December Reading Summary and Plans for 2012

12 Comments

I read eleven books in December and I’ve picked out my four favourites below. Some months I find it very difficult to choose, but this time it was easy.

1. Stone’s Fall by Iain Pears was surprisingly good considering how much I struggled with one of his other novels a few years ago. It was the only one of my December reads to appear on my Top Books of 2011 list.

2. I am Half-Sick of Shadows, the fourth book in Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series, was the perfect book to read in the week before Christmas. I think it might even be my favourite Flavia book so far.

3. The Girl on the Cliff was the last book I finished before the end of the year and I haven’t had time to write about it yet. I really enjoyed it and now I want to read Lucinda Riley’s previous book, Hothouse Flower.

4. I still haven’t posted my thoughts on Corrag by Susan Fletcher either, but it was a beautifully written book with a unique narrative voice and one of my favourites of the month.

The other books I read in December were:

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart
The White Devil by Justin Evans
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak
Shakespeare’s Mistress by Karen Harper
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Plans for 2012

I’ve been reading other bloggers’ lists of goals for the year ahead and was thinking about writing my own, but really I just have one goal and it’s a very simple one: I only want to read books that I enjoy in 2012. And so, to achieve that goal I’m going to read books from my favourite genres, re-discover authors whose work I’ve enjoyed in the past, re-read more books than I have in recent years, and avoid the temptation to read books that don’t really appeal to me just because everyone else seems to be reading them or because I feel that I should. I also want to give myself permission to stop reading anything that I’m not enjoying, whether I’ve read twenty pages or two hundred!

So, my goals for this year are not very specific (apart from the few reading challenges I’ve signed up for) but will hopefully lead to an enjoyable year of reading in 2012!

Did you read any good books in December? Have you been making plans for 2012?

My Top Books of 2011

30 Comments

After a lot of thought, here it is: a list of my favourite books read in 2011! I would have found it almost impossible to put them in order, so I’ve just listed them alphabetically. I should also point out that not all of them were published this year (in fact, most of them weren’t).

Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada

(Read in January)

If I had to pick out just one book as my absolute favourite of the year, this would be it. Also published as Every Man Dies Alone, this is the story of two people living in Nazi Germany who launch a postcard campaign in protest against World War II. As well as being a very moving and thought-provoking story, it also has a thrilling plot and although it’s a cliche, I really couldn’t put this book down!

From my review: “I found the plot completely suspenseful, exciting and full of surprises…I would highly recommend it if you enjoy reading World War II fiction and would like to view things from a different perspective and also if you enjoy novels that are both gripping and heartbreaking.”

The American Boy by Andrew Taylor

(Read in September)

Although this book was published just a few years ago, it has all the elements of a Victorian sensation novel: murders, mistaken identities, family secrets, betrayal and revenge. The ‘American boy’ of the title is Edgar Allan Poe, though he doesn’t actually play a big part in the story. This was the second book I read by Andrew Taylor this year and I’m looking forward to reading more of his work in the future!

From my review: “A very dark and suspenseful mystery – a perfect book to curl up with and enjoy at this time of year.”

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

(Read in March)

2011 is the year I ‘rediscovered’ Agatha Christie. I’ve read five of her books this year and this one is my favourite. Ten people are invited to stay at a house on Soldier Island and one by one they begin to die. Which of the ten is the murderer? I found it impossible to figure out!

From my review: “I admit that solving whodunits is not one of my strong points, but I think most people would be baffled by this one! Christie expertly leads you to believe one thing, then a few pages later proves you wrong.”

The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt

(Read in October)

The Children’s Book is a long and complex novel which follows the lives of a group of children as they grow up amid the social changes of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. This seems to be the type of book people either love or hate. I’ll admit that it wasn’t an easy read, but I enjoyed almost every page and didn’t have a problem with the slow pace and detailed descriptions.

From my review: “I enjoyed it…but if you’re not interested in the historical and cultural events of the Victorian and Edwardian periods, if you don’t like reading fairy tales, if you prefer books with more action and less description, then this may not be the right book for you.”

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

(Read in January)

This is the story of Marion and Shiva, the twin sons of an Indian nun and a British surgeon, who grow up within the community of Missing Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I loved this book because not only is it a great story spanning several decades and continents, I was also able to learn a lot about Ethiopia, a country I previously knew nothing about.

From my review: “Even though it’s still only January, I can’t imagine I’ll be reading a lot of books this year that are better than this one.”

Gillespie and I by Jane Harris

(Read in May)

I was very impressed by this book, my first by Jane Harris, and went on to read her previous novel, The Observations, which I also enjoyed, though not quite as much as this one. I loved the setting (Victorian Glasgow), I loved the voice of the narrator, Harriet Baxter, and I thought some of the plot twists were stunning! This is also one of the few books on my ‘top books of 2011’ list that was actually published in 2011!

From my review: “At times it even felt like a Victorian sensation novel to me, which probably explains why I enjoyed it so much! Gillespie and I has been one of my favourite reads so far this year.”

The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier

(Read in January)

Narrated by Dick Young, who agrees to experiment with a new drug that transports the user into the 14th century, The House on the Strand has turned out to be one of my favourite Daphne du Maurier novels so far. This was actually the very first book I finished in 2011 and I knew almost as soon as I started reading it that it would be one of my books of the year.

From my review: “Choosing to begin 2011 with a book by one of my favourite authors was the right decision. The House on the Strand is a strange and unusual book which blends historical fiction, science fiction, time travel and psychology. I loved it!”

Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

(Read in July)

Thomas Hardy is one of my favourite authors and I had been looking forward to reading Jude the Obscure. It definitely lived up to my expectations. I can understand why it wouldn’t appeal to everyone – it really is a tragic, heartbreaking story and contains what must surely be one of the most shocking scenes in literature – but I loved it.

From my review: “Although this one didn’t have quite the same emotional impact on me that Tess did, I was still moved to tears in places. I can’t recommend Jude the Obscure highly enough, unless you really just don’t like this type of book.”

Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski

(Read in February)

I chose to read Little Boy Lost for the Persephone Reading Weekend in February. This story of a man searching for his missing son is one of the most emotional books I’ve read for a long time and definitely my favourite of all the Persephone books I’ve read so far.

From my review: “Nicholas Lezard of The Guardian, who is quoted on the back cover, says it best: ‘If you like a novel that expertly puts you through the wringer, this is the one.'”

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

(Read in May)

The Master and Margarita is one of the most bizarre and original books I’ve ever read. I won’t even attempt to describe the plot here, but I can tell you that you’ll meet the Devil, a talking black cat, Pontius Pilate, and a beautiful witch! I’m so glad I decided to stop feeling intimidated by this book and finally just picked it up and started reading.

From my review: “This was a fantastic book – it was breathtakingly different and original, with so many different layers to it…the engaging writing, weird and wonderful characters and the dark humour all helped to keep me interested.”

Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart

(Read in November)

This was my first experience of Mary Stewart’s work. I’ve now read three of her books and she’s already becoming a favourite author! Nine Coaches Waiting is the story of Linda Martin, who arrives in France to start her new job as governess to a nine-year-old orphan, Philippe de Valmy, and finds that both she and the child are in serious danger. This is a wonderful, suspenseful novel with a thrilling plot and a haunting atmosphere.

From my review: “Nine Coaches Waiting is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s maybe not the most life-changing or the most original, but certainly one of the most enjoyable and exciting.”

Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

(Read in January)

I read two Dickens books this year, and while I did enjoy The Mystery of Edwin Drood (despite it being unfinished), Our Mutual Friend is the one that has made it onto my list of top books of the year. With its length and complex plot, this was a challenging book but a satisfying one, and with some very memorable characters (who could forget poor Jenny Wren?).

From my review: “It does require the reader to invest a lot of time and effort in it, but it was definitely worth it for me!”

Persuasion by Jane Austen

(Read in April)

I’ve now read all of Jane Austen’s novels and this one is my favourite, even ahead of Pride and Prejudice which I also enjoyed. I loved Anne Elliot and loved the story of her romance with Captain Wentworth. Compared to Austen’s other novels this one has a more serious, mature tone and that appealed to me too.

From my review: “A moving story of mistakes, misunderstandings and second chances…I loved this book.”

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

(Read in November)

I would never have expected a western to be one of my favourite books of the year! I’m so glad I decided to take a risk and try something completely different.

From my review: “I loved this book, which I think proves that it doesn’t matter if something is described as a ‘western’, a ‘romance’, a ‘mystery’ or anything else: a good story is a good story and The Sisters Brothers was one of the best I’ve read this year.”

South Riding by Winifred Holtby

(Read in February)

South Riding is a wonderful novel about life in a small Yorkshire community in the 1930s. When I first started reading I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it, particularly when I saw the length of the character list at the front of the book, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The characters all had so much depth it wasn’t hard to keep track of them all and I soon found myself completely absorbed in reading about their lives. I loved this one.

From my review: “I hadn’t expected to love it as much as I did. It was a book I looked forward to returning to every day and I was sorry when I reached the final page.”

Stone’s Fall by Iain Pears

(Read in December)

I finished this one just in time for it to make it onto this list. Moving backwards in time from London in 1909 to Paris in 1890 and then Venice in 1867, Stone’s Fall is a long and complex novel about the mystery surrounding a man’s death. I loved this book and was pleased I hadn’t allowed a previous negative experience of Iain Pears’ work to put me off reading this one!

From my review: “I found the plot completely gripping and was never bored – it was all so wonderfully intricate and clever.”

Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome

(Read in March)

This is the hilarious story of three men (and a dog) who go on a boat trip along the River Thames. Despite the fact that it was published more than 100 years ago, most of the humour is still relevant today. I must find time to read the sequel, Three Men on the Bummel!

From my review: “I can’t remember the last time I read such a funny book and I would recommend it to anyone who feels daunted by the thought of reading a Victorian classic.”

Have you read any of these books? If not, I hope I’ve convinced you to read some of them in 2012!

Stone’s Fall by Iain Pears

13 Comments

With 2011 coming to an end, like a lot of bloggers I’ve been putting together a list of my favourite books read this year. One of the books on my list is Stone’s Fall by Iain Pears, which I finished a couple of weeks ago but haven’t had a chance to post about yet, so I thought it would make sense to tell you about the book today before posting my Top Books of 2011 later in the week.

I really wasn’t expecting to enjoy Stone’s Fall so much because a few years ago, I started to read Iain Pears’ An Instance of the Fingerpost and despite it sounding like exactly the type of book I would usually love, I couldn’t get into it at all and abandoned it a few pages into the second of the book’s four parts. With this book, though, I’ve had a completely different experience and I’ve never been so glad that I decided to give an author a second chance!

Stone’s Fall is a very complex and cleverly constructed novel. At the beginning of the story we are told that a man is dead but before we can understand the circumstances surrounding his death it’s necessary to go back in time and learn as much as we can about his life. And so the book is divided into three sections, each narrated by a different character, and moving backwards from London in 1909 to Paris in 1890 and finally Venice in 1867. The link between all three stories is the mysterious Elizabeth, Lady Ravenscliff, who plays an important part in the life of each narrator and is perceived in a different way by each of them.

The first narrator we meet, in 1909, is Matthew Braddock, a journalist working for a London newspaper. When John Stone, one of the richest and most powerful men in the world, meets his death after falling from an open window, he leaves behind a will containing an unusual bequest. Stone’s widow, Lady Ravenscliff, asks Braddock to investigate but as he begins to dig into the secrets of Stone’s business empire he makes some surprising discoveries.

At the end of the first part I was sorry to have to say goodbye to Braddock and move back in time and on to another narrator. However, it only took me a few pages to get back into the flow of the story – the second narrator is fascinating and I enjoyed the second section even more than the first! And in the third and final part of the book, we switch narrator yet again, with this section of the book being equally compelling.

Many of the characters are unlikeable or flawed in some way, but I found all of them interesting to read about. The way I thought about each character changed as I was given more information to piece together and I was constantly forced to re-interpret what I had just read.

Stone’s Fall is a long book (over 600 pages) and very detailed and the author takes his time in introducing us to each character and building up a full picture of John Stone’s world. However, despite the pace being slow at times I found the plot completely gripping and was never bored – it was all so wonderfully intricate and clever. The balance between the melodramatic plot twists and the more technical details of banking, politics and espionage was exactly right, so that the story was both entertaining and informative.

“Love, Murder, Espionage.” Those are the words on the front cover, but although all three can be found within this book, it also contains so many other themes and ideas that to mention everything would require a post twice as long as this one! And so I’ll finish by simply saying that I loved this book – which I hadn’t expected to, considering the problems I had with An Instance of the Fingerpost. This is a book I’d definitely like to re-read one day because I’m sure my knowledge of some of the later revelations would bring new meaning to the earlier parts of the book. I might even decide to try Fingerpost again too!

More challenges for 2012

6 Comments

Despite saying that I wasn’t going to sign up for any more reading challenges, here are three that I couldn’t resist.

The first is the Historical Fiction Challenge hosted by the team at Historical Tapestry. The rules are as follows:

* everyone can participate, even those who don’t have a blog.

* any kind of historical fiction is accepted (HF fantasy, HF young adult,…)

* During these following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:

1. Severe Bookaholism: 20 books
2. Undoubtedly Obsessed: 15 books
3. Struggling the Addiction: 10 books
4. Daring & Curious: 5 books
5. Out of My Comfort Zone: 2 books

The challenge will run from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012.

I haven’t made a list of books, but I’m signing up for the Severe Bookaholism level. Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres and I don’t expect to have any problems completing this challenge!

The Classics Challenge is hosted by Katherine at November’s Autumn and the goal is to read seven classics in 2012. Here is what Katherine says about the challenge:

Instead of writing a review as you finish each book (of course, you can do that too), visit November’s Autumn on the 4th of each month from January 2012 – December 2012.

You will find a prompt, it will be general enough that no matter which Classic you’re reading or how far into it, you will be able to answer. There will be a form for everyone to link to their post. I encourage everyone to read what other participants have posted.

This challenge was announced a while ago but I didn’t sign up immediately because I wasn’t sure which classics I would want to read in 2012. Now that I’ve had time to think about it I’ve listed the following seven books which overlap with some of the Victorian reading I’m planning to do next year.

1. The Professor by Charlotte Brontë
2. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
3. The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope
4. Aurora Floyd by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
5. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
6. The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
7. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

I might read these in a different order, and I’m sure I’ll be reading other classics too, but all seven of these books are definitely on my list for 2012.

Finally, Risa of Breadcrumb Reads is hosting a read-along of twelve of Shakespeare’s plays throughout 2012. For every play there will be discussion posts for each Act. You can find out more and sign up at the Reading Shakespeare blog.

This is another one I’ve been thinking about for a few weeks. I do have a copy of Shakespeare’s Complete Works, most of which I still haven’t read. At the start of 2010 I had set myself a personal challenge to read some of his plays throughout the year, but I only actually managed to read one. I’m hoping that signing up for Risa’s challenge will be the motivation I need.

The schedule is as follows. I’m not sure I’ll have time for all of these, but would like to join in with at least some of them.

* January — A Midsummer Night’s Dream
* February — Macbeth
* March — Henry V
* April — Much Ado About Nothing
* May — Antony and Cleopatra
* June — Richard III
* July — As You Like It
* August — King Lear
* September — Cymbeline
* October — Twelfth Night
* November — Othello
* December — Pericles

I’m not planning to sign up for any other challenges, as in addition to these three I’ve already signed up for The Victorian Challenge and War Through the Generations. I’m looking forward to January so I can get started with all of these!

I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley

Leave a comment

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I don’t usually read a lot of Christmas-themed books but the one I’m posting about today, I am Half-Sick of Shadows, was a perfect seasonal read.

I know not everyone will be familiar with Alan Bradley’s books, so for those of you who need some background information I can tell you that I am Half-Sick of Shadows is the fourth in a series of mystery novels set in the 1950s and featuring eleven-year-old amateur detective and chemistry genius, Flavia de Luce. Flavia lives with her father and her two older sisters Ophelia (Feely) and Daphne (Daffy), at Buckshaw, their family estate near the small English village of Bishop’s Lacey. Other recurring characters include the de Luces’ two servants, Mrs Mullet and Dogger, as well as the local vicar, the doctor, Inspector Hewitt and several more of the villagers.

At the beginning of this fourth instalment, Flavia’s father is having financial difficulties and in an attempt to bring in some money, he allows the cast and crew of Ilium Films to move into Buckshaw to do some filming over the Christmas period. While the snow falls outside, the people of Bishop’s Lacey gather at Buckshaw to watch the two stars, Phyllis Wyvern and Desmond Duncan, give a special charity performance of Romeo and Juliet. Things go badly wrong, however, and a murder takes place. With the de Luce family and all their neighbours snowed in overnight, there’s a long list of suspects. Flavia begins to investigate, but before she can concentrate on identifying the murderer she needs to finish working on a special project of her own: a trap to catch Santa Claus on his way down the chimney!

I have enjoyed all three of the previous books in this series, but I think I am Half-Sick of Shadows could possibly be my favourite so far. It took a long time (almost half the book) before the murder took place and the actual mystery began – and it was probably the weakest mystery in the series too – but that wasn’t a problem for me at all. I don’t read these books for the murder mystery plots; I read them because I love Flavia and love reading about her adventures.

As well as being shorter than usual, this book has a different feel to the first three because it is set entirely within the confines of Buckshaw. This means we get to see more of Flavia’s interactions with her family members and we also have the chance to learn more about Dogger, one of the most interesting characters in the series. I’ve mentioned before that I was starting to get impatient with Feely’s and Daffy’s nastiness towards their younger sister, but there seemed to be a slight change in Daffy’s relationship with Flavia in this book and I almost liked her at times! There was also a hint that maybe Feely didn’t really hate Flavia and that there might be another reason for her cruel behaviour. I’m still hopeful that the three of them will be friends by the end of the series, but we’ll have to wait and see – I’m already looking forward to the fifth book to find out if there are any further developments.

I’m glad I was able to find time to read this book last week as it really was perfect for the Christmas season. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the title comes from the poem by Tennyson, The Lady of Shalott.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

18 Comments

Sense and Sensibility was the only one of Jane Austen’s major novels I hadn’t read and when I saw that Yvann of Reading Fuelled by Tea was hosting a readalong for Advent with Austen it seemed like a good opportunity to read it. Unfortunately I struggled to keep up with the weekly readalong schedule due to lack of time earlier in the month, but I managed to catch up this week and finish the book. Now that I’ve read it, Sense and Sensibility is not my favourite Austen novel (that would definitely be Persuasion) but not my least favourite either.

For those of you who haven’t read it yet, this is the story of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood (there is a third sister, Margaret, but she doesn’t have a significant part in the plot). Elinor and Marianne have entirely different personalities and temperaments, representing the ‘sense’ and ‘sensibility’ of the title. While Elinor is the more calm and practical of the two, Marianne is passionate and emotional. After their father’s death, their half-brother John inherits the family estate and the girls and their mother go to live in a small country cottage in Devonshire belonging to their relations, the Middletons.

Marianne soon falls in love with Mr Willoughby, a man she meets soon after moving to their new home. When Willoughby suddenly leaves for London, Marianne is left devastated. She’s certain that he still loves her, but does he? The man Elinor loves is Edward Ferrars, her sister-in-law’s brother, but there are several obstacles preventing them from marrying, including the disapproval of Edward’s mother and also a previous relationship of Edward’s. There’s also a third man, Colonel Brandon, who becomes a friend of the Dashwoods – but which sister is he interested in and will she ever be able to love him in return?

During the story both sisters experience disappointment and heartbreak, and it’s interesting to see how differently they cope with their feelings. Elinor is more reserved and tries to keep her emotions to herself, while Marianne makes no effort to hide how she is feeling. And that is really the major theme of the novel: a comparison between two extreme reactions to a similar situation. Is it better to wear your heart on your sleeve or to suffer in silence? Is one type of behaviour right and the other wrong? The answer, I think, is to find a balance between the two.

I liked both of the Dashwood sisters, though I found Elinor easier to identify with because I’m definitely more of an Elinor myself than a Marianne. Marianne annoyed me a lot during the first few chapters of the book, but my feelings about her changed as the book went on. I did like the fact that she had such strong opinions about things and that she was prepared to speak her mind when she believed it was necessary. I loved Elinor and admired her quiet self-control, though she did frustrate me at times too, because I don’t think it’s necessarily always a good thing to be so reserved that nobody can tell how you feel.

Other than the Dashwoods, there were a good variety of secondary characters. There were some that I liked (Mrs Jennings, who irritated me at first but I warmed to her later as she was one of the few women Marianne and Elinor met who seemed to genuinely like and care about them) and some that I disliked (I thought Lucy Steele and her sister were vile!) and some who gave Austen a chance to have some fun, e.g. Charlotte and Mr Palmer. The story also has lots of examples of Austen’s famous irony and satire. I’ll admit that when I read some of her other books in the past I didn’t always appreciate all the subtleties of her wit, but with this book I did and some of the dialogue and observations were very clever and amusing.

As this was the first time I’ve read Sense and Sensibility, I liked the way Austen kept me wondering what was going to happen. I suspected there would be a happy ending for Marianne and Elinor, but I couldn’t see exactly how things were going to work out for them or which men they would end up with. Austen does put a few twists into the last few chapters of the novel and I liked the way Elinor’s story was resolved, but I’m not sure I was very happy with how Marianne’s ended.

Now that I’ve read all six of her major novels I’m looking forward to exploring Austen’s other work and also reading the novels again so I can pick up on some of the details I probably missed the first time!

Have you read Sense and Sensibility? Are you a Marianne or an Elinor?

Shakespeare’s Mistress by Karen Harper

3 Comments

It’s a well-known fact that William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in November 1582. What fewer people know, however, is that just days earlier a marriage licence had been issued to William Shakespeare and Anne Whateley of the village of Temple Grafton. Historians are divided over whether Shakespeare was actually involved with two separate women or whether the first entry in the parish register was a simple clerical error. In Shakespeare’s Mistress Karen Harper takes this as a starting point to explore Anne Whateley’s life and the influence she may have had on Shakespeare’s work. Anne is portrayed as the woman Shakespeare truly loved while the other Anne, Anne Hathaway, is the one who is recognised as his legal wife.

The novel is narrated by Anne Whateley and divided into five ‘Acts’, like one of Shakespeare’s plays, and it really is a fascinating, entertaining story. As well as following the turbulent romance between Anne and Will (as he is referred to throughout the book) we also meet a host of other figures from the Elizabethan period including Queen Elizabeth I, Christopher Marlowe, Henry Wriothesley, John Dee, Richard Burbage, Sir Walter Raleigh and Lord Strange. The story is played out against a backdrop of historical events: an outbreak of the plague, Christopher Marlowe’s death, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the funeral of Elizabeth I and the building of the Globe Theatre.

The book appears to have been very well-researched and I appreciated the author’s notes at the end as it’s always helpful to have an idea of which parts of a novel are based on historical fact and which are completely fictional. I enjoyed reading all the scenes in which Will and Anne are going through the creative process of writing and staging his famous plays – a knowledge of Shakespeare and his writing is not essential, by the way, but would probably help. Karen Harper has also done a good job of attempting to show how Anne could have been the inspiration behind some of Shakespeare’s work but I was less convinced by the way the characters were constantly dropping lines from Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets into their conversations. It seemed forced and unnatural, particularly when Anne and Will kept speaking to each other in rhyming couplets!

The dialogue, in general, has a modern feel, though it’s interspersed with words like ’twas and ’tis, in an attempt to make it more authentic. The language wasn’t always quite right but it didn’t feel ridiculous (which is always a danger with dialogue in historical novels) and I didn’t have a problem with it.

I did enjoy both this book and also Karen Harper’s The Queen’s Governess, which I read a couple of months ago. I really like the fact that with both novels she has found a way to approach the Tudor period from a fresh and unusual perspective. I think I would put her books on the same level as Philippa Gregory’s, so if you like Gregory’s historical fiction I would recommend trying Harper’s too.

For anyone interested in learning more about Anne Whateley, this website discusses the various arguments for and against her existence.

Note: This book has previously been published in the US under the title Mistress Shakespeare