Book Review: Mary of Carisbrooke by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Mary of Carisbrooke by Margaret Campbell Barnes

ARC, Paperback, 352 pages

Sourcebooks Landmark

April 1, 2011

★★★★☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from publisher for review

“The moving, tragic story of Charles I, the last absolute monarch of England, during his imprisonment in Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight. Richly drawn and inspired by the New York Times bestselling author's own experience living on the Isle of Wight, this dramatic retelling brings to life the cavalier king whom Cromwell deposed. But even more fascinating than the account of royal hopes and misfortunes is the tale of a charming servant girl who is as romantic and tender in love as she is bold and resourceful in plotting the king's escape.”

This story was as much a coming of age story as it was a tale of Charles I while at Carisbrooke Castle. Our main character is Mary, who has lived at the Castle her entire life and can never imagine living anywhere else. The Isle is her life. When Charles I and his entourage show up there looking to hide out she is quickly enveloped in a life very different from what she is used to – a world of intrigue, daring-do, and political machinations. We get to see Mary grow from a very naïve young girl to a young woman who knows what she wants and can take matters into her own hands. I didn’t think I was going to like Mary at the beginning of the novel but she grew on me. I think once we got past the super naïve girl I began to enjoy her more. During the story she experiences her first taste of falling in love and her first heartbreak. These scenes were very sweet and developed in a believable manner.

I had never read about King Charles I before this book and I really didn’t know what to expect. All I knew was that he was eventually executed. The end portion of his reign is covered in this novel – from the time of his escape to Carisbrooke to his execution. I would have liked to have been given a little bit more background for context purposes to know what led to the divisions between the King and Oliver Cromwell. It was sort of that he just showed up there and you were thrown into it. In terms of the King as a character, he was more of a passive character. All of the other book characters are working to save/rescue him and have conversations about him, but his active role in the novel is rather small. This book was written with a sympathetic view of the King in mind.

This wasn’t a very heavy novel but it was full of intrigue and plots of escape that made it a fun read.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Passages to the Past
• One Book Shy

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

Also by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Margaret Campbell Barnes wrote many novels, but many are hard to find.  However, the below have been reprinted by Sourcebooks:

My Lady of Cleves

Brief Gaudy Hour

The Tudor Rose

King’s Fool

Within the Hollow Crown
[My Review]

The Passionate Brood
[My Review]

 
Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: The Passionate Brood by Margaret Campbell Barnes

The Passionate Brood by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Paperback (Reprint), 368 pages

Sourcebooks Landmark

October 1, 2010

★★★★☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from publisher for review

“In this compelling novel of love, loyalty, and lost chances, Margaret Campbell Barnes gives readers a new perspective on Richard the Lionheart’s triumphs and tragedies. Drawing on folklore, Barnes explores what might have happened if King Richard’s foster brother were none other than Robin Hood, a legendary figure more vibrant than most in authentic history. Thick as thieves as Richard builds a kingdom and marshals a crusade, the two clash when Robin Hood so provokes the king’s white hot temper that Richard banishes him. The Passionate Brood is a tale of a man driven to win back the Holy Land, beset by the guilt of casting out his childhood friend, and shouldering the burden of being the lionhearted leader of the Plantagenets”

For a novel whose title states it’s a novel of Richard the Lionheart and the man who became Robin Hood, there is fairly little Robin in this novel. He has a semi-prominent role in the first quarter of the book and then appears again in the last few pages, although he is never far from Richard’s thoughts. I think for the importance that the title places on the character, there was not enough time spent on him. Once he becomes “Robin Hood” we really don’t find anything more about him – it’s more of a story of how casting Robin aside affects Richard’s conscience; a little different than how I pictured the story to be. Aside from that, I think The Passionate Brood is certainly an appropriate title – those Plantagenets were very passionate people and as a group even more so.

What I liked most about this novel was the importance placed on the female characters whom you rarely see in novels about the children of Eleanor of Aquitaine. We have the pleasure of meeting Eleanor’s daughter, Johanna, as well as Richard’s wife, Berengaria. While this was certainly a story of Richard and we spent a lot of time on Crusade, it was a story of these women as well. You were able to learn about their hopes and fears and see how they dealt with being on Crusade. I think I loved the character of Johanna the best – she was very similar to her mother – spunky, willing to go on Crusade, and wanting to be “one of the boys”. As a reader you get the whole family feel and see the distinct personalities that emerge from these characters.

As I was reading some of the events within this novel, I began connecting it with events in the Elizabeth Chadwick books, For the King’s Favor and The Scarlet Lion. In the Barnes’ novel, you see the royal side of the events, while in the Chadwick books you see the courtier side of the same events; the most notable example for me was when Richard was captured and they had to raise the ransom money to free him. By having read all three of these books it helped me to round out the experience more.

When I previously read Barnes’ novel Within the Hollow Crown, I had a very hard time getting into it and had a harder time connecting with the characters. I am glad that I didn’t base my decision to read more of her books on my opinion of that novel. I very much enjoyed this book and I don’t think that it had any of the pitfalls of her other book (in my opinion).

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• The Calico Critic
• Anna’s Book Blog

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

Also by Margaret Campbell Barnes:

Margaret Campbell Barnes wrote many novels, but many are hard to find.  However, the below have been reprinted by Sourcebooks:


My Lady of Cleves

Brief Gaudy Hour

The Tudor Rose

King’s Fool

Within the Hollow Crown
[My Review]

Mary of Carisbrooke
[My Review]

Copyright © 2010 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Within the Hollow Crown by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Within the Hollow Crown by Margaret Campbell Barnes

ARC, Paperback (Reprint), 368 pages

Sourcebooks Landmark

April 1, 2010

★★★½☆☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from Sourcebooks for review

"Set against the backdrop of a country racked by revolt and class warfare, Within the Hollow Crown showcases the true spirit of a king at the end of one of the most glorious dynasties, who wants both England's heart and crown. Perhaps one of the most misunderstood of all English monarchs, the son of the Black Prince and grandson of Edward III has been portrayed in a dim light by history. But Margaret Campbell Barnes gives readers a different portrait of Richard II. Although his peace-loving ways set him apart from the war-mongering medieval world around him, Richard proved himself a true king by standing down a peasant revolt and outwitting the political schemes of his enemies. Struggling to uphold the valiant Plantagent dynasty, Richard and his queen, Anne of Bohemia, nonetheless manage to create an exquisite partnership, described as 'one of the tenderest idylls of romance ever written.'"

Richard II is a just a kid when he becomes the King of England. As a boy king, his uncles have a lot of power over his decisions and use him to put their own agenda forward. After dealing with a large scale peasant revolt, where he takes control of the situation himself to the shock of his uncles, Richard begins to take over the reins of government. For the first time in years, England is in a state of relative peace, but that cannot last for long…

The thing that I enjoyed the most about Barnes’ novel was the way the characters are written. Richard grew up from a young, disinterested boy king, to a confident king who believed what he was doing was right. I think it was very unfortunate the way things turned out for him. Barnes did a very good job at portraying Richard in a more realistic light – as opposed to the Richard of Shakespeare lore – a more human Richard evolved from the pages. I also really enjoyed the relationship that evolved between Richard and his first queen, Anne of Bohemia, very sweet.

The first section of the book, about the first 100 pages or so, focus on the Peasant Revolt, a rather significant event of that time period. I had a very hard time getting through this section because it felt very dry and not much happened during those pages. I persevered because I had heard good things about the rest of the book. As I got to section two I found it much more of an enjoyable read. Richard’s wife, Anne, becomes a major character and I really enjoyed the person that Richard became when he was with her. The rest of the book flew by and I found myself with a few tears at the ending – I really liked Richard. The reign of Richard II precedes the War of the Roses, but I don’t think this was the best book for me to start reading about this period with.

Overall, I enjoyed the writing style of Barnes but it would have been a better, in my opinion, if the peasant revolt section was shorter or a little more exciting. It would have been much quicker to get into. This is definitely another character driven novel.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Devourer of Books
• Mrs. Q. Book Addict

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

Also by Margaret Campbell Barnes:

 

Brief Gaudy Hour

King's Fool

Mary of Carisbrooke
[My Review]

My Lady of Cleves

The Passionate Brood
[My Review]




Copyright © 2010 by The Maiden’s Court