Book Review: Like Chaff in the Wind by Anna Belfrage & Giveaway

Like Chaff in the Wind by Anna Belfrage
Book 2 in the Graham Saga
Paperback, 392 pages
Troubador Publishing Ltd
December 17, 2012
★★★★☆

Genre: Historical Fiction, Time-Slip

Source: Received from the author for review

“Matthew Graham committed the mistake of his life when he cut off his brother's nose. In revenge, Luke Graham has Matthew abducted and transported to the colony of Virginia to be sold as indentured labor. Matthew arrives in Virginia in May 1661 and any hope he had of finding someone willing to listen to his story of unlawful abduction is quickly extinguished. If anything, Matthew's insistence that he is an innocent man leads him to being singled out for the heaviest tasks. Insufficient food, grueling days and the humid heat combine to wear him down. With a sinking feeling, he realizes no one has ever survived their seven years of service on the plantation Suffolk Rose.

Fortunately for Matthew, he has a remarkable wife. Alex Graham has no intention of letting her husband suffer and die. So she sets off from Scotland on a perilous journey to bring her husband home. Alex is plagued by nightmares in which Matthew is reduced to a wheezing wreck by his tormentors. Sailing to Virginia, she prays for a miracle to carry her swiftly to his side. But fate has other plans, and what should have been a two month crossing turns into a yearlong adventure - from one side of the Atlantic to the other. Will Alex find Matthew in time? Will she be able to pay the price of setting him free? Like Chaff in the Wind continues on from The Rip in the Veil, taking Alex and Matthew's love story to a new continent.”

First, a note: I have not yet read book 1 in this series, The Rip in the Veil, so I can’t comment on how the second book builds from the first. I can, however, tell you that you probably should read the books in order. That being said, if for some reason you decide to read them out of order, say for a tour and ran out of time to read the first, you won’t be totally lost. The author includes enough information so that you can piece together the major events that have occurred, however it isn’t necessarily right at the start of the book – so there were periods of confusion until I got those tidbits.

The majority of the novel takes place on ships headed to the American Colonies and in Jamestown, Virginia. A shorter amount of time is spent in Scotland. Jamestown was a refreshing setting in that not many stories take place here – but it wasn’t the Jamestown that I expected or experienced upon visiting the historical site. When the book opens we are in 1661, so approximately 50 years after the Jamestown most of us think about with the starving settlers, Pocahontas and John Smith, and various interactions with the natives. It was nice to see this growing Jamestown – even if it was still a somewhat lawless land.

The time travel element was strong, but not so much in terms of people time traveling throughout the book. Alex, our heroine, previously traveled to this time and place from the present. So while she isn’t currently traveling you still have her dealing with outcomes, mindset, and trying to fit in with the ways of women in the 17^th century. I think that the time travel element was probably more present in the first book.

While I struggled a little bit with the beginning – mostly due to not having read the first book – it was a quick read and quite enjoyable. The characters were entertaining, the plot moved right along, and I felt like the characters grew quite a bit throughout it. The main focus of the book really is the relationship between the characters.

Author Anna Belfrage also has written book 1 in the series, The Rip in the Veil and is currently working on the rest of the Graham Saga. You can visit Belfrage website or blog for additional information about the book.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Bippity, Boppity, Book
• Oh, For the Hook of a Book

  

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You can follow the rest of the blog tour on the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours site or on Twitter with the following hashtag: #ChaffInTheWindVirtualTour.

I have a giveaway to offer today – for one copy of Like Chaff in the Wind and it is open INTERNATIONALLY!  The giveaway will be open until April 7th.  Entry is through the Rafflecopter below.

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Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

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Interview with Author Margaret Skea

Today I have the opportunity to welcome author Margaret Skea to The Maiden’s Court and to introduce her and her work to you all.  Her novel, Turn of the Tide was released in November 2012. 

Has writing a novel been a long-held goal for you, or something that came on you more recently?

It was always something I wanted to do, but never felt capable of. My comfort zone was 3000 words – just right for short stories. So for many years I concentrated on writing them until, as part of my way of dealing with a difficult situation, I channeled all the emotions of that period into writing Turn of the Tide.

What has been the most difficult aspect of writing / publishing this novel?

The writing itself went very well, though I re-drafted several times, but the most difficult aspect was trying to find an agent to represent me. Eventually after many frustrating months and a growing pile of ‘glowing’ rejections – complimentary about the writing, but questioning the novel’s commerciality, I decided to leap-frog the agent stage and approach publishers direct. As a result I very quickly received two offers to publish and I chose to accept the Scottish publisher’s offer.

What is the significance of the title, Turn of the Tide?

Ah, if I disclosed that, it would be a serious ‘spoiler’ - all I can say is that there is both a metaphorical and a physical turning of the tide in the novel and both are central to the story.

Your book was released at the end of 2012. Did you do anything to celebrate this monumental event?

The timing of the launch was amazing, in that it coincided both with a Scottish history festival called ‘Previously’ and the first Scottish Book Week. As a result, as well as a launch in a major Edinburgh bookshop, I was invited to share a ‘Writing History’ event with an established author in another major bookshop and was a keynote speaker at a Book Week event in a lovely old historic house. All in all an exciting week, but no time to celebrate!

How did the fact that you live in Scotland contribute to how you wrote the setting of your novel?

I‘ve been told that I write weather very well – I’m sure that’s because I experience plenty of it! I also live in a rural area with many tower houses dating from the period of my novel, both complete and ruinous. They and the landscape that surrounds me help to ensure that descriptive details are accurate.

Do you have any future writing plans?

I am part-way through the sequel to Turn of the Tide - the working title of the second book is A House Divided - and although my publisher has an option on it, whether it will be taken up or not depends on how well this current book does.

I also have a ‘bank’ of contemporary short stories, many of which have either won or been listed in competitions and I am hoping that a collection of them will soon be available, initially as an e-book on Kindle.

My first historical short story is to be published by the Historical Novel Society in an anthology of the finalists in their recent short story competition, and following my success there I would like (when I have a moment) to write more historical shorts.

Margaret Skea grew up in Ulster at the height of the ‘Troubles’, but now lives with her husband in the Scottish Borders.

An interest in Scotland’s turbulent history, and in particular the 16th century, combined with PhD research into the Ulster-Scots vernacular, led to the writing of Turn of the Tide. which was the Historical Fiction Winner in the 2011 Harper Collins / Alan Titchmarsh People’s Novelist Competition.

An Hawthornden Fellow and award winning short story writer – her recent credits include, Overall Winner Neil Gunn 2011, Chrysalis Prize 2010, and Winchester Short Story Prize 2009. Shortlisted in the Mslexia Short Story Competition 2012 and long-listed for the Matthew Pritchard Award, Fish Short Story and Fish One Page Prize, she has been published in a range of magazines and anthologies in Britain and the USA.

You can visit Margaret at the following sites: website and Facebook.

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

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Book Review: The Forgotten Queen by D. L. Bogdan

The Forgotten Queen by D. L. Bogdan
ARC, Ebook, 384 pages
Kensington
January 29, 2013
★★★½☆☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from publisher for review as part of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour

“From her earliest days, Margaret Tudor knows she will not have the luxury of choosing a husband. Her duty is to gain alliances for England. Barely out of girlhood, Margaret is married by proxy to James IV and travels to Edinburgh to become Queen of Scotland.

Despite her doubts, Margaret falls under the spell of her adopted home. But while Jamie is an affectionate husband, he is not a faithful one. And nothing can guarantee Margaret’s safety when Jamie leads an army against her own brother, Henry VIII. In the wake of loss she falls prey to an ambitious earl and brings Scotland to the brink of anarchy. Beset by betrayal and secret alliances, Margaret has one aim—to preserve the crown of Scotland for her son, no matter what the cost…”

Margaret Tudor is probably the Tudor that I knew the least about prior to reading this book. Most of the time when a book is set in the Tudor court we typically hear about Henry and his younger sister Mary because they spend ample time in England, while we do not typically see his elder sister Margaret at all. I also wanted to know more about James IV of Scotland.

I found that I had mixed feelings about Margaret. I thought she was so funny as a young girl however I grew to be more ambivalent about her over time, especially after the death of King James. It seems like she lost the sense of herself as she became entangled in a series of bad relationships. I think what frustrated me the most was that she didn’t seem to notice that anything was wrong until it became a complete disaster. Truth be told, I didn’t really like any of the men in her life that much – James was probably the best out of them.

One thing that I did find interesting was a different view on the events at Flodden Field. The only book I had read prior that addressed this issue was The Constant Princess which showed these events from Catherine of Aragon’s perspective. I appreciated seeing this event from the side of the “loser”. It actually made me dislike Catherine, whereas she has always been a character I have been able to get behind in the past.

The only real logistical element that gave me trouble throughout the book was the lack of reference to dates. I think this book would have benefitted from some chapter subtitles providing date and place. I frequently found myself lost in a sense of time and place. I liked how the chapters frequently referred us to the man in her life that the segment would revolve around however some dates would have helped.

Overall I liked the book and the writing even if I didn’t end up loving the character. I think it was a good portrayal of this woman who is frequently forgotten about.

Author D. L. Bogdan also has written The Sumerton Women, Rivals in the Tudor Court, and Secrets of the Tudor Court. You can visit Bogdan’s website for additional information about the book.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Peppermint PhD
• My Reading Room

You can follow the rest of the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour by visiting the HFVBT website or following on Twitter with the following hashtag: #ForgottenQueenVirtualTour.

I have one copy of The Forgotten Queen up for grabs and it is open internationally!  The giveaway will close on February 17th.  Enter information into the Rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway.

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Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

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Book Review: The Far Side of the Loch

The Far Side of the Loch by Melissa Wiley
Little House: The Martha Years Book 2

Paperback, 256 pages, Unabridged
HarperTrophy
May 31, 2000
★★★★☆

Genre: Historical Fiction, YA

Source: Personal collection

“In The Far Side of Loch seven-year-old Martha is lonely and restless. The Stone House was filled with people during the holidays, but now the cousins have gone home, Martha's father is traveling, her brothers are at school, and her older sister, Grisie, is too busy brooding over her embroidery to pay any attention to Martha. Her new pet hedgehog makes things a bit more fun, and then Father comes home with some thrilling news and suddenly Martha's house is bustling with excitement

The Far Side of Loch is the second book in The Martha Years, an ongoing series about another spirited girl from America's most beloved pioneer family.”

This volume on the life Laura Ingalls Wilder’s great grandmother takes place over the course of a 2 week period when Martha’s cousins come to stay for a visit. Martha and her cousin, Rachel, are foils of each other; while Martha is a free spirit and loves to have fun and get dirty, Rachel is the perfect little lady, shy, quite and ever so clean. As you might imagine, these differences cause a great amount of drama over the 2 weeks.

There are several great themes in this book that children can relate to. One of the major events is that the mothers of all the girls are over helping get a new house ready to be moved into and the girls are all left at home. So there is the feeling of freedom and fun at first but ultimately missing their mothers by the end. Martha feels left out in this novel because she is the only one of her family members to not have seen this new house and is not told what is going on. Both of these issues are resolved by the end of the book.

As in the first book, we are treated to more traditional Scottish poems, stories, and songs as well as history of the area. We also get a glimpse at the city of Edinburg when Father comes back from the city and tells stories. I think that my favorite parts of the book are the fairytales because I have never heard anything like them before.

I don’t think I mentioned it in my review of Little House in the Highlands but there are beautiful hand drawings throughout the books. Usually they are at chapter beginnings but sometimes they are where something important begins. These images are very accurate to the descriptions of the happenings in the books, so I would imagine that this time the illustrator might have read from the book first.

This book is less of an introduction than Little House in the Highlands was and we get to spend more time learning about Martha and seeing her have fun and of course get into a little mischief. Children will have fun reading this book – and I think boys might too.

Melissa Wiley also has written the continuation of Martha’s story in Little House in the Highlands (book 1), Down to the Bonny Glen (book 3) and Beyond the Heather Hills (book 4) as well as the entire Charlotte Years series. You can visit Wiley’s website or blog for additional information about the book.

Please be aware that this series is currently out of print but can often be found on Ebay or Half.com - but you have to look often because they can be exorbitantly priced.  There was also an abridged version of many of these books released.  I would advise trying to check your local libraries for these books.

My other reviews of books by this author:

• Little House in the Highlands

Other reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• My Domestic Church

 

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

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Book Review: Little House in the Highlands by Melissa Wiley

Little House in the Highlands by Melissa Wiley

Little House: The Martha Years Book 1

Paperback, 271 pages, Unabridged

HarperTrophy

February 1999
★★★★½☆

Genre: Historical Fiction, YA

Source: Personal collection

“In Little House in the Highlands, we meet Martha Morse, a spirited six-year-old Scottish girl who will grow to be the great-grandmother of American pioneer and writer, Laura Ingalls Wilder. But, as a child, Martha’s main concern is how to cope with her life as a laird’s daughter. Martha has a restless spirit and would rather be running barefoot through the fields of heather and listening to magical tales about fairies and other Wee Folk than learning to sew like a proper young lady. 

Sprinkled with 18th-century Scottish vocabulary and filled with details of everyday life, Martha’s story will transport you to a time and place when fairies were rumored to roam the hills of Scotland and ever-curious little girls hoped to catch glimpses of them..”

This companion series to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House series is perfect for young girls or those who are still young at heart. The Marta Years is a four book series covering the young years of Martha Morse, Laura’s great grandmother, in her home in Scotland. I would style this as an introduction into the series. We really get to meet Martha, her family, and are introduced to the way of life in Scotland in the 1770’s.

Martha is a spirited young girl. She would rather play outside with the boys and get dirty than stay inside practicing sewing, embroidering etc. She wants to go to school and grow up faster so that she can be like her 15 year old sister. Martha’s character is something that many young children, especially today, can relate to at least to some extent. I loved seeing the world from her point of view.

Wiley also does a fantastic job of interweaving the culture and customs of the Scots into this YA novel. We learn about tales children were told, hear mythology about fairies, brownies and magic. The book leads up to the big celebration of Hogmanay and we get involved in all of the details from how food is prepared to the games and gifts given. The language used when the characters speak to each other evokes the feel of Scottish while still being words that a young reader would be able to grasp and understand. She also includes traditional Scottish terms, for example, haggis, and is always careful to explain these terms.

For a young reader this book has just enough excitement and adventure to keep them entertained while still teaching them about the Scottish culture and building up to the traditional Little House series. For an adult reader the pages will fly by and you will be done before you know it – but it is still quite an enjoyable read!

Melissa Wiley also has written the continuation of Martha’s story in The Far Side of the Loch (book 2), Down to the Bonny Glen (book 3) and Beyond the Heather Hills (book 4) as well as the entire Charlotte Years series. You can visit Wiley’s website or blog for additional information about the book.

Please be aware that this series is currently out of print but can often be found on Ebay or Half.com - but you have to look often because they can be exorbitantly priced.  There was also an abridged version of many of these books released.  I would advise trying to check your local libraries for these books.

My other review of books by this author:

• The Far Side of the Loch

Other reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• My Domestic Church         

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

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