Category: Historical Fiction

Night Train to Marrakech by Dinah Jefferies

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Night Train to Marrakech is the third and final book in Dinah Jefferies’ Daughters of War trilogy, but if you haven’t read the previous two books that shouldn’t be a problem as I think this one would also work well as a standalone. While Daughters of War and The Hidden Palace followed the stories of the three Baudin sisters, Hélène, Élise and Florence, during World War II, this third novel moves forward to the 1960s to focus on Élise’s daughter, Vicky.

In July 1966, Vicky Baudin arrives in Morocco to visit her grandmother for the first time. Having lost her father during the war, Vicky has only recently discovered that his mother, Clemence, is still alive and living in the mountains outside Marrakech. Vicky has just received a diploma in fashion design from a London art college, so this seems like a good time to travel abroad before beginning a postgraduate course in Paris. As her train arrives at Marrakech station, Vicky is looking forward to getting to know Clemence – and is determined to find a way to meet her hero, the French designer Yves Saint Laurent, who also lives in Marrakech.

In her mountain home, the Kasbah du Paradis, Clemence is awaiting her long-lost granddaughter’s arrival with mixed emotions. Vicky will want to know why she played no part in her son’s life and Clemence doesn’t feel ready to explain. However, she’s forced to confront the memories she’s tried so hard to forget when a man from her past reappears, threatening to reveal her secrets. Meanwhile, Vicky and her cousin Bea also stumble into trouble when they become witnesses to a crime.

Night Train to Marrakech has a much stronger thriller element than the previous two books, which I found quite surprising. The novel is set against a backdrop of rising political tensions – a few months before the novel begins, the Moroccan revolutionary Mehdi Ben Barka is abducted in Paris (a real life incident) – and although this doesn’t form a large part of the plot, it does give a sense of the danger for two young women who unintentionally become mixed up in a situation they don’t fully understand. The descriptions of Morocco itself – the scenery, the buildings, the food, the sounds and smells – are also beautifully done.

The three sisters from the first two books (Vicky’s mother, Élise, and her two aunts, Hélène and Florence) do eventually make an appearance in this one, but I was disappointed that we don’t see very much of them. This is very much Vicky’s story and Clemence’s, and although having two completely new characters to get to know so late in the trilogy unsettled me slightly, I did warm to them later in the book. I found Clemence in particular an intriguing character as she seems so cold and secretive at first but as more and more of her story unfolds, the reason for this becomes clear and by the end of the book I had gained a lot of respect and sympathy for her.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as Daughters of War and The Hidden Palace – as the third in a trilogy I would have preferred it to be more closely linked with the first two books rather than moving on to the next generation – but the gripping plot and evocative setting still made it worthwhile. As for whether or not Vicky achieves her dream of meeting Yves Saint Laurent, you’ll have to read the book to find out!

Thanks to HarperCollins for providing a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.

This is book 40/50 for the 2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown by Alison Weir

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Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown is the second book in Alison Weir’s new Tudor Rose trilogy: three novels exploring the lives of Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII and Mary I, three generations of the Tudor family. It also works as a companion to her earlier Six Tudor Queens series, which told the stories of Henry’s six wives.

This novel is quite unusual because it’s the first I’ve read by Weir to be written from a male perspective. So many of today’s historical fiction authors are choosing to focus on historical women, particularly those who have been forgotten or neglected, I feel that famous male figures like Henry VIII are currently less ‘fashionable’ subjects. As there’s also been so much written about him in the past, I wondered whether this book would have anything new to offer.

The novel takes us through Henry’s life in chronological order, beginning with his childhood and his unexpected change in status after the death of his older brother and then moving on to look at his six marriages, the religious changes that took place during his reign and all the political intrigue of the Tudor court. His relationships with advisers such as Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell – and his court jester, Will Somers – are covered, as well as his rivalry with King Francis I of France and finally his declining health and his death in 1547.

I remember mentioning in some of my Six Tudor Queens reviews that Weir’s depiction of Henry was surprisingly positive throughout that series. All six of his wives are shown to have some genuine love and affection for him and his cruel actions are usually excused as being the fault of somebody else. She portrays him in a similar way in this book, showing how easily he is manipulated by people around him and trying to make him a more sympathetic character than you would usually expect, while not ignoring his obvious flaws – his jealousy, insecurity and hot temper. Weir does a particularly good job of showing how important it was to Henry to have a legitimate heir to carry on the Tudor dynasty founded by his father and the panic that he felt every time he suffered an illness or accident, knowing that if he died he would be leaving the future of his kingdom at risk.

Another unusual thing about this book is that I somehow found it both too long and too short at the same time! I read it on my Kindle, but the paper version has over 600 pages, so it’s a big book and not one that can be read very quickly. On the other hand, the six novels in the Six Tudor Queens series were all nearly as long and this single book on Henry has to cover a lot of the same information, so I felt that it didn’t really have the same level of depth, particularly where Henry’s later wives were concerned. About half of the book is devoted to Henry’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon and the ‘Great Matter’ that arises when he attempts to have the marriage annulled so he can marry Anne Boleyn. This means his relationships with his other four wives are squeezed into the remainder of the book, along with major events like the sinking of the Mary Rose, which is covered in just a few paragraphs.

Overall, I found this an interesting read, if a bit dry at times, but I don’t really feel that I learned anything new from it – and, as I’ve said, a lot of the material is repeated from the earlier six novels. If you don’t have much knowledge of Henry VIII and the Tudors, though, I think this would be a good alternative to non-fiction to start you on your journey and introduce you to this period of history. Be aware that the US title of this book is The King’s Pleasure: A Novel of Henry VIII – I don’t want anyone to buy the same book twice!

Thanks to Headline Review for providing a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.

This is book 39/50 for the 2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

The Ionian Mission by Patrick O’Brian

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I’m continuing my very slow journey through Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series and have now reached book eight, The Ionian Mission. As usual, I seem to have let a gap of about three years go by since reading the previous book, completely unintentionally! Fortunately, I always find it easy enough to get back into the story even after a long break – O’Brian often recaps some of the most important plot points in the first chapter and if not I can refer to the very detailed summaries of each book on Wikipedia to help refresh my memory.

The series is set during the Napoleonic Wars and follows the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and his close friend, the ship’s surgeon and spy Dr Stephen Maturin. If you haven’t yet read the first seven novels, be aware that the rest of this post could contain spoilers you would prefer to avoid!

The Ionian Mission picks up the story from The Surgeon’s Mate, which ended with Stephen marrying Diana Villiers at sea. They are now at home in London, but although they seem happy with their relationship, it’s certainly not a conventional marriage and the two are already living separately. Anyway, they don’t have long to experience married life before Stephen is off again, accompanying Jack on a mission in the Mediterranean, blockading the French fleet at the port of Toulon. It’s a boring, tedious job and Jack is unimpressed with the ship he has been given, HMS Worcester.

Because of the nature of the blockade duty, there’s a sense that, for a large portion of the book, we and the crew of the Worcester are just passing time, waiting for something to happen. The lack of any real naval action gives O’Brian a chance to explore the various ways the members of the crew attempt to amuse themselves while at sea, such as rehearsing an oratorio, holding a poetry contest and trying to stage a performance of Hamlet. However, none of this made for particularly gripping reading and I was pleased when the tedium was relieved for a while by Stephen going ashore to carry out his spying duties.

Later in the novel, Jack is transferred to command of his old ship, his beloved HMS Surprise, and is sent on a new mission to the Ionian Islands where he must decide which of three Turkish rulers would prove the strongest ally for Britain in that region of the Mediterranean. I found this part of the book, where political intrigue comes to the forefront, much more interesting and I enjoyed the descriptions of Kutali, the place Britain hopes to use as a naval base. Unfortunately, this all came too late in the book to change my overall impression of it as one of the weaker entries in the series so far. I was also sorry that we saw so little of Diana, after she had played such a big part in the previous few books, and nothing of Jack’s wife and children either.

Although this one hasn’t become a favourite, I’m still looking forward to moving on to book nine, Treason’s Harbour!

This is book 38/50 for the 2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin

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I loved Sophie Irwin’s first novel, A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting, which I read last year and was looking forward to reading her new one. Despite the similar title, A Lady’s Guide to Scandal is not really a sequel as it features completely different characters, but both books are set in Regency England and I think if you enjoy one of them you’ll probably enjoy the other.

Eliza, Countess of Somerset, has just been widowed at the age of twenty-seven and has inherited her late husband’s fortune – on the condition that she avoids becoming the subject of any scandal. Eliza didn’t love her husband – the man she had really wanted to marry was his nephew, Oliver Courtenay, whom her parents dismissed as unsuitable ten years earlier – but she obediently dresses in black and prepares to observe the traditional period of mourning, living quietly in Bath with her cousin, Margaret. Of course, now that’s she financially independent for the first time in her life, the temptation to go out and enjoy herself is very strong…and grows even stronger with the arrival of the roguish poet Lord Melville and his equally unconventional sister.

As soon as the charismatic Melville appeared on the scene (a character who must surely be inspired by Lord Byron) I thought I knew how the rest of the novel would play out. However, it’s not long before Oliver Courtenay, who has now inherited his uncle’s title of Lord Somerset, also turns up in Bath. It’s clear that Eliza still has feelings for Oliver – maybe even still has hopes of the marriage that was denied them all those years earlier – so the story is not as predictable as it seemed to be at first. I knew which man I wanted Eliza to choose but there are enough twists and turns in the plot that I couldn’t be completely sure she would make the right choice.

Although I found Kitty Talbot in Fortune-Hunting more fun to read about, I did enjoy watching Eliza’s character develop throughout this book. When we first meet her at the reading of her husband’s will, she has spent her whole adult life trying to be a good wife and daughter and conforming to society’s expectations, but through her friendships with Melville and his sister Caroline, she begins to find the courage to make her own decisions and live her life the way she wants to live it. At the same time, her actions are still quite believable within the context of the Regency setting and she doesn’t feel too anachronistically modern. As well as the lively Melvilles, there are lots of strong and memorable secondary characters including Somerset’s awful relatives, who have their eye on Eliza’s fortune, and her cousin Margaret, who becomes involved in a secret romance of her own.

Like the first book, this is very reminiscent of Georgette Heyer’s novels and also has some similarities with the plot of Austen’s Persuasion. However, Irwin does have her own style and is not just imitating other authors. I’ll be looking out for her next book, whether it’s another Lady’s Guide or something else!

Thanks to HarperCollins for providing a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.

This is book 37/50 for the 2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson

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Before summer draws to an end (not that it’s been much of a summer here anyway – I started writing this during a thunderstorm), I decided to read the appropriately titled A Song for Summer, Eva Ibbotson’s last adult novel, first published in 1997. It has more recently been reissued and remarketed for a YA audience but, like Ibbotson’s The Secret Countess and The Morning Gift, I think it’s a book that could be equally enjoyed by both adults and young adults.

Ellen Carr is the daughter of a suffragette and a solicitor who was killed during World War I. Raised by her mother and two aunts, also former suffragettes, Ellen is expected to go to university and then pursue a suitably impressive career – a politician, perhaps, or the first female President of the Royal Academy. However, it quickly becomes obvious that Ellen’s talents and ambitions lie in another direction. What she really wants to do is cook and clean, so she heads for Austria to take up a position as housekeeper at the experimental Schloss Hallendorf School.

As Ellen tries to settle into her new job and home in the beautiful Austrian countryside, she discovers that the school is not the idyllic place she had hoped it would be. There are lots of eccentric misfits among the staff, as well as several troubled children with difficult family lives whose parents have either sent them to boarding school because they don’t have time for them or because they’re not able to care for them. With her warm, maternal nature, Ellen sets out to solve everyone’s problems and bring some happiness to Schloss Hallendorf.

Although this book was published in 1997, Ellen is not really what you could describe as a ‘modern’ heroine. She rejects a university education and the chance to be a pioneer for women’s rights like her mother and aunts because she prefers to bake and sew and clean. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, as long as it’s a woman’s own choice rather than something she feels is her duty, but not many of today’s historical fiction authors would choose to write about a woman like Ellen and this book does at times feel more like one written in the 1930s, when it is set, than in the 1990s.

There’s a love interest for Ellen, in the form of the Czech gardener and fencing teacher, Marek Tarnowsky. As we discover early in the novel, there’s a lot more to Marek than meets the eye; not only is he a talented composer and conductor, he is also working undercover to help Jews flee the Nazi regime. The story of Ellen’s domestic life at Hallendorf is interspersed with accounts of some of Marek’s missions, including a daring attempt to rescue his best friend, a Jewish violinist, and eventually Ellen also becomes involved in helping him. However, although I’m sure we are all supposed to love Marek as much as Ellen does, I never really warmed to him and this took away some of the emotional impact of the story.

Although I liked this book, mainly for its portrayal of Austria on the brink of war, I found it the weakest of the four Ibbotson novels I’ve read so far (my favourite is probably Madensky Square). I’ll continue to read her books and hope that I’ll enjoy the next one I read more than this one.

This is book 15/20 of my 20 Books of Summer 2023

This is book 36/50 for the 2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue

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Emma Donoghue’s new novel, Learned by Heart, is the story of Anne Lister and Eliza Raine, two real historical figures. Lister, best known for her diaries in which she writes about her lesbian relationships as well as her daily life in West Yorkshire, has been made famous to modern audiences thanks to the recent BBC/HBO drama series, Gentleman Jack. Eliza Raine, her first lover, is believed to be a possible inspiration for Bertha Mason, Mr Rochester’s wife in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.

Eliza was born in Madras (now Chennai), the younger daughter of an Indian mother and an English father, who was working there as a surgeon for the East India Company. Following her father’s death, Eliza and her sister were sent to England to live with a Yorkshire family, the Duffins. We join Eliza at her boarding school in York, where she has made several friends but still feels that she doesn’t entirely fit in due to her background and skin colour. When Anne Lister arrives at the school one day in 1805 and is told to share Eliza’s bedroom, Eliza is immediately drawn to the new girl. Lister, as she prefers to be known, is a strong personality – intelligent, rebellious and an ‘outsider’ like Eliza herself. As the two grow closer, their friendship develops into romantic love, but as two fourteen-year-olds in 19th century England they are denied the freedom to be who they really are.

Interspersed with the account of their schooldays are several letters written by Eliza to Lister ten years later. Through these letters, we are aware from the beginning of the novel that Eliza will end up in an asylum, but we don’t know exactly how or why she came to be there. Although we do learn a little bit more as the story progresses, it’s not fully explained until Emma Donoghue’s author’s note at the end of the book. The novel itself concentrates almost entirely on Lister and Eliza’s time at the Manor School in York, something I hadn’t expected when I first started reading, and I do feel that rather than the letters, it would have been more interesting to have had a sequel continuing the story after they leave school and become adults.

After last year’s Haven, an unusual novel about a group of 7th century monks settling on an uninhabited island, Donoghue is on more familiar territory with this one (several of her earlier books have also been set in the 18th and 19th centuries). A huge amount of research has obviously gone into the writing of this book and her portrayal of everyday life in an English girls’ school during the time of the Napoleonic Wars feels vivid and real. However, I don’t think we really needed so many long, detailed descriptions of every game the girls played at school!

Anne Lister is an intriguing character and seeing her only through Eliza Raine’s eyes gives a real sense of the qualities that Eliza finds so attractive. It also means that we don’t fully get to know Lister or to understand her innermost thoughts and feelings, so she is always surrounded by a slight aura of mystery. I didn’t always like her and as she was clearly the dominant force in their relationship, I felt concerned for Eliza as it seemed obvious she was going to get hurt.

As I’ve said, I think I would have been more interested in learning about the adult lives of the characters, but I did still enjoy the book and thought it was a great introduction to the lives of these two fascinating women.

Thanks to Picador for providing a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.

This is book 14/20 of my 20 Books of Summer 2023

This is book 35/50 for the 2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

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Throne of Jade is the second book in Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series set during an alternate version of the Napoleonic Wars where domesticated dragons are used for aerial warfare. It’s been a long time since I read the first book, Temeraire – in fact, I was shocked to discover that it’s been eight years! – but I found that I could pick up the story again without too much trouble and will try not to wait so long before starting the third one.

If you’re not a fan of fantasy and are put off by the mention of dragons, I can reassure you that the dragons are the only real fantasy element in these books (at least in the two that I’ve read) and they feel much closer to the seafaring historical novels of Patrick O’Brian than anything else. In Novik’s series, dragons have existed for centuries and by the time of the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century they have become an accepted part of the armed forces of many countries around the world. The dragons are intelligent creatures, capable of human speech, and form strong bonds with their human handlers.

In the first novel, we were introduced to Will Laurence, a former Royal Navy Captain who becomes the handler of Temeraire, a dragon who hatches from an egg found on a captured French ship. Having trained together for service in Britain’s Aerial Corps, Laurence and Temeraire develop a close friendship, but when it emerges that Temeraire is one of a rare breed – a Chinese Celestial – it seems that they may have to be separated. Celestials are supposed to be reserved for royalty and the Chinese had intended Temeraire to be a gift for Napoleon. As Throne of Jade opens, a group of envoys have arrived from China to recover their rare dragon. Due to Temeraire’s bond with Laurence, the envoys agree to allow Laurence to accompany them back to China with the dragon and the Navy provides a dragon transport vessel, HMS Allegiance, for the voyage.

In 1805, when the novel is set, it takes many months to sail from Britain to China. This means that most of the story takes place at sea on board the Allegiance, which gives the book a transitional feel with the sense that you’re always waiting for the destination to be reached so that the plot can finally pick up pace. That’s not to say that nothing happens during the journey, because it does – there are encounters with the enemy, storms and sickness, and several possible attempts on Laurence’s life – but I did feel that it was very drawn out and I was pleased when the ship eventually arrived on the shores of China.

As with the first book, the writing style and language are suitable for the setting, with none of that inappropriately modern dialogue that can pull you out of the time period. Although the addition of the dragons and the Aerial Corps obviously means that a large part of the story is fictional, real historical events are still playing out in the background. During the voyage, Laurence and his companions receive news of the French victory at the Battle of Austerlitz and the death of the Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger.

The long period spent at sea does allow for more character development and for some interesting conversations between Laurence and Temeraire in which Laurence begins to see things from Temeraire’s point of view and to understand how much he has taken for granted regarding the feelings and sensibilities of dragons. He also starts to discover that the Chinese people treat their dragons very differently than the British – and once in China, these differences become more obvious and pronounced. Even if he’s allowed to, will Temeraire want to return to Britain with Laurence after experiencing another way of life? I won’t tell you what happens, although knowing that there are another seven books in the series after this one does take away a lot of the suspense in that respect. Black Powder War is next and I’m looking forward to reading it, hopefully not after another break of eight years!

This is book 13/20 of my 20 Books of Summer 2023

This is book 34/50 for the 2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.