Book Review: A Divided Inheritance by Deborah Swift

A Divided Inheritance by Deborah Swift
Paperback, 544 pages
Pan
October 24, 2013 (UK Release)
★★★½☆☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from review from publisher

“London 1609…

Elspet Leviston’s greatest ambition is to continue the success of her father Nathaniel’s lace business. But her dreams are thrown into turmoil with the arrival of her mysterious cousin Zachary Deane – who has his own designs on Leviston’s Lace.

Zachary is a dedicated swordsman with a secret past that seems to invite trouble. So Nathaniel sends him on a Grand Tour, away from the distractions of Jacobean London. Elspet believes herself to be free of her hot-headed relative but when Nathaniel dies her fortunes change dramatically. She is forced to leave her beloved home and go in search of Zachary – determined to claim back from him the inheritance that is rightfully hers.
Under the searing Spanish sun, Elspet and Zachary become locked in a battle of wills. But these are dangerous times and they are soon embroiled in the roar and sweep of something far more threatening, sending them both on an unexpected journey of discovery which finally unlocks the true meaning of family . . .”

This book took me a little longer to finish than I might have liked – It look me a lot time to get into the story. I really wasn’t into it until about two-thirds of the way through. I think what just didn’t work for me were the characters - I didn’t really like any of the characters through most of the novel. I think Elspet is supposed to be the sympathetic protagonist, but for the most part I found her wilting and boring. Zachary was more interesting – probably because he actually did something, his true nature was hidden for quite some time, and he had an intriguing personality. In the end they all evolved a little bit and I ended up liking both of them more than through most of the book. 

The setting is well done – I could feel the heat of the Spanish sun and the blacksmith shop. By comparison, England was dreary and sad. I think that maybe this mirrors the attitudes of events that occurred in the two places?

The plot was sort of a plodding pace for most of the book. Again, once the two-thirds point came around the various plotlines began coming together and it was a more cohesive story and the pages just moved by. The ending was satisfying, although not what I would have ultimately wanted.

I liked the book, but wouldn’t say that I loved it. I enjoyed The Gilded Lily MUCH more.

Author Deborah Swift has written these additional books: The Lady’s Slipper and The Gilded Lily. You can also visit Deborah Swift’s website or one of her blogs for additional information about the books.

My reviews of other books by this author:

• The Gilded Lily

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Reading the Past
• The Lit Bitch

Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon UK.

You can follow along with the rest of the blog tour by visiting the HFVBT website or on Twitter with the following hashtag: #DividedInheritanceTour.

This is a re-post of the giveaway I originally posted on the In-Process Review.  The giveaway is for one paperback copy of A Divided Inheritance and it is open INTERNATIONALLY!  Make your entries through the Rafflecopter below.  Last day to enter is November 24th.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

In-Progress Book Review: A Divided Inheritance by Deborah Swift & Giveaway

A Divided Inheritance by Deborah Swift
Paperback, 544 pages
Pan
October 24, 2013 (UK Release)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from review from publisher

“London 1609…

Elspet Leviston’s greatest ambition is to continue the success of her father Nathaniel’s lace business. But her dreams are thrown into turmoil with the arrival of her mysterious cousin Zachary Deane – who has his own designs on Leviston’s Lace.

Zachary is a dedicated swordsman with a secret past that seems to invite trouble. So Nathaniel sends him on a Grand Tour, away from the distractions of Jacobean London. Elspet believes herself to be free of her hot-headed relative but when Nathaniel dies her fortunes change dramatically. She is forced to leave her beloved home and go in search of Zachary – determined to claim back from him the inheritance that is rightfully hers.
Under the searing Spanish sun, Elspet and Zachary become locked in a battle of wills. But these are dangerous times and they are soon embroiled in the roar and sweep of something far more threatening, sending them both on an unexpected journey of discovery which finally unlocks the true meaning of family . . .”

I need to first start out by saying this is an incomplete review (my first!) – I had so many things come up in the last couple weeks that I have not been able to finish the book yet. I’m a little over halfway, so this is a sort-of “in progress book review”. I will post a completed review when I’m finished reading – which will inevitably include elements from this one.

So far, this isn’t my favorite book by this author. I loved reading The Gilded Lily; the characters were great, it was fast paced, and the drama was all there pretty much from the beginning. So far, I don’t really like any of the characters. I think Elspet is supposed to be the sympathetic protagonist, but I just sort of find her wilting and boring. Zachary is more interesting – I can feel there is more to him that I don’t know yet, but I still don’t really like him as a good or bad character. I think the characters are the aspect that I don’t like the most. The setting is well done – I can feel the heat of the Spanish sun and the blacksmith shop. The plot is sort of a plodding pace at the moment but I have the feeling it will pick up as several storylines seem to be coming to a head.

You can follow along with the rest of the blog tour by visiting the HFVBT website or on Twitter with the following hashtag: #DividedInheritanceTour.

I also have a giveaway opportunity for one paperback copy of A Divided Inheritance and it is open INTERNATIONALLY!  Make your entries through the Rafflecopter below.  Last day to enter is November 24th.  Good luck!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

Movie Review: Goya's Ghosts

Goya’s Ghosts
The Saul Zaentz Company

113 mins.

2006

Rated: R

This was an interesting movie that is going to be a little difficult to review. The setting for this movie is the Spanish Inquisition immediately following the French Revolution. The setting is realistic while the entire plot of the story itself is fantasy.

The basic plot works like this: Francisco Goya is painting in Spain, the Church thinks his paintings are heretical. Brother Lorenzo steps up and defends Goya and has a portrait painted by him. One of Goya’s models, Ines, is called in by the Inquisitors and incarcerated (her being put to “the question” was executed pretty well)– Lorenzo tries to defend her too, but really makes the situation much worse. Up until this point, the plot mostly made sense, afterward, when it jumps 15 years into the future, it sort of loses its footing. Ines is released from prison, Goya is deaf, and Lorenzo is…sort of flopping around trying to find where he belongs.

It felt like the plot was scrambling around trying to pull pieces together and not doing the best job. By the ending I was confused as to what had happened. I felt like the character of Lorenzo had no consistency to his decisions. As I look back on my notes as I try to write this review, they really don’t make any sense to me at all – and that was my overall impression of this movie.

The acting wasn’t terrible – Javier Bardem plays Lorenzo, Stellan Skarsgard plays Goya, and Natalie Portman plays Ines. I think that the actors did a decent job with what was given to them. I thought that the costuming and make up was very well done – especially Natalie after she is released from prison – time did not treat her well.

I think that the concept for the film was good but the execution and editing left a lot to be desired. I wouldn’t highly recommend this film, but this might be one of those movies that you watch if it is instant download on Netflix or something of that sort. I don’t regret watching it, but it wasn’t something that I loved.

Check out this trailer (it makes it look really compelling which is what drew me in!):

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Watermark by Vanitha Sankaran

Watermark by Vanitha Sankaran

Paperback, 336 pages

Avon A

April 3, 2010

★★★★★

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from Publisher for Review

“The daughter of a papermaker in a small French village in the year 1320—mute from birth and forced to shun normal society—young Auda finds solace and escape in the wonder of the written word. Believed to be cursed by those who embrace ignorance and superstition, Auda's very survival is a testament to the strength of her spirit. But this is an age of Inquisition and intolerance, when difference and defiance are punishable "sins" and new ideas are considered damnable heresy. When darkness descends upon her world, Auda—newly grown to womanhood—is forced to flee, setting off on a remarkable quest to discover love and a new sense of self . . . and to reclaim her heritage and the small glory of her father's art.”

Watermark is a story that I was caught up in right from the very first chapter. The author doesn’t mess around here, you fall head first into an emotion filled scene that sets the pace for the rest of the book. I knew right from that first chapter that I had to read this book and if the remaining pages were like the first few, I was going to love it.

Auda is a unique narrator like I have never read before. Sometimes you will have interior monologue just because the author wants to write this way, but in this case, Auda is mute and the only way we can understand what is going on in her head is to be in her head. The author was really able to capture all of the emotions that are running through her mind throughout the story – panic, fear, confusion, first love, strength of character. I also really enjoyed seeing the way she interacted with others – from her own language with her father and sister, to the wax tablets with her employer, and unspoken language with her first love. Even though she couldn’t speak, the author was able to convey what Auda wanted to say in other ways. My hats off to you!

As I said earlier, this book just takes off and continues to flow from beginning to end. It was amazing how much ground you would cover in a short time (be it actual page count or events that happen in the novel). One of the aspects that really move the plot along was the Inquisition. I have found that novels that focus on the Inquisition tend to develop quickly because of the fear and panic that often accompany the story.

A pleasant surprise in this novel was the indepth exploration of the process of papermaking. Auda helps her father in his paper workshop and we get to learn the steps that go into making paper, the strengths and weakness of paper at that time, how watermarks work, the significance of watermarks, and the difference between paper and parchment. I never expected to learn so much about paper from this book. The author certainly put in a lot of time researching the subject and was able to convey it in a way that was interesting and not just a statement of facts.

This novel will certainly pull at your heart-strings and having you feeling for Auda and her family throughout. I hope that you will love this novel as much as I did.

If you want to get sucked into this book take a look at the excerpt or the trailer below. This is the author’s debut novel.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• S. Krishna’s Books
• Rundpinne

Buy the Book:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia 

Find Vanitha Sankaran: Website | Facebook | Twitter

 
Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan

By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan

Paperback, 320 pages

Other Press

May 18, 2010

★★★★☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from publisher for review

“Luis de Santángel, chancellor to the court and longtime friend of the lusty King Ferdinand, has had enough of the Spanish Inquisition. As the power of Inquisitor General Tomás de Torquemada grows, so does the brutality of the Spanish church and the suspicion and paranoia it inspires. When a dear friend’s demise brings the violence close to home, Santángel is enraged and takes retribution into his own hands. But he is from a family of conversos, and his Jewish heritage makes him an easy target. As Santángel witnesses the horrific persecution of his loved ones, he begins slowly to reconnect with the Jewish faith his family left behind. Feeding his curiosity about his past is his growing love for Judith Migdal, a clever and beautiful Jewish woman navigating the mounting tensions in Granada. While he struggles to decide what his reputation is worth and what he can sacrifice, one man offers him a chance he thought he’d lost…the chance to hope for a better world. Christopher Columbus has plans to discover a route to paradise, and only Luis de Santángel can help him.

Within the dramatic story lies a subtle, insightful examination of the crisis of faith at the heart of the Spanish Inquisition. Irresolvable conflict rages within the conversos in By Fire, By Water, torn between the religion they left behind and the conversion meant to ensure their safety. In this story of love, God, faith, and torture, fifteenth-century Spain comes to dazzling, engrossing life” .

This book was like no other book I have ever read. First of all is the subject matter. Other books that I have read have mentioned in passing the Spanish Inquisition that was led by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. I knew that it was about ridding those who were not Christians from their country – but that was about the extent of what I knew. I also have always seen these stories from the viewpoint of a member of royalty. This novel took a very different look at this event. The story is told mostly from the viewpoints of Judith Migdal, a Jewish woman whose life is being affected by the Inquisition, and Luis de Santángel, a converso who is the chancellor for King Ferdinand. This story is told from the viewpoints of those who are being directly affected by the Inquisition, versus everything I have read where the story has been told by those leading the Inquisition. It is definitely a very different look at the world. I think by seeing this event from both sides now, I have a much better understanding of just how awful it was. I really loved how this was regular people struggling to make it in the world. I also very interesting to see both the Christian and Jewish perspective on the Inquisition. Very well researched!

One character that really surprised me, and I enjoyed these interludes featuring him, was Cristobal Colon – or Christopher Columbus! I had never really thought of how he might fit into the world, except in the context of his voyage – it definitely added another level to this book. I also liked the interesting explanation of Mad Juana.

I would have originally given this book 3 ½ stars – up until the middle of the book. It was a little slow at the beginning – but it really took off after that and I connected with the characters. Be prepared with a tissue for the ending!

You can read a guest post by the author about his research methods or visit his website for additional information about the book. I also have giveaway for 2 copies of the book on the guest post page.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Rundpinne
• Alexa Loves Books

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Find Mitchell James Kaplan: Website | Facebook

 

 


Copyright © 2010 by The Maiden’s Court