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Sto caricando le informazioni... Death and the Maidendi Samantha Norman, Ariana Franklin
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Iscriviti per consentire a LibraryThing di scoprire se ti piacerà questo libro. Attualmente non vi sono conversazioni su questo libro. Ariana Franklin carved a nice little niche for herself in the historical mystery corner of the literary world. Sadly she passed away before the last book in her "Mistress of the Art of Death" series was finished. Her daughter Samantha Norman took up the torch and ran with it. The story comes across nicely. Set in that early Plantagenet English atmosphere it may be a little predictable but only to a certain extent. It seems Franklin's daughter knew that readers might expect that, so while she put readers on that path she easily tears them away and says "This is how I am going to do it." Her curveball comes of out nowhere and strikes the skull with a pleasant.."Now you did not see that coming did you?" Terror in the Fens of medieval times! Young maidens are missing and drowned in the Fens of 1191. No one in authority is putting things together. The Fens! Truly some of my favorite medieval mysteries have been set here! Adelia Aguilar is not the woman I remembered her to be. Admittedly she is now older and retired, but still as oblivious and yet at the same time as frenetic as usual. Adelia has been training her daughter Allie in her craft, so when the call comes for help with an old friend's illness, she reluctantly sends Allie to Ely. Partly at the urging of Allie's father and her love, Rowley, Bishop of Saint Albans. He is worried about Allie's future and that she won't have the protection of a patron like Adelia did. (Of course the ugly spectre of healers being accused of witchcraft stands in the background) One of the most interesting characters is Lady Penda of Elsford with her wolf cloak and skill with the bow. What we learn about her towards the end speaks for itself. One interesting part of the piece was the Interdict imposed by the Bishop and the dire effect that has on innocent communities. As Father Edwards explains to his flock, it's an “order of the bishop of Ely ... that, henceforth, I am no longer allowed to celebrate mass or perform the viaticum, or, I fear, offer sepulture [burial] in this churchyard . . .” This is a massive punishment with all sorts of consequences for the faithful. I had wondered about the culprit and wasn't surprised when my thoughts bore fruit. Still the getting to who was committing these awful crimes had a few likely contenders tossed in, so I was kept guessing almost to the end. Ariana Franklin was one of my favorite medieval mystery writers. Unfortunately she died in 2011. I was excited to see this novel by her daughter finishing out the series. It's an intriguing read, somewhat missing the cut and thrust of personalities I was looking for, or maybe that I had been used to. Despite this, a sterling read! A HarperCollins ARC via NetGalley Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change nessuna recensione | aggiungi una recensione
Appartiene alle Serie
Fiction.
Literature.
Thriller.
Historical Fiction.
HTML: "Superb...an appropriate homage"??Marilyn Stasio, New York Times The much-anticipated final installment in Ariana Franklin's popular Mistress of the Art of Death historical mystery series, finished by the author's daughter after her death. England. 1191. After the death of her friend and patron, King Henry II, Adelia Aguilar, England's vaunted Mistress of the Art of Death, is living comfortably in retirement and training her daughter, Allie, to carry on her craft??sharing the practical knowledge of anatomy, forensics, and sleuthing that catches murderers. Allie is already a skilled healer, with a particular gift for treating animals. But the young woman is nearly twenty, and her father, Rowley, Bishop of Saint Albans, and his patron, the formidable Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, have plans to marry Allie to an influential husband . . . if they can find a man who will appreciate a woman with such unusual gifts. When a friend in Cambridgeshire falls ill, Allie is sent to Ely, where her path will cross with Lord Peverill, a young aristocrat who would be a most suitable match for the young healer. But when Allie arrives, all is chaos. A village girl has disappeared??and she's not the first. Over the past few months, several girls from the villages surrounding Ely have vanished. When the body of one of the missing is discovered, Allie manages to examine the remains before burial. The results lead her to suspect that a monstrous predator is on the loose. Will her training and her stubborn pursuit of the truth help her find the killer...or make her the next victim? A richly detailed, twisty thriller, Death and the Maiden is historical mystery at its finest??and a superb final episode in Ariana Franklin's much-loved, much-acclaimed Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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Google Books — Sto caricando le informazioni... GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999Classificazione LCVotoMedia:
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Rather than take on the analytical and legendary Adelia, Norman opts to tell the story of Death and the Maiden from the point of view of her daughter Almeison "Allie". This choice is smart on the part of Norman; however, it does create a staggering tonal shift as the predecessor in the series A Murderous Procession ends on a dramatic cliffhanger. Allie is positioned as Adelia's protege in all things medical and macabre, but Allie is chafing at the monotony of her life with her mother. When fan-favorite Glytha falls ill and Adelia breaks her ankle, Allie is proposed as the replacement nurse. Unbeknownst to everyone, Allie is walking right into a village with a penchant for murdering pretty girls.
Allie starts out as interesting, but she soon petered out for me. She never shows any initiative to learn about the mystery of the disappearing girls or to explore her surroundings, even though she supposedly missed living in the Fens and everyone there. As a result, the mystery stalls, and all Allie really does is moon over her attractive neighbor whom her father is desperately trying to marry her to or sulk because she's not getting her own way. Even when a beloved character is kidnapped (and you see it coming from a mile away), Allie doesn't spring to action. The mystery only really picks up steam when Adelia's ankle recovers enough for her to show up in the Fens for the last third of the novel to save both the village and the story. Unfortunately, Allie's lack of agency continues. She neither finds her friend through her own efforts nor even finishes off the villain. Overall, she's not much of a heroine, but comparing her to her mother Adelia makes her even more disappointing. Then, Norman teases readers that Allie might find a future at court with Eleanor of Aquitaine, which would really be something, but that also comes to nothing because Allie can't make her mind up about anything.
My favorite character was Penda. Readers may recognize her as the little girl from Franklin and Norman's other novel The Siege in Winter. Penda was fierce, efficient, bold, caring in her own way, and just so much fun. She lit up the page. It makes sense since Norman finished Penda's novel too. She probably felt more familiar with her, and it showed. She was, by far, the strongest character. As for the other characters - Adelia, Rowley, Glytha, Ulf - they aren't as strong or vivid with the exception of Rowley. Norman managed to capture his dual life fairly well, I thought.
While there was a lot of promise, ultimately, this book is not one I'll revisit. I can't help but wonder if it wouldn't have been better to just let the series end with the fourth book and let readers imagine everything turned out well for the characters at the end. I appreciate the attempt to conclude this famous series, but I really don't think the book added anything. It feels unnecessary, in my opinion, even as a standalone novel in its own merit. ( )