This is a dual-timeline novel set in the modern day and in 1645, in the same old house in Norfolk. The novel starts off with Adrienna moving into the This is a dual-timeline novel set in the modern day and in 1645, in the same old house in Norfolk. The novel starts off with Adrienna moving into the house which she is renting from the current owner, and it switches between the present and the English Civil War setting where Ursula lives alone in the cottage. Ursula has painstakingly built a life for herself as a wise woman, midwife and palm reader, following the death of her mother at the hands of her abusive father and his hurried departure to escape being hanged for murder. Unfortunately his behaviour towards his wife is the norm: Ursula often has to patch up women who have been brutally beaten by their husbands, and there are only a couple of men in the village who don't hit their wives. Because of this, Ursula vowed from a young age never to marry or have any involvement with men.
In the present, Adrienna is taking six months sabbatical after burning out at her high-powered city job and losing confidence in her abilities. She finds Ursula's journal secreted under the floor of a built-in cupboard and sets about transcribing it, gradually drawn into the mystery it presents, especially since she sometimes senses a presence in the cottage. She begins researching the house and the period covered by the journal, and makes discoveries on the land behind the cottage, with the help of Jess, a young woman in the village who is studying archaeology. Meanwhile, her boyfriend, who is living in her London flat, raises red flags from the very beginning.
In 1646, Ursula's quiet life of healing and contemplation is plunged into peril by the arrival of a doctor who desires her and won't take no for an answer. When Ursula refuses to become his mistress - he has abandoned a sick wife and two children, as his sister informs her - he uses his position as a social superior to frame her for witchcraft. A seagull which keeps coming to the cottage is taken as evidence against her, since it is labelled Ursula's familiar spirit. Her situation becomes grim indeed, with the involvement of the notorious Matthew Hopkins and his assistant John Stearne, who were responsible for many executions in Essex and Suffolk in the period.
I enjoyed the story but a few things held it back from a full rating. Firstly, having seen a few old manuscripts, I found it very difficult to believe that someone could read the handwriting of that time without any training. Secondly, there were references to a witchcraft case where a woman was burned in King's Lynn. I looked up the case after I finished the book and it turns out that there is a tradition of this happening, but I think it is probably a legend that grew up later - there isn't any official documentation (frequently the case with old trials) and hanging was the penalty for witchcraft in England in the early modern period when it began to be taken more seriously. (In medieval times, it was usually punished with fines etc.) The only crimes for which burning was specified were heresy and petit aka petty treason (where a woman was accused of killing her husband or a servant of killing their master). It did make me lose some confidence in the writer's knowledge of the period despite her grounding in the other elements - herbal remedies, conditions in jail and so on - which did accord with history books I'd read. There's enough confusion among the general public about witch burnings as it is - they were routine in Scotland and on the Continent but not the penalty in England - so it's a shame she chose to mention this case at all.
Another oddity was the description of the herring gull in both timelines (one also hangs around the cottage in the present day) as speckled - only an immature gull would have that appearance. An adult bird is white with grey wings/back.
The other main irritation I had was with the modern day character who was being very obviously gaslighted by her awful boyfriend but making repeated excuses for him until late in the book. I was pleased though that the timeline in the past had a more hopeful ending, even if it was rather unlikely. One point left unresolved for me though was the country from which Ursula's mother originated: there were lots of references to her coming from abroad but it was never made clear where from and I would have liked to know. Altogether, I would rate this at 3 stars....more
I was first attracted to the gorgeous cover of this edition of the book with the blue colour scheme and couple of starlings perched on railings with BI was first attracted to the gorgeous cover of this edition of the book with the blue colour scheme and couple of starlings perched on railings with Big Ben in the background. Perhaps that's where the first anachronism crept in: the railings in London and other places were melted down for scrap for the war effort, more of a morale-boosting exercise than anything else but I doubted there would be railings standing. I also found it unconvincing that a single woman (two it transpired) could obtain access to a Dutch cap, the only form of contraceptive for women at the time, because they were strictly controlled and allowed only to married women to 'limit' their families. However, there is an attempt much later in the book to explain this, and I suppose it might be possible for someone well off and with connections (although the main character is cut off from the source of wealth so I do still wonder).
Anyway, I enjoyed the beginning with the scene setting of twenty-year-old Charlotte aka Lotte, working as a typist at a government ministry and living in a bed-and-breakfast during the first bombings of the Blitz in 1940. The landlady and fellow lodger are nicely sketched: at first it seemed the title of the book (never explained) referred to the landlady wanting to have the radio on during the bombing, but in fact it ended up switched off due to the power fluctuations - no battery powered transistor radios in those days!
Lotte, it is gradually revealed, was committed to a mental hospital in her late teens (eventually hinted as due to 'promiscuity', though given her family background this is likely to be a pretext or exaggeration at least). Lotte is from a privileged and wealthy background - her father is a government minister - but spent most of her childhood at boarding schools. Her mother died and her father remarried. She was close to her brother (despite not being at home much so I'm not sure how that was possible), but he recently died fighting in France. Her older sister is cold and unsympathetic and instrumental during the story in implementing the father's coercive plan (trying to avoid spoilers). She has one close friend but that person is distant at the beginning of the story and her death, apparently in a bombing raid, sets Charlotte off on an investigation that imperils her own safety. She is haunted by her friend, hears her voice and ends up hearing voices of other women who come to similar ends. This leads her to constructing an elaborate theory that may or may not be true, but which means she is too much of a 'nuisance' to her family.
The beginning was promising and as a 'normal' novel about the vicissitudes of the Blitz could have been enjoyable. However it became bogged down straddling too many genres which included historical fiction, thriller, spy novel, romance, and a hard-hitting look at how mental illness was dealt with in the past. It ended up not succeeding particularly at any. I'll include a content warning for the sequence involving involuntary incarceration and 'treatment' with insulin shock (which preceded the introduction of electroconvulsive therapy). This was pretty grim reading and may be particular upsetting for some readers. After this, the novel veers off into spy thriller because the person who comes to the rescue wasn't the one I expected: if it had been the character with whom a romance was being kindled, it would have been more satisfying and less likely to lead the whole thing off into such an unconvincing tangent.
The late development into spy novel for me caused the book to become 'top heavy' and I wasn't clear about the eventual revelation about the real reason for her friend's death. Was the identity of the man involved meant to be taken seriously by the reader, or was it just another wild theory of Lotte's? Looking at other reviews now, it seems that some readers have assumed it is literal. In any case, I found the backstory of the father and godmother unconvincing and veering into the farcical, especially the fate supposedly being arranged for her father (though convenient for Lotte). So it ended up being rather a disappointment and I can only rate it at 3 stars for the parts I did enjoy....more
This book takes for its inspiration the witchcraft trials in Norway during 1662-63, in which (as the afterword explains) eighteen women were burned anThis book takes for its inspiration the witchcraft trials in Norway during 1662-63, in which (as the afterword explains) eighteen women were burned and two were tortured to death. It is told from two viewpoints: the third person one of Ingeborg, eldest daughter of one of the accused, and Anna, the one-time secret mistress of a prince who has become King of Norway. He has exiled her to the prison fortress on the island of Vardo, for a reason that eventually becomes clear and links to the book's theme of extreme misogyny against women and the shutting down of women's voices. Her sections are in second person, addressed to the King, as she still hopes to win herself back into his good graces by assisting the governor in persecuting witches even though this gives her some qualms along the way.
Having read several histories about the witch persecutions, I was aware of the awfulness of it, but this book - apart from folktales occasionally interspersed between the two types of narrative - is unremittingly grim. The abuse of women is unrelenting. The only positive male characters are Zare, a boy of the Sami people (who live by herding reindeer), themselves persecuted, and a minor character who is a captain at the fort. Some of the women betray others and not always due to torture: Ingeborg's mother, Zigri, is denounced by the wife of her lover out of spite and revenge. Zigri risks all because of her love for him but he proves more devoted to his comfortable lifestyle and to avoiding being disinherited. And Zigri also turns against her own youngest daughter with fatal consequences, another instance of the betrayal theme.
The two male villains, the governor and Bailiff Lockert, who has brought his torture techniques from Scotland, are complete stereotypes. They are such identikit villains that it's hard to tell them apart. Their eventual fate is pure wish fulfilment.
The sections from Anna's point of view are in far too much detail to be real letters, especially when it is revealed near the end what she is using to write them in lieu of ink. The story parts company with history in the last section through the character of Maren, the daughter of an executed witch. She behaves in a flamboyant way, condemning herself to the governor under the delusion that she has real witch powers - except at the climax she suddenly seems to have them, in which case why not employ them sooner to prevent the gross torture and even murder of the accused?
If this book had been independently rather than traditionally published, it would have been likely to include content warnings: not only for torture and abuse of women and girls, but for an on-page rape scene. Altogether, I found it a depressing read and have to rate it at one star, given that I didn't enjoy it on any level and it imploded at the end....more
As someone who has been interested in the Celts and Celtic mythology for many years, this book appealed to me immediately. The author has a love of IrAs someone who has been interested in the Celts and Celtic mythology for many years, this book appealed to me immediately. The author has a love of Irish myths and legends which comes across right away. Bree is a young woman of eighteen who has been raised by her aunt in a very confined environment: the interior of a cave. Her aunt, Áine, has educated her to a point using books about the gods, goddesses and heroes, of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Bree’s people. In this reimagining, they had to leave their original homeland and split into three companies. One went to Ireland, one to Tir Na Nog, and another seems to have disappeared. But Áinewill not answer a lot of Bree’s questions. She does, however, emphasise that it is Bree’s duty to guard the ancient flame in a little cauldron in a room in their cave home, and the reason becomes clear when an earthquake occurs, which Áine confesses means that Bree’s mother, the Triple Goddess, has died. Bree is thus able to bond with the flame as her mother did. Then the god Lu (whose name I’m more used to seeing as Lugh) arrives to bring them out of exile.
I liked the development of the main character from naïve young woman to one who gradually gains in confidence and is able to take on a leadership role. Also her relationship with Lu starts off prickly but it is obvious there is a mutual attraction despite Bree’s belief that Lu dislikes her or even that he is jealous of her position. There were plenty of mythical characters included, some taken from Greek mythology or other legends, such as centaurs and unicorns, and I especially liked Niamh, the fairy who befriends Bree. I did think that Áine’s role as Queen of the Fairies could have been expanded a bit, as it wasn’t really clear how she, a seemingly ordinary woman, related to tiny creatures which glow and fly. But perhaps that will be explored in a later volume.
Every story requires an antagonist of some kind for the main character to struggle against and prove themselves in the process and in this, Mor, a creepy character with great power, loosely based on the Morrigan of Celtic myth, is Bree’s opponent.
The book has low key romance and fantasy violence but nothing too graphic in either respect, and I think suits a young adult audience. The plotline is linear and very straightforward. There was some repetition when Bree spoke her incantation, naming her various aspects, which could have been covered later on by just saying that she did just that rather than repeating it all each time, but that was a minor niggle. Bree and Lu were my favourite characters, and I found it an enjoyable read.
Thanks to the author for an ARC of this. I am rating it as 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review....more
Have had this old edition dated 1958 around for some time. The introduction is by the translator, explaining his choices in translating it. There are Have had this old edition dated 1958 around for some time. The introduction is by the translator, explaining his choices in translating it. There are some notes, advice on how to stage ancient Greek drama, and a glossary of names at the back, which I didn't know about until I'd finished it.
I knew the basic outline of the story. It's a tragic one like a lot of Greek drama, based on their mythology. Somehow it didn't really affect me and for that I'm rating it at 3 stars, and hope that another translation might be more to my taste....more
Interesting pair of linked novellas where the physical book is turned over to read the other one: a work apparently referred to as a tete-beche. The bInteresting pair of linked novellas where the physical book is turned over to read the other one: a work apparently referred to as a tete-beche. The blue side (cover) is set in the late 19th century, about a doctor Simeon Lee, who is called to examine a distant relation, a parson called Oliver Hawes, who believes he is being poisoned. On arrival at the remote house, on a small island off the coast of Essex, linked by a causeway to the mainland at one end and a larger island on the other, he discovers that Oliver is in charge of Florence, his sister-in-law who was implicated in the death of the parson's brother. She apparently threw a heavy object at him which cut him on the cheek, and the wound subsequently became infected. It is implied that she also did other things, resulting in her incarceration behind a wall of glass in the large upstairs library. This was the alternative than sending her to an unpleasant lunatic asylum.
Gradually, Simeon discovers that there is more behind this story than Oliver admits. It's a very murky story of opium dens and other ills of the period including the subservient position of women. The motif of a book that can be read in two ways features in the story itself, when Simeon reads a book which is, at one end, a story set in the then-future of 1938 and in California, and at the other an incriminating journal. I did find the ending odd in that Simeon had destroyed one piece of evidence, and they were talking about destroying the journal, when surely those could have been used to exonerate Florence.
The other (red cover) end of the book is the story set in California in 1938 when Oliver Tooke, celebrated author and son of the state governor, befriends a young man called Ken Kourian. When Oliver is murdered, Ken sets out to discover the killer and finds his own life in jeopardy. The solution involves the story in the 'blue' half of the book, in which Oliver has placed various clues. I must admit to guessing the big twist quite a bit before the end. I also found the scene where the police nearly murder Ken in a jail cell not terribly convincing as there didn't seem to be a reason for going so far.
One distraction for me was the name Simeon Lee immediately conjured up the association with the character of the same name in 'Hercule Poirot's Christmas' by Agatha Christie. The writing was creaky in places - I especially found parson Oliver's journal unconvincing. On the positive side, the non-stop action of the California segment resembled a 1930s pot-boiler crime novel in contrast to the slow burn of the tale in Victorian England. Despite that it seemed the 'real' story and the Victorian one the pastiche by Oliver Tooke.
On balance, I would award this four stars. I'd like to thank the publishers and author for a free copy of the hardcover obtained in a giveaway. ...more
This is the second in a loose series where the connection between this and the first book is the existence of a character, Tom Prideaux. He isn't liteThis is the second in a loose series where the connection between this and the first book is the existence of a character, Tom Prideaux. He isn't literally the same person, as this is set centuries later than the first, in the reign of Henry VIII. This version of Prideaux is of the lower orders and becomes the confidential servant and messenger of Anne Boleyn, using his travels to research his own background. As a baby, he was given to a woman of the village to bring up, but she revealed that she was not his mother. His only clue to his true parentage is his surname and a distinctively shaped locket.
The story, however, begins with Anne as a young teenager at the French court and her friendship with three boys. One is soon killed after taking revenge for abuse inflicted on another by a churchman, and the three survivors of the group swear a blood oath at Anne's instigation to use their position as adults to reform the church. For Anne, this means marrying well to a powerful man whom she can influence to bring about the desired changes.
The rest is history, as with any novel about such a well-known historical character, but the writer has used some interesting theories about Holbein's painting, The Ambassadors, to explain its significance and the title of the novel. There are also speculative passages where Anne is more influential than given credit by history, in the events that unfold and that result in the breaking away of England from the Catholic Church. I wasn't always convinced by her 'getting away with' the way she spoke to Henry, especially at the start of their relationship over a game of chess (and wouldn't backgammon have been a more likely board game?)
The author has an explanation for the uncertainty about Anne's birthdate and age, although I thought it wasn't necessary to make her parentage incestual. And some of the scenes showing how Anne kept Henry VIII interested through their long 'engagement' were a little too graphic. I also thought the described 'method' would have exposed Anne to the danger of being overpowered and that what he referred to as her 'pretty dugs' would have formed a safer focus.
On the whole, the story sticks to history although at one point has Anne pretending to have the plague and retreating to the country to cause Henry great anxiety for her safety and keep him enthralled. The historical record says Anne really did catch an illness called 'the sweating sickness' which was responsible for many deaths during the period: its identity has not been pinned down but it is possible this was the first appearance of influenza in England. Similarly, the author follows the later invention of Anne having a sixth finger which was disproved when her skeletal remains were uncovered in 1876.
I found the earlier part of the story more effective, with Anne's growing up at the French court and her return to England. Her intelligence, charm and ability to captivate men is well described. Once things move on to better-known historical events, her character starts to harden, something the author attributes to her frustration at not being able to marry the king and bear children, especially as she was a few years older than officially stated. The story doesn't cover Anne's downfall, but finishes at the point where she has just disappointed Henry by having a female child. There is an implausible scene where Anne has a premonition of how important that child will be in the future, but I suppose it makes the tragedy of her ultimate fate a little easier to bear. Altogether I would rate the story at 3 stars....more
Published in 1951, this is an old school historical novel which educates the reader in various aspects of early C17th century life. It is also a lightPublished in 1951, this is an old school historical novel which educates the reader in various aspects of early C17th century life. It is also a light romance. I should emphasise that it covers the period up to the arrests of the 'witches' (so does not cover the trials) and follows a realistic portrayal, not a supernatural one.
Margery is a young woman brought up in a Puritan family who is a disappointment to her stern older siblings. They find her too intelligent, fun loving and subtly insolent. Wishing to obtain a dowry for her and marry her off, they have the idea of sending her north to cousin Roger, a Justice of the Peace and wealthy enough to provide one.
Luckily for Margery, Roger has the same wry sense of humour and doesn't expect a woman to be seen and not heard. A bond grows between them, with him almost a surrogate for her deceased father, and she flourishes in her new abode. Not only does he provide the means for her to have some very nice gowns made, he encourages her to ride around the area and to act as his clerk when hearing legal cases. He appreciates her intelligence and is altogether the antithesis of her unpleasant family.
Margery hasn't been in the Pendle district long when a man dies, supposedly through the ill-will of Old Demdike and her granddaughter Alizon, reputed witches. So, too, is Elizabeth Device, Alizon's mother and Demdike's daughter. Margery learns that they and another family, the Redferns, are suspected of causing the deaths of a number of local residents. Despite pressure from various characters, Roger resists committing them for trial to Lancaster Assizes for lack of proof. And more seriously, it seems that the respectable but ruthless social climber, Alice Nutter, may have more than a little to do with their activities.
I have read history books which cover the Pendle/Lancashire witch trials, and some of the characters in the novel are based on real people. The development of Alice Nutter is an interesting take on what is otherwise a mystery: namely, why a respectable woman from another part of the district should be present at the notorious Good Friday gathering at Malkin Tower, home of the Devices. I take with the proverbial pinch of salt the assumption of guilt and calculated malice of the 'witches', ascribing more to the modern notion that, living in dire poverty at the bottom of the social ladder, if the women did fancy themselves witches - it seems Alizon really did believe she caused the peddler to have a stroke - it was a compensatory fantasy.
Given the time this was written, in the world of the novel they are truly malicious. Little sister Jennet is an astute and cute child, not a sociopath for testifying against her whole family and helping to send them to the gallows. And the practical effects of witchcraft are achieved through herbal medicine (poisons). But I was willing to set aside what I've read in history books, so that didn't detract from my enjoyment.
The author obviously took some pains to get historical details right, including the fact that, in England, witches were hung and not burned. There's a lot about C17th life, including the persecution of Catholics, the clothing, the social classes, rural poverty, what people ate, and a deal more, plus scene setting in the fairly wild area, and the weather which almost forms a character in its own right.
I liked Margery and Roger though the forehead crinkling got a bit overdone, but found most of the other characters very slightly drawn especially love interest Frank. The ending was so weak it almost made me think that a chapter was missing from the grubby, tatty second-hand copy I was reading. On balance, I rate this as a 3 star read....more
I recently bought this book and another three novels by the author from a charity shop, having forgotten that I read one of the others some years ago I recently bought this book and another three novels by the author from a charity shop, having forgotten that I read one of the others some years ago and found it so annoying I decided not to bother with this! However, I had already read it before remembering any of that. Having seen the film some years ago, I did so outside on a sunny day, being concerned that it might be too spooky for a bedtime read, and finished it in two hours as it is a short work.
The story is set within a frame. Retired lawyer, Arthur Kipps, is upset on Christmas Eve when his wife and grown-up stepchildren insist he join in and tell a ghost story, as is traditional for the season. He walks out because a real-life one wrecked his life as a young man, and when he returns later, he is determined to set it down on paper, to be read only on his death. The rest of the novel is his account as an extended flashback.
On the verge of marriage to his first wife, he is sent to a remote house in marshland to find important papers left after the death of an old recluse. Commencing at the old woman's funeral, he begins to be haunted by a woman in black, who appears to suffer from a wasting disease and to be the embodiment of a burning anger and hatred. Meanwhile, the locals are reticent to tell him anything about her or the background of what occurred at the house.
The WIB is a nasty brooding presence, who reminded me of the governess in Henry James' 'Turn of the Screw', but some of the other elements are standard for the traditional Victorian ghost story and less frightening therefore than e.g. some of the works of modern writer, Ramsey Campbell, or even some of M R James' short stories which are genuinely haunting (or 'The Railwayman' by Charles Dickens for that matter).
The only element I remember being changed in the film with Daniel Radcliffe is the ending (though I'm sure there were others). I do understand why. In the book, the action occurs nearly two years later which doesn't fit with what the protagonist is finally told about the anticipated outcome when the WIB appears. I found it a stretch too, to accept that the WIB could appear so far away from the locus where she and the other elements of the haunting are based. It also seems illogical of the local people to be so close mouthed: if something they fear has been triggered again by the old woman's death and Arthur's presence at the house is stirring it up further, why not answer his questions and try to encourage him to leave?
The book leaves at least one unanswered question: the man who, on occasion, conveys Arthur to and from the house by pony and trap is, it is hinted at, a victim of the WIB. Yet the man isn't afraid to go there even at 2am or to have delivered supplies to the old lady for years. His physical appearance hints at something that happened to him and, by implication, to other family members and I would have liked confirmation of what I deduced . As someone who doesn't seem cowed, it's odd that he doesn't at least hint to Arthur that he should go before something awful happens.
The marsh and weather are real 'characters' and well done, but I was continually taken out of the story by anachronisms. Superficially, it seems to be set in the Nineteenth century, but telephones and motor cars feature, and there are comments about what it was like in Victorian times and 'sixty years previously'. It makes the timescale very hard to pin down, especially since the events recounted are thirty years or maybe more before the framing narrative. This kind of ghost story properly belongs in a Victorian setting, and in my opinion the author would have been better served by firmly placing it there, rather than in an odd one that doesn't seem to tally with the Edwardian era either, since Arthur finds an old gravestone with a year of death not quite decipherable but definitely starting with 190. I appreciate convincing settings as well as characters, so found this awkward and puzzling. Given the various issues therefore, I would rate this at 3 stars overall....more
I obtained a second-hand version of this, having enjoyed a recent re-read of the author's "Priam's Daughter". It is the story of the hero known variouI obtained a second-hand version of this, having enjoyed a recent re-read of the author's "Priam's Daughter". It is the story of the hero known variously as Bellerophon and Perseus, the man's original name being Hippolochus (who in some legends is the son of Bellerophon but a foreword explains the reasoning behind the scheme followed in the novel). As there are elements in common to both heroes, such as the appearance of the winged horse Pegasus, the author theorised that they were actually stories about the same person, since the names Bellerophon and Perseus are both able to be derived from titles or nicknames.
The frame of the tale is that he is wandering as a despised elderly man, blind and trying to obtain food and occasional lodging by telling his tale as a bard. Knowing his life is near its end, he sets out his life story as it actually happened and not as the exaggerated stories which began to be circulated when he was much younger.
The period is one where the worship of the Hellene gods is taking over and gradually ousting the worship of the old Goddess, although there are still plenty of adherents to the latter which originally had an emphasis on the power of women and the sacrifice of the King. As per the previously read book, the Bronze Age setting is well realised, with no literal appearances of gods: people believe wholeheartedly in them and interpret events in that light, but the only supernatural elements as before are the possession by certain individuals of psychic abilities, mainly a knowledge of the future albeit vague and erratic. Pegasus, for example, is a horse with which Hippolochus forms a bond and is able to jump fences on - as no rider has ever managed this before, the story is exaggerated and Pegasus is talked about as a flying horse, aided by his later depiction on the sail and figurehead of the ship called Pegasus and on the helmets etc of the hero's close companions. The other uncanny elements in the hero's exploits are similar exaggerations of non-supernatural events.
The story is episodic, with the various travels, including a three year sea voyage to Britain known then as Hyperborea, to slay the 'Gorgon' Medusa, in this a formidable rogue Amazon with a group of followers who have been outlawed by the Goddess' priestesses. The nicknames Bellerophon and Perseus are acquired at different points in the character's life and refer to particular events. He is brave but not the brightest person, relying on his good friend Nereus, and other friends acquired along the way including Orpheus, the legendary bard. Eventually, he is undone by hubris and his unlucky closest friends and wife along with him.
I found it a bit of a slog in places, and it does come across as rather a travelogue, so I broke off in the middle of it to read something else. It is interesting in places to see the author's alternative interpretation of the supernatural elements of the original stories, but the treatment of women is problematic. Apart from an Amazon - and even she starts showing signs of going a bit soppy about Perseus as he then is, before departing before she can contravene the Amazon code (sex with men is only to produce more Amazons) - the other women he is involved with are pretty and fairly insipid, and the descriptions of Andromeda descend into mawkishness. The characterisations even of the male characters remain sketchy throughout. The book was rather a disappointment after the author's retelling of Cassandra's story and so I can only give this an OK 2 stars....more
An interesting tale set in an alternative 19th century where magic exists but is dying out as it is gradually diluted through marriage with non-magicaAn interesting tale set in an alternative 19th century where magic exists but is dying out as it is gradually diluted through marriage with non-magical people. Only aristocratic families and royalty who plan arranged marriages have managed to keep it in any strength.
The first character encountered, Silas, is a son of one such aristocratic family but has an abusive father. In a drunken rage, his father uses his powers to try to kill Silas who strikes back, discovering he has the ability to absorb them. But when he kills his father, the borrowed powers are lost. He sets out, in one thread throughout the book, to steal other people's magic, as well as magic residing in certain houses, by gruesome means.
In the main timeline, about twenty years later, it is 1846, and a writer in his thirties, Merritt Fernsby, inherits a house with inbuilt magic. He has trouble with it from the start, and an organisation called the Boston Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms (BIKER) sends one of their top operatives, Hulda Larkin, a buttoned-up woman also in her thirties, to bring it into line. But the seeming perils posed by the house are the least of their problems.....
I liked the magical system set out in the list at the start of the book. There are various abilities which people can have, to measured percentages, but the use of each ability involves temporary losses, such as forgetfulness, confusion, stiffness of joints or other drawbacks depending on the power used. Some people have more than one ability. Houses can use powers without these drawbacks - and that includes spirits of deceased wizards who possess houses. Only living beings experience the penalties.
A thread running throughout the story is the gradual blossoming of an attraction between the two main characters, Merritt and Hulda, but in a very understated and cautious way. Both have a chequered past as far as romance goes and both have built shells around their hearts to shield their vulnerability. Those shells are in danger of softening as each experiences a growing love for the other. But as with all true romances, misunderstandings and obstacles block the path.
The subsidiary characters of the two servants, Beth and Baptiste, are nicely sketched, as was the indication that someone thought to be wholly without magic might actually have some - though I didn't guess at the explanation. The villain, Silas, had a motivation for what he was doing - he wanted to be all powerful so that no one could have control over him - but his actions become more and more extreme, wholly unjustified to anyone but himself. I thought that more could have been made of the peril he posed - for example, he was having to keep away due to Beth's clairvoyance, so when she was leaving for a dance and would be away overnight, I expected Silas to make a move. Such opportunities to rack up tension were not exploited. For that reason, I would rate this at 4 stars overall, but it was an enjoyable read....more
I obtained this book as it had good reviews, and I am reading quite a few retellings of the Trojan War and Greek mythology in general. Unfortunately II obtained this book as it had good reviews, and I am reading quite a few retellings of the Trojan War and Greek mythology in general. Unfortunately I found it a bit disappointing. The characters are for the most part not well delineated. The male heroes are rugged men of action, dark and brooding etc, apart from Hektor who appears at the end of the story and is a giant of a man, unbeatable in battle, and coming across more as a 'hale fellow well-met' type but just as cliched. The only surprise is Priam: much more physically vigorous than usually portrayed and a sexual predator, who not only forces himself on slaves but insists on a kind of droit du seigneur with the wives of his sons. He also enjoys humiliating people in other ways, especially family members, and has various members of his family executed.
The character I liked best was Odysseus who is interestingly portrayed as a larger than life raconteur - the various iconic stories of the Odyssey are tall tales he invented - although with a lethal edge underneath the bonhomie. I also liked Andromache, who is a crack shot with the more powerful Phyrgian bow, having spent a few years as a priestess of Thera before her sister died, and who is sent to Troy to marry Hektor in her place. She is the only one with the guts to stand up to Priam. But both characters play a relatively minor part.
The story veers around a lot, taking up some characters which the reader might be justified in thinking would be a main part of the story and then dropping them. For example, it starts with Gershom, shipwrecked at sea, but although his real identity is later revealed, he remains a bit part in the story so it's an odd choice to spend so much time in his viewpoint early on. Another character is deftly sketched but is soon horribly killed off, and it seems was only there to act as a catalyst for Helikaon, the main male character, to go off the rails and commit an atrocity to avenge him. Similarly, a bedfellow of Helikaon (for some reason the alternative name for Aeneas) appears early on in the book but is then dropped because she lives in Kypros which is not the setting for the rest of the novel.
The author developed the Mediterranean culture quite well, though with the focus always on the warlike aspects. I wasn't convinced by the side references to Ancient Egypt though: if the version of Troy is the one that fell in 1300 BC (I consulted the Wikipedia article after finishing the novel), since the later ones showed gradual decline and no indication of a prestigious ruling class etc, the Prince Rameses mentioned must be Rameses II otherwise known as Rameses the Great. Despite the references to killing slaves to bury them with Egyptian Kings, that practice had ceased centuries before, and the workmen who built the royal tombs were respected craftspeople who had their own village which has been excavated. Similarly, Ancient Egypt granted more legal and social freedoms to women than most other Middle Eastern countries of the period so I found the references in Gershom's backstory to be anachronistic.
The title is a bit odd: I think it stems from a child mistaking Helikaon for Apollo early on. At some point, he is called that but I can't remember if he ever fires a bow and the title almost fits Andromache, who does something heroic using her bow, much better.
For me this was a slow read: I would read a chapter then set it aside to read something else. It took me a lot longer to get through than any other book during the period and left me with no desire to read the rest of the trilogy. So for all these reasons, for me this was only an OK 2 stars....more
This short book is a retelling of the Odyssey from the point of view of Penelope, waiting on Ithaca for her husband's return and becoming increasinglyThis short book is a retelling of the Odyssey from the point of view of Penelope, waiting on Ithaca for her husband's return and becoming increasingly desperate due to the depredations of the gang of 100+ young suitors who are squatting at the palace and eating her out of house and home. It is framed as her reflections after her death when she is living in the Greek afterlife thousands of years later.
I found it curiously flat from the point of view of any fleshing-out of Penelope as a character. It does go into her earlier life a bit, but she remains rather self pitying and eaten up with jealousy of Helen, who is unsympathetically portrayed. I'm not unfamiliar with such a portrayal, having read Georgia Sallaska's 1970s 'Priam's Daughter' but it comes across as a bit odd in a modern work which sets out to give sympathetic voices to the female characters. I found it supremely ironic also that despite this ambition, the twelve maids are dealt with collectively and given no individuality. Only one even has a name. Penelope professes to be eaten up with guilt at their execution, but seems wholly ineffective in doing anything to head it off.
The book is structured so that narrative by Penelope is interspersed with poetry and song by the maids as a Greek chorus. Some of this becomes very surreal - a modern day court trying to ascertain Odysseus' culpability for the deaths of the suitors and maids, and a scholarly treatment discussing whether the maids' execution symbolises the overthrow of Goddess worship, personified by Penelope, by a patriarchal religion embodied by Odysseus.
Altogether, especially since I recently enjoyed the author's 'The Year of the Flood', I found this a disappointment and can only rate it as an OK 2 stars....more
A jolly cosy crime read. Flo is lady's maid and companion to Lady Hardcastle, and her partner in solving crimes. This is volume 9 in the series so a bA jolly cosy crime read. Flo is lady's maid and companion to Lady Hardcastle, and her partner in solving crimes. This is volume 9 in the series so a backstory is well established and hinted at throughout: it seems they work for the civil service in some capacity, possibly investigating political crimes. Anyway, in this, a birthday visit to the theatre by Lady H and her friends is spoiled when one of the cast is murdered, his body found on stage when the curtain rises for Act 2 after the interval. The investigation proceeds, with a clueless policeman in charge instead of their friend, Inspector Sutherland, and they have to head off the worst mistakes of said detective, assisted by Flo's twin sister who is on a visit.
I found some things a little anachronistic: a lady's maid sitting in the dining room with her employer and also welcomed in for tea by her employer's aristocratic friend. In reality, she'd be below stairs with the other servants. But maybe that was explained/established in earlier volumes. But it was a page turning, wryly comic read, the author (a man, I discovered at the end) excellent at portraying female characters, and overall I would rate it at 4 stars....more
In this volume, Morton the genealogist is happily married with a young daughter, and his wife is about to return to duty as a policewoman. He takes onIn this volume, Morton the genealogist is happily married with a young daughter, and his wife is about to return to duty as a policewoman. He takes on a case for an old man who wants to know about a female ancestor who left an intriguing letter which hinted at the presence of gold found after the letter's intended recipient had apparently gone abroad. The evidence is a single gold sovereign.
I found the framing modern day story rather confusing. There seemed to be two nephews with a fixation on the gold, though one appeared in only one scene and the behaviour of the other grew increasingly preposterous. I was also confused by the set up of Morton's family as early books had it that he was born after his birth mother had been raped - given the friendly relationship with his father, that clearly wasn't the case.
The 19th century story of smuggling was more interesting though I did think there was a huge historical "clanger" dropped early on relating to a sum of money which it was absurd that a labourer's wife would even possess let alone give away. Perhaps it was meant as a clue, but later on, the character being researched refers to seeing this person with gold in a different context rather than when she was handed the huge sum, so perhaps the scene wasn't meant that way. It was also not credible that the same money fetched so little at the pub or failed to draw interest especially since it's clear elsewhere that a drink cost a lot less. I have noticed major mistakes elsewhere in this series so it might be another failure to do thorough historical research.
The book dragged a bit and I set it aside to read another so I can only rate it as an OK 2 stars....more
In book 2 of the series about five years have passed. Emerson and Amelia (who he still calls 'Peabody') are missing their ramshackle Egyptian experienIn book 2 of the series about five years have passed. Emerson and Amelia (who he still calls 'Peabody') are missing their ramshackle Egyptian experience but tied to England because of their son, since the climate of Egypt is not thought good for children. An offer comes up for Emerson to take over management of an archaeological dig into what appears to be an undiscovered tomb in the valley of the Kings (note, this is about 35 years or so before the real life discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb there). They finally decide to go and they leave the child with Emerson's brother and his wife, their friend from book 1. The vacancy in Egypt has arisen because wealthy Lord Baskerville died unexpectedly, but leaving provision in his will for the work to continue, and his archaeologist has disappeared. An Irish newsman is soon peddling stories of a curse which becomes problematic during the story as the local people are all too ready to believe it.
Amelia takes a disliking to the widowed Lady Baskerville who seems rather too manipulative in getting men to dance attendance on her. They settle in at a house built by Lord Baskerville within walking distance of the valley, accompanied by Abdullah, their foreman, and other men who have previously worked for them and are loyal. But a local Islamic cleric is opposed to their presence, and trouble looms from the notorious village of tomb robbers. Further complications arise from the presence of a young woman, Mary, chiefly because of her alcoholic and half-demented mother who thinks she is a reincarnation of an Ancient Egyptian Queen and Emerson is her husband - though she keeps changing her mind about which King he formerly was - plus two young men on the archaeological team who are rivals for Mary's affections. The journalist also is a would-be lover of Mary's, and eventually inveigles his way onto the team as a series of deaths occur, staff desert and they find themselves shorthanded to keep the tomb guarded against robbers and also protect Lady Baskerville and Amelia (the latter insisting she doesn't need protection). Amelia at least has her trusty stout parasol and has acquired a revolver, though is a bit unreliable with it. Her conviction that Lord Baskerville's death wasn't natural seems born out when actual murders occur, though her ideas about the culprit shift during the story.
Amelia is her usual opinionated self, and always feels she is right even when she isn't, though this is offset by her kindness to others. The tempestuous marriage between her and Emerson is revealed to have a deep love behind it, even if both parties won't show that in public, and this is clear whenever the life of either is endangered - which happens frequently. The colonialist attitudes of book 1 are not quite as grating: at one point, Amelia points out that the Arab watchman who was killed was also a human being and she is just as keen to bring his killer to justice as she would be for a European victim.
The comedy element continues, with their son Walter, nicknamed Ramesses a prodigal archaeologist in the making, and the slapstick appearances of Mary's mother. I didn't work out who the murderer was and enjoyed the story, not least the wry nod to the presence of Tutankhamun's tomb. The remains of a robber is found in the one they are excavating, who was wearing a pendant with that King's cartouche - Amelia remarks it's just as well that it isn't Tutankhamun's tomb as given his minor status that would be a real let-down! Altogether, I would rate this at 4 stars...more
In this series opener, a Doctor Stamford, a man in his sixties in the 1920s, writes a memoir of his first meeting with Sherlock Holmes in 1876 when boIn this series opener, a Doctor Stamford, a man in his sixties in the 1920s, writes a memoir of his first meeting with Sherlock Holmes in 1876 when both were studying medicine. Stamford went on to become a doctor - possibly a surgeon, as recommended by Dr John Watson, with whom he had studied for a while. In fact, Stamford explains that it was he who eventually introduced Watson to Holmes when the former was looking for lodgings to share with someone. At the point where Stamford and Holmes meet, Holmes is studying medicine and chemistry as part of his plan to train to become the world's first consulting detective.
Both men are drawn into an investigation at the British Museum, initially at the request of a friend of Stamford's whose uncle has had an unsettling experience there at night, when he saw what appeared to be a ghostly procession in one of the blacked-out galleries: no means of light was permitted at night due to the fear of fire. They soon find themselves involved in trying to solve the theft of the famous Rosetta Stone. An early appearance of Lestrade, as a sergeant serving a blinkered inspector, is of interest during the investigation as Holmes can make no impression on Lestrade's superior.
I found the story a little drawn out in places and guessed the big twist before Holmes. But it was a pleasant read, if not a memorable one. It did, at least, refrain from the violence to Holmes' character inflicted in another reimagined Holmes novel that I read recently. So overall I would rate this at 3 stars....more
In volume 10 of the series, Superintendent Jones is absent initially at sea, chasing a fugitive bound for America, at the insistence of his unpleasantIn volume 10 of the series, Superintendent Jones is absent initially at sea, chasing a fugitive bound for America, at the insistence of his unpleasant superior. While he is away, Posy, the maid at the Jones residence who was rescued by Dickens from a notorious and ghastly orphanage, and for whom he feels jointly responsible, goes missing on an outing with her friend Phoebe - or Phib as she is known. And the girl certainly lives up to her name of 'fib' having befriended Posy for very unpleasant purposes. For the theme in this book is what we would call human trafficking and what tended at that period to be called "white slavery" though that phrase is studiously avoided. Suffice to say, the trade in young girls who could be guaranteed to be virgins was very lucrative.
The story is a non-stop narrative of tension, concern about Posy and danger from the villain Jones was trying to apprehend: a man who has a hypnotic effect on his many followers and has spies everywhere, especially in the shape of street boys. The boys, one in particular, have been corrupted and they delight in violence and intimidation. They form a lurking threat which closes in around Dickens, the street boy Scrap, whom he and the Jones' have befriended, and the Jones household itself. But corruption lurks also in those dressed in velvet and other finery, and one memorable scene has the one and only occurrence of the "f-word" in the whole series: rightfully reserved for a shocking revelation of one character's depravity.
The ending does perhaps lend itself to the closure of the series, but I hope not. It is, in any case, the last available for now, and I will certainly look out for any future volumes. A five star rating from me....more
This is the first in the series about Amelia Peabody, late Victorian archaeologist and Egyptologist - except, being a woman, she comes into the role iThis is the first in the series about Amelia Peabody, late Victorian archaeologist and Egyptologist - except, being a woman, she comes into the role in an unorthodox manner. Amelia is wealthy and a spinster in her early 30s, the daughter of a deceased scholar/historian. Atypical for the 1880s, she champions the cause of the emancipated woman and has a low opinion of most men. She is barred from becoming qualified but decides to go to Egypt anyway, acquiring en route a more typical young English woman as companion.
There, she and Evelyn re-encounter two brothers previously met in Rome, who are Egyptologists and have the concession to dig at the site of the "heretic Pharaoh's" lost city. Evelyn is obviously smitten with Walter, the younger brother, and he with her, but her too delicate conscience over her past puts a barrier between them. Meanwhile, Amelia and the elder brother, usually addressed by his surname, constantly rub each other up the wrong way.
The mystery is rather obvious, so much so that I thought the obvious culprit couldn't really be responsible. The relationship between Amelia and Emerson was probably not such a cliche when this was first published in the mid 1970s, but I believe is referred to now as "enemies into lovers" in the romance genre. Amelia can come across as pretty conceited, and there are some anachronistic mistakes such as her figure supposedly being unfashionable when as far as I am aware, being big bosoomed was actually "in" during the late Victorian period.
The style adopted is a wordy and mannered pseudo late Victorian one and includes British colonialist attitudes towards other nationalities and the Egyptian locals in particular, which will offend quite a few modern readers. In fact, there's rather more of that than in books I've read written in the 1920s - 1930s, and I was surprised to read that it had been published much more recently. The author does overdo that aspect. I was a bit thrown by the author's decision to use a set of translations of Ancient Egyptian names now abandoned.
Altogether, it was a fun read but more of a romance than a cosy mystery and I would rate it at 3 stars....more
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