For the King’s Favor by Elizabth Chadwick

Title- For the King's Favor
Author- Elizabth Chadwick
Publisher- Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date September 2010
ISBN: 9781402244490
Format Trade Paperback
Price- $14.99
How I read it-Trade Paperback ARC

When Roger Bigot arrives at King Henry II’s court to settle a bitter inheritance dispute, he becomes enchanted with Ida de Tonsey, a young mistress to the powerful king. A victim of Henry’s seduction and the mother of his son, Ida sees in Roger A chance to begin a new life. But Ida pays an agonizing price when she leaves the king, and as Roger’s importance grows and he gains an earldom, their marriage becomes increasing strain. Based on the true story of a royal mistress and the young lord she chose to marry, For the King’s Favor is Elizabeth Chadwick at her best.
(form the publisher)

My thoughts,

First off let me start by saying that this is the first book that I have read by Elizabeth Chadwick, and it will defiantly not be the last. She has this brilliant way of making history come alive for the reader. While reading this book it was as though I stepped back into the heart of Medieval England and into the court of Henry II. While the themes of this book deal with love, loss, and power the characters will pull at your heartstrings while they fight for what they want. I normally give a synopsis of the book, although with For the King’s Favor I am afraid that I will slip and giveaway too much of the plot, and believe me this is one of those books that you have to read for yourself.

The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortise by Julia Stuart

This week on Royal Reviews it’s London Calling Week, so make sure you stop by and check out what our reviewers are reading that features Jolly Old England.



Title- The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise
Author- Julia Stuart
Publisher- Double Day
Release Date- August 10, 2010
Format- Hardcover 320 pages
How I read it- Trade Paperback ARC
Rating 4 Crowns


Brimming with charm and whimsy, this exquisite novel set in the Tower of London has the transportive qualities and delightful magic of the contemporary classics Chocolat and Amélie.

Balthazar Jones has lived in the Tower of London with his loving wife, Hebe, and his 120-year-old pet tortoise for the past eight years. That’s right, he is a Beefeater (they really do live there). It’s no easy job living and working in the tourist attraction in present-day London.

Among the eccentric characters who call the Tower’s maze of ancient buildings and spiral staircases home are the Tower’s Rack & Ruin barmaid, Ruby Dore, who just found out she’s pregnant; portly Valerie Jennings, who is falling for ticket inspector Arthur Catnip; the lifelong bachelor Reverend Septimus Drew, who secretly pens a series of principled erot­ica; and the philandering Ravenmaster, aiming to avenge the death of one of his insufferable ravens.

When Balthazar is tasked with setting up an elaborate menagerie within the Tower walls to house the many exotic animals gifted to the Queen, life at the Tower gets all the more interest­ing. Penguins escape, giraffes are stolen, and the Komodo dragon sends innocent people running for their lives. Balthazar is in charge and things are not exactly running smoothly. Then Hebe decides to leave him and his beloved tortoise “runs” away.
(from the publisher)

My thoughts:

I have heard The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise is being compared to the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I have to say that I agree. Like Guernsey, The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise, focuses on the behavior of those living in a confined area and the relationships that develop or crumble as a result. It also addresses the question that I have often wondered “What do those Beefeaters get up to when the tourist goes home”?.

With lovable characters that touch your heart, and bring a smile to your face, The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise is undeniably a charming and hilarious tale. When Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, decides that she is going to reopen the Royal Menagerie at the Tower, the only man who seems equipped to handle the job is the man who owns a 181 year old pet Tortoise, Balthazar Jones. Balthazar is a unique man with an odd passion for collecting rain in small Egyptian perfume bottles. After the death of his their young son Milo, Balthazar and his wife Hebe, who works for the Lost and Found department of the London Underground, find their marriage to be in ruins. With the arrival of the animals for the menagerie Hebe Jones departs from her husband and the damp, dank Tower.

The Jones are not only hilarious and lovable bunch living with-in the Tower Walls, the author has included a cast of characters that read like a listing of a comedy. One would be remiss if they failed to mention the charming owner of the Tower’s Pub the Rack and Ruin, Ruby Dore, who’s birth was afflicted by a game of monopoly. Also included is the Tower chaplain , Reverend Septimus Drew who unbeknownst to the Tower residents, has become the leading novelist in a genre not often associated with a member of the clergy. There is also the rather randy Ravenmaster, who misdeeds are parroted around the Tower. One must also make mention of Mrs. Cook, the 181 year old tortoise, who has a sea-worthy past, and an axe to grind with some very naughty ravens. I must also make mention of one of the Towers most notorious prisoners, Sir Walter Raleigh, who still wonders around, usually uttering profanities about the Spanish. Those are only some residents inside the Tower Walls. Outside it premises is a whole other cast that is as equally as alluring. Hebe Jones’ colleague, Valerie Jennings, finds love in the lost and found. While Arthur Catnip searches for a way to catch the heart of a lady he’s come to love. And I cannot leave out the Lost Property Offices most frequent customer, Samuel Crapper.

While The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise is a witty, comical read, it has heart and soul that will the draw the reader in and hold their attention. A laugh-out-loud novel, that could be aptly called ’a barrel of monkeys’, it should be on the top of everyone’s to be read list. If this book fails to put a smile on your face I do not know what will.


The Tower throughout History

-In 1066-1087, the construction of the Tower of London begins sometime during the reign of William the Conquer

-In 1204 King John ships 3 boatloads of wild animals back to London from the Norman territories- which is the possible start of the Royal Menagerie

-In 1240 Henry III orders the central keep be whitewashed inside and out thus giving it the name of the White Tower, 11 years later in 1251 he receives a “white bear” and its keeper from Norway

-1255 sees the arrival of an African elephant from Louis IX of France

-In 1381 the Tower is stormed in what is known as the Peasant’s Revolt in-which the Archbishop of Canterbury is killed.

-1539 is the first record of official torture taking place at the Tower.

-1554 Princess Elizabeth is a ‘guest’ at the Tower while being questioned about her knowledge of plots against her half sister, Mary I

-1592 Sir Walter Raleigh is imprisoned for marrying one of Elizabeth’s ladies-in-waiting without the permission of the Queen

-1603-1616 Raleigh is imprisoned again, for treason

-1618 Raleigh embarked on his third and final stay in the Tower, this time for deliberately inciting a war between Spain and England. He is executed in Westminster on the same year.

-1640 The last “official torture” is recorded at the Tower

-1671 Colonel Blood and his gang attempt to steal the Crown Jewels

-1780-1781- Henry Laurens (a powerful merchant from South Carolina) is the first and last US citizen to be imprisoned at the Tower. He was held on suspicion of High Treason for his part in the American Struggle for in the War of Independence

-In 1811 Martin, the first grizzly bear seen in England, is presented to George III by the Hudson Bay Company.

-1828 a secretary bird puts its head into the hyena den and is deprived of it in one bite.

-1829 Over 160 animals are catalogued in the menagerie, including a pig-faced baboon, 100 rattlesnakes, and two llamas

-1830 The Times announces that the 150 of the menagerie’s animals are to be presented to the newly formed Zoological Society of London

-1835 The Royal Menagerie is closed.












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The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory

This week is anything goes, so sit back and see what caught the eyes of our Royal Reviewers.

The Queen of the Quill


Title - The Virgin's Lover
Author - Philippa Gregory
Publisher - Simon & Schuster New York
ISBN - 978-0-7432-6926-1
Format - Paperback
$16.00 US/ $18.99 CAN
How I Read it - Paperback purchased from Barnes & Noble
Rating - 3.5

Synopsis: In the autumn of 1558, church bells across England ring out the joyous news that Elizabeth I is the new queen. One woman hears the tidings with utter dread. She is Amy Dudley, wife of Sir Robert, and she knows that Elizabeth's ambitious leap to the throne will draw her husband back to the center of the glamorous Tudor court, where he was born to be.
Elizabeth's excited triumph is short-lived. She has inherited a bankrupt country where treason is rampant and foreign war a certainty. Her faithful advisor William Cecil warns her that she will survive only if she marries a strong prince to govern the rebellious country, but the one man Elizabeth desires is her childhood friend, the ambitious Robert Dudley. As the young couple falls in love, a question hangs in the air: can he really set aside his wife and marry the queen? When Amy is found dead, Elizabeth and Dudley are suddenly plunged into a struggle for survival.

Philippa Gregory's The Virgin's Lover answers the question about an unsolved crime that has fascinated detectives and historians for centuries. Intelligent, romantic, and compelling, The Virgin's Lover presents a young woman on the brink of greatness, a young man whose ambition exceeds his means, and the wife who cannot forgive them.

My Review: I'm never disappointed with a Philippa Gregory book, and this one is no exception. I love the way she's able to imagine a beautiful story into the facts we already know, this time about the early years of Queen Elizabeth's reign and her relationship with Robert Dudley.

This story alternates between the perspectives of Robert, his wife Amy Dudley, and William Cecil, who served as Elizabeth I's chief councilor for much of her reign. Each of them moves the story forward, the main focus being the relationship between Elizabeth and Robert.

I really liked the different perspectives that we got to see, and I very much wanted to be sympathetic to Amy - who wants to be a discarded wife? However, I just couldn't get myself there. Perhaps I am alone with this sentiment, but I found her to be so irritating that I even thought "No wonder Robert wasn't interested in her anymore." At each interaction, I would plead for Robert to be more kind to her, yet think that I would likewise be as harsh with her.

As much as I wanted to like Robert, a character I have liked in the past, I had a hard time doing so. Philippa Gregory does an excellent job of showing both how Robert Dudley was considered very charming, but also that he was a man very interested in furthering his own fortunes. I found it difficult to ever believe he cared as much for Elizabeth as he claimed, he always seemed more ambitious than a man doing things for love. But when he's professing that love, I likewise found myself feeling as I imagine Elizabeth did - wrapped up in that admiration and how much he claimed to care for her.


At the same time, I really loved watching this story unfold, all the while knowing how it ended - it's no secret that Elizabeth I never married, despite the best efforts of both Dudley and Cecil. And reading this book makes me want to go back and reread or watch things I've seen about Elizabeth in the past, to see how much my perspective has changed and compare my knowledge of the story from before.

My only complaint is the same that I always have with Philippa Gregory: she is willing to take an assertion that is widely considered to be false, and present it as fact. I know it's to create a thrilling story, but I still find it to be pretty frustrating. It's still a book very much worth reading, and I found it to be quite entertaining, so I challenge you to read it and come to your own conclusions.





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Darcy's Voyage by Kara Louise

Title- Darcy’s Voyage
Author- Kara Louise
Publisher- Sourcebooks Landmark
ISBN- 978-1-4022-4102-4
Format- Trade Paperback
$14.99 US/ $17.99 CAN/ 7.99 UK
How I Read it- Trade Paperback ARC
Rating- 5 CROWNS
ROYAL READ



A Tale of Uncharted Love on the Open Seas


In this enchanting and highly original retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet sets out for the new world aboard the grand ship Pemberley’s Promise. She’s prepared for an uneventful voyage until a chance encounter with the handsome, taciturn Mr. Darcy turns her world upside down.

When Elizabeth falls ill, Darcy throws convention overboard in a plan that will bind them to each other more deeply than he ever could have imagined. But the perils of their ocean voyage pale in comparison to the harsh reality of society’s rules that threaten their chance at happiness. When they return to the lavish halls of England, will their love survive?



My thoughts:

Normally I add a summery of the book. Although this time I am not going to do that, this is one of those books that if I start writing about it or talking about it I will never stop and then I will end up giving away spoilers. This is what we at Royal Reviews would call a Royal Read.

A Royal Read usually begins its life with the a variation of the following conversation:

Crazy Reader: 'You HAVE to read this book!'
Unsuspecting Victim: 'But I'm already reading '________' at the moment and my TBR pile is huge!'
Crazy Reader: Don't care. Promise me that you will read this book next. It's brilliant!'
Unsuspecting Victim: Oooookay. What's it about?

Unsuspecting Victim is then effectively nagged into reading said novel just so that Crazy Reader will have someone to discuss the book with. In most cases, Unsuspecting Victim is then converted and will begin recruiting for the next Crazy Reader.


I enjoyed this Darcy’s Voyage immensely, while the characters are true to those created by Jane Austen, they have a fresh feel to them. I found that in some ways I liked them better than the original, and I know that I will probably get a few comments that disagree with the statement that I just made, but I feel as though they have a new depth to them which enhances the story. I also enjoyed that fact that we see more of who Darcy is in this book, Jane Austen stated that she never wrote a scene in which the men are left alone because she simply did not know what men spoke about while alone, so in some ways that left her novels one-sided, whereas Darcy’s Voyage offers a broader perspective.

If I were ask what book I would recommend for a reader looking for a Jane Austen spin-off this would be that book. Not only is it creative and original, it is time-less yet fresh, and beautifully put together. This is the prefect book for those who loved Pride & Prejudice yet yearn for more.


I would like to say Welcome & Thank You to Kara Louise for this lovely guest post.


Kara Louise author of Darcy’s Voyage Guest Post

Thanks for inviting me here today. These are great questions and I really had to think about them!

While writing about another author’s characters, was it limiting or freeing? What were some challenges that surprised you and how did you overcome them?


In answering the first question, I am going to cheat and say that it was both, and hopefully I will be able to explain why.

Firstly, I believe it is limiting in that we must endeavor to make the characters that Jane Austen penned fit into our story and portray them so that their words and actions in whether it be a variation, or a sequel, or a prequel be comparable to the original. Our story and the direction of our plot must incorporate these fundamental traits. If not, we must construe the circumstances so that they fit in seamlessly without coming across as out of character. This is, of course, unless the story is a variation where we have purposely made the character different as hers, which I have not done.


It can also be limiting depending on how much we are able to glean from her narratives. Pride and Prejudice is written from Elizabeth Bennet’s perspective, although not her point of view. We see things through her eyes, which means we may see them through her prejudice. That would particularly be true of Mr. Darcy, and since we only see him when Elizabeth is in the scene, there is a lot we do not see. We have a good, general concept of his character, but it is far form complete.

On the other hand, I think it is freeing because we already pretty much know whose these characters are (and some of them are real characters!). I think many people consider them like family, they know them so well. I believe that most Jane Austen writers began writing stories because of a love for the characters and a desire to know more, whether it be scenes Miss Austen only recapped slightly, omitted completely, or a variation on what she wrote.

The stories I have written stemmed out of a desire to interact with these beloved characters and go on a whole new journey with them. In Darcy’s Voyage, Darcy and Elizabeth meet on a ship bound for America, and the events that take place on the ship greatly affect the story as they then later meet in Hertfordshire, as Jane Austen originally penned. To me there was great delight in figuring out how these two people would have responded to the same situations, but with a whole different background between them.

One challenge of writing about another author’s characters is that there is likely to be a louder outcry if you do not conform to your reader’s perception of who that person truly is.

As an example, Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet have been with us for over 200 years, we have seen them portrayed in several film adaptations, and many of us have read Pride and Prejudice many times through. And now there are more and more books about them on the market. Everyone has their opinion of who they are, and as you insert them into the events of a new story, chances are there will be some who will say, “He would never do that!” or “She would never say that!”

One challenge I’ve had is how to further the process of a particular plot device when I feel their character might not go in that direction. In Darcy’s Voyage, I know there will be many who will say neither would have made such a voyage to America, Elizabeth would have never traveled alone, nor would she have stayed down in steerage.

Since that was vital to my story (or there would have been no story)m I had to bring about credible reasons behind these stretches. For example, I wrote that Darcy was traveling to America to retrieve his sister, who had previously gone over with Mrs. Annesley to see her son and daughter and new baby. She talked Darcy into it to remove Georgiana from the power and presence of Mr. Wickham. This story begins just after Ramsgate, when Georgiana almost elopes with Wickham. Darcy would probably have otherwise not agreed to allow her to go. He owns the ship and had to trust it was an excellent ship that would get her there and back. Of course, when Mrs. Annesley cannot return because she gets ill, Darcy himself decides to retrieve her.

This may be a little fanciful, but I tried to put as much background into why they would do something to make it at least somewhat plausible. I think that is what I tried to, and while some still may complain, I hope that if you have read the book, you will be able to simply enjoy the story,

Thank you for allowing me this time with you today!


About The Author

Ever since Kara Louise discovered and fell in love with the writings of Jane Austen she has spent her time answering the “what happened next” and the “what ifs” in Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s story. She has written 6 novels based on Pride and Prejudice. She lives with her husband in Wichita, Kansas. For more information, please visit her website, Jane Austen’s Land of Ahhhs.



Thanks to Sourcebooks I have two copies of DARCY’S VOYAGE to giveaway.
To enter please leave your name and a valid email address.
Contest ends September 30, 2010




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Tears of the Mountain & One Thousand White Women double review

Tears of the Mountain chronicles a single day in one man's life - July 4, 1876 - along with a series of alternating flashbacks beginning in 1831 that all lead up to an eventful Centennial Independence Day celebration in Sonoma, California.

Jeremiah McKinley prepares for the celebration and for a reunion with old friends and family, however, as he reflects on past love, the pioneer journey of his youth, and the many violent conflicts of the West, voices of the long dead come to him, and old wounds resurface, threatening everything he holds dear.



Jeremiah McKinley wakes up on the fourth of July looking forward to a hard-earned day of leisurely celebration and reflection with his family. But Jeremiah has lived an adventurous life, sometimes intentional and often times not, so it stands to reason that the most anticipated day of celebration in the young country's history shouldn't be any different.


The day begins with the arrival of a little boy with his family from San Francisco, a little boy who claims he is Jeremiah's deceased father, Daniel. Shortly thereafter Jeremiah receives a message containing a cryptic warning. As much as Jeremiah would like to write off both incidents as practical jokes, increasingly alarming events continue to unfold throughout the day as both friends and enemies from his past gather to celebrate the Centennial.

As Jeremiah tries to figure out who is behind the ominous warnings and how the child knows so much about his father, he reflects on his youth and the backstory of how these people now gathered in Sonoma came to know each other emerges, seamlessly woven through the timeline of early California history: from the first white settlers to the Bear Revolution, to the Gold Rush, and the displacement and subjugation of the native population. Echoes of these past events manifest in the strange events of the Fourth of July and an increasing sense of urgency and suspense builds as Jeremiah realizes the family he's always wanted and finally has could be in real danger.


Overall this book is a great read. Jeremiah is an infinitely likeable character, a mild-mannered schoolteacher and family man, honorable and courageous, shaped by a series of events and life lessons depicted in vivid detail. I love reading about pioneer life and the descriptions of the young Jeremiah's journey overland from Missouri to California, and the encounters with wildlife, Indians, and mother nature do not disappoint.

If I have any complaints at all it would be with the pacing of the story. The book spends a lot of time on Jeremiah's young adulthood and then seems to run out of room and has to squeeze the preceding twenty years of his life into a few pages, along with the culmination of the present-day plotline. I also found the ending to come a little rushed and a bit out of nowhere, but it was not a disappointing ending and the build-up to that point was very enjoyable. Recommended for fans of exciting and descriptive historical fiction, particularly anyone who'd like to learn more about early California history.




Rating: 4 Stars out of 5




*Please note: This review references an advance copy received from the publisher, and therefore the final published copy may differ. Though I received this book from the publisher, these are my honest and unbiased thoughts, and I was not compensated in any other way for reviewing this book.





From the Author's Note:


In 1854 at a peace conference at Fort Laramie, a prominent Northern Cheyenne chief requested of the U.S. Army authorities the gift of one thousand white women as brides for his young warriors. Because theirs is a matrilineal society in which all children born belong to their mother's tribe, this seemed to the Cheyennes to be the perfect means of assimilation into the white man's world - a terrifying new world that even as early as 1854, the Native Americans clearly recognized held no place for them. Needless to say, the Cheyennes' request was not well received by the white authorities - the peace conference collapsed, the Cheyennes went home, and, of course, the white women did not come.


In this novel they do.





May Dodd is one of these women. Recruited by the government from an insane asylum in which she's been wrongly imprisoned, May seizes her only opportunity for freedom and embarks upon a terrifying and exciting journey. Traveling from Chicago to the Nebraska Territories with a group of forty other women, the first brides to be delivered to the Cheyenne, May dutifully records their experiences in her beloved journals and letters.

It's a diverse group of women, bound together by need and fear of the unknown, who slowly come to rely on and draw strength from each other. I did find a couple of the characters, particularly the Swiss immigrant and the southern belle, to be sterotypical, caricature-like even, and the inclusion of their accents to be overdone and annoying. But the other supporting characters were well-drawn and really added depth to the canvas. My favorites probably being Helen Flight, a naturalist and artist, and Gertie, who helps May maintain communications with the "civilized" world.

But the spirit of all of these women is channeled through May, whose journals describe their new life together - their journey by train and wagon through the plains, their transfer into the Cheyenne camp, and the difficulties and small victories of assimilating into a new way of life while struggling to maintain their own identities. May's strength, practicality, and humor in the face of adversity reassures and inspires the other women. She is the heart of their unusual family and the heart of this book. After turning the last page, I felt like I'd lost a friend, and I flipped back to the Shakespeare quote that opened the story, which had taken on a whole new meaning:

"Women will love her, that she is a woman
More worth than any man; men that she is
The rarest of all women."

Nothing is easy for May and her sisters. The Cheyenne lead a hard life, and constant battle against the elements, other Indians, and the white man's whiskey take their toll. And when gold is found in the Black Hills and white settlers begin to pour onto the Cheyenne land, tensions rise and the women find themselves in a dangerous position.

May's journals tell a story that is gripping, startling, and harrowing; at time joyous and happy and at other times unbelievably sad. It's the kind of story that resonates and stays with you long after you've finished. A very good read all around.



Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5











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Here Burns My Candle discussion

****SPOILER ALERT****

Hello,

Welcome to the discussion page for HER BURNS MY CANDLE by Liz Curtis Higgs. The live discussion will start tonight at 7:00 pm eastern standard time, although I have set up this page in advance for those you still wish to participate but are unable to join the live discussion. This is the place where you can share your thoughts, comments, or questions.



Here is a brief summery:

A MOTHER WHO CANNOT FACE HER FUTURE.
A DAUGHTER WHO CANNOT ESCAPE HERE PAST.


Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her.

Lord Donald Kerr has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips.

His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory Kerr hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory’s many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her.

One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown.

A timeless story of love and betrayal, loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop pd eighteenth-century Scotland, HERE BURNS MY CANDLE illumines the dark side of human nature, even as hope, the brightest of all tapers lights the way home.

************************************************************************

Here are few of the discussion questions from the readers guide to get you started until tonight:

1 . Although Elisabeth Kerr is featured on the cover, the novel opens by introducing us to her mother-in-law, Marjory Kerr. How would you describe Marjory in the first chapter? And in the final chapter? What changes did you notice in her attitude toward the Almighty One over the course of the novel? And how did your feelings toward Marjory change, if at all, from first page to last? In your own experience, is growth more often borne of joy or of pain? Why might that be the case?


2. Faithfulness and forgiveness are two themes interwoven throughout the story. In what ways are Marjory, Elisabeth, and Donald faithful? And unfaithful? For what does each need forgiveness and from whom? If you were in Elisabeth’s place, faced with a loved one’s request to “Forgive me…for all of it,” how might you respond? In what ways do these characters’ struggles with faithfulness and forgiveness reflect our desire to connect with others on a more meaningful level?


3 . Loss is one of the central themes of the novel, summarized in Marjory’s own fears: “Surely a grieving widow could not lose everything. Not all she owned. Not everything.” Name all the things, big and small, that are taken from Marjory. Which of these losses struck you as most unexpected? If you’ve experienced one or more of these losses, how was your life affected? How would you cope if you truly lost everything? To what or whom would you look for strength and help, whatever the extent of your loss?


4. When Elisabeth chooses which direction her future will take, do you think she is running away from something or toward something, and why? Does Elisabeth fit the definition of a true heroine: a woman who loves sacrificially? If so, how? If not, what is she lacking? Her newfound faith will surely be tested in the sequel, Mine Is the Night. What indications do you have about how Elisabeth might respond to future trials and tribulations? What about Marjory? What course do you imagine their relationship will take in the months ahead?


5 Our Readers Guide opens with a quote from Thomas Carlyle, a 19th-century Scottish historian and essayist. In what ways does the historical reality of the Jacobite Rising of 1745 serve as a fitting backdrop for this story? What more recent historical event might also provide an interesting setting for this story and its themes? What eternal truths did you find illuminated in the hearts and lives of these characters? Finally, what do you love most about historical fiction, and what did you enjoy about HERE BURNS MY CANDLE in particular?

The quote is :

History is a mighty drama, enacted upon the theatre of time, with suns for lamps and eternity for a background.



PLEASE FEEL FREE TO Add YOUR OWN QUESTIONS

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