A Triple Knot by Emma Campion
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 9:27 AM
Set in the England of the Middle Ages, this is the true story of a couple in love who refused to be parted by political forces and differences in rank. Joan, Countess of Kent, the niece of King Edward III of England, was very unusual for her era.
Joan, who was considered quite a beauty in the middle ages, fell in love for all the right reasons with Sir Thomas Holland. He was, unfortunately, much older than she, and he was also below her in rank. This match was challenged, and she was forced into a second, loveless marriage to another nobleman who was chosen by the men in her life who used her as a political tool. Her second husband and her cousin, The Black Prince, all refused to allow her to return to Sir Thomas, who was, in reality, her legal husband.
This novel depicts her prolonged emotional, political, and legal struggles with both her second husband and with her cousin, the heir to the throne, Edward, the Black Prince, neither of whom wanted her to return to Sir Thomas because both of them wanted her.
The characters are richly developed and complex. The setting is described in exquisite detail and at a careful pace, which builds suspense as Joan fights to claim the legitimacy of the marriage to her one true love. While history has conflicting accounts of Joan’s affections, Emma Campion does an outstanding job to portray an image of Joan that will leave even non-historical readers clamoring for more.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 2:58 PM
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 10:56 AM
“He is a young man with a future of power and opportunity and we are young women destined to be either wives and mothers at the very best, or spinster parasites at the worst.”
“The Boleyn Inheritance” is a fine historical novel. Philippa Gregory, the author, uses an interesting narrative device to tell the story of two of Henry VIII’s queens, Anne of Cleves and the clueless and luckless Catherine Howard. The story is told in brief vignettes from the eyes of three women: Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Jane Boleyn.
Like the other books in the series, the details that Gregory puts into the Tudors’ era and the characters are magnificent. In this book, you have three different protagonists. Jane Boleyn has lots of remorse about her past and what she did to her husband and his sister. Yet she is still thirsty for wealth and plotted with her uncle to push another Howard girl in Henry’s way. Young Katherine Howard, on the other hand, is so naïve and portrayed as childish and sometimes dumb. Still, one can’t help but feel sorry for the fate she was sent to. This shows Henry’s cruelty and how he did not spare this fifteen-year-old girl whom he used. Anne of Cleves must have ended being the luckiest and the most clever one of them as she recognized Henry’s madness and understood that it was better for her to get away from him.
Gregory’s ability to blend her extensive historical knowledge with imagination makes another great read. Her telling of history through the eyes of the women at Henry’s court brings the period alive, and the different voices coming through add enormously to our understanding of what it must have been like to live through this dangerous era.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 3:46 PM
Book Wrap Up August
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 10:10 AM
The Girl in the Tree by Şebnem İşigüzel (✫✫✫)
Unusual style with a powerful message of a young woman struggling for self-discovery amidst an oppressive government. An unlikely love story provides an attentive ear. I liked this book but found myself confused by the way the author jumped backward and forwards and I could barely figure out what was current!
The Book of Fires by Jane Borodale (✫✫✫)
Well written, although slightly disjointed in places, the author has captured the mind of a young woman in a terrible predicament for the times, has introduced a very different theme of fireworks to run through the book, and the outcome was unexpected, which I enjoyed most.
Life and Death are Wearing Me Out by Mo Yan (✫✫✫✫)
I enjoyed this book. It gives insight into the formation and change of Communist China from 1950 until 2005. The author does this through the eyes of a man forced to be reborn several times as different animals. It also gives an unusual depiction of Chinese customs and myths. This book had a feeling of reality and authenticity. I found it to be an excellent read.
Where the Light Falls by Allison Pataki (✫✫✫✫)
“Where the Light Falls” is a splendid tale set against the backdrop of the French Revolutions. The novel successfully evokes all the fear and terrors of the time. It is a tale of two men - their lives become irretrievably interwoven because of their circumstances and family. A rivalry turns to hatred and escalates as the story unfolds.
