I’ve just read Theresa Tomlinson’s new historical crime
novel, A SWARMING OF BEES.
As soon as I saw “Whitby Abbey” in the blurb, I was keen
to read it, but if you’re keenly gothic, there is no Dracula connection –
though there is Anglo-Saxon darkness and drama.
Far back, in 664, when Oswy’s kingdom of Northumbria
stretched from the Humber into the present Scottish borders, Whitby Abbey
flourished under its old name: Streonshalh. The abbey community was composed of
men and women - religious and lay-people of both sexes – and even more
remarkably was ruled over by Hild, both abbess and princess.
A
SWARMING OF BEES starts after the famous Synod of Whitby, with the final
feasting and departures of both church and royalty. The Synod has just chosen
to follow the Roman model of Christianity, rejecting the Celtic tradition, so
there are hurt and angry souls about, as well as those who secretly serve the
old gods and goddesses. It is an interesting time and place.
Hild,
proud of the hospitality, honour and learning of her abbey, is important to the
story, but the central character is the ageing herb-wife Fridgyth. A warm,
practical and occasionally impulsive woman, Fridgyth is welcomed for her skills
in and around the abbey, especially when plague arrives.
However,
caring for the sick and dying, she discovers that some deaths are not from the
plague: a murderer is in the abbey. Furthermore, one of the guests, even in
disguise, could be in serious danger. The murderer must be found. not just for
the sake of the likely victim but also for the reputation of Hild’s abbey and the volatile peace between the kingdoms
of that age. The plot, reminiscent of a Cadfael mystery, has a calm but
determined pace. The last section, with the unexpected journey and the tying of
the Caedmon character’s thread, made a particularly satisfying conclusion.
Although
some of the minor characters are recognisable historical figures, often
feelingly drawn – for good or ill - they were not what gave the story its
charm. What I enjoyed most was the world created by the writer: the many
buildings within the abbey, the descriptions of feasts and processions, the
busy range of roles and tasks and animals, the landing stage down by the river
Esk, the seashore where Fridgyth searches for seaweed, and more, including the
keeping of bees. As for Fridgyth, I did find myself hoping there might be
another adventure for her, sometime.
Theresa
Tomlinson lives in Whitby so possibly it is her knowledge of the landscape that
makes this story feel so grounded. Theresa says, in her Notes, that she “enjoyed creating a picture of Abbess Hild and her
monastery that is more “How I would like it to have been” than an attempt at
accuracy. Where historical sources are clear and interesting to me, I have used
them, but I’ve also used my imagination freely.”
I
very much liked how it might have been, too, when I read A SWARMING OF BEES.
This
novel is written for adults but I am sure that many Y/A readers with a love of
history would enjoy it too. I read the
novel on my kindle but there’s a paperback edition too.
Acorn
Digital Press 2012
ISBN
978-1-909122-24-6
Also
available as an Acorn Independent Press paperback 2012.
Penny
Dolan.
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3 comments:
Ooh! I must read this! I visited north Yorkshire, and Whitby, not long ago, and became fascinated by Hild and the beginnings of the abbey. What a lovely, restrained cover!
I've just jumped over to Amazon and bought it with one click, Penny! Sounds just my hammer.
I am lucky enough to have a copy and will read it very soon. It sounds brilliant and looks good too. I like that remark of Theresa's about using the sources where she could understand them but also using her imagination freely. That's the way I like to write historical fiction, too!
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