A House Divided by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella (The Russians Book Two)

 

Publication Date: 

January 1, 1968

Length:

304 pages

Summary:

This is book two of a seven part series called The Russians, written by the Christian husband and wife team of Michael Phillips and Judith Pella. I have read their Stonewycke books which are excellent and I had read book one of this collection years ago. I decided to read book two because it has been in my Kindle for awhile and I wanted to see how the story progressed. It was something different from my cozy mystery kick I've been on. 

When the story opens it picks up where book one left off, the main character, Anna Burenin is ladies maid to Princess Katrina Fedorcenko and has developed a relationship with Katrina's brother, Sergei who has been away fighting in the Russo-Turkish War along with his friend Dimitri, Katrina's love interest. Their stories converge as the war ends, soldiers return and the Russian Revolution's seeds begin to develop into a full blown crisis. 

Anna's brother Paul has his own set of troubles. Away at University in Pskov, he experienced a traumatic event involving a student who was bullied and ultimately driven to suicide. Through a series of events that spiral he becomes involved with radical revolutionaries who pose as friends, seeming to take him under their wing, all while convincing him that overthrowing the government and killing the Tsar is the only way to true freedom for the Russian people. Paul travels to St. Petersburg to be a part of the underground group plotting mayhem and violence, calling themselves, The Will of the People.

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Royal Rebel by Elizabeth Chadwick (Jeanette of Kent Book 1)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, The Royal Rebel by Elizabeth Chadwick. This is book one of two that will tell the story of Jeanette of Kent, cousin to King Edward III.  I love that Chadwick takes lesser known women of the Medieval era and spotlights them in historical fiction. I also find that the 1300's seems to have less literature dedicated to it. It's a nice change from the Wars of the Roses and the Tudors. Hope you have found something you can't wait to read this week!

September 5, 2024

Historical Fiction/Medieval Fiction

Description courtesy of Amazon

1338: England has declared war on France, and Jeanette of Kent, cousin to King Edward III, says goodbye to her family and travels overseas with the royal court for the first time. Once in Antwerp, she is captivated by talented household knight Thomas Holland, just as he in turn is powerfully drawn to her.

Although both know their romance is forbidden, their love for each other grows stronger than the danger they face, and they marry in secret. But before they can make their tryst known, Thomas has to leave for war, and in his absence, Jeanette is forced into a second marriage and locked away from the world.

Then Thomas returns, and the real fight begins. As hostile family members battle to keep Jeanette and Thomas apart, the defiant lovers vow to be reunited - whatever the cost...

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Whose Plots Involve Travel

 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl features books that involve travel. This took some thinking to come up with ten. I tend to over think and so my running inner monologue went something like this..."how far is the traveling? Is it to another time and place? Another country? Down the block?" 

I decided it had to be at least characters traveling through time or to another country, across the ocean, etc. So that was my criteria. It will be fun to see others' lists and compare! Also, you could choose to focus on covers with planes, trains, and automobiles. That will be interesting as well. I'm not the best at adding just covers to my blog yet (not user friendly with this particular format) so I'm just going to make a list. If I reviewed it on my blog I have included the link. Happy Reading ya'll! :) 

1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon- Because of course this one is my favorite with time travel throughout the whole series. 

2. The Seekers by John Jakes- This was a favorite of mine from Jakes' series about America. It includes the time of the Oregon Trail and the pioneers. That is traveling I love to read about. I probably need to re-read and review this wonderful book.

3. Into Africa by Martin Dugard- The amazing story of Stanley and LIvingstone's journey into the continent that fascinated the world. I absolutely loved this historical account of their journey. 

4. Crocodile On the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters- The first in the series and my favorite still. The journey down the Nile is so well written you feel like you are there. As usual, the original is the best!

5. Lionheart by Ben Kane- A great account of Richard I's journey on Crusade. It's part of a trilogy and well worth picking up.

6. Secret of the Scarab by Isabella Bassett- One of my favorite cozy mystery series of the year. The heroine and her eccentric Uncle are adorable and their journey to Egypt to uncover artifacts sees them caught up in of course, what else, but murder and mayhem. A fun read.

7. Murder On the Orient Express by Agatha Christie- This one has to be included on a list like this. Especially since it is train related. Not necessarily my favorite Christie book but a definite classic everyone should read.

8. Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick- A fabulous accounting of the Pilgrims' journey to America. It read more like a novel than a history book and that is the style I love best.

9. Leaving Ireland by Ann Moore- I really feel like this author has been overlooked. This is probably because she hasn't written a lot of books but her trilogy about a young girl, Gracelin O'Malley and her life during the 1840's potato famine in Ireland is well written historical fiction. This is the third book which I have yet to finish. 

10. Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brien- This is another classic book that I haven't read but plan to. I love sea voyage themed novels. Everyone says it is a good one. And the movie was excellent. 

Stacking the Shelves #33

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Enjoy your reading this week!

Set in India in 1947, Britain is about to withdraw from the country and people are fearful of the coming challenges after this happens. A family that is staying to try and build a life there get involved in a past mystery between two Englishwomen living there in 1857. Through letters the story unfolds and secrets are revealed. The description for the book states that the time and era are well researched and the feeling of Bombay at the time is "lavish with detail and imagery." Sounds like a unique and interesting story. I have so many Kindle credits from all the shopping I've been doing I got it for only $5.

I had no idea that Gwen Bristow had written Golden Age Mysteries. I loved her Plantation Trilogy and had to look this information up to make sure it was the same Gwen Bristow. In this story a piece of the famous Gutenberg Bible has been stolen and a district attorney must find out the who and the why behind it. Murders start to occur related to the case and the stakes are raised. Set in New Orleans in the 1930's it is a great location for a crime mystery. I look forward to reading it and seeing how she handles a different genre. I see there is a co-writer too so that should add to her style and make it a bit different. She has written more like this one as well. I will be reading it on Hoopla.

This book is a two part series about Edith, Princess of Scotland, and Eleanor of Castile. This first book about Edith is set in 1093 in Scotland and England and covers her life as she goes from child to queen. It might be a little more of a romance but it was on sale and is about a subject that is rarely covered in historical fiction novels. I think her story is very interesting and I look forward to reading it. The second book about Eleanor of Castile is one I'd like to get as well. The author is new to me but she has written many series of books on forgotten women of history. This two book series is called Ladies of Valor. 

Noteworthy News #4: 850th Anniversary of Thomas Becket and Henry II's Fued

 

I have always been fascinated with the story of King Henry II and Thomas Becket ever since reading about it a few years ago and it is still relevant even today as to how relationships can go from cordial to nasty in no time with people. It just reminds me how we are in some ways not that different from those from other eras even thought they seem to live in an alien time from us.

I wanted to share this week that my favorite history podcast, Gone Medieval has been featuring a series marking the 850th anniversary of King Henry II's penance for the murder of Thomas Becket. The author and host Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Janega break down the back story (which I never tire of) and the fallout between the two men. Then they describe the guilt and self punishment that Henry inflicts on himself for his role in the death of his former friend and confidante. It's a fascinating story and they do a fabulous job of narrating it with historical detail and original sources. 

One of the other things I appreciate is that they try to remain neutral and present both sides of the issues so that you can judge whether or not you agree with the men and their two sides of the dispute. It makes for more thoughtful listening and I found myself seeing their points of view more clearly. 

Here are the episodes in case you are interested. I have been listening on my way to school and as each one is only about 45 minutes it is doable even if you are short on time. They always have some new interesting fact I wasn't aware of so it makes it new for me. Hope you have something noteworthy you've come across this week in history or another subject you love!

Episode 330: The Rise of Thomas Becket

Episode 333: Henry II and Thomas Becket: A Doomed Friendship

Episode 334: The Murder of Thomas Becket

Episode 337: The Cult of Becket