J. M. Harvey

bookshelves: autumn-2013, e-book, britain-scotland, historical-fiction, medieval5c-16c, net-galley, published-2013, epistolatory-diary-blog, war, norway
Read from November 04 to 05, 2013

ARC NetGalley: Troubador Publishing Ltd. Matador

From the description: As Scotland spirals into war, Robert’s sisters face the wrath of King Edward of England, whose vengeance wrought the brutal death of William Wallace. Kirsty is incarcerated alone in an English nunnery, whilst Mary endures years of misery within a cage hanging from the walls of Roxburgh Castle. Under Robert’s kingship, old wounds heal and Scotland’s fighting force achieves a resounding victory at the Battle of Bannockburn. Only then are the fragile, traumatised women released, through the ransoming of English nobles, to return home to rebuild their shattered lives… Sisters of The Bruce is a captivating work of fiction that weaves family history with a gripping narrative through the social and political landscape of medieval Scotland, Norway and Orkney. J. M. Harvey has been inspired by Sharon Penman, Elizabeth Chadwick and Sigrud Undset.

Dedication: For my mother & grandmother

Opening:

Scotland. July 1306.
A rider thundered along the track as if the very hounds of hell growled and slavered at his heels.

My last read, a historical mystery 'Covenant With Hell' by Patricia Royal, dealt with a 1277 visit by the Hammer of the Scots, Edward I, to the shrine of Walsingham to ask for God's Blessing for his invasion of Wales.

The events of this book carry on from there, just a few years in between. With this book too, I shall not furnish the story further mentioning that which is known historically, and the book description provides sufficient outline so as not to spoil the release. Suffice it to say that a large part of this history is told here through letters, and as such, could be seen as a gimmicky way to pretty-up info-dumping and facilitate telling not showing.

Artistic Impression of Turnberry Castle

Eirik Magnusson, (aka Priest Hater, Helsingør arsonist) Eric II, contemporary bust (1280's) in Stavanger Cathedral.

Dundonald Castle.

Writtle Estate, Essex

Lochmaben Castle - impression

Mary Bruce was captured by the English and imprisoned in a cage at Roxburgh Castle for around four years, and a supporter of The Great Cause, Isabella MacDuff, was similarly imprisoned in such a cage at Berwick Castle. Great spectator sport those cages. To gate-crash the English in Roxburg Castle 1313, the Scotsmen dressed up as cows then used ladders to up-and-over. As daring as the Birnam Wood ploy from The Scottish Play?

Reconstruction of Roxburgh.

This is a robust telling of tumultuous times and man's cruelty is shown at every turn. So whilst this is not a curl-up read, I do recommend that you pull up a straight-backed chair to the grey, late autumn daylight window, read on and thank your lucky stars that you were not born into those times.



3.5*… (altro)

Historical fiction or History with fictionalized human perspectives?

I had just finished watching the episode of A History of Scotland that referenced Robert the Bruce and the hardships his family suffered at the hand of the British host. When I had an opportunity to read the ARC of this novel, I couldn't resist. As a result of The Bruce and his men killing John Comyn (1306), Edward I, called for the 'Raising of the Dragon'. Which meant that no quarter would be given to The Bruce supporters, including his family. This work follows the effect of war and this edict upon the men and more particularly, the womenfolk of The Bruce.
The story is mostly expressed as a series of letters penned between the sisters, which adds to the sense of the personal. However this is more a history book than the fictionalized story of the sisters. This unfortunately renders it a dense and lengthy work. I found myself having to put it down and take it up over a longer period of time than I normally would. Should this have been two books, or a book from each sister's perspective? For better readability something along those lines would be more accessible. Certainly the atrocity of the women's treatment and their subsequent physical, emotional and mental state is well presented by Harvey. A history of Scotland that does persuades one to reflect on the human cost of war no matter the times.

A NetGalley ARC… (altro)

The author told the tale of the Bruce women and Robert Bruce's fight to be king of Scotland by using various writing devices (letters, narration) with mixed results. There was much information covered in the book and the author told the story from several points of view, but predominantly from that of Isa and Kristy. This became more difficult when Kristy was imprisoned and the author then included fictional letters from other family members. Much of the daily life experiences of the time were included in the tale and provided a backdrop for the story of the sufferings of these amazingly strong women. I would have preferred more of narrative style than the jumping around between writing devices, but do admit that I did learn a bit about the treatment of these women, though I still wonder at how they survived. A different writing style would have resulted in a higher rating. I have not been compensated in any way (other than being given a copy of this book to review) and my opinion on the book is entirely my own.… (altro)

Over and over and over again in my reviews over the last several years I've found myself having to talk about using a gimmick to sell a book. That gimmick could be anything from touching on curiosity that a reader might have on seeing things from a villains point of view to exploiting some sort of disability in an effort to sell the book. J.M. Harvey has added yet another gimmick to my list of things to dislike: that of putting a story where there isn't a story in order to tell a completely different story. Sisters of the Bruce was not a book about the sisters, it was a book telling the history of Scotland in the 13th century through the medium of women's letters and, to a lesser extent, their lives.

Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on Dec. 8, 2013.… (altro)