How would you describe the current mood in your part of the world?
In many places, today’s theme might be division rather than unity.
Is our time unique?
Over the centuries, internal divisions accelerated the decline of many powerful civilizations—ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, China’s Shang Dynasty, the British Empire, among many others.
Today’s book review focuses on France, with a riveting novel, The Brethren, (first of 13 in the Fortunes of France series) painting a picture of how religious and political conflicts between Catholics and Protestants led to decades of religious wars, many deaths, and the dissolution of French national unity.
To help our nations avoid these pitfalls, may we treat our neighbors with love and respect, whatever our differences!
Readers, what ways have you found to show compassion to your neighbors?
Pierre de Siorac, the second son of a fervent Protestant father and no less devout Catholic mother, tells the story of his Protestant (Huguenot) family in Périgord, France. Through his adolescent eyes and the difficult choices he, his family members and household face, readers see how the religious conflicts between Catholics and Huguenots threaten to tear France (and Pierre’s family) apart. This novel shows the very real impact of religion on the lives of common people as well as elites in 16th-century France—for instance, converts to the Huguenot faith lost 50 holidays (celebrating Roman Church saints) each year.
The Brethrenbegins a saga about France’s history. Although the novel’s rich background is closely based on facts, the author labels it as historical fiction, allowing him to fictionalize the family at the heart of this story. The author’s detailed portrayal of life details, history, and religious practice lays the groundwork for the French religious wars and their aftermath.
Clearly-drawn characters with strong, distinct perspectives and goals breathe life and emotion into this novel, drawing readers through decades of shifting policies of rulers, military commanders, clerics and lay religious leaders.
I recommend The Brethren to readers who enjoy an expansive story that transports them to a bygone era, and I look forward to reading the next volumes of this saga.
My rating: Life in this era was often messy and violent, so readers shouldn’t be surprised to encounter violence and intimacy outside marriage in The Brethren.
What do you think of when someone mentions France?
The Eiffel Tower, fantastic cuisine, stylish clothing, or romantic movies?
What about a breeding ground for the Reformed branch of the Protestant Church?
How can this be? France is a Catholic nation.
Jean Calvin, a Frenchman, was a key figure of the Reformed (as opposed to the Lutheran) branch of the church that broke away from Roman Catholicism. He fled to Geneva, Switzerland, for his own safety.
Believe it or not, hundreds of Protestantchurches sprang up throughout France, and as much as 10% of France’s population considered themselves Huguenots (Reformed Protestants) before persecution began in earnest.
But kings, popes, and powerful families wanted to stay in control, so 36 years of religious wars resulted, followed by more Huguenot rebellions.
Eventually, the Catholic French kings prevailed, and surviving Protestants had to flee or hide their beliefs.
The City of Tears, (The Burning Chambers Series Book 2) an engaging new novel by Kate Mosse, takes place during that volatile period of French history.
Although this was a difficult time for Protestants in France, it’s a very exciting story that I found difficult to put down. Here’s why:
Plot—A wonderful weaving of historical events with emotional arcs, this is a riveting story of a family’s struggles through two decades of France’s religious wars.
Setting—The fully-created world made me feel like I was there, with details about life and locations, but it wasn’t overloaded with description.
Characters— I loved the strong, three-dimensional characters. but I wished I could prevent some unfortunate choices by the heroes. I could sympathize even with the villains.
I haven’t yet read Burning Chambers (Book 1 in this series), but hope to soon so I can fully understand the backstory of City of Tears.
I would give City of Tears a moderate rating, as it includes significant violence (fitting for that time) and fade-out love scenes.
Readers, imagine yourself as a resident of France during this time period. Whatever your beliefs, how would you have responded to religious conflicts—fled, helped your neighbors, hidden your beliefs?
We love to read novels that keep us turning pages, but what keeps you reading? Maybe it’s:
A hero/heroine you identify with and root for
A villain you love to hate
An historical personality (king, queen, pope, rebel) you enjoy observing ‘in action’
But how often does technology drive a novel’s plot, influence the story’s winners and losers, and keep us on the edge of our seats?
Maybe you’ve read a fascinating novel or seen a movie with a plot involving technology, such as:
Enigma encryption device used by Germany (and decrypted by Britain and its allies) during World War II
Wright brothers’ airplane (1903)
Printing press (1440)
Oil painting (~1410)
Compass (in wide use by 1300s)
Magnifying lenses (1200s for weak-sighted, 1500s-1600s for microscopes and telescopes)
Recently, I discovered a fascinating new novel set in the reign of England’s Henry VIII, in which new cannons designed in Italy played a central role in the plot.
King Henry VIII of England orders a new type of Italian cannon to protect his life, family, and reign. Although this novel’s premise may sound dry and technical, it develops into an intriguing plot.
The story is told from the point of view of the heroine, a young Italian woman who accompanies the cannons to England. She turns out to be a sharp-eyed sleuth who turns her attention to a mystery that proves key to Henry’s reign.
Along the way, I learned more about the motivations of Henry’s enemies, both domestic and foreign, who sought to destroy him.
The author’s well-developed portrayal of Katherine of Aragon especially intrigued me—a marked contrast from common stereotypes about her.
An interesting and enjoyable read!
Readers, please share your favorite novels involving a technological innovation!
Lucia, my protagonist, is approaching the end of her next adventure. Along the way, I’ve discovered stories from history that came to life as I read them.
This month, I’ll highlight two fascinating stories:
Fontevraud (English spelling, Fontevrault) is a French Benedictine abbey two and a half miles south of the Loire River, in a wooded valley in the province of Anjou.
Although it contained both male and female Benedictine monastic communities,
the men labored to serve the spiritual and material needs of the women
the women lived a silent life of contemplation
A woman (the abbess) was always in charge of the entire abbey (including the men), overseeing renovation and construction over the centuries.
French kings and queens supported the abbey’s construction projects, including:
Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine
Louis XV, whose three youngest daughters were educated at the abbey (after a new complex was built with apartments, chapels, gardens, and an orangerie).
If Queen Elizabeth wanted to ally England and Russia against Spain and the Roman Church, how could she do it? This fascinating adventure story imagines how a betrothal locket delivered to Tsar Ivan the Terrible could lead to a marriage and an alliance.
A suspenseful novel, The Tsar’s Locketis filled with rich descriptions of costumes, scenery, buildings and interiors. It offers a window into travel from England to Russia, and throws readers into the dangerous, violent world of spies and conflicts between nations and faiths in the Elizabethan era.
The main characters offer insights into how different life could be in England for people at this time, depending on one’s place in society. I enjoyed observing how the events of the story changed them.
Note to readers: Romance is also an important element of The Tsar’s Locket. Most of the novel is written at a PG-13 level, but it also contains a small amount of non-graphic sex.
Topics off the beaten track intrigue me, and a new novel, Black Mountain, fits the bill for its location as well as the story. Here’s why I enjoyed it:
It took place mainly in rural Wales (not London, Paris, Rome…)
Set in the early phase of the Reformation in England, it focused not on Henry VIII or his court, but on how King Henry’s Reformation affected the lives of common people
The protagonist was a witch
The suspense propelled me
The characters are well-drawn and unique
The author, Leanne Hardy, was kind enough to answer a few questions about her story, and my interview with her follows.
Black Mountain is the third book in your Glastonbury Grail series. Does this novel work well as a stand-alone, or do you recommend reading Glastonbury Tor and Honddu Vale first? Leanne Hardy: Readers of the first two books will enjoy becoming reacquainted with old friends, but Black Mountain works fine even if you jump in here.
What led you to sixteenth-century Wales as the main setting for this novel? LH: It started with visiting the museum at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, England, and learning about the dramatic events surrounding the closure of the abbey in 1539 under King Henry VIII. That became the setting for Glastonbury Tor. At the end of that book my main character, Colin, returns to his home in Wales, and the other books follow from there.
Major changes were going on in the world during the era of this novel. How did these changes impact the lives of peasants, nobles, and clergy in your story? LH: You’re right; the changes were revolutionary. Most of the books I have seen set at this time concern themselves with events at court, including Henry’s multiple marriages. (Wolf Hall, The Other Boleyn Girl, etc) I was more interested in ordinary people.
This is thetime of the early English Reformation, and the lines between Catholic and Protestant were not yet clearly drawn. Good people on both sides sincerely sought God; corrupt people on both sides took advantage of unrest for personal gain—not the least of which was Henry himself, who was more interested in justifying his divorce of Queen Katherine, who had failed to give him a son, than he was in biblical doctrine.
Henry closed down all the monasteries and appropriated their wealth for the crown, more accurately, he squandered it to win friends. Those monasteries ran the soup kitchens and travelers’ lodgings of the time. And now they were gone.
Peasants were expected to follow the lead of “their betters.” Owning a copy of William Tyndale’s English translation of the Bible could draw severe punishment, even death. As one of my readers of Glastonbury Tor commented, “It sounds like a police state!” It was.
Which historical figures did you include in your novel? LH:Henry VIII, of course, although he never appears in person. Throughout the trilogy characters make reference to various historical characters and events at court. Those are “current events” for them. The officials Henry sent to dissolve the abbey in Glastonbury Tor are historical. I used the names of actual monks who were there at the time, including those who were arrested at the end. But the personalities I gave them were entirely fictitious, and by the time I got to Black Mountain all the characters were invented, although they seemed very real to me.
Where did you discover the details of life in this time? LH: Thanks to inter-library loan, I read more than thirty books about the time, the setting, life in monasteries, etc. Even so, after the first book was published, I discovered information that revealed a geographical error that I had no choice but to carry over to future books.
The second book in the series was set in Wales. I was frustrated that all the books I found in the US lumped Wales in with England after the conquest in the thirteenth century. I was pretty sure the Welsh did not all instantly think like Englishmen.
When I traveled to Wales for research and stayed with college students in Cardiff (fabulous experience!), they arranged a library card I could use. The Cardiff library had two bookcases full of books on Wales from the Welsh point-of-view! Before I came home, I bought the history written by a raving Welsh nationalist. I figured he would give me the best perspective on how my characters would really feel.
By the time I started Black Mountain, I had a pretty good handle on sixteenth-century life in Britain, but when my beta readers asked for more information on Teg’s journey, I had to do a lot of digging about the places and cultures she passed through. Fortunately, the most significant were places I had visited and knew something about already.
What were the most challenging aspects of writing this novel? LH: When I started, I was unsure about attempting to write first person of two different points-of-view, but then I realized that a bitter old woman and a blooming bride were enough different that it was worth a try. I think it worked. Other than that, the most challenging aspect was sticking with it through years of interruptions and distractions.
What did you enjoy about writing this novel? LH: The surprises. By this time I knew my characters pretty well. They directed where the story should go, and that is always so much fun.
What do you hope readers will take away after reading Black Mountain? LH: Teg thinks she knows what Christianity is about. After all, her father was a priest and prior of the local abbey. (Yes, you read that correctly.) She is bitter and wants nothing to do with the church, but she has never met Jesus Christ, the owner of the mysterious cup whose power she wants to control. My hope is that readers will put aside what they think they know and meet Jesus.
Readers, I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey to 16th-century Wales! Can you share an experience or knowledge of Wales?
