The White Ship by Charles Spencer

Publication Date: October 19, 2021

Length:  352 pages

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'd been eager to start this book, not only because it is about a period of time I love to learn about, but because it is a non-fiction history book. I made a goal this year to read a bit more history like I used to years ago before I made the switch to a lot of historical fiction and historical mysteries. Sometimes you just want the facts without a story line and so I thought this looked like a good book to begin with in January.

The book takes you through the reign of William the Conqueror to the rise of Henry II. It gives a good synopsis of each ruler and their influence on history, all of it linking back to the premise that the White Ship disaster of 1120 was the driving factor behind the ruin of Henry I's ambitions for England. The prologue, A Cry in the Dark, is short but riveting, describing the terror and horror of that night and in an interesting twist, leaves one hanging, thinking the young Prince William, shining star son of Henry I, has gotten away to safety. The story then switches to the rise of William the Conqueror and doesn't return to the sinking of the ship in detail until later. 

The story is then divided into three main sections: the rise of Henry I, the shipwreck disaster and failure of Henry I to produce another male heir, and finally, the period of anarchy that saw the battle between his daughter, the Empress Matilda, and her cousin Stephen, to take the throne. Throughout we are given many personal stories including Henry's rocky relationship with his wild brothers, his rivalry with King Louis "The Fat" of France, and his tireless efforts to control Normandy. 

The second part of the book reads like a novel in its recreation of the tragedy and the people aboard the ship. We are given some background on the frivolity of the atmosphere, the entitled nobility all vying for a place in the world of the celebrated prince, and the obvious effect of free flowing wine on the passengers and crew. As the story moves into the moment of shipwreck, Spencer does a superb job of making one feel as if they were there, describing the people on board, the weather, and the terror of the helpless victims. He details what it must have been like as they landed in the water, freezing and drowning in panic. Later, the description of the heartbroken Henry upon hearing the news of his son's death, "Henry fell to the floor, screaming in agonized disbelief at the realization he had lost his son and beloved heir," resonates with any parent today thinking of the same fate befalling their child. 

Part three takes a very complicated period known as The Anarchy and gives a factual, solid account without getting too bogged down in minute details. The story of Stephen and Empress Matilda attempting to slug out who will rule after Henry's death has had volumes written about it. Keeping things brief and to the point is no easy task but Spencer handles it well.

I thought this book was an excellent introduction to the time period it covers and will allow the reader to walk away being able to recount the events and get a feel for the middle ages at this time. It reads smoothly and quickly in chronological order and I never felt lost or bored by irrelevant facts. It wouldn't be my first choice for really getting an in-depth understanding of The Anarchy, but would be a good place to start just to get the main players and key points down. 

Another huge bonus with this book for me was the picture gallery at the end. Some I'd seen before, some were new, and some I'd seen but not up close and in color. From the portrait of William the Conqueror, to the tomb of Robert Curthose, to the painting of the White Ship disaster by Queen Victoria's daughter, Princess Louise, I was enthralled and spent quite a while studying each one. This addition alone makes the book worth purchasing. An entertaining history story, along with paintings and maps, makes me really feel as if I am transported through time. 

When I went to do a little research on the author, I wondered how on earth I managed to buy this book, read it, and only then discover that Charles Spencer is....THE....Charles Spencer. I did not put it together that the brother of the late Princess Diana was an author until I went searching for more books of his. Imagine my surprise! I had no idea he'd written anything at all and was excited to find more books covering subjects that interest me. Because of his simple yet informative, narrative style, I will definitely be reading more of his books. 

 

Can’t Wait Wednesday: The Conscience of a King by David Field (Medieval Saga Book 7)

This week's Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at WishfulEndings, is the seventh book in David Field's Medieval Saga Series. I haven't read any of his works yet so I can't recommend them but when I saw this story has Simon de Montfort as the main character, I was intrigued. You don't see much of him in literature aside from Penman's Falls the Shadow. I'm interested enough to put it in my TBR pile. 

I also really enjoy series that take historical facts and real people and make them the basis of the story rather than fictional characters. It's such a great way to learn and retain historical facts in an interesting way. This series takes you from the Norman Conquest through the end of Henry III's reign. 

March 17, 2023

Historical Fiction

Book description courtesy of Amazon 

England, 1229

After fighting in the Albigensian Crusade in France, Simon de Montfort – a landless nobleman – arrives at the court of Henry III, hoping to re-establish his family’s claim to the Earldom of Leicester. 

In pursuit of his goal, Simon soon proves his value to Henry as a military leader and political advisor, becoming one of the king’s most trusted men. 

But discontent is building within the English court. Frustrated by the king’s preference for foreign nobles and his extortionate taxes to fund wars abroad, the leading barons are constantly on the edge of rebellion.

As a man with a strong sense of justice, Simon is dismayed by Henry’s treatment of the common people and the corruptibility of the English legal system. And as the barons’ anger seems set to boil over into armed conflict, Simon must search his conscience and decide how far he is willing to go to bring about reform…

Can Simon restore his family’s fortunes? Can he help lead England into a new golden age while retaining the king’s favour?

Or will his principles cost him his life…?

The Conscience of a King is the seventh historical novel in The Medieval Saga Series – thrilling action-packed adventures set during and after the Norman Conquest.

Execution Dock by Anne Perry

Publication Date:  March 24, 2009

Length: 320 pages

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Looking back through my blog posts I was astounded to realize I hadn't read and reviewed a William Monk book at all yet. And even though one of my goals this year is to try to read new authors, I couldn't resist checking in with William and Hester to see what they are doing next. Execution Dock is book 16 in Perry's popular Monk series. I have been steadily reading them for years now and like to go in order because even though her books can stand alone as far as the mystery narrative, you get more out of the books if you understand the background of the leading characters. 

The book opens with our hero Monk, now Commander of London’s River Police, attempting to catch Jericho Phillips, a shady underworld figure who traffics in child exploitation. When he and his men succeed in bringing him in, they are elated and look forward to seeing justice served. But when Phillips is set free for a crime Monk is sure he's guilty of, everyone involved in his capture is outraged. It soon becomes apparent that high society is participating in the charade and that behind the scenes there are powerful people that don't want Phillips talking, mostly because they themselves seem to be benefiting from the abuse of the children.

Monk's wife Hester runs a clinic for the poor women who prostitute themselves and live desperate lives. She and Monk have taken a street orphan, Scuff, under their wing, who is about the same age as Phillips' murdered victim. Drawing on information obtained from local boys Scuff knows and carefully putting together clues gleamed from those who will talk, Hester and her friend Claudine attempt to find evidence of either Phillips's guilt or those who buy his wares. During their investigation it comes to light that a relative of one of Monk and Hester's friends might be part of the clientele and they must decide how to handle the explosive information. 

Meanwhile, Oliver Rathbone, prominent barrister and friend of the Monks is wrestling with doubts of his own. Originally tasked with prosecuting Phillips, Rathbone is on the outs with his former friends due to his questioning of Monk on the stand and his apparent insinuations that Monk's motives were not the purest in his attempt at arresting Phillips. Fears that their friendship is irreparably damaged leads to a frosty stalemate between the Monks and Oliver and his wife, Margaret. But they will all have to come together in the end if they are to find a way to finally apprehend Phillips for his heinous crimes.

I read some reviews on this book that said it really bothered them and that they had to recover from the seediness of the story. While there is no doubt that it is heavy, depressing material at times, I didn't think it was much different from other Anne Perry stories that have similar content. She is known for really creating an authentic, detailed setting of Victorian England, warts and all and here she shines in her vivid descriptions of the worst criminal elements of society. I think her books involving the abuse of children hit hardest for most people and so I'm sure that is what they are reacting to. That is totally understandable. But because her books always contain the good versus evil element with evil getting its just reward in the end, I don't feel so down at the conclusion of most of her books. I have felt this way much more so in her Christmas stories because those are supposed to take place during a happy, upbeat time of year and often include sad storylines as well.

This was one of the better Monk stories for me in that I enjoyed the dynamic between Rathbone and his wife's family as well as the conflict between the Rathbones and Monks. Over time the men have forged a shaky friendship (each had their sights set on Hester at one point) and it added to the suspense to see how they would handle their disagreement. The courtroom scenes were well written as always and the down to the wire ending was captivating. Perry does have a habit of repeating herself and doing a bit too much pondering inside the characters heads sometimes but I guess I've kind of grown used to her style. A solid continuation of this series and I will continue with the next one for sure. 

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals for 2023

 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is all about bookish goals for the year. And I love it. Goals are definitely my thing. They keep me on track and give me a purpose. Since this blog is totally optional in my life it is the kind of thing that can fall by the wayside. And since I have to read continuously for it I am all about setting goals for what, why, and when I'm going to do that. But having said that, I always knew I didn't want my reading life to become a chore or a slave to blogging about the books. That's no fun. So my goals should include realistic expectations that don't feel too confining. Here are my top ten bookish goals for 2023.

1. Read more history. 

I love historical fiction. But lately I'm finding myself drawn back to straight history books too. Sometimes I just want to know the facts without wading through dialogue, plots, and character drama. I miss the straightforwardness of history books and plan to work those into my reading life again on a more regular basis.

2. Finish books I've already started.

Now don't get me wrong....I'm not going to continue to torture myself with books I started and abandoned because I didn't care for them. That feels like work. But there are several books sitting in my Kindle that are really good, I enjoyed them, but quit for some reason or another and need to get back to and complete. Those need to go at the top of my TBR pile, stat. 

3. Be more focused.

I think one of the reasons I love interacting with other book lovers is that only they understand the excitement of looking through the possibilities of all the books out there. The beautiful covers, the new ideas and information to be gained, the feeling of accomplishment when you finish an epic novel. Most people I know don't care and don't think about these things. I find it hard to get organized and focus on what my reading plan is going to be when I'm always looking at new material. I'm wanting to get better about loving books but knowing what I can and can't tackle realistically with my work, family balance. Hopefully my fellow bloggers will give me some tips on how they do it :) 

4. Try new authors.

This is one I struggle with a LOT. I am loyal to my favorite writers: Gabaldon, Penman, Perry, Plaidy, Weir.....it is hard for me to branch out. I often would rather re-read one of the Outlander books than go with a book being published in the current year. I think I always feel like, what if I try new books and authors and waste my time when I could be reading tried and true stories by people I already love? But the way I discovered these authors was by being willing to try their books in the first place. I need to remember that when I'm hesitant to go with someone new.

5. Stick to my classics goal.

I recently joined the Classics Club and I made a goal to read 50 classic novels in 5 years. While this sounds like a long time, if you do the math, it's really not. That's roughly a book per month give or take. So I need to make it a goal this year to stay on track by reading and reviewing one classic book per month. I can skip maybe a month or two but if I skip anymore, I'm already behind. And these are books I consider important to have read so this is a goal I'm going to work hard to keep!

6. Stop worrying if some books take longer.

This sort of piggybacks on goal #2. I think the reason I abandon some books I'm enjoying is that I feel like I'm not reading them fast enough and I need to finish something already! For example, I'll start a long 600-800 page book, be really enjoying myself and along about page 250 get stuck, realizing I'm barely a third of the way through it. I can get discouraged and stop reading to focus on a shorter book I can finish in a few days. This is partly so I have a new book to review but it's also because I feel like if it takes too long to finish a book I'm not reading it correctly. But that's ridiculous. I spent 6 months finishing Devil's Brood, (another Penman book of course!) and I enjoyed it immensely. The fact that I read many short books in between and didn't rush it only added to my deep understanding of the story. It's okay to read long books in spurts. 

7. Be selective about NetGalley requests.

From the other bloggers I've read, I'm not alone in this goal. I only discovered NetGalley a year ago when I started my blog and I was excited to know I could request books that hadn't been published yet. It's heady. But after a few months I began to notice I was dreading the idea of reading and finishing some of the books I'd requested. If a publisher is allowing me to request it and I don't read it in a timely manner, I don't think that's very fair of me to the author who has worked so hard on their material. And even though you do want to keep a certain score in order to continue to be considered for future books, what good does it do to request books you just can't finish? Resist the urge!

8. Sort all my books on Goodreads or in some system.

This one is HUGE for me! I have wanted to do this for awhile. My books are sorted by author or subject in my Kindle but there are lists other places like Libby, Hoopla, etc. not to mention my few hard copy books on my shelves (I don't have many as my eyes don't do well with real books). I want to sort them into lists of TBR or want to buy, etc if I don't already own them. This will take awhile and will probably both simultaneously stress me out and make me feel accomplished. 

9. Give up on books that don't interest me.

I fully realize that books speak to us at different times in our lives. There are books I've picked up as a 25 year old and had zero interest in that now I absolutely love as a 40ish year old. But then there are the books that I just know in my gut I will never, ever be interested in and why did I buy them? Impulse. I'm getting better at taming this but in 2023 I want to get them off my radar and quit feeling like a slacker because I'm just not interested in reading them. 

10. Get more creative with blog topics. 

One of the most interesting things I've found throughout my first year of book blogging is the variety of topics you can discuss. When I started I kind of just wanted to join a challenge to read more and write down my thoughts about the books. Then as I gradually got more reviewing under my belt and read more blogs I started to notice that while everyone reviews, not everyone reviews as often as others. And some book blogs are a lot of fun to read when they haven't posted a review that week at all. Their thoughts on bookish topics are relatable to me and witty and all the things without having to review all the time. I'd like to continue to find ways to promote and discuss reading without everything having to be reviews, reviews. But of course....you gotta have those or what's the point? So again, balance and trying new things.

What are your bookish goals for this year? Even if it is to read 5 minutes a day, or one book a month....I think that's great! We are all at different places but reading is fundamental, as they say, to keeping your mind sharp. Make a goal and get started!

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

 

Publication Date: October 14, 1905

Length: 236 pages

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

This was my second book for the Classics Club and also one of my January Historical Fiction Reading Challenge choices. I've had it in my Kindle forever and always wanted to tackle it. I sort of have a love/hate relationship with some of the classics: when I am immersed in the story, I really love it. But when I want to just zone out and am tired I get stressed about reading them because they require so much concentration. This book was not terribly difficult but it did stretch my vocabulary and made me ponder some deep ideas about life and what is important. And that is why the classics are, well, classics! 

Lily Bart is faking her way through life when we meet her at the beginning of the story. She is twenty-nine years old (a veritable Old Maid by the standards of the day) and looking desperately for a husband who can keep her styled in the manner she has become accustomed to. She is attracted to Lawrence Selden, a friend who is privy to the society she revolves in, but cannot act upon this attraction as he is not wealthy enough to suit her. While this sounds shallow and cruel, it is honest, and Lily does not pretend otherwise. She sets her sights upon the well to do Percy Gryce, despite the fact that she is not in love with him and finds him to be a tedious bore. Her desperation to continue to fund her lifestyle choices, including debts incurred from the game of bridge, cause her to ignore her feelings for Selden and nearly marry Gryce. 

Just when she is set to accept a proposal from Gryce, Lily is the subject of scandalous rumors which serve to change his mind about marrying her. Adrift again and in debt, Lily begins to involve herself with the husband of her friend Judy, igniting consequences which will later prove to be disastrous. As she continues down this path she finds she is becoming persona non grata in the upper echelons of society and as she resorts to spending time with other "friends" who are further down the ladder of wealth and importance, her reputation suffers.

When an unexpected opportunity to go on a cruise with her wealthy friends arises, Lily accepts and things turn against her. She tries to redeem herself in other ways and continues to find people to support her, even a man who proposes marriage, but each time her bad decisions and vacillation between what she wants and what is possible serve to complicate her life with tragic results.

I found this story to be a bit depressing. It is well written of course, as most classics are, and the vocabulary of these writers from long ago always amazes me. Almost from the start of the book I didn't care for Lily. She seems shallow and entitled, as if the finer things are owed to her because she expects them. I can see how some of my feelings are clouded by the time and social class I live in and that the point of the story is to see how money and status are fleeting, and not something to be pursued at the expense of one's own happiness and obtained by giving your soul to the highest bidder. I guess I didn't feel sorry for her in the sense that she had opportunities for what she wanted but continued to squander them. Without giving away too much of the later part of the book, I'll just say that her downward spiral wasn't entirely surprising.

I do like the peek into the customs and expectations of the time. My great grandmother, who I knew well, was born in 1904 so right around the time this book was published. Of course she was not rich or even a city dweller but it is fun to see what life would have been like for a well bred young woman of her day. There were not a lot of options if you wanted to have a nice, carefree life. Marriage as quickly as possible to a man of means was a necessity. But when I think of my great grandmother's life in rural Texas on a farm, I think she probably was much happier and content than Lily in her aristocratic New York world. 

The book could sometimes drag a bit and repeat itself, I think it could have been much shorter. But Wharton does a great job of building things slowly as to really see how Lily's circumstances deteriorate. I'm not sure if I will read another of her books anytime soon as some of the plot lines don't interest me. But I'm glad to have read this one to understand why it is so popular. It is timeless in its theme of being careful not to let materialism and societal acceptance cloud your better judgement.