This is a fascinating account of the discovery of Richard III's body at the archaeological site of medieval Grey Friars Priory, under a modern-day parThis is a fascinating account of the discovery of Richard III's body at the archaeological site of medieval Grey Friars Priory, under a modern-day parking lot, in September 2012. Alternating with the record of the dig, which is very interesting in itself, is the historical record that Jones and Langley uncovered and a very detailed and realistic account of the actual Richard III's life.
Our history books are full of heroes and villains. But real-life experience sometimes defies such convenient generalizations. People, then and now, are complex � and in a violent age genuine concern for justice and deeply felt morality can coexist alongside political ruthlessness.
Having read both Shakespeare and Phillipa Gregory’s accounts of the reign of Richard III, I wanted very much to have the historical facts, unembellished. I believe it has long been understood that the Richard III of Shakespeare’s accounting is a creature of Tudor invention. It was necessary for Henry VII, whose claim to the throne was very tenuous, to vilify and delegitimize his predecessor, and he did a great job of it, because the stain has clung to Richard for over 500 years. As Langley observes, Villains sell. Part of the interest I have had in Richard is a direct result of knowing this infamy is propaganda and wondering where the truth might lie. Without Shakespeare, Richard III might well be just another king who attracts little interest from anyone who is not a historian.
The Lost King is a well-researched and annotated scholarly work, and does not strive to rewrite, but to uncover, the history. It reaches no positive conclusion regarding the Princes in the Tower, as there is simply no historical data to make a conclusion possible. Perhaps that mystery will be solved by future discoveries and generations. What it does offer is a balanced picture of a man and a king, a reconstructed view of what Richard would have looked like, how he was treated at his death, as evidenced by his bones, and what is involved in gleaning information from such a discovery.
I am happy to know Richard’s bones have been discovered and that they are resting in dignity at last. He was the last Medieval King and the last English king to perish in battle. He may have been no better or worse than those who came before or after him.
If we are able to allow history to be written by the losers as well as the winners, perhaps we can at last lay Richard III to rest with real dignity....more
I always love to sneak a Brother Cadfael book between more serious reads. He is a character I do not tire of, and it feels somewhat like having a timeI always love to sneak a Brother Cadfael book between more serious reads. He is a character I do not tire of, and it feels somewhat like having a time out for coffee with a friend. This one was particularly well-done, I thought.
Also, I cannot help thinking about my husband, Matt, when I read these books. We watched the Derek Jacobi series together way back in the 90s and loved every minute of it. Maybe that is another reason I hold Cadfael a bit close to my heart....more
A short break with Brother Cadfael. A sort of collection of stories instead of one longer one. I always enjoy these, but this would not be a favorite.A short break with Brother Cadfael. A sort of collection of stories instead of one longer one. I always enjoy these, but this would not be a favorite...too little or none of the characters I have come to expect and love. This reads as almost an afterthought; a collection of ideas that didn't fit into another form. ...more
Another Brother Cadfael under my belt. This one was quite good. I love both the character of Cadfael and the medieval setting, and I needed something Another Brother Cadfael under my belt. This one was quite good. I love both the character of Cadfael and the medieval setting, and I needed something easy and fun. A little love, two murders, two mysterious strangers, and a conniving and unloving grandmother–what else could you ask for? ...more
It took me almost a year to get through this collection of stories, doing them one at a time with spaces in between. A significant historical work, I It took me almost a year to get through this collection of stories, doing them one at a time with spaces in between. A significant historical work, I could admire Boccaccio's writing, but many of the stories were difficult to engage with and I did not establish any feeling of connection to the storytellers who were fleeing the plague.
Glad to have read it, glad to have it behind me. It did not engage me nor entertain me as Chaucer's Canterbury Tales did, although that was what I was expecting when I began....more
The second installment in the Kristin Lavransdatter series by Sigrid Undset is a marvelous continuation of this story of medieval life in Norway that The second installment in the Kristin Lavransdatter series by Sigrid Undset is a marvelous continuation of this story of medieval life in Norway that began with The Bridal Wreath. Whatever sense of unfinished business I had at the end of The Wreath was satisfied in this book.
After her precarious start to marriage with Erlend Nikulausson, we find Kirstin both paying the price and reaping the rewards of her decision. She has to settle into life with a less than responsible husband and seven children, all boys, but she has also established her worth as both a mother and a wife. To my surprise, there is much to admire about Erlend, and just as he earned the respect of Kristin’s father, Lavrans, by the end of this book, he had earned mine as well. Undset writes him with a kind of charm that pulls you in and helps you to understand exactly why a woman like Kristin would find him irresistible. I kept picturing Errol Flynn, but I’m sure more modern bad boy charmers would fit the bill. His fatal flaw is that he is reckless and thoughtless; his saving grace is that he is intelligent and brave and loves.
Speaking of Lavrans, Kirstin's father, I love this character so much! The relationship he shares with Kristin is so special and there is a sweetness and wisdom about him that breaks my heart. We also find Simon Andresson again, and his is another character that I admire completely and ache for. There is much of tragedy building here that I fear cannot have a happy ending. Not everyone is admirable of course, and there are plenty of moments when even the admirable ones show to less than perfection. Perhaps the greatest strength in Undset’s writing is how real and multidimensional all her characters are. Even the monks have flaws.
Sigrid Undset is a remarkable writer. She draws striking pictures of these medieval houses, customs and occupants. The political and religious systems that operate during this time are vastly different than those we see today, and again, Undset provides such a thorough and accurate portrait that you cannot fail to understand the important roles they play and the effect that they have on the people and the times.
There are pictures of motherhood, husbandry, political intrigue, unrequited love, unappreciated valor and sacrifice that would rival any book ever written. When I closed on the last page, I knew I would not let very many days elapse before beginning the third and final volume. I begin to see why Undset received the Nobel prize and why she is so respected by the generations that have read her works.
A Brother Cadfael mystery novel is somehow so comforting a thing. This particular novel was a little short on Cadfael for me, and focused a touch too A Brother Cadfael mystery novel is somehow so comforting a thing. This particular novel was a little short on Cadfael for me, and focused a touch too little on the life in the Abbey and more on the outside world, but still a sweet read. I solved the mystery fairly early on, but I think that might have been Peters� intent. What was interesting was how Cadfael resolved a sticky situation.
As they say, this is not rocket science. It isn’t the most profound writing ever, but it is loads of fun, which can be useful in stressful times. Not my first Cadfael or my last. ...more
It is the annual St. Peter’s Fair at Shrewsbury, when a visiting merchant by the name of Thomas of Bristol is murdered. Of course, Brother Cadfael is It is the annual St. Peter’s Fair at Shrewsbury, when a visiting merchant by the name of Thomas of Bristol is murdered. Of course, Brother Cadfael is right in the thick of it from the beginning, witnessing a confrontation between the man and a gang of local boys. Once the stage is set, all that is left is to sit back and watch the pageant unfold.
I’m not sure if it is the medieval setting or the clever writing, but I do very much enjoy these light-hearted mysteries. My mind’s eye can always see Derek Jacobi and hear his voice, even after over two decades since seeing him bring Cadfael to life. I had this one figured out long before the reveal, but I enjoy the prose and character development so much that it matters very little.
If I were rating this book within its genre only, it would easily get 4-stars....more
With The Cross, I have now completed the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy of Sigrid Undset, and my reaction to the end of this book was to want to pick uWith The Cross, I have now completed the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy of Sigrid Undset, and my reaction to the end of this book was to want to pick up book one and start all over again. What an amazing story this turned out to be. By the time I reached the final section of this installment, I felt I knew Kristen intimately. Along the way, I fell in love with her father, Lavrens; her jilted lover, Simon; her reckless and charming husband, Erlend; several of her sons, a couple of priests, and numerous smaller characters.
This is a book about self-realization, about relationships and how they shape us, and about our relationship with God and how He carries and sustains us.
Then had it been the burden of her burning prayer, that might this poor, unhappy child but be made whole in body and in wits, she would crave for naught more...She thought of Gaute, sitting his great iron-grey, a brave and goodly horseman. And she herself--not many women of her age night to half a hundred years, were blessed with such health; she had marked it well on her journey across the mountains. Lord, give me but this and this and this--then will I thank Thee and crave no more than this and this and this--
Never, it seemed to her, had she prayed to God for aught else than that He might grant her her own will. And she had got always what she wished--most. And now she sat here with a bruised spirit--not because she had sinned against God, but because she was miscontent that it had been granted her to follow the devices of her own heart to the journey’s end.
How many of us are guilty of this? Always wanting our own way, always promising God not to ask any other boon if he grants us this one.
These books are religious in the finest kind of way, because they explore the spiritual side of man and his need for God and because, in this historical context, they are perfectly accurate. There was law and religious law, both imposed on the people and often completely overlapping, religious leaders sitting in judgement of both civil and moral trespasses.
Think you, woman, child that you still are in your old age, that ‘tis God punishing for the sin, when you must reap sorrow and humiliation because you followed your lusts and your overweening pride over paths that God has forbidden His children to tread? Would you say that you had punished your children if they scalded their hands when they took up the boiling kettle you had forbidden them to touch, or if the slippery ice broke under them that you had warned them not to go upon? Have you not understood, when the brittle ice broke beneath you--that you were drawn under each time you let go of God’s hand, and you were saved from out the deep each time you called on Him?
This tale of Kristen’s stepping on the ice and being saved time and again, is one of the most gripping I have ever encountered. If you don’t mind a book that breaks your heart to the extent that you have to take breaks to wash away the tears, this might be a book for you. ...more
Strange how desperate people are to know the future, even if they know they cannot change it.
Besides, if you can read the future, you can read the Strange how desperate people are to know the future, even if they know they cannot change it.
Besides, if you can read the future, you can read the past for they are but ends of the same thread, and I always take great care that no one should know anything of me except my present.
A Company of Liars is the story of a group of nine strangers who travel together in an effort to escape the plague that is spreading death throughout England. It is not simply a story about travelers or pestilence, however, it is also a story about darkness, superstition, secrets and guilt. Each of the travelers has a secret, and it is the interpersonal relationships and the unraveling of those secrets that keep the reader enthralled.
There are a few historical inaccuracies that spring off the page in a somewhat jarring way, and there are sensibilities expressed that would seem unlikely, if not impossible, in the 14th Century setting, but those are not enough to undo the good parts of this novel. The narrator, Camelot, is well-drawn and one easily slides into seeing the events through his eyes. It doesn’t take much to guess who the true culprit among the travelers is, but that does not spoil the fun either, because you want to know why more than who and you certainly want to know each person’s story and how they came to this place in their lives.
For me to give a book a 4 or 5-star rating, it almost always has to offer something deeper than just a good tale. This is a good tale, but I think there is also a layer beneath that which explores the purpose of lies in the lives of men and whether that withholding of the truth can ever be a good thing. What tortures these people are not really outside forces but the things they know about themselves--the things they lie about. It begs the question of whether all of us are hiding something, and whether we lie to ourselves about why we lie. So, 4-stars for leaving me with something to ponder when I go to my rest tonight. Excellent debut effort. ...more
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