Not as strong as 'Courts of Love', but still an entertaining read in some parts. It's not hard to feel sorry for Catherine, especially since the real-Not as strong as 'Courts of Love', but still an entertaining read in some parts. It's not hard to feel sorry for Catherine, especially since the real-life Catherine of Valois did have a lot of shit to deal with and not much freedom given her position and the bad feelings between England and France.
It's curious to think that while her son Henry VI might have not been a good king (not because he was a bad man, but because, from what I have read, he seemed like he would have been happier as a middle-class man instead of dealing with all the stresses of a ruler) her grandson from her union with Owen ended up being the ruler of England, so through Catherine, every British monarch after Henry VII is descended from her....more
The idea of this story intrigued me and was what drew me to it in the first place.
However, the story, and stories were just... not framed well. There The idea of this story intrigued me and was what drew me to it in the first place.
However, the story, and stories were just... not framed well. There was so much potential for this kind of story, but then not every classic book I come across ages well.
This is a relatively brief read compared to some of the other history books I've read (about 200 pages, with a good amount of pictures, some of them fThis is a relatively brief read compared to some of the other history books I've read (about 200 pages, with a good amount of pictures, some of them full-page) but it's a decent read on Late Antiquity/what used to be called the Dark Ages.
In elementary school, I remember being taught about the 3 great civilizations of the ancient world - Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and how after Rome fell, the West fell into the Dark Ages OMG OH NOEZ.
Nothing was said about Byzantium/the Eastern Roman Empire. I did learn about Byzantium later on, and wanted to read a history book about this era. This book came up when I was looking for history books focusing on this era, and I enjoyed it, but fair warning it is somewhat dated as this book was published in 1971.
There's useful information in the back of this book including several timelines, but as this book is now over 50 years old, I would love to see an updated edition....more
This is my first Jane Austen book. I didn't even know that it was one of her first books, I just grabbed the first Austen book in my TBR pile and learThis is my first Jane Austen book. I didn't even know that it was one of her first books, I just grabbed the first Austen book in my TBR pile and learned from the foreword that even though this book was published after her death, it was among her earliest work.
Cool.
So my first Austen read is appropriately an early work. Which is a good place to start, I guess. I will admit that 19th-century lit is not my thing. But as a history buff, old books do hold an interest for me, as a window into what life was like in that period, and I can say that I am glad I live in the 21st century, as a woman.
This book is a bit slim (211 pages in my pocket paperback edition) and the mystery that is mentioned in the synopsis is really just a small part of the book. I enjoyed the writing. It could get a bit wordy at times, but as someone who's read a fair share of 18th/19th century lit, that's pretty normal, so no biggie. As far as the story goes, also fairly typical of its time.
I will say that I was given a glimpse into why Austen is so highly-regarded, there are indeed clever descriptions and observations in here, and it does leave me eager to read more of her works - I have Pride & Prejudice and a couple of her other books in my pile. I will definitely be reading one of those soon. 4.5/5 stars....more
After reading this book, I can say one thing - I am so glad to not have lived in this period. the 19th century, which advancing in various things inclAfter reading this book, I can say one thing - I am so glad to not have lived in this period. the 19th century, which advancing in various things including science and literature, was SO fucking backwards in many other aspects, especially womens' rights! Or the rights of illegitimate children for that matter, so to be a bastard female was a double-whammy, as the story shows.
So much of what Magdalen had done could be avoided if not for the laws back then that nowadays seem so fucking archaic. The ending is clche/cheesy as is true of many works of 19th-century British lit, but the novel is nonetheless enjoyable....more
M.M. Strawberry
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