It’s the first Saturday of the month which means it’s time for another Six Degrees of Separation, hosted by Kate of Books are my Favourite and Best. The idea is that Kate chooses a book to use as a starting point and then we have to link it to six other books of our choice to form a chain. A book doesn’t have to be connected to all of the others on the list – only to the one next to it in the chain.
This month is slightly different as we’ve been given the freedom of starting with any book with which we ended a previous chain. As I’ve been taking part in Six Degrees of Separation most months for nearly three years, I had plenty of options but decided to choose the book that ended my chain this time last year, in November 2019. That book was Uprooted by Naomi Novik, a fantasy novel set in a world closely resembling sixteenth century Poland. Our narrator, Agnieszka, lives in a village on the edge of a dark, forbidden forest until her seventeeth birthday when she is selected by a great wizard known as the Dragon who takes her away with him to his tower.
Thinking of the name of the wizard in Uprooted leads me to a book with the word ‘Dragon’ in the title: Named of the Dragon by Susanna Kearsley (1). This is not one of my favourite Kearsley novels, but I did enjoy it. It’s set in modern day Wales but steeped in Arthurian myths and legends.
Staying with those myths and legends, my next link is to Mary Stewart’s series of Arthurian novels which begins with The Crystal Cave (2). The title refers to a magical, crystal-filled cave near Merlin’s home in Wales where Merlin retreats on several occasions throughout the series to receive visions and revelations.
Another novel in which some of the characters live in caves is The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley (3). This is the fifth book in Riley’s Seven Sisters series and is set in both present day Scotland and in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. There are some wonderful descriptions of the caves of Sacromonte, the traditional home of the Spanish gitano community.
That Lady by Kate O’Brien (4) is also set in Spain, but in a much earlier period. Beginning in 1576, it tells the story of Ana de Mendoza, Princess of Eboli, and her relationship with King Philip II. As you can see from the portrait on the book cover, Ana wore an eye patch which, according to the novel, was because she lost an eye fighting a duel.
Someone else who lived in the same century as Ana and also wore a patch after losing an eye was Francis Bryan, the subject of a non-fiction book by Sarah Beth-Watkins which I read earlier in the year. Sir Francis Bryan: Henry VIII’s Most Notorious Ambassador (5) gives a short and factual account of Bryan’s life at the Tudor court. Bryan was nicknamed ‘the Vicar of Hell’ and this takes me to the final book in my chain.
Jamaica Inn (6), Daphne du Maurier’s Gothic novel of smugglers and shipwrecks on the Cornish coast also features a ‘vicar’ whose name is Francis: Francis Davey, the Vicar of Altarnun. I first read Jamaica Inn many years ago, immediately after reading Rebecca, and found it disappointing in comparison; I read it again more recently and really enjoyed it the second time.
~
And that’s my chain for this month! My links have included dragons, Arthurian legends, cave-dwellers, Spanish history, eye patches and vicars called Francis.
In December we are starting with a book I remember from my childhood: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume.
She Reads Novels 
I read Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret so many times when I was 12/13 that I can still practically recite it now, over 30 years later!
I think I only read it once or twice, but there are still parts that have stuck in my mind!
Somehow I still haven’t go around to reading Naomi Novik. Love the eye-patch link.
Thanks! I don’t read a lot of fantasy, but I do like Naomi Novik.
Great chain – full of so much history. Love kearsley and so enjoyed Du maurier and Stewart from years ago. Will check these other books out. Happy reading.
Thank you! I enjoyed putting this month’s chain together. Stewart, Du Maurier and Kearsley are some of my favourite authors.
I have a Kearsley on my chain this month too. I enjoyed Spinning Silver but I haven’t read Uprooted yet.
I’m glad you enjoyed Spinning Silver – I haven’t read that one yet.
I don’t know most of these books, but they sure have beautiful covers. Fascinating chain!
Thank you. Yes, they are a nice set of covers this month!
Nice chain! Some books and authors I certainly want to give a try.
Thanks! I enjoyed all of these books, so I’m glad you want to try some of them.
Great chain – I read Jamaica Inn earlier this year and really enjoyed it.
Jamaica Inn is a great book. I’m glad I gave it a second chance!
Another great chain, Helen! Uprooted was so good! I am looking forward to reading her new one.
Apart from Uprooted, I have only read the first book in her Temeraire series and really need to go back and read the others.
I, too, read Jamaica Inn many years ago and was disappointed by it. I’ve also been thinking I need to reread it, so I’m glad to hear you liked it better the second time around.
I think the reason I was disappointed by Jamaica Inn the first time around was that I was comparing it to Rebecca, which I had loved. I’m glad I decided to give it another chance and I hope you like it better the second time too.
So pleased to see someone else choose Mary Stewart! I haven’t actually read this one, but whenever I mention her name anyone who has read her says ‘Oh, The Crystal Cave’! I really must get a copy, I love her books.
And another mention of Susanna Kearsley. So many people recommend her, I must investigate.
I’ve read Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel, but not this one. I’m sure Rebecca would overshadow all of Du Maurier’s other novels.
Thanks for am enjoyable chain!
The Crystal Cave and the other Merlin books are wonderful. I enjoyed them just as much as Stewart’s suspense novels – maybe even more. If you like Stewart, I think there’s a good chance that you would like Susanna Kearsley too.
And yes, Rebecca is so good it would have been difficult for du Maurier to equal it. I think a few of her other books come close, but Jamaica Inn is not a personal favourite.