"Succession" by Livi Michael reviewed by Pauline Chandler

Set during the tumultuous Wars of the Roses, “Succession” combines the stories of two Tudor women, royal wives and mothers, two Margarets, both used

as pawns by powerful marriage brokers, in the intricate game of politics around the English throne.

The prologue of the novel prefaces much of what is to come, touching on several of its themes. Margaret Beaufort is remembering a time, when as a four-year old child, she wandered, lost and terrified, down the long corridors of the strange house she has been brought to, the home of her new guardian, the Duke of Suffolk, and meets him by chance for the first time.  She already knows it is shameful to cry, except in penitence, and that she is female and therefore subject to a man’s control, but what she also remembers is that the Duke spoke to her about the courage and determination of a woman, the warrior Joan of Arc, whom he greatly admired.  She remembers too how the Duke met a terrible end, condemned as a traitor and savagely beheaded.  She herself is a rich heiress and mother to the future king, Henry VII.

We next meet Margaret of Anjou, the French king’s niece, who has been brought to England to marry Henry VI, in a union that should ensure closer links with France, but, as Suffolk knows, the bride brings no dowry and the match has cost England valuable French territories.  Henry himself has insisted on the match. He is weak and malleable, and as Margaret soon discovers, he is not inclined to consummate the marriage. To the earls and power brokers of the English court, a secure and stable succession is paramount. If Henry has no children, who will succeed him?  The stage is set for fascinating but terrible power games, in violent times, where torture and death are commonplace.     

This is a complex period in history, handled expertly and with conviction by Livi Michael who creates an intensely engaging narrative. The author deals with her subject in an unusual way, by interspersing her fictional scenes with material from contemporary primary sources: eye witness accounts and the testimony of medieval chroniclers. Underpinned by meticulous research, the stories of the two Margarets are vividly brought to life in beautifully described settings. I should like to thank the author for guiding me kindly through this complex period of our history.

Pauline Chandler

www.paulinechandler@virgin.net

Pauline’s latest book, "Warrior Girl", historical fiction for young adults, tells the story of Joan of Arc, alongside that of her cousin, Mariane, who has her own battle to fight. A new edition of “Warrior Girl” is pubished by Cybermouse Books.

Return to REVIEWS HOMEPAGE

'Heartstone' by C.J.Sansom, reviewed by Pauline Chandler

Every so often, as an adult, you come across a series of books which you relish like cream cakes! CJ Sansom’s Shardlake novels, set during the turbulent reign of Henry VIII, are exceptional treats for any grown-up history fan. 

The main character, Matthew Shardlake, is a lawyer with court connections, who sets out to solve mysteries and murders, at great personal risk.  He's a wonderfully sympathetic character, and relentless in pursuit of truth and justice. He’s a good man, too, a friend to the poor, some of whom he employs in his household. He's also a hunchback, in an age when physical flaws were seen as the mark of the Devil, but Matthew stoically bears all insults - mostly: he's quite capable with sword and fists, if the need arises. Matthew’s close friends and companions, Jack Barak and Guy of Malton, are also engaging characters, with their own stories to enjoy.  

One of most impressive aspects of these novels is the depiction of Tudor life. This it total immersion:  every word, gesture, detail of place, clothing, food, weapons training, life at home and on the street, on board ship, or in the countryside, is used naturally and, I’m sure, accurately.

In ‘Heartstone’, Matthew accepts a commission from Queen Catherine Parr, to investigate a mystery for one of the Queen’s favourite ladies-in-waiting. Bess Calfhill grieves for the supposed ‘suicide’ of her son, Michael, tutor to David, son of the wealthy Hobbey family, and Hugh and Emma Curteys, orphans and wards of David’s father, landowner, Nicholas Hobbey.   


Hugh and Emma stand to inherit a valuable parcel of woodland, adjoining Hobbey land.  When Emma dies from smallpox, Michael is dismissed. 

 
Later, he tells his mother that he has discovered ‘something frightful’ about the Hobbey family and that he has applied to the Court of Wards for Hugh to be removed from their care. Before the case can be heard, Michael is found hanged. 

Matthew’s quest takes him to Southampton where King Henry is assembling a fleet to counter a threatened French invasion.  As well as his investigations for the Queen, Matthew embarks on a private mission, to find out what happened to Ellen Fettiplace, an inmate of Bedlam. Ellen intrigues him, as someone sane and capable, who works as a member of staff in the asylum, yet is kept prisoner, within its walls, by traumatic events in her past. 

The final part of the story tells of a sea battle with the French, in Southampton water, ending with the spectacular loss of the king’s great warship, the Mary Rose, with Matthew on board, fighting for his life, against vicious enemies. 

Highly recommended.

Pauline Chandler 2013

Return to REVIEWS HOMEPAGE

Thief! - by John Pilkington: reviewed by Sue Purkiss

The hero of Thief! is Ben Button, a boy actor with Lord Bonner's Men. Queen Elizabeth is on the throne, and this must have been an exciting time to be treading the boards in London's theatres.

However, in this book Ben is out in the countryside in Hornsey, north of Highgate and south of High Barnet. He's been allowed home for a holiday, and he's looking forward to the welcome he'll receive and to some good country air. But things don't turn out quite as he expects them to. The first shock is that his widowed mother is being courted by a farmer, Dancer May - the only man in the village whom Ben really dislikes.

The second is that his younger brother, Edward, is not inclined to treat him as the prodigal son. It seems to him that Ben is having an easy time of it in London, with his fancy clothes and his 'glamorous' lifestyle. Ben begins to realise that, despite his gift of Eliza the cow (given to him by a rich knight whose life he had saved), his family are finding it hard to make ends meet: it may be that marriage to Dancer seems to be his mother's only chance of lifting her family out of grinding poverty. And then there's Granny, who's suddenly begun to behave very oddly indeed.

All this is worrying enough. But soon, there is news of a series of violent burglaries in the village. Ben has been involved in some investigations in London, and he offers to help his friend Sam Stubbs the miller, who is a rather unwilling Acting Constable. Suspicion falls on a local ne'er-do-well named Daniel Cutter. And then a man is found with his throat cut...

This is a very tightly plotted detective story, with an edge-of-the-seat manhunt at the end. But it's also a thoughtful story about poverty among the rural poor in Tudor times, and about the effect it has on family life. Ben makes a likeable, bright, warm-hearted hero. There are two previous stories in the series, which I haven't read, but which I imagine focus on Ben's life in London with the players. This is an exciting story in its own right, but it would also be a terrific extension to study of the Tudor period - and how nice to have a boy as the main character, and the focus away from Court, as fascinating as that might be!

Return to REVIEWS HOMEPAGE