BOOK REVIEW: Inês by Catherine Mathis

I’m excited to follow up my recent medieval historical read, Canticle by Janet Rich Edwards, with Inês by Catherine Mathis. This novel swept me away to a time and place I haven’t visited in fiction before, 14th century Portugal, introducing me to fascinating new-to-me historical events.

The novel is based on the legend of Inês, the crowned queen of Portugal, second wife of King Pedro. What makes her story unique is that she was crowned six years after her death.

Pedro is the only surviving son of King Afonso, and he dutifully marries the royal Lady Constanza as per his father’s wish. However, he is infatuated with Constanza’s lady-in-waiting and close friend, Inês. Inês does have royal blood, but since she is illegitimate, she’s considered unsuitable to be Pedro’s wife. Her devotion to Constanza means she will not be Pedro’s mistress. Inês’ beauty also attracts the notice of King Afonso’s most trusted advisor, Gonçalves. When she rebuffs his attentions, Gonçalves is insulted and swears vengeance.

Pedro is physically faithful to Constanza, but falls deeper and deeper in love with Inês, a love that is returned. After Constanza’s death, Pedro and Inês are married, quickly and secretly, against the wishes of Pedro’s father, the king. Afonso refuses to believe in the legitimacy of the marriage, setting the stage for the violence to come.

The novel brings these characters vividly to life, wrapping the love story in the politics, upheavals, wars, and plagues of the period. Readers will sympathize with the star-crossed lovers, (known as Portugal’s Rome and Juliet) and will find grim satisfaction with the revenge-laced outcome.

This is the first book in a Queens of Portugal Trilogy and promises well for the two to come!

BOOK REVIEW: Canticle by Janet Rich Edwards

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Canticle by Janet Rich Edwards is a newly-released historical novel set in Bruges in the late 13th century. If you like medieval history with a healthy dose of religion, mysticism, and female solidarity, this beautifully written novel is for you. It will transport you back in time.

The novel begins with Aleys as a 13-year-old girl entranced by a psalter which her mother uses to tell Bible stories. From a young age, Aleys burns with religious fervor. When her father arranges a marriage for her that would be beneficial to the family, Aleys flees to the Franciscan friars. Lukas, the head of the friars in Bruges, sees in her deep devotion something that he yearns for himself. Of course, he can’t allow her to stay within his brotherhood, but believes that in time, she will recruit enough women to the Franciscans that they can have a religious house of their own, affiliated with his men. In the meantime, he takes her to the Beguines, an autonomous group of religious women who do not take vows and who are not nuns, yet live lives of pious simplicity. Although Aleys resists at first, she does find safety and purpose with the Beguines.

But it isn’t enough. Aleys is always struggling to grow closer to God. She uses the language of bride and groom, an ecstatic form of love. This leads her to visions, and eventually, possibly, to performing healing miracles.

However, Bruges is in an unsettled state. Its bishop, who happens to be Friar Lukas’ older brother, is an ambitious man who is in the Church for his own gain. He no longer believes in God, at least not a God who actually cares for the people he created. This man, Jann, is a political creature, whose most prominent attribute is his hypocrisy. His only redeeming feature is that he does love his younger brother, even if he’s constantly annoyed by him.

Aleys’s search for God, her desperate seeking, leads her eventually (as is shown in the prologue, so not a spoiler) to martyrdom. It’s that tension that drives the plot.

The novel shows medieval Bruges in all its mercantile splendor. And it shows Aleys’s visions in otherworldly detail. The characters are well-drawn and deeply introspective. The pace is slow in parts, as there is a lot to absorb, and Jann’s cynical scheming gets a bit tiresome, but overall, it’s an interesting tale of a young woman seeking communion with God. 

BOOK REVIEW: Where Kindness Lives: A Women's Fiction Anthology

If you'd like to take a deep dive into kindness this holiday season, try this collection of short stories. Nine women's fiction writers present tales of warmth, connection, love, and most of all, kindness.

BOOK REVIEW: The Heart of Bennet Hollow by Joanne Bischof DeWitt

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I thought the premise of this Christian historical romance was interesting, so I was pleased to have the chance to read and review it. The Heart of Bennet Hollow by Joanne Bischof DeWitt is a turn of the 20th century re-imagining of Pride and Prejudice, set in a small coal town in Appalachia. 

Lizzy Bennet is the second daughter of a mining geologist turned farmer. Her town’s economy is dependent on the local coal mine, and its owner is retiring and preparing to sell the mine. One of the bidders is William Blake, a wealthy investor who owns two mines already. He is determined to evaluate the value of the mine pragmatically, but when he meets Lizzy, he needs a new (though still financially justifiable) plan.

It’s a lovely story that echoes the original but takes period-appropriate detours. The conflicts are somewhat muted, which leads to a gentler tale. (For example, Mr. Blake is reserved, but not as prideful or obnoxious as Darcy. The George Wickham character, here called West, is unscrupulous and a liar, but his lies are not as complex and damaging as those of Wickham. And Mrs. Bennet is interested in marrying off her daughters, but is not as flighty as Austen’s Mrs. Bennet.)

It’s a sweet, closed-door read that does a lovely job of placing Austenesque characters in a unique setting.

 

BOOK REVIEW: The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Tóibín

I’m trying to read Colm Tóibín’s backlist, in anticipation of his new book. So I just finished The Blackwater Lightship, first published in 1999.

Set in Ireland in the early 1990s, it takes the protagonist, Helen, through a painful reconciliation with her mother and grandmother when the family is summoned by her brother, Declan, who is dying of AIDS. Helen has stayed in touch with Declan, but not closely enough to know that he has been sick for at least two years. She has a loose connection with her grandmother, who lives in an isolated town by the sea. And she is completely estranged from her mother.

Helen’s relationship with her own husband and two young sons is loving, but imperfect. She has a high wall built around her heart and is afraid to let anyone get too close.

The estrangement with her mother began when she was a tween and her father died of cancer. Rather than including Helen and Declan in the grieving process, their mother left them at their grandparents’ house, without saying why, for months. They had no chance to say goodbye to their father. They hadn’t known he was sick enough to die. And they felt the abandonment keenly.

Helen’s later experiences with her mother and grandmother were no better, as she was expected to be a dutiful martyr, helping support her grandmother’s guesthouse as poorly paid labor, at a time when she was desperate to take control of her own life. The tension when the three women are together is thick enough to cut with a knife.

Tóibín’s style is spare and beautiful. He always takes the reader deep into his characters’ psyches, so that the readers can experience the isolation and pain, and finally, a strained reconciliation. The details of Declan’s suffering are vivid, and a stark reminder of what it could be like for those with AIDS. The staunch support of his two close friends contrasts with the helplessness of his family. It is a difficult novel, but well-worth reading.

BOOK REVIEW: The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews is the second book in the Victorian romance/mystery series, The Crinoline Academy Novels. (Book 1 was Rules for Ruin.)

Nell Trewlove is a teacher at Miss Corvu’s Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies, a school for orphans and castaways, where she was once a student. The Academy gives girls an education to prepare them for lives as governesses or other respectable positions. It also prepares them for life outside the school by teaching them self defense.

The school’s secret is that it also teaches girls of exceptional ability to be crusaders for justice for women. Nell, with her remarkable intelligence and stunning good looks, was intended to be one of Miss Corvu’s prize pupils, but a childhood accident has left her with a limp and chronic pain. Which is why Nell is most comfortable within the confines of the school.

However, Miss Corvu sends her on a mission to London, to be interviewed by a pesky journalist, Miles Quincey–the editor of a London newspaper--who has taken an all-too-particular interest in the school. Nell discovers him to be young, very handsome, and intense. Unfortunately, during their short interview, Nell becomes entangled with the stray cat Miles has taken in. And as they are disentangling her, they are interrupted by one of Miles’ employees and a clergyman acquainted with Nell. What they see is quite compromising. Setting the stage for a quick, necessary wedding to salvage both of their reputations.

Nell had another reason for going to London. A girl from the workhouse had been offered a place at Miss Corvu’s, but had disappeared at the London train station while en route. Fearing she had been abducted and likely taken to a brothel to be forced into prostitution, Nell is determined to find and rescue her. Miles also has a dilemma to solve. One of his journalists has gone missing, and is presumed to be in danger. Is it possible the two mysteries are related?

This is another wonderful book by Mimi Matthews. Although attracted to one another from the start, the romance is a slow burn. The mystery, and its attendant dangers, are what propel the plot. The book can stand alone, but I recommend starting from book 1. And I’m looking forward to book 3!

BOOK REVIEW: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Ruta Sepetys writes superb, gritty, YA historical fiction. My history/historical fiction book club chose I Must Betray You for our next meeting, and I flew through the book.

Cristian Florescu is a 17-year-old high school student in Bucharest, Romania, in 1989. Romania is under the thumb of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife Elena. It was one of the most repressive regimes of the Eastern Bloc. The Ceauşescus lived in obscene luxury while Romanians starved. The currency was so worthless, Kent cigarettes were used for bartering. Obtaining food meant standing in long lines, with no guarantee of there being anything left. It was all the things you hear about failed Communist states, and worse.

The worst was the constant surveillance. Cristian lives in a one bedroom apartment with his parents, sister, and grandfather. His grandfather is outspoken about the loss of liberty and corruption of the regime, but everyone else speaks in whispers. Cristian is inspired by his grandfather’s bravery, and keeps a secret notebook about what life is like.

Cristian is coerced into becoming an informer when a security agent finds a minor crime to hang on him. The agent promises medicine for Cristian’s grandfather, who his dying of leukemia. As Cristian falls deeper into the deceptions he must undertake, he grows increasingly paranoid and distrustful of those around him. The fear and loneliness is palpable. And yet, he holds onto hope.

I Must Betray You is a fascinating look at Romania at the time of the collapse of the Soviet empire, highlighting the terrors of the police state and the bravery of the resisters. It’s hard to believe this was 1989. In some ways, it seems forever ago, and in others, just yesterday. Highly recommended!