5 out of 5 stars
Medieval Mystery
On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE
I'm such a fan of Ann Swinfen, and this book lived up to my expectations ~ don't ignore all those book promotion tweets flying past on Twitter, it's how I discovered her!
This is a cosy sort of murder mystery set in Oxford, in which bookseller Nicholas Elyot discovers the body of a student from the university floating in the river. Sure he was murdered, Nicholas takes it upon himself to solve the crime. I felt the plot came second place to the historical interest of the story, which suited me fine. The book is intricately researched, and serves as an education about the time, in the most enjoyable way possible. Beautifully written, I could imagine every scene, whether in the busy streets of the town, in the cottages, the university grounds, the dark alleys on the dangerous side of town, the roads out to Banbury, or the lanes out to the water mills.
The time of the book was of added interest to me because it takes place just a short while after the Great Plague has died out; I learned much about the long-term effects of this pestilence. Interesting to read a post apocalyptic story from over 600 years ago; I suspect the people of the time dealt with it better than we would now, mostly because they were already equipped with the skills they would need.
The characters are real people, and, as with Ms Swinfen's other books, I felt sad when I'd finished it and eager to read more. Highly recommended to all readers of well researched, literary historical fiction, and especially to anyone with a particular interest in the history of story writing, bookbinding and selling, and, of course, the history of Oxford.
This Rough Ocean by Ann Swinfen is reviewed HERE, with links to Flood and Betrayal (all set in the 17th Century).
5 GOLD stars
English Civil War Drama
On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE
What an amazing book ~ I don't think I'm going to be able to read anything else for a day or so!
This Rough Ocean is about the fortunes of the Swinfen family in the English Civil War; it's fiction but much of it is based on the real life adventures of John and Anne Swinfen (Swynfen) and their family; the author's note at the back gives more information.
John Swynfen is a Member of Parliament, a 'moderate', and his family have joined him to live in Westminster from their country estate in Staffordshire, during the time when Charles I has been captured and Cromwell's men are ransacking the country. John is imprisoned, and Anne must take her family back to Stafford to safety ~ and assume the role of 'Lord of the Manor'.
I'd say this is probably the ultimate fiction about the period. It's impeccably and intricately researched, a book of adventure, great hardship, bravery, loss, the brutality within man but the goodness to be found in unexpected places, too; honestly, it's riveting. I liked the first half very much, when John is safe in Westminster, and the danger around the country is becoming more and more of a threat, but I ADORED the second half, which is told from the alternating points of view of Anne, with all her difficulties managing Swinfen estate, and John, as his life becomes more bleak, the possibility of escape back to his home and family seeming ever more impossible. Also woven into this part of the story is the tale of their wayward eldest son, Dick, who decides to walk from London to Stafford instead of going safely back to school....
In the first third of the book there is a fair bit of political detail which you might find a bit hard going unless you are already well versed in/particularly interested in this aspect, but it's an education in itself, and the book soon ups its tempo as it moves away from the London political arena and back to the stories of John, Anne and their family. Stick with it!
Ann Swinfen clearly has such insight into all aspects of life at this time, and I felt so involved with the characters all the way through this book; it even made me cry at three separate points. This Rough Ocean is something of a masterpiece ~ I can't recommend it too highly.
FLOOD by Ann Swinfen reviewed HERE
BETRAYAL by Ann Swinfen reviewed HERE
5 out of 5 stars
17th century historical fiction
On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE
I enjoyed the first book in this series, Flood, so much that I began the sequel as soon as I'd finished it ~ a recommendation in itself!
Betrayal carries on where the prequel left off, as the villagers in Ann Swinfen's fictional 17th century Fenland village recover from the devastation caused by not only the weather but also the destruction of their way of life by the money men who aim to take their land for their own profit.
This episode adds another dimension to the story, as Mercy's brother Tom leaves the area after losing his leg in the troubles, feeling that he will serve them better by resuming his legal studies in London. But these are difficult times; Cromwell is now in power but the Civil War still festers, with young men being rounded up and sent to fight against their will. The story's underlying focus, though, is Tom's effort to retrieve a charter, written in the twelfth century, that granted the Fenlanders the right to live on and farm their land without interference.
The title of the book tells you that all is not what it seems ~ the reader is given a pretty good idea of who is behind the wrongs being done to the villagers, but Mercy, Tom and their friends have difficulty realising exactly who they can trust.
Aside from being a cracking story, I loved this novel as I loved the first, for its wonderful research and description. Domestic detail in some books can be tedious, but this book shows how in the right hands it can be fascinating, such an insight into the times. I so enjoyed the chapters from Tom's point of view, about the London of the 17th century, and it fast became one of those books I wanted to actually live in!
I can't recommend these two books highly enough; historical fiction addicts will adore them. Although the communities are poor, by many standards, I saw the Fenlanders' way of life as an idyllic one; living with the land as nature intended, pulling together and supporting each other. I very much hope there is more of this terrific series to come.
FLOOD by Ann Swinfen is reviewed HERE
5 out of 5 stars
17th century historical fiction/witch hunts
On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE
What a wonderful chance find this book was! I've been wanting to read something about the Fens in the 17th century, when the ancient way of life of the Fenlanders was washed away to satisfy the greed of those in power, since reading something about it in a book by Norah Lofts, years ago, but I've never been able to find anything. Then I chanced upon this book via a random passing tweet (on Twitter).
The book starts with the very end of the old way of life, when the people of Ann Swinfen's fictional village celebrate old traditions, the bringing in of the May and the beating of the village boundaries, for the last time ~ except that they don't know that the way they live is about to be consigned to a memory of a golden, uncomplicated past. Mercy, the heroine of the novel, says "Why can we not be left to ourselves, here in the Fens, to grow our food, and rear our animals and mend our houses, troubling no one? We need no courts or kings or parliaments." Something that might be echoed by many communities before and since....
As the dreaded 'drainers' move in, life becomes more treacherous for Mercy, her family and friends every day, and is made harder still by unclement weather, failing harvests, and the presence of Matthew Hopkins, witchfinder general.
This book is so well researched, I relished every word, every description; if only there were pictures, too! All the characters are so alive (I particularly liked eel fisherman Nehemiah, and soldier George), the story is a real page turner and I was completely engrossed, doing that 'just one more chapter' at three in the morning thing. It taught me a lot about a subject, time and place that fascinates me, too. I have just downloaded the sequel, and will be beginning it as soon as I have posted this review.
Highly, highly recommended; historical fiction at its best.
Review of the sequel, BETRAYAL, HERE
