Category Archives: British Literature

Taliesin by Stephen R. Lawhead (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 1)

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Synopsis:
A princess of Atlantis flees to ancient England where her paths cross with a mage-in-training whose parentage is unknown.

Review:
I was drawn to Taliesin (which I desperately want to be an anagram of Atlantis, but it’s not) because it’s a retelling of the King Arthur legend with historically accurate place names and details, and with the Christianity an important, unoppressive element. Several major characters are converted to Christianity in episodes that are emotionally and spiritually powerful, but Lawhead doesn’t make that the happy ending. He understands that the Christian life is filled with drama and conflict, both inner and outer, and Lawhead doesn’t let his Christian characters have all the answers.

Where I disengaged from the book was with the character of Charis. Charis was proud, fierce, headstrong–all character qualities I normally love–but I think Lawhead romanticized her too much and made her inaccessible. All the men worshipped her but he didn’t give her any qualities that let me identify with her as a woman.

I really liked the character of Lile, the pagan wife to the king of Atlantis. She was a very nuanced character, set up to be the “evil stepmother” but proving to be both friend and enemy to Charis. I really appreciated that aspect. I’m hoping that her daughter Morgiane doesn’t end up being one-dimensional.

As for Taliesin, the bard/mage discovered in a river as a baby, I’m not sure how I feel about him. He’s certainly heroic, but like with Charis I experienced some distance from him. I think he was put on a pedestal by Lawhead and I couldn’t totally connect with his struggles.

I will definitely give the next book a try because these criticisms could just be first book issues. I’ve never read a memorable King Arthur telling so I’m keen to see this one through.

World Without End by Ken Follett

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Synopsis:
The intertwined lives of the inhabitants of the Kingsbridge priory and town, through the stories of four children who become keepers of a terrible secret.

Review:
I almost gave up on World Without End about halfway through. Ken Follett’s plotting is so mathematical that I felt like I could predict how all the story lines would resolve themselves. I am glad that a friend encouraged me to stick with it, because even though everything did tie itself up pretty neatly, I did find a few surprises along the way.

As in The Pillars of the Earth, I loved the historical detail in World Without End, which takes place 200 years later, in the 1300s. Follett offers a great depiction of the feudal system. For the first time, I understand the relationship between the serfs and their lords. Additionally, we got a great glimpse into church politics.

The most interesting character was Gwenda, a peasant girl whose robber father tries to sell her to a band of outlaws, only to propose that they try it again when she manages to escape at great cost to herself. Gwenda is in love with Wulfric, a peasant with great prospects who finds himself thwarted by Ralph, an ambitious man-at-arms to an earl. Gwenda was the wildest card in the deck, and I loved her spirit and ambition. She was also one of the more three-dimensional characters in the book.

I listened to the audio version and loved John Lee’s speaking voice. I’m glad I stuck this one out, though it did get tedious before the plague hit.

Dark Parties by Sara Grant

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Synopsis:
In a dystopia under a sealed dome where inbreeding has left everyone looking very similar, one girl looks for the truth about the world outside.

Review:
Dark Parties has a decent enough concept, and is executed well enough, but Neva’s plight didn’t strike a chord with me. Perhaps it was the world-building which felt thin and undercooked.

I love dystopian YA, but am growing fearful that the genre has played out. It’s not enough to have an idea and be able to write. When done well, the results can be spectacular, and I’m pretty much done with giving allowances for an effort that’s good but not great. That said, this book is better than average, and not to be dismissed outright.

Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth

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Synopsis:
When a body is uncovered near a memorial site for a dead teen, her former best friend reflects on the events of a decade ago that culminated in tragedy.

Review:
Cold Light was tremendously depressing. Lola, the narrator was mopey, passive, and largely unappealing. Her best friend Chloe is described as having a charisma that draws people to her, but she just seemed angry and petulant to me. I think that was the point, though, and that I’m just in a place where these kinds of stories no longer appeal to me. I used to love films and books like Morvern Callar and the like, but I just need more of a range of emotions in the stories I love now. I found no joy in this book and that kept me from appreciating the story.

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

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Synopsis:
As she dies, a former lady’s maid reflects on the scandal that ended the family she served and reveals the truth that only she knew.

Review:
Kate Morton is rapidly becoming my latest favorite author. With her thrilling blend of Gothic melodrama and intricate plotting, she hits all my favorite buttons, much like her self-proclaimed influences Daphne DuMaurier and Barbara Vine.

In The House at Riverton, Morton presents Grace, a lady’s maid who spent her youth in service with a titled family haunted by tragedy and tainted by scandal. Now a dying old woman, Grace has been approached by Ursula, a filmmaker who is recreating the events that ruined the family. Grace is the only living survivor, and while she tells Ursula she was only incidentally connected to the events, the tapes she is making for her missing grandson reveal that she was privy to every interconnected secret.

I loved this so much I’m hurrying off to buy the next one, even though it’s way overpriced in the Kindle format. I don’t care! Must.read.more.Kate.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

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Synopsis:
The lives of a prior, an earl, a master builder, two vengeful orphans, a “witch,” and the bastard son of a jongleur intertwine during the building of a cathedral.

Review:
I had several people recommend The Pillars of the Earth to me, and since I’m loving my Kindle I thought I’d see if I liked reading a long book on it. (I did.)

The story is sweeping but the character journeys make it intimate. It really was an engrossing read. However, I grew a little weary of how wicked the bad guys were, and some of the scenes grew repetitive. I thought he did a good job depicting Prior Philip, a believably flawed man striving for goodness in a fallen world.

Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

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Synopsis:
After a divorce, Englishwoman Catherine moves to a cottage in the rural Cevennes mountains in France, facing challenges as an outsider at a crossroads in her life.

Review:
Tapestry of Love is a charming novel that makes you ache to visit the Cevennes mountains. The descriptions of the landscapes and the food and the culture are just so evocative. It’s a near-perfect example of this kind of book. Rosy Thornton’s storytelling is languid and endearing, making this a most relaxing read of the best possible kind.

Check out her website for recipes and photos–I am dying to try the Navarin of Lamb!

Many thanks to Headline for the review copy.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

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Synopsis:
A professional “carer” recalls her idyllic school days, which mask a horror that she and her friends “know but don’t know.”

Review:
Never Let Me Go is one of my favorite all-time books, and this is the third time I’ve read it. Big life upheavals, like having a baby, always send me back to books I know I’ll enjoy, as a way to comfort myself through a major life transition. If you’ve read it, you’ll know that it’s a strange one to read while holding a brand new baby–and I hope that’s enough to tantalize anyone who hasn’t had a chance to read it.