This is the story of Richard III as it was meant to be told. His successor, a tudor decided to besmirch all former record of Richard's reign, specifically, what kind of a person he was.
Richard's brother Edward becomes king at a young age, and the book mostly follows the relationship between Edward and Richard through the book. When Edward dies, Richard finds himself in quite the predicament whether or not he takes the crown.
There's lots of betrayal, action and backstabbing and it's definately a good read if you are into historical fiction.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Hey, What's on the shelf? Honolulu by Alan Brennert
From Amazon.ca:
From the bestselling author of the 'dazzling historical saga' ( The Washington Post ) , Moloka'i , comes the irresistible story of a young immigrant bride in a ramshackle town that becomes a great modern city Honolulu is the richly imagined story of Jin, a young 'picture bride' who leaves her native Korea-where girls are so little valued that she is known as Regret-and journeys to Hawaii in 1914 in search of a better life. Instead of the prosperous young husband and the chance at an education she has been promised, Jin is quickly married off to a poor, embittered laborer who takes his disappointments out on his new wife, forcing her to make her own way in a strange land. Struggling to build a business with the help of her fellow picture brides, Jin finds both opportunity and prejudice, but ultimately transforms herself from a naive young girl into a resourceful woman. Prospering along with her adopted city, which is fast growing from a small territorial capital to the great multicultural city it is today, Jin can never forget the people she left behind in Korea, and returns one last time to make her peace with her former life. With its passionate knowledge of people and places in Hawaii far off the tourist track, Honolulu is a spellbinding story of the triumphs and sacrifices of the human spirit that is sure to become another reading group favorite.
I don't know how I felt about this book by the time I got to the end. It had some good parts where I was gripped and other parts where it lost me.
From the bestselling author of the 'dazzling historical saga' ( The Washington Post ) , Moloka'i , comes the irresistible story of a young immigrant bride in a ramshackle town that becomes a great modern city Honolulu is the richly imagined story of Jin, a young 'picture bride' who leaves her native Korea-where girls are so little valued that she is known as Regret-and journeys to Hawaii in 1914 in search of a better life. Instead of the prosperous young husband and the chance at an education she has been promised, Jin is quickly married off to a poor, embittered laborer who takes his disappointments out on his new wife, forcing her to make her own way in a strange land. Struggling to build a business with the help of her fellow picture brides, Jin finds both opportunity and prejudice, but ultimately transforms herself from a naive young girl into a resourceful woman. Prospering along with her adopted city, which is fast growing from a small territorial capital to the great multicultural city it is today, Jin can never forget the people she left behind in Korea, and returns one last time to make her peace with her former life. With its passionate knowledge of people and places in Hawaii far off the tourist track, Honolulu is a spellbinding story of the triumphs and sacrifices of the human spirit that is sure to become another reading group favorite.
I don't know how I felt about this book by the time I got to the end. It had some good parts where I was gripped and other parts where it lost me.
Hey, what's on the shelf? The Falcons of Montabard, by Elizabeth Chadwick
I've been busy and not blogging inclined lately, but I don't think anyone actually reads this so who cares?!
The Falcons of Montabard
Summary from Publisher:
In the aftermath of tragedy and scandal, Sabin FitzSimon, illegitimate son of a Norman earl, leaves England for the Holy Land in search of a new beginning. At first it seems impossible as the demons from his past life return to haunt him. There is more scandal and banishment, and Sabin finds his back to the wall. In the heat and dust, magnificence and danger of Northern Syria, he must either face himself, or be vanquished. Annais, daughter of Edmund Strongfist is a quiet, convent-raised young woman when she accompanies her father to their new life in the Holy Land. Her encounters with Sabin FitzSimon leave her bewildered, desirous, and more than a little hostile. Bravely facing up to heartache, an arranged marriage, war and death, she falls deeply in love with the country and its people. But it will take more than love to secure what she holds dear, including Sabin FitzSimon. It will take courage, endurance and raw determination to succeed...
It has been a while since I read this about a month ago. I enjoyed the Falcons of Montabard enough to want to seek out more books by Chadwick.
Sabin is an illegitimate child of a Norman Earl, and he is caught rollicking with the King's mistress when he is dismissed from court, and decides that he's going to go away and turn over a new leaf. A lot of interesting things happen to Sabin, and I think he's a good character, I liked him a lot. I don't want to say much because I don't want to give the story away so you'll have to try it out yourself.
The Falcons of Montabard
Summary from Publisher:
In the aftermath of tragedy and scandal, Sabin FitzSimon, illegitimate son of a Norman earl, leaves England for the Holy Land in search of a new beginning. At first it seems impossible as the demons from his past life return to haunt him. There is more scandal and banishment, and Sabin finds his back to the wall. In the heat and dust, magnificence and danger of Northern Syria, he must either face himself, or be vanquished. Annais, daughter of Edmund Strongfist is a quiet, convent-raised young woman when she accompanies her father to their new life in the Holy Land. Her encounters with Sabin FitzSimon leave her bewildered, desirous, and more than a little hostile. Bravely facing up to heartache, an arranged marriage, war and death, she falls deeply in love with the country and its people. But it will take more than love to secure what she holds dear, including Sabin FitzSimon. It will take courage, endurance and raw determination to succeed...
It has been a while since I read this about a month ago. I enjoyed the Falcons of Montabard enough to want to seek out more books by Chadwick.
Sabin is an illegitimate child of a Norman Earl, and he is caught rollicking with the King's mistress when he is dismissed from court, and decides that he's going to go away and turn over a new leaf. A lot of interesting things happen to Sabin, and I think he's a good character, I liked him a lot. I don't want to say much because I don't want to give the story away so you'll have to try it out yourself.
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