GREEN DARKNESS by Anya Seton

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: recommended to me by my sister.

Genre: 16th century historical fiction, 1960s drama, reincarnation.

'Whatsover has been in the past or is now, will repeat itself in the future, but the names and surfaces of things so altered that he who has not a quick eye will not recognise them, or know how to guide himself accordingly.'

Green Darkness opens in the late 1960s, when Celia, the new wife of baronet Richard Marsdon, is unhappy in her marriage.  This part is set during one of the country weekends enjoyed amongst the aristocracy; it seemed oddly dated; you know how some books 'travel' well, and some don't.  This didn't.  I enjoyed it well enough but didn't love it.  A few reviews have talked about how 'offensive' it is - I imagine this is because of the inclusion of certain words.  It depends how easily you're offended; I think that if a term/word/point of view is right for the dialogue, either spoken or inner, of a particular character, then it's right, whenever it was written.  I was keen, though, to move on from the 1960s to see what Celia's link with the past was all about. 

At about 20%, the book moves back to 1552, at Cowdray Castle, where the monied upstart Brownes and the impoverished but aristocratic de Bohuns await the arrival of the young king ~ the fifteen-year-old Edward VI, son of Henry VIII, who was, of course under the control of the scheming Duke of Northumberland.  Suddenly I was reading a different book, and I loved it.  I've read so much about the troubled period between the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, and am always keen to read other viewpoints.  Such a dangerous time, when one's very existence depended on the whims of whoever wore the crown, and those who influenced them.  I particularly liked one part set in Cumberland.  Books written about this era are often set in the south of England, and I'd never before read such an absorbing account of what life would really have been like up in those cold northern hills; indeed, London and the south must have seemed like another country.

As 1960s Celia and other characters in the first part drift into the past, so the characters of the 16th century experience flashes of their future lives ~ this I loved, and would have liked to see more of it.  The reincarnation aspect aside, it's one of the best books I've read about life during those few dangerous years.  Interesting, too, was the suggestion that Edward VI was poisoned, and that he was not only a meek puppet controlled by Northumberland, but had all of the stubbornness of his father.  

Loved this, about Mary's coronation procession, at which the young Elizabeth was the people's star... 'So the small moon pales when the sun comes out.'

I didn't like the way in which the dialogue is painstakingly delivered in the regional dialects - it was tedious to read and sometimes not very clear.  Once you know which region a character comes from, you tend to read it in that accent, anyway; you don't need to have 'Cumberland' written as 'Coomberland' every time.   The novel is written from an omniscient narrator's point of view, hopping in and out of various heads; because Anya Seton was a talented and experienced writer this works well, but it's definitely one of those 'don't try this at home' styles; it can be confusing at times, even when so expertly executed.

I love books that illustrate the circle of time, how the past merges with present and future; this certainly ticked those boxes.  I was struck, though, by how much more sophisticated the art of novel writing has become in the past fifty years; elements of this would not stand up well under the scrutiny of today's reviewers.  But I still liked it.  😉

A CRY FROM THE DEEP by Diana Stevan

3 out of 5 stars

Mystery, romantic suspense, diving

On Amazon UK HERE 

On Amazon.com HERE 

Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber's book review team

I was looking forward to this book, as it deals with the subjects of reincarnation and time slips between the 19^th century and the present.

It’s a very good story idea, it’s well thought out, feasible, and there are no plot holes or errors of continuity.  The (American) English is perfect, and the proofreading was virtually faultless, which is always a big plus.  The subject matter of diving for historical artefacts is extremely well researched; I read in the back of the book about how much work the author had done on this and was impressed; it will probably appeal to anyone who is interested in this subject.

So why only three stars?  

I found the narrative rather old fashioned.  The romantic side of it is a bit Mills and Boon, with the occasional throwing in of something more ‘earthy’ that seemed a little incongruous.  It was predictable - as soon as handsome Daniel Costello was introduced I guessed the outcome.  I found the delivery and dialogue a tad wooden throughout; aside from Hennessey, the brutish head of the diving team, one character’s dialogue was indistinguishable from another’s, with a relaying of information as opposed to painting a portrait of the person.  Ms Stevan has used regional dialect accurately, but I never had the feeling of different ‘voices’, and could not see any of the people in my mind’s eye.

The point of view changed from Catherine to Daniel on a few occasions, and this new outlook made the story perk up.  My attention was also renewed when Catherine began to unravel the mystery, in Ireland; I thought the Irish section was the best, and I imagine well researched too (I’ve never been to Ireland, so can’t say).  However, I felt this could have been done in a much more intriguing way, perhaps with alternating between past and present so that we knew more about Margaret and James; the piece set in the 19^th century is so brief that I had all but forgotten about it by about a third of the way through. The mystery would have been far more compelling if it had been unleashed gradually, rather than the reader being told more or less everything at the very beginning.  Throughout the book there was too much exposition (dialogue used to give necessary background information, executed in an contrived manner) and ‘telling, not showing’ (delivering statements to tell the reader what a character is like, rather than allowing a picture to build up via his/her speech and behaviour, and others’ reactions to them). 

   

To sum up – it’s a fairly competent debut novel, but for me it fell flat.  However, a review can only ever be one person’s opinion, and readers who like a more conservative approach to dialogue and predictable romantic developments might well enjoy it very much; I see that it has other, more postive reviews and I imagine the author’s style will develop.  I’d like to thank Ms Stevan for supplying a review copy of this book, and wish her luck in her writing career.