So many books . . .

As in Pillars of the Earth, to which WWE is the sequel, the city of Kingsbridge is brought to life with colorful, boisterous, endearing and occasionally excruciating detail. The story begins approximately 200 years after PotE. At 1,000 pages, it’s a hefty tome to lug around, but it’s a relatively quick and absorbing read.

In several ways WWE was almost like reading the first book over again. The protagonists’ and antagonists’ names have changed, but at times I felt, mildly disappointedly, that I’d read it all before. This was the only reason I gave it 4 rather than 5 stars. Still highly recommended as Follett’s prose is breathtaking as usual, but make sure you read PotE first.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Follett's homepage Ken Follett (wiki)

 

John Tradescant (the elder) was one of the most skilled and famous gardeners in English history. He originally makes his mark creating gardens for Sir Robert Cecil before moving to Essex to work for the infamous George Villiers, favorite of kings James I and Charles I. Eventually, John’s talents are requested once again – this time by King Charles himself. Philippa Gregory brings John’s love for gardening and botany, as well as his yearning to discover and procure new species of flowers and trees, to life in such a way that the reader can easily share in John’s pride and fulfillment in his humble occupation.

My one complaint about the story is that John seems to step wholly out of character when it comes to Villiers, becoming decidedly wishy-washy and taking leave of his senses in a way that seems otherwise incompatible with his personality, even taking into consideration their lord/servant relationship. Despite this, I’m eager to read the sequel, which focuses on John Tradescant (the younger).

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Gregory's homepage Philippa Gregory (wiki)

 

Working as a live-in personal assistant for an author, Laura is awakened one night by the sound of someone breaking into their hotel suite. When she yells for help, the masked burglar kisses her to keep her quiet, then leaves. Who is he and what was he looking for?

Laura is a pretty but empty-headed, naïve and self-deprecating – the most annoying kind of heroine(?). I picked this up because Madeleine Ker is the pseudonym of one of my favorite authors, Marius Gabriel. It was my first foray into graphic novels in which the book is read back to front, which made for an interesting experience but took some getting used to. Disappointingly, it confirmed my suspicion that pulp romance written by a talented author is still empty, unfulfilling, pulp romance, even when “printed in flirty pink ink!”

Rating: 2/5 Further reading: Marius Gabriel (wiki)

 

This is the story of Renoir’s famous painting Luncheon of the Boating Party, a work completed on the balcony of the restaurant La Maison Fournaise, just outside of Paris. Combining historical fact with Ms. Vreeland’s vivid imagination we learn how the painting came into existence and how the models were chosen and gathered, as well as a sense of the time and place. The models’ identities are largely based on historical fact, but as with all works of historical fiction the author uses her colorful imagination in guessing their conversations, relationships and emotions. At the beginning of the story, Auguste Renoir is struggling even to cover the costs of purchasing several tubes of paint, but by the time the painting is finished the reader gets a sense that Luncheon represents a fortunate turning point in his career.

There is something compelling about an author bringing to life the story of a work of art. The characters become familiar and spark curiosity about who they were, the location becomes a real place one could visit, and the art itself becomes an intimate friend. Susan Vreeland first piqued my interest with her biographical historical fiction, The Passion of Artemisia. Her background in and her passion for fine art is clearly a prerequisite in producing a story like this. The descriptions of the colors, clothing and food I can only describe as “delicious” and nearly caused me to feel that I was actually there among them.

One suggestion: Print a color copy of the painting to reference as you read. Otherwise you’ll be flipping to look at the cover approximately 3,496 times.

Rating: 5/5 Further reading: Vreeland's homepage About Luncheon of the Boating Party Pierre-Auguste Renoir (wiki)

Antonia Fraser’s well-researched work details the known facts in the life of Marie Antoinette – from her grand childhood as the daughter of an empress, to her marriage to Louis XVI and her life as France’s queen, to her tragic and ultimate downfall with the start of the French Revolution.

Although I would recommend it to history fans, the book took me longer to complete than a book of this size normally would, partly because there was simply so much information to digest. I was also occasionally bored with the more political details. However, I find it amazing that we do know so much about Marie Antoinette and these events that occurred more than 200 years ago.

Compared with Abundance, a work of historical fiction published in 2006 by Sena Jeter Naslund which complements this one fairly well, Fraser’s Marie Antoinette is a more sympathetic character. In a rather stark contrast to popular opinion, both of her contemporaries and her reputation persisting through history, she is painted very nearly as an innocent victim of circumstance. I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Antonia Fraser (wiki) Abundance by Naslund

Gods' Concubine is the second book in Douglass' Troy Game series, and it was definitely more engaging and enjoyable than the first. This time around, a thousand years have passed, and the characters we met in the first book have been reborn into the age of William the Conqueror. In fact, Brutus is William himself and Cornelia is the queen of England, wife to Edward the Confessor. Coel is reborn as Harold Godwinson (Harold II) and in a cruel twist of fate Genvissa has been reborn as Harold's wife. Other characters from the first book are also reborn and find themselves drawn once again into the struggle for control over the Troy Game, which has itself been lying and waiting for a thousand years.

This combination of fantasy and historical fiction is an intriguing way of presenting a time period in history. The reader is left guessing, and possibly researching further, as to which details are real and documented and which are purely the product of the author's vivid imagination.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Douglass' homepage Sara Douglass (wiki)

Having enjoyed Naslund's Ahab's Wife previously, I was looking forward to her new historical fiction about Marie Antoinette. The story begins as 14-year-old Marie, daughter of the Empress of Austria, journeys to France to wed the 15-year-old Dauphin (Louis XVI); and ends with her memorable death at the guillotine during the French Revolution.

It's hard sometimes to read through a book knowing full well how it ends. There is always that distracting, perpetual dark shadow looming in the background. When the family was making their escape attempt I was cheering them on, whimsically hoping that maybe this time around they would succeed, but alas! Throughout the book I had to keep reminding myself that, although intensely researched, this was still a work of fiction -- it was like reading the intimate thoughts from someone's diary. I felt both sympathy for Marie and the royal family and pity at their self-absorption and naïveté. It does not cause the reader to think they are truly evil or ruthless people, but that the fault lies perhaps in how they are raised in a world of true opulence; isolated, untouched and unaffected by the reality, and especially the plights, of the average citizen. As is the mark of good historical fiction, upon finishing I was compelled to learn more about the real historical figures therein.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Naslund's homepage

Sara Douglass concludes her Crucible series with this third book that takes place among the royal courts of 14th-century England and France in an altered reality that closely resembles our own, but for the interference of angels in mortal affairs. I didn't fall in love with the series, but this is a very interesting time in English (and French) history, and Douglass definitely has a way with words!

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Douglass' homepage Sara Douglass (wiki)

In this second book in her Crucible series, Sara Douglass continues her tale of a slightly alternate reality in 14th-century Europe in which Thomas Neville has been told that the fate of Christendom rests on his success in disrupting the plans of demons infiltrating the ranks of European courts. As times passes, however, the distinction between good and evil becomes ever hazier. The books are much more focused on history than on religion, and this is a fascinating period in European history. I should also say that all of the books in this series have fantastic cover art.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Douglass' homepage Sara Douglass (wiki)

I enjoyed Douglass' Threshold a few years ago and looked forward to trying some of her series. This is the first book in the series "The Crucible," which takes place in the 14th century in the years following The Black Plague, an interesting and turbulent period in Europe. Thomas, a Dominican friar, is visited by St. Michael, who tells him that demons abound in Europe and that it is his life's task to stop them. Although I didn't love it, I'll definitely finish the series. Another wonderful book that takes place during this time period is Katherine by Anya Seton.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Douglass' homepage Sara Douglass (wiki)