CHILD OF WATER by Gemma Lawrence @TudorTweep

5 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: I've read almost all of this author's books and always look forward to a new one.

In A Nutshell:  The early life of Empress Matilda, Book #1 of the Heirs of Anarchy series.

The early years of Matilda, granddaughter of William the Conqueror, who, at the age of 8, was sent to marry the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V.  Child of Water takes us through Matilda's younger years as she leaves England a child, and, under tuition from her beloved Heinrich and others, becomes the wife, Empress and regent he wants her to be.  After his death, she is recalled to England by her father, King Henry I of England.

I loved this book, which taught me a great deal about a period in history of which I know little.  I hadn't realised, for instance, that Geoffrey of Anjou was so much younger than her.  Matilda's path from precocious child to extraordinarily intelligent and perceptive young woman, beloved by her people and adored by her husband, is beautifully and convincingly written, as is her disorientation when she realises her only option, as a widow, is to return to her father's court, where she is received very differently—and her frustration about the lot of women, even her perceptions of freedom versus the reality.

One aspect of this book that I liked very much was the intricate detail about how the people lived, particularly the descriptions of London on Matilda's return.  Although not always part of the story it did not seem out of place, but gave a more three-dimensional background to Matilda's life.  I have enjoyed passages like this in this author's previous books, and am glad that she included more domestic and historical detail in this one; that it is a story of England, not just the main characters.  The author's notes at the back add extra snippets of information.

The book ends with Matilda's marriage to Geoffrey planta genista....I am so looking forward to reading the rest of the series, and her struggles for the throne against her cousin, Stephen.  Well done, Ms Lawrence!