been found, among whom Nate's parents are not present. Miss Lumpton is to receive a generous sum of money for her care of their son over the years, and Nate is to be sent away to live with his Father's cousin, a certain Phil A. Fludd, of whom he has never heard before.

Poor Nate is deeply hurt by his former governess' cavalier leave-taking of him, which proves to him that she had no personal affection for him at all. He is very nervous of what awaits him at the end of the long train journey taking him to meet his new guardian, of whom he has never heard mention of before. He feels abandoned and alone.

Nate does not realise that he already has all of the courage and resourcefulness necessary to set off on a rousing adventure, in true Fludd family style, with his new guardian, the mysterious Phil A. Fludd. He has an unexpected knack for making deep, caring friendships with beasts, due to a deeply compassionate nature and an amazing drawing ability, which may serve him well along the way.

Nate and other Fludd family members' drawings as well as important plot points are beautifully rendered throughout the book by illustrator Kelly Murphy, and add pause, appeal and interest. The text and chapter format is very approachable for an emerging young reader, as well as being highly accessible for an older, pre-teen reader, who may find reading chapter books a challenge. Although written for the pre-teenage group, 'Flight of The Phoenix' is such an imaginative, well-plotted and enjoyable adventure that, even as an adult reader, I was charmed and entranced by the story.

The book is short (137 pages) and well illustrated with 5 -7 page length chapters, making it an ideal choice for the emerging or reluctant reader, or as a relaxed read for anyone who enjoys a classic style, imaginative children's' book. Set in an alternative 1928 historical fiction/fantasy genre, where unexpected magical beings may be met on any page, it has all of the authentic whimsy and adventure of a Hermes' 'Tin Tin' adventure, where a young boy is firmly the hero of the story.

I look forward to reading other books by R.L. LaFevers in this series and plan to add it to my own children's book shelf, for use with some of the reluctant readers I work with at our primary school. It has been on my TBR for some time, due to my 11 year old son's and my engagement with the author's other children's adventure series (set in the Victorian era) about 'Theodosia Throckmorton' and her talented family, who are all experts in Egyptian mythology and archeology.



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 11
Number Rolled: 6
Space Landed on: Marco Polo Parkway on Adventure Alley (Purple 1)
Task to Complete: Read an adventure novel that takes place outside of Europe (Brazil)
Book to Be Read: The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley
Date Finished: 9th May
Historical Details:
Place - Switzerland (Lake Geneva), Rio de Janeiro, Paris
Time - 2007, 1927-1929
Themes - Women's self determination, adoption, Brazilian culture, French artist culture in Montparnasse, history, late 1920s stock market crash and Brazil, coffee plantations, sculpture and artists, family.

Pages: 480
Review:

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The premise of this story was like a fairy story. I was so sure that there would be magic in this book somewhere....

Pa Salt is the adoptive father of six daughters, from many far flung corners of the globe. Each little girl in turn was brought back to grow up in his beautiful but remote home in Switzerland, called Atlantis. Brought up in the security of privilege and love, each girl is named in turn after one of the stars belonging to the Seven Sister Constellation. The oldest, Maia, is shortly joined by Alcyone (Ally), Asterope (Star), Celaeno (CeCe), Taygete (Tiggy) and Electra. Yes that is part of the mystery...seven stars and only six sisters. When Maia dared to ask her father why their seventh sister (Merope) never joined them, Pa Salt replied that he had never 'found' her and seemed distressed. Each girl is unique and different from each other, from firebrand Electra, dreamer Tiggy, shy, insecure Star, overbearing and dominant CeCe, confident, practical Ally to reclusive, private, caring and beautiful Maia - the eldest, the sister who never left home. This first book in the Seven Sisters Series and it is Maia's story.

Maia is taking a short holiday with an old school friend when she receives a distressed phone call from her substitute mother and the housekeeper of Pa Salt's home, Marina, to inform her of her father's death. On returning home she finds that on her father's strict orders, he has already been buried at sea, his study door is locked, and has left important information for each of his daughters with his lawyer. As her distressed siblings arrive home, Maia is on hand, despite her private grief and exhaustion to care for and comfort them and to break the difficult news to each in turn. Once the lawyer arrives, the girls are shown an 'armillary sphere' which is engraved with each of their names and a set of coordinates following, as well as an inscription in Greek. These as well as a personal letter given to each girl, are the final bequests of Pa Salt.

The coordinates are discovered to correspond to a location on Earth, where each girl was born. Maia is confronted with this unsolicited information about her origins, about which she has never troubled before. Her experiences in life have led Maia to seek safety and isolation, to shun closeness and intimacy with other humans and to avoid entangling herself with personal feelings. Pa Salt had given her clues and opportunities to know more of her heritage, but always, she had chosen not to seek more knowledge. However, a phone call from a man she has not set eyes on for fourteen years, has the power to send her on a headlong flight of avoidance all the way to Rio de Janeiro, the city of her birth.

Maia's story is told alongside the story of her Great Grandmother, Izabela Bonifacio, a famous beauty who lived as a young debutante in Rio de Janeiro and Paris in the late 1920s. Through discovering this story, we learn about what life was like for a dutiful daughter of rich immigrant parents, whose life is mapped out and planned for by her father, her fiance and finally her husband. Yet, Izabella has a strong streak of rebellion, alongside a passionate ability to love, and her choices lead to consequences that she must negotiate on her path to find happiness. Alongside discovering Izabella's story, we learn the history and the story behind the planning and building of Rio de Janeiro's most famous landmark,
the 'Cristo Redentor'.

After I was a couple of chapters into this story, I stopped at my local bookstore to see if I could purchase myself a hard copy of the book, as I had been enjoying the story through the narrative talents of Emily Lucienne on Audible download. I found that I wanted a text copy to check some of the Greek, Portugese and French spellings of words that I was unfamiliar with, to help my comprehension of the plot. Unfortunately, the last copy had been sold, so I came away empty handed, but the book shop owner and I had a conversation about how the writing style was reminiscent of the mystical quality I encountered when I first read the works of Francis Hodgson Burnett, as if I was reading 'A Secret Garden', but written for the adult reader, with all of the tragic backstory alluded to, but never revealed in detail, about the adults in that story. Once I got home, I chose to download a copy onto my Kindle, and enjoyed the benefits of 'Whispersync' for the first time.

As for my favourite parts: the mysteries! Pa Salt must surely be a magical being of some sort? A time traveller? An omniscient being temporarily on earth? Or is he truly just an amazing old man with a gift for discovering the truth? To be honest, I still am not at all sure, and that is the joy and the true magic of this book. Fortunately, this is the first instalment in a series, so I hope eventually to get answers to the many questions I have as I read further on. With every question answered in this book, another has raised its questing head. As a huge fan of trope that involves an overarching mystery yet to be solved, as well as a lover of historical fiction, this book (which has caused me to spend way too many hours contemplating the what ifs and whys) is an obvious 5 star read for me.


"Never let fear decide your destiny.”
― Lucinda R
(Pa Salt's advice to Maia)



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 11b
Number Rolled: 1
Space Landed on: Community Chest
Task to Complete:
Book to Be Read: American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt by Karen Harper
Date Finished: 11th May
Historical Details:
Place - London America and France
Time - 1890s-1940s
Themes - Women's Sufferage, money doesn't buy happiness, overcoming, finding your own way.

Pages:
Review:
American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt by Karen Harper

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In 1895, American heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt is 18 years old when wed against her preference to Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough, being secretly engaged to Winthrop Rutherford. Bullied into the wedding by her pushing and controlling mother, Alva, Consuelo's marriage was in the nature of a trade of the most covetable of gilded commodities: a high ranked nobility title for a vast fortune. This melding of old world aristocracy and new world wealth was undertaken with great reluctance by Consuela's groom, who was solely motivated by the need to save his indebted ancestral home and associated landholdings from destitution, and so to preserve his linage for his future heirs and his noble reputation for posterity. Blenheim Palace, the only palace in England to be owned by a family not of the royal nobility, was desperately in need of funds to preserve and beautify its ancient walls and sumptuous gardens.

Consuela soon learned that she could not hope to achieve her husband's love and that her role was as chatelaine of his palace and soon to be mother of his future sons. Making the best of her situation, she began to take a personal interest in her husbands tenants and 'people' soon earning herself a love and regard that had never been earned by the supercilious Duke. She was also soon to be liked and admired by members of English society and was an intimate and beloved friend of her husband's cousin, the rising and brilliant Winston Churchill.

This book was well written and the narrative voice of Consuela was well imagined and believable. It seemed to me an accurate portrayal of her life, which I head already heard something of when reading that interesting history of Consuela Vanderbilt and the other American heiresses who married into the English nobility during the nineteenth century,



To Marry an English Lord by Gail MacColl. The picture on the cover of this book is of Consuela herself, taken during her marriage, sometime between 1900 and 1905.

I am now inspired to find out more about this fascinating woman and some of the other American women who brought heart and liveliness and authenticity to the stuffy, inbred aristocracy and dared to find their own unique paths out of the gilded trappings and cages of wealth, privilege and masculine dominated power. Hot on my lists of TBRs are That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle by Fiona Carnarvon, Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt: The Story of a Daughter and a Mother in the Gilded Age by Amanda Mackenzie Stuart and The Husband Hunters: Social Climbing in London and New York by Anne de Courcy.




View all my reviews

Jemima wrote: "Quest Number: 11
Number Rolled: 6
Space Landed on: Marco Polo Parkway on Adventure Alley (Purple 1)
Task to Complete: Read an adventure novel that takes place outside of Europe (Brazil)
Book to Be ..."

Great book and book club liked also and some are reading other books in series

Carrie wrote: "Jemima wrote: "Quest Number: 11
Number Rolled: 6
Space Landed on: Marco Polo Parkway on Adventure Alley (Purple 1)
Task to Complete: Read an adventure novel that takes place outside of Europe (Braz..."
Thanks, yes I loved this book.

Quest Number: 12
Number Rolled: 5
Space Landed on: Royalty Road (Light Blue 1) on Biography Boulevard
Task to Complete: Read a biographical fiction novel about a member of a royal family
Book to Be Read: The Girl King by Meg Clothier
Date Finished: 30th May
Historical Details:
Place - Georgia (Kart Empire)
Time - 1177AD
Themes - Women's ability to rule - gender equality, political intrigue

Pages:
Review:
The Girl King by Meg Clothier

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



”Georgia, 1177
For twenty years King Giorgi has defended the throne of his fragile kingdom against all comers. Now on the threshold of old age he faces a grave new threat: he has no son to succeed him. There is only his daughter, Tamar; a clever, indomitable and fearless girl.

When a revolt threatens her life, Tamar is sent to live in the mountains, disguised as a boy, until a devastating betrayal places her in the hands of her enemies. Her courageous escape convinces Giorgi she should be his heir, but the nobles are outraged – no woman will ever rule them.

While her father is alive, Tamar has some protection from the hostile forces that surround her, but once he is dead, she is truly alone. She must find the strength to control the bitterly warring factions at court. She must win the respect of her friends and the fear of her enemies. And she must marry a man of whom the elders approve.

But her heart belongs to a reckless boy from the mountains, and with rebellion brewing at home and powerful foes circling her borders, Tamar must make a terrible choice between the man she loves and the land she adores …”
Book Blurb (Penguin Publishers)


I just finished this as a monthly set read for my HF group...I'm running a running a month behind. Seriously I was excited about this book. On the description what is not to love? A kickass heroine, with a really difficult decision on her hands and medieval There were lots of descriptions of battles, violence and political intrigue. I skim read through the second half. All the parts of the story that I was most excited about were missing. I was keen to learn more about a country I know little of and the customs of the time. I wanted to understand what such a woman and man must have been like to survive such difficult circumstances successfully. There was very little authentic historical feel at all. No deeper descriptions of the country or culture, and the feel of the court etiquette and behaviors of the characters was not at all believable for a novel set at this period in time. The language and mannerisms were entirely modern.

The real Tamor must have been a remarkable woman who married a remarkable man. Neither character seemed anything but childish and easily swayed by divergent advice from dubious sources, in this narrative. The book kept cutting out months or years at a time, right at the places where there might have been some interest in character development or interesting location or deeper cultural explanation. It read a little like a bad modern romantic historical fiction, not a book based on factual, researched evidence. There was a ghoulish amount of gory detail in the wearyingly constant, casual violence and constant battles. My understanding is that the ruling pair were famous for bringing peace, prosperity, religious freedoms, trade and culture to their city. They must have been passionate about these things to have achieved them? Apparently not. I thought the main characters were both pretty bland, immature and sad, especially the would-be hero. I think the author should stick to current affairs and forget writing novels. This was underwhelming. D for disappointingly dreadful.



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 13
Number Rolled: 4
Space Landed on: Landed in Jail!
Task to Complete: Read a book of your choosing with 400+ pages. For every 800 pages read, you earn a get out of jail free card. Mods will help track cards earned.
Book to Be Read: The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley

Date Finished: May 6th
Historical Details:
Places - Greece, Switzerland, England, Norway, Leipzig
Time - 2007, 1938, 1875
Themes - Music and culture, loyalty, family, love, relationships, the sea, Nationalist culture, Intolerance and Nazi anti-Jewish propaganda, security, belonging.

Pages: 700
Review:

The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“I would not creep along the coast but steer
Out in mid-sea, by guidance of the stars." (George Eliot, Middlemarch - Quoted in The Storm Sister)

The second instalment in Lucinda Riley's book series 'The Seven Sisters' is even more compelling and inspiring than the first. Unfortunately, having given 'The Seven Sisters' a five star wrap and rave (which I do not retract), I have given myself no wriggle room at the top. This sequal I absolutely loved, with no reservations.

Second of seven 'Pleiades' sisters, Alcyone - Ally to her friends and family, is in the middle of the happiest time of her life when she receives the news that her beloved adoptive father Pa Salt (Atlas) has died. She returns home to mourn with her sisters and receives a very special and personal letter that her father left for her to read, with the advent of his death. With it, and the personal memoir by someone called Jens Halvorsen, which her father advised her to read, and with the clues written in the form of coordinates on an armillary sphere, which has appeared in the gardens of girls' childhood home, Atlantis, she is given the chance to discover her origins and her personal birth story. She finds out that she comes from somewhere in Norway, which explains her fair skin and red hair.

Ally is ambivalent about the importance of discovering her heritage. She is on the elite team on the yacht, Tigress, soon to race in one of the world's most technically challenging and dangerous races, the 'Fastnet'. Ally is involved in a deeply passionate love affair, promised to the man she loves, who is also the captain of the yacht. In this retelling of aspects of the Pleiades Sisters legend, there are depths of adventure, danger, love, destiny and passionate longing that sing throughout the plot.

Alongside the story of Ally, we are told the story of a young Norwegian country girl. Anna Andersdatter Landvik lives in rural Telemark and tends to the family's farm chores. She is naturally gifted with the voice of an angel, with great purity, musicality and beauty. It is 1875 and Norway is inspired by its Nationalist Movement to explore and celebrate its cultural heritage publicly. When Anna is discovered by a middle aged connoisseur and teacher of music, she is chosen to be trained in singing performance, in order to represent the true culture and beauty of the 'Real Norway' through music and performance. She is given the opportunity to voice the character Solveig's songs from the wings in the newly finished "Peer Gynt", written by current famous Norwegian artists, poet and writer Henrik Ibsen and composer Edvard Grieg.

Although the gift of living in luxurious circumstances and being provided for every physical and educational want, Anna finds more and more that she feels like a trapped bird in a jewelled cage. Her protector and teacher, the wealthy Herr Bayer is endlessly kind and considerate, but Anna begins to suspect that more will be required of her than was at first explained. A budding composer, violinist and flautist, Jens Halvorsen, may offer her a chance of freedom, if she chooses to surrender to his pursuit of her. But this would force her to choose between the fame and fortune and comfortable existence, and an uncertain future with the man she is coming to love. In many ways, the story of Anna reminds me of how the child Heidi felt (Heidi), when she was taken from her mountain home to be given an education and many privileges, for which she must be grateful, despite her longing for home and the many restrictions placed upon her.
In some mysterious way, the stories of the women Anna and Ally are related, according to the clues left behind by Pa Salt. There is also a clue that the composer Edvard Grieg is in some way wrapped up in the saga. Later we hear more of the Halvorsen family and their relatives.

The story is a voyage of discovery, through calm seas and tempests, worthy of a true daughter of the sea. It starts in the islands of Greece, moves to Switzerland, then England, then through many parts of Norway, with a short stop over in Leipzig, during the tempestuous days leading up to the outbreak of WW2. The characters in the three interwoven narratives are fully fledged and complex. There is a strong sense at the end of the current saga, that Ally D'Apliese (Pleiades) life story is really only just beginning, not ending, as the series continues, with clues to the next sister Star's story dotted in many parts of the narrative. I'm very excited to go on to read the next instalment The Shadow Sister later this month.



View all my reviews

Excellent series. I started with the Seven Sisters

Carrie wrote: "Excellent series. I started with the Seven Sisters"

Yes I'm loving it. I read book 1 last month.

Quest Number: 14
Number Rolled: 6
Space Landed on: As We Know it Ave. on Alternate Road (Orange 1)

Task to Complete: Read a historical fiction novel where the outcome of a battle is different from what we know (Napoleon wins at Waterloo, Duke William doesn’t win, etc.
In this case, the outcome of the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 between the Mongols and the Mamlukes was the catalyst for an alternative historical fiction.
Book to Be Read: Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook
Date Finished: June 21st
Historical Details:
Place - Alternative history Arabia, Africa, Italy, Sweden
Time - Victorian period
Themes - Equality, partnership in relationships, respect, honour, responsibility, revolutions and political power, love founded on respect and attraction.

Pages: 311

Review:

Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Heart of Steel was a dramatic improvement for me on my only other previously read book by Meljean Brook, 'The Iron Duke'. In my review of this I was very admiring of the complex and original world building and so sad that a great plot and premise should be so spoiled by difficult and insensitive writing and subject matter. I ummed and ahhed whether to read the next in the series after such a disappointment, but the concurrence of needing to find an alternate history novel for a reading challenge, and the encouragement of others that the second in the series was a great improvement on the first. After a careful scrutiny of non spoiled reviews, I took the plunge.

The writing of the characters in this book are dramatically and staggeringly better. Yasmeen, alias Lady Corsair is one of the toughest, most forthright daredevil women I have ever read about. The last thing she needs in life is a man. She is capable of caring effectively for herself and defending herself and her crew against any threat, and she does not respond positively to threats. She truly is 'The cat who walked alone'.

However in this story, we find that Archimedes Fox is more than a match for her on the scales of courage, grit, daring and determination. He also learns from his mistakes and is not dumb enough to think he can ever win a place in this lady's life with threats, tricks or force. He sees her as an equal and the importance of acknowledging her as such at all times. The other improvement is the interesting and poignant backstory that is slowly wound out throughout the pages, giving some credence and solidity to otherwise unbelievably courageous characters, who truly complement each other.

The world building remains superb, the plot is tighter and more interesting. The tale was truly swashbuckling. However, in order to pull my two stars up to a three or even a four, I must again protest the use of language which I consider unnecessarily coarse, although far less so than in the prequel. I am also entirely uninspired by the cover art. Seriously.




View all my reviews

Quest Number: 15
Number Rolled: 3
Space Landed on: Never Happening Road on Alternate Avenue (Orange 3)
Task to Complete: Never Happened Road
- Read an alternate historical fiction where a well-known ruler, military official, or other leader, never gets a chance to lead:
I'm falling back on the only alternative history series I have to hand at the moment. Hoping the follow up is much better than book 1. I liked book 2 so hopefully (fingers crossed)
Book to Be Read: Mina Wentworth and the Invisible City by Meljean Brook
Date Finished: 6th July
Historical Details:
Place - London
Time - Victorian Alternative History
Themes - Detective fiction, love and coping with a loved one who works a dangerous job, child welfare, the introduction of machines to replace people and ethics.

Pages: 104 - A novella
Review: Soon to come.

Quest Number: 16
Number Rolled: 4
Space Landed on: Magic Street on Fantasy Freeway (Red 2)
Task to Complete: Read a historical fiction fantasy that is a retelling of a myth or fairy tale
Book to Be Read: A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James
Date Finished: July 19th
Historical Details:
Place - Rural England
Time - Supposedly Regency, but really could be anywhere from 1780-1880
Themes - Cinderella retelling, choices, loyalty, love, marriage and women's choices

Pages: 304
Review:
A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



‘You are dangerous,’ she said slowly. His smile told her that she’d said the wrong thing, fed that monumental self-conceit again. ‘Princes,’ she said with a sigh. ‘I suppose you do have some usefulness after all.’ That stung, and she noted it with satisfaction because her knees were trembling ‘No,’ he said, a bit harshly. ‘I have little utility, I assure you.'


Based on the good-old-comfy-like-eating-chocolate fairy tale, 'Cinderella', 'A Kiss at Midnight' is a more modern retelling set (according to the author) sometime in the Regency era around 1813. Maybe from a political viewpoint that time setting could be true, although politics play no important role in this tale. From descriptions of costume, manners and speech, the whole is a mismatch of 18th and 19th century society, with no real relevance to an actual period of time. This aside, the plot is amusing, the heroine is no downtrodden slave, but choses to tolerate the role of 'Cinderella' for the sake of the people she loves. She is more than capable of telling her stepmother exactly what she thinks of her and her machinations. The 'Ugly Stepsister' is actually a sweet and silly beauty who holds her sister Kate in deep affection and who has an abiding loyalty and love for her fiance Algie. I deeply enjoyed the various characters depicted in this story, where none of the traditional roles and personalities of the original fairy tale are held to, resulting in one never quite being sure how the whole thing will turn out for the best. I think my favourite characters of all would have to be the 'Rats'. The handsome prince needs a good kick at times, but thanks to his ever faithful and truthful half brother, Wick, who doubles as a butler, he receives these on a regular enough basis to start pulling him into line. A thoroughly enjoyable retelling of a treasured tale.
P.S. Wick is my favourite character and I am delighted to discover that he has been given a story of his own the form of a novella, which I have downloaded on my Kindle for a rainy day when a cheer-up book is required, stat.



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 17
Number Rolled: 6
Space Landed on: Timeless Trail on Time to Change to Classic Circle (Yellow 3)
Task to Complete: Timeless Trail
- Read any historical fiction novel that you think should be considered a classic (re-reads are allowed)
-Read any historical fiction novel by one of the following authors (re-reads are allowed but new authors/books are encouraged):
Choice: Georgette Heyer and fits Tag 1 also.
Book to Be Read: A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer
Date Finished: August 17th
Historical Details:
Place - England (London and Lincolnshire)
Time - 1812-1815 (from after the Battle of Salamanca to after the Battle of Waterloo)
Themes - War and the financial impact on economy, Money and providence, rebuilding, values of family obligation over choices of personal happiness, looking beneath the surface of beauty to the character beneath, the deep happiness of contentment based on mutual respect and friendship vs the fleeting of attraction. loyalty.

Pages: 375
Review:
5 Stars A reread of a favourite author of mine. I hated this book when I was younger for its lack of pie in the sky, happily ever after romance. The strong injection of reality and practicality and maybe-love, based on learned respect and friendship, despite the glaring flaws in both hero and heroine was not one I was able to embrace in my teens. Younger me missed the beauty and depths of the characters - portrayed against the dramatic background of the Napoleonic wars. I absolutely love this book now.

Quest Number: 18
Number Rolled: 4
Space Landed on: Community Chest
Task to Complete: Community Chest
-Have a moderator pick a historical fiction novel for you based on your TBR
Book to Be Read: Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
Date Finished: October 12th
Historical Details:
Place - Egypt (Memphis, Thebes, Armana
Time - 1351-1330 BCE
Themes - Sisters, Religion and culture, absolute monarchy and its problems, family and belonging to royalty, duty, finding your own path, personal values and choices, love.

Pages: 463

Review:
I’m off grid so a brief mobile app update is all I can manage. A 4 Star read for me. I knew very little about actual culture and life in Ancient Egypt. I learned so much. Did heaps of extra looking up and learning as I went. This was a pleasant journey into another world, told from the perspective of Nefertiti’s younger sister and so avoiding the first person biographical style of Historical Fiction that I loathe. It is much nicer to get a balanced viewpoint from the outside perspective of a legend like Nefertiti. It allows you to make up your own mind, I encumbered by strong author bias. I would read other Michelle Moran books, I will be looking at what is available. Her understanding of Ancient Egypt is brilliant, her word painting of the world absorbing.

Like the idea of a Hist Fic monopoly.

Curt wrote: "Like the idea of a Hist Fic monopoly."

It's great fun, Curt, like a lucky dip and challenges you to try new things. Self paced as well. Start your own personal thread if you want to join in on the previous list.

Quest Number: 19
Number Rolled: 4
Space Landed on: Family Matters Row on Saga Street (Dark Blue 1)
Task to Complete:
Read any historical fiction saga about an American Family
Book to Be Read: The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin
Date Finished: November 4th
Historical Details:
Place - U.S. America: NY then Hollywood
Time - 1914-1969
Themes - Women in leadership roles, Female Inequality, Poverty and overcoming, Fame and Fortune, The Problems with Paparazzi, Film as an art for, Silent Films, Use of Film as a political tool and cultural persuader, women's friendship, love and jealousy, war.

Pages: 448
Review:
The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, well researched and I feel, treated the two main female characters with both a sensitivity and hard realism that convinces as an authentic portrayal of two women who dared to lead in a time and place when power was supposed to belong only to the male of the species. In a time when the 'casting couch' was a reality of and survival and success in Hollywood, not a euphemism, two women of disparate background stepped into the limelight of American History at the very dawn of movie making, the era of Silent Movies.

Mary Pickford, Canadian immigrant is determined from her childhood to find a way out of her hardscrabble existence and to provide for her mother and two younger siblings by her success as an actor. In May 1909, she appears in her first silent, split reel D.W. Griffith film "Two Memories". Her determined rise to fame as America's little sweetheart was accomplished not by a lucky break, but by years of dogged and gritty hard work, planning, struggle and overcoming. Melanie Benjamin's portrayal of the scars Mary carried lifelong due to her early burden of family survival, of the girl who portrayed America's favourite child on the screen, despite never experiencing her own childhood and whom the public was determined to never see grow up, was both realistic and sensitive. Mary's failure to adapt successfully to the 'Talkies' had more to do with public and private perception and resistance, than lack of talent. Despite her personal belief of ultimate failure, Mary Pickford stands as the first woman to not only produce and act successfully in her own films, but also as a hard headed, intelligent woman of business who dared to stand amongst the greats, co-owning and running her own film production company (United Artists) at the dawn of Hollywood.

Lifelong friend of Mary Pickford and the woman who received her first big break in the industry at Mary's hands, this book also covers the life of film writer and producer Frances Marion. Frances was the first film writer (male or female) to win two Academy Awards and is credited with writing 300 scripts and over 130 produced films during her productive lifetime. Frances is a very different character to Mary, unwilling to share the limelight in from of the camera and a talented graphic artist, she chose to explore the emerging medium of film to portray her imaginative conceptions.

'The Girls in the Picture' is narrated by both Mary and Frances, giving voice and view point perspective to this era of American History from two very different women, who shared many of the same challenges, but often chose to meet them in very different ways. It is a story of both triumph and tragedy, gain and loss, hope and despair. I was inspired to further research these fascinating women's lives and the people that they shared their lives with. I was also inspired to watch some of the silent films that these women created: "A Little Princess" (1917), "Poor Little Rich Girl" (1917) "Daddy Long Legs" (1919) and "The Love Light" (1921). I thoroughly enjoyed my education of an era in American history that I had little prior knowledge of.



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 20
Number Rolled: 1
Space Landed on: Luxury Tax
Task to Complete: Take the number of pages read in your last book and add 15%. Read a historical fiction novel with 15% more pages. Last book is The Texan's Wager by Jodi Thomas(336 pages + 15% =387 Pages)
Book to Be Read: The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna by C.W. Gortner (427 pages)
Date Finished: 11th November
Historical Details:
Place - Russia (Saint Petersberg, Moscow, Gatchina, Tver, Crimea, The Caucasus), Copenhagen, Fredensborg, Nice, London
Time - 1862-1918
Themes -
War, revolution, political ideals, absolute monarchy, religion and politics, political influences, children, mourning, family, terrorism, superstition and mysticism.
Pages: 427
Review:

The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna by C.W. Gortner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a fascinating and well researched historical fiction that brings to vibrant life a strong and passionate woman, born Dagmar of Denmark, a princess who married the man who became Tsar of Russia, Alexander III. She is a woman I have never heard positive words of before, my understanding prior to this being based on Queen Victoria and her family's point of view and prejudices. She is bossy, arrogant and forceful and even manipulative and vain at times, but she brought to Russia a passionate heart and a willingness to embrace her adopted country, its citizens and culture, that she did not willingly forsake. Covering the turbulent years from 1862 to 1918, Minnie (as she was known to her family) becomes first Tsarevna of Russia, daughter in law to Tsar Alexander II, then Tsarina (Empress) of all the Russias (after the assasination of Tsar Alexander II) and finally Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, mother of Tsar Nicholas II.

Minnie famously opposed the courtship and marriage of her son Nicholas to the Princess Alexandra of Hesse (Alix), favourite granddaughter of Queen Victoria, on the grounds that she was temperamentally wholly unsuitable to the exigent role of Tsarina and well as being physically delicate and emotionally dependant. As these were probably the precise traits that appealed to her son Nicholas (who endured a childhood being alternatively coddled and controlled by Minnie and reprimanded and criticised by his father) it is not surprising that in this famously interdependent relationship, Nicholas finally found the strength to break free of his mother's will.

Thrown wholly unprepared into the role of Tsar, with a similarly unprepared Tsarina by his side, Nicholas made many serious errors that cost the lives of thousands of Russians within his first few years, alternatively influenced by one strong family member after another: his powerful uncles, his mother and finally and most dangerously, by his disaffected wife. Minnie played her own part in making the new Tsarina's introduction to her new country incredibly difficult and Alix openly showed her disdain for all things Russian, further isolating herself and her husband and children from Russian society. The most dangerous game that she played for power was through the person of the degenerate mystic Rasputin, who not only influenced every aspect of the lives of the Tsarina's family, but also began to dabble in influential politics...a very dangerous game.

I feel I have a much deeper understanding of how the complex politics and personalities as well as choices made by the Romanov family all contributed to the hell which resulted in the lives of millions of Russians lost in revolution and its aftermaths, as well as the terrible fates of Nicholas and Alix with all of their children, as well as a number of the other Romanovs. C.W. Gortner brought this complex period of time to me so vividly that I felt I made the journey through Russia at Minnie's side. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wishes to delve deeper into the history of this amazing woman and her highly interesting family.



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 21
Number Rolled: 3
Space Landed on: Marco Polo Parkway on Adventure Alley (Purple 1)
Task to Complete: Read an adventure novel where the main character goes on a long journey over land
Book to Be Read: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee
Date Finished:
Historical Details:
Place - Victorian London
Time - mid 1800s?
Themes - Female emancipation and plight, justice system, mixed racial prejudice, Lascars in England
Pages: 335
Review:

A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



’At the ripe age of twelve, Mary Lang thinks she’s seen it all. As an orphan in Victorian England, Mary has known little other than poverty and misery, and when she’s sentenced to hang for the crime of housebreaking, she almost welcomes death. But Mary is miraculously whisked away from the gallows to Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls. The Academy provides free education and the prospect of a decent livelihood to promising girls, and Mary’s intelligence and spirit have deemed her worthy of rescue.

But Miss Scrimshaw’s doesn’t just produce governesses and companions. The Academy is in fact The Agency — a secret organization of female investigators who use the prevailing stereotypes of weak, helpless women as the perfect cover for their work. Now seventeen, Mary jumps at the chance to join the Agency. After learning code-cracking, lock-picking, pugilism, and more, Mary is ready for her first assignment: to investigate a shipping merchant suspected of smuggling antiques from India. Henry Thorold is a connected with the East India Company and the Far East Trading Company, and his daughter Angelica needs a companion. Enter Mary, now calling herself Mary Quinn.

But what should be a routine investigation is complicated by Angelica’s hostility, and by the opinionated James Easton’s interference in Mary’s activities. And when the trail leads to a refuge for retired Lascars (Asian sailors), Mary finds unforeseen danger. Secrets she’s guarded since her childhood threaten to unravel; the truth would lead to her undoing in London society. Solving the mystery of Thorold’s activities will take all of Mary’s considerable wit and courage — and discretion.’

Niranjana’s excellent summary of the book...I couldn’t do better if I tried and frankly...I don’t really want to. https://niranjana.wordpress.com/2011/...

I was very conflicted by this book....there were some unique and excellent points, let down by some serious difficulties. Keeping in mind that it is a debut novel, maybe many of these can be explained by lack of author experience. I am still struggling with my rating between 2 and 3 stars. Maybe I will sit with it a little longer before finally deciding.

Good points: excellently researched historical fiction plot based on little known and rarely related facts of colonial abuses and difficult lives of ‘Lascar’ (Chinese, Indian, African, Middle East, South-East and Asian Minor) sailors who served British interests during these times and were subjected to serious abuses, injustices, discriminations and inequalities. The ships the Lascars sailed in were overloaded and poorly serviced, ships that few British native sailors would serve in and were called ‘coffin ships’ because of their reputation for sinking at sea with all hands. In the character of Mary Lang, Lee delves deeper into the lives of those sailors and their families, particularly the ones who married Irish or English women (who were treated as local pariahs) and settled their multiracial families in English ports. Lee also investigates the Lascar house and the growing Victorian conscience amongst some members of society of the cruel injustices faced by the Lascars, and attempts to provide some aid for the Lascars and their families, particularly in the form of Lascar House- a refuge for the destitute. I also applaud Lee’s portrayal of a deeply conflicted, mixed racial woman, trying to find a way out of her destitution in a way that was sustainable but might be a betrayal to her heritage as she manages to ‘pass’ as a white woman in society.

Not so good points: pacing was the biggest issue and also time jumping. There were periods of time glossed over and not explored that one was expecting to learn more about as they seemed to be introduced as themes but then never portrayed. There were also uncomfortable gaps in continuity which were uneven and felt arbitrary. Pacing was very uneven...periods of boredom were interspersed with sections of great interest that seemed cut off all too quickly. The denouement was both entirely predictable to me and a slap in the face, the revelation was so abrupt. My personal feeling is that if the story had been told in a format other than a spy mystery (leaving out the entire agency plot that was very undeveloped anyway, along with the nighttime investigations which added nothing to the mystery plot information) this may have been an excellent novel. The character development was really good and there were some extremely attractive moments of humour and exposition between the main two characters, the male and female leads. Secondary characters were also well developed and highly interesting.



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 22
Number Rolled: 6
Space Landed on: Chance (1st Quarter)
Task to Complete: Randomize your TBR - Read the first historical fiction book on the list
Book to Be Read: The Irish Princess by Elizabeth Chadwick
Date Finished: 6th December
Historical Details:
Place - Leinster and Dublin Ireland, Wales
Time - 1152 - 1180
Themes - War, role of women, the strength and intelligence of women, Fathers and their relationships with their children, Family, King Henry II, War and brutality, the Irish ancestry.

Pages: 400
Review:
The Irish Princess by Elizabeth Chadwick

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



'Aoife MacMurchada is just 14 years old when her father Diarmit, King of Leinster, is brutally deposed, and her family is forced to flee Southern Ireland into English exile. Diarmit seeks help from King Henry II, an alliance that leads him to the charismatic Richard de Clare, lord of Striguil, a man dissatisfied with his lot and open to new horizons.

Diarmit promises Richard wealth, lands, and Aoife's hand in marriage in return for his aid, but Aoife, has her own thoughts on the matter. She may be a prize, but she is not a pawn and she will play the game to her own advantage.

From the royal halls of scheming kings, to staunch Welsh border fortresses and across storm-tossed seas to the wild green kingdoms of Ireland, The Irish Princess is a sumptuous, journey of ambition and desire, love and loss, heartbreak and survival.'

https://elizabethchadwick.com/the-iri...#

The story of Aoife MacMurchada is a fascinating tale of a wild, intelligent daughter, a princess of a dispossessed and vengeful King who learns at a young age how to use her wits and cunning and every womanly charm and virtue to plow a path through a life in which her choice is limited to the decisions and dictates of first her father, her husband and finally her sister in law's husband and the King himself. Under Irish law, she has the right of refusal, but as Ireland comes under the sway and conquering of an English (Norman) King, even that is a privilege that will ultimately be denied her. Refusing to bow to this, she finds and acts in ways that will ensure the lives and succession of her children.

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical fiction based on the family which introduced the Norman conquering armies to Ireland, and thrilled to the fact that they were ever as hard to subdue to the will of an overlord as now. The wild Irish spirit stands strong in this epic tale. I found the bloodthirstiness of the Leister King more than a little difficult to stomach, although the author included the stories because their source seemed authentic. Certainly I am no lover of the graphic seeming violence that books about this medieval era seem to abound in, one can only assume that life and honour were held cheap and codes of honour in battle were as unlikely to be kept then as now. The difference is that in those days, they were not whitewashed in the heroic terms that became more fashionable as the Renaissance loomed. There were also interesting interplays between church and state described and a good depiction of the complex, ever changing politics of the 12th Century, where might was right.

I would be extremely keen to read more of Elizabeth Chadwick's stories of people related to those in this story. I believe there is a good historical fiction of the story of William Marshall, married to Aoife and Richard's daughter, Isabella, as well as Chronicles of Elinor of Aquitaine, Henry II's wife, who briefly cameos here.



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 23
Number Rolled: 6
Space Landed on: Deduction Drive on Mystery Midway (Pink 2)
Task to Complete:
- Read a historical fiction mystery novel where the protagonist’s profession is policeman/detective
Book to Be Read: Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
Date Finished: February 3rd
Historical Details:
Place - Egypt, below Memphis
Time - 2000BCE
Themes - jealousy, Egyptian traditions, Superstitions, The role of Men vs Women, Coming of age - self determination

Pages: 277 Pages
Review:

Coming soon

Quest Number: 24
Number Rolled: 2
Space Landed on: Pennsylvania Railroad
Task to Complete: Read a historical fiction novel featuring a non-royal leader
Book to Be Read: A Woman in Arabia: The Writings of the Queen of the Desert
Date Finished: March 6th
Historical Details:
Place - England & Middle East, various locations including Syria, Iran and Iraq and other countries of the desert region.
Time - 1868-1926
Themes - Women, war, cross cultural complexities, recognition, adventures, desert tribal cultures

Pages: 320
Review:
A Woman in Arabia: The Writings of the Queen of the Desert by Gertrude Bell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


My preface about Gertrude Bell when reviewing 'Bell of the Desert' by Alan Gold. I don't believe I can improve on my comprehensive introduction to the woman:


'Gertrude Bell was born into a life of privilege in upper class English society, formerly presented to Queen Victoria as a debutante. Fortunately for us, she was a woman born out of her time, with brains, courage and ability; qualities that were not admired in the person of a women during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Seeking adventure and a life outside of the restricted social sphere of London society, she travelled the world and during those travels, started a lifelong love affair with the world known as Mesopotamia and Arabia and its peoples. She spoke fluent Arabic, Persian, French, German, Italian and Turkish and deeply understood the differing cultures, customs and thinkings of the many diverse tribes of the many peoples who lived in this land, holding a lifelong dream to somehow help them to unite and self administer themselves under a democratic style government. Through this attainment, she hoped that they might find peace and personal freedom for themselves and also be educated and enlightened to finally begin to treat the women of their families as equals instead of discardable possessions.

Brilliant Oxford scholar, mountaineer, authoritative archeologist, diplomat, advisor and spy in Arabia for the the British Government before, during and after World War I, Gertrude Bell was responsible for determining the boundaries of modern day Iraq and setting out the procedure for finally granting independence to its government under King Faisal in a constitutional monarchy. She was accepted as an honorary man in her many counsels with Arabic and Islamic leaders, who could not otherwise have spoken directly with her. She was the chief advisor on the customs and interpretation of political interactions for the British Government and advisor for the mapping out of the previously unknown desert tribal lands during the outbreak of WWI. She was also the brains, friend and primary advisor behind the famous figurehead, the legendary 'Lawrence of Arabia'.


This collection of letter, military dispatches, diary entries and other writings is an editor's attempt to reduce some sixteen thousand letters, sixteen diaries, seven notebooks and forty-four packets of miscellaneous material that Gertrude Bell produced in her lifetime, in order to document a life that seems too full of world-changing feats, to have happened in one solitary woman's life. In order to bring this to a readable and cohesive biography, the editor Georgina Howell chose to break Gertrude's life into sectional themes in order to represent the facets of what she felt best described the person who was Gertrude Bell. As a result, in this book her life is divided up into sections titled: 'The Linguist', 'The Poet', 'The Person', 'The Mountaineer', 'The Archeologist', 'The Desert Traveler', 'The Lover', 'The Prisoner', 'The War Worker', 'The Intrusives', 'The Nation Builder', 'The King Maker' and 'The Courtier'. While this list of titles used to describe any one person's life is absolutely mind boggling and all titles were certainly facets of Gertrude's life, perhaps the most remarkable aspect is that we are talking about a woman who lived, unmarried and making her own way in life during the late 19th and early 20th Century (1868-1926).

I was not a fan of this style of organising Gertrude's writings. To me it sectionalised Gertrude's life too much and made it difficult to follow the time line of events that both influenced her life and which she also influenced. It also fragmented her voice too much and made it difficult to connect with her as a person. Frequently I found myself completely confused about which decade I was in, and it also resulted in multiple portrayals of the same events and people from different angles which felt capricious to me. However, the joy of hearing Gertrude's own words, of hearing her speak for herself from her own point of view in beautiful, witty, snarky or poetical prose made the pursuit of finishing this book worthwhile. I would like to read more about Gertrude Bell, in her own words, in a more conventional collection of her writings, less edited and therefore less subjective. I do not wish to listen to another person's explanation of a woman who is so indubitably able to speak for herself and in more expressive and articulate language than any editor could possess.

I would like to add a sample of Gertrude's writing here to illustrate my point:

"..the holy men sat in an atmosphere reeking of antiquity, so thick with the dust of ages that you can't see through it--nor can they."

“Sunshine - sunshine! tedious, changeless, monotonous. Not that discreet English Sunshine which varies its charm with clouds, with rainbows, with golden mist... here the sun has ceased trying to please so venerable a world.”

― Gertrude Bell, Persian Pictures: From the Mountains to the Sea

If any further persuasion is needed, the beautifully translated Poems From the Divan of Hafiz (Poems from the Divan of Hafiz) by Gertrude Lowithian Bell will speak for themselves as to her eloquence and expertise with written words.



View all my reviews

Quest Number: 25
Number Rolled: 4
Space Landed on: Never Happened Road (Alternative Fiction Orange 3)
Task to Complete: Read an alternate historical fiction where a well-known ruler, military official, or other leader, never gets a chance to lead

Napoleon - Wellington Battle of Waterloo, alternative ending
Book to Be Read: False Lights by K.J. Whittaker
Date Finished:
Historical Details:
Place -
Time -
Themes -

Pages:
Review:

Quest Number:
Number Rolled:
Space Landed on:
Task to Complete:
Book to Be Read:
Date Finished:
Historical Details:
Place -
Time -
Themes -

Pages:
Review: