Marsha's Special Feature: An Interview with Bestselling Author Elizabeth Chadwick

 

I am honored to welcome bestselling historical fiction author, Elizabeth Chadwick.  Elizabeth was kind enough to answer a few questions about her writing, research, favorite authors, and much more. The first book I read by Elizabeth was The Greatest Knight, a novel about the extraordinary knight, William Marshal. Thus began my love affair with the Marshal and his sire, John FitzGiIbert. FitzGilbert's exciting life is told in Elizabeth's wonderful book, A Place Beyond Courage. The research and authenticity that Elizabeth puts into each book is amazing, which is one of the reasons she is often my go-to author when I want a brilliant read. Having just finished Elizabeth's newest book, The Summer Queen, a tale about Queen Alienor of Aquitaine, I am anxiously awaiting the second book of the trilogy coming soon, The Winter Crown.

 Hello, Elizabeth, and thank you for agreeing to answer a few questions.

Q: Have you written any other novels in collaboration with other writers? 

No, it’s always my own work.  I have adapted a film script though. I was asked by Columbia Pictures to adapt the script from First Knight starring Sean Connery and Richard Gere and turn it into a novel as part of their marketing process for the film.  Daughters of the Grail started life as a one page film treatment, but I had to provide the main story and work it up into a novel.  The film never got made – as is the way with these things so many times.  But the above are the nearest I have ever come to working with anyone else.

Q: How much research do you do? 

How long is a piece of string!  I began researching when I was 15 when I started to write my first novel about a character in the Holy Land. I knew very little about the 12th century Middle East and I wanted my book to feel as real as possible, so I immersed myself in the research to world build the stage on which my hero and heroine were going to interact. In the story they return to life in the Angevin Empire under Henry II, so I had to research the European aspect as well.  I was never, ever as diligent about the WWII history homework being handed out at school at that time! 

 I am never not reading about my historical period.  As well as the need to know material, just browsing the era for fun is tremendously rewarding and deepens my knowledge. If you are going to write about 12th century people then you owe it to them, your readers and yourself to make them as of their time as possible.  My research is in depth and inter-disciplinary.  So I read primary sources, secondary sources, archaeology reports, I visit locations where possible and I also re-enact with a living history society to get a feel for the period.  I use online research as well, but you have to be careful.  There are some fantastic resources out there but also a lot that give out unreliable information.  You need a kind of ‘garbage radar’ to keep you safe online!

Q: Do you ever get any ideas about something to write by photos you have, or places you remember?

Photos sometimes.  They come in useful for descriptions and I enjoy looking at them, especially for the above mentioned research. I get a lot of ideas and emotional resonances from music though. That’s a very strong source of ideas.  I’ll hear a song and immediately be able to work up a scene from the lyrics, or have it push me into new ideas and ways of thinking. All of my novels have soundtracks attached to them and most scenes will have songs associated with them that are pertinent to the scene, or to a person in the scene and how they are feeling. The songs are seldom medieval. Emotion is emotion whatever causes it, and the feelings created by the song are just as powerful today as they were then.  The Eleanor trilogy has two songs that cover a main resonance of her story for me. ‘Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful?’ by Paloma Faith – because getting at Eleanor through the centuries of scandal, gossip, detritus, bad press and the opposite heroine worship has been interesting.  And the Abba song ‘Eagle’ for the chorus, which encapsulates Eleanor to me and symbolises the great white (female) gyrfalcons of Talmont which I have imagined as her totem symbol.  Her relationship with her husbands?  How about ‘Bleeding Love’ by Leona Lewis!  Henry II? ‘King of the Hill’ by Roger McGuinn, or ‘Solitaire’ by various artists.  The pair of them together from Eleanor’s viewpoint would have to be the well-known  ‘Rolling in the Deep’ by Adele.  Very pertinent lyrics!

Q: On average how long does it take you to write a novel? 

I have 18-month contracts at the moment, but that’s to build in time to do things like online interviews, days out to do talks, and all the online social interaction that is part of most writers’ lives these days. Also the research, which is detailed. When I first began writing, the early novels with imaginary protagonists took me about a year, but obviously now that the books are more complex they take longer. The internet was a lot less busy then too.  I always make sure I build in enough writing time.  I have never been late with a deadline and I never intend to be. It’s unprofessional.

Q: Where is your favorite place in your home to write? 

I write in my study, which is a converted bedroom in our cottage overlooking the garden.  I have a large screen and a large desktop PC and keyboard. The bigger the better.  I can’t get on with laptops – can’t stand them for writing. 

Q: Do you have a favorite coffee or tea by your side while writing? 

English breakfast tea is first choice - a decent quality supermarket tea does the job fine.  I sometimes like Earl Grey, but have to be in the mood.  I drink Redbush tea too, perhaps a few times a week.  Coffee every morning around 11.30 and some chocolate with it – that’s a must!

Q: Who are your favorite writers? 

Too many to mention all of them, but I have wide ranging tastes and I tend to read outside my period of historical fiction for leisure.  In my period I love Sharon Kay Penman, and currently James Aitcheson. I autobuy C.J. Sansom.  I enjoy Barbara Kingsolver, Diana Gabaldon, Peter James, Barbara Erskine, Charlaine Harris, Essie Fox, George R.R. Martin, Anita Shreve, Terry Pratchett.  Told you I was all over the place!  I like variety.  I like entertainment.  

Q: Who are your influences? 

Several when I was starting out and for different reasons – as well as enjoying their books!

Roberta Gellis – for showing me via the first four Roselynde Chronicles that romantic historicals could have all the ingredients that romance readers love, but still deliver on feel right for the time period.  In my very early stages of writing she showed me how much doing the research reaped benefits. 

Sharon Kay Penman – for showing me via Here Be Dragons that you could tell a romantic story about real people (as opposed to Gellis’ imaginary protagonists) and still keep true to the history.

Dorothy Dunnett – because she is a mistress of both language and complex plot.  I am in awe.  The way she uses words is an inspiration. When setting out, I always read Dunnett when I wanted to raise my game.

Mary Stewart – Her Crystal Cave novel made me think, ‘Yes, I’d love to write absorbing, descriptive fiction like that.  That’s the kind of thing I want to do for a living.’  Again, I am in awe of the way she paints with words.  I’d  love to take some of the scenes she creates and hang them on my wall.

Q. Have you found out anything in your research about a certain person that changed your perception of them?

There was John FitzGilbert the Marshal, star of my novel A Place Beyond Courage.  He has often received the fuzzy end of the lolly from historians, armchair historians and novelists as the dreadful father who gave his son as a hostage for his word and then abandoned him to his fate by saying that he’d do as he pleased and if the other side didn’t like it, they could go ahead and hang the little chap because he John had the anvils and hammers to get better sons than him.  I was curious as to what kind of man would say this, and when I read at a superficial level, it didn’t look good.  But when I started sweeping away modern thought patterns and actually looking at the man and his situation in depth, then a very different character emerged, a man with a strong sense of duty caught between a rock and a hard place during some very difficult and dangerous times and having to make some very tough decisions about everyone’s survival.

I also have to say that the things I have been discovering about Henry II while writing my current project The Winter Crown have left him a lot more persona non grata than he was before I started out!

Q. You are a member of  Regia Anglorum. Has being a re-enactor helped with the writing of your novels?

Definitely. Being a member of a living history society makes you think in different ways about aspects of medieval life and also gives you an appreciation of how innovative, clever and skilled they were.  Also that you don’t need high technology to obtain results.  I have a replica 11th century clay cooking pot that is every bit as good as modern saucepan. If I make a beef and barley stew in it, it will simmer away for ever on a very low heat (at the side of the hearth in medieval parlance), the contents don’t evaporate because the liquid condenses on the rim of the pot and the top remains cool enough to pick up in the hands.  The thing with re-enacting is that I can find these things out about the item in use rather than just seeing the glued-together pieces in a museum exhibit or as a photo in a book. Re-enacting really helps me to understand the people back then and their way of life, and that’s what helps in its turn to make the fiction live.

Born in Bury, Lancashire, Elizabeth Chadwick began telling herself stories as soon as she could talk.  She is the author of more than 20 historical novels which have been translated into 16 languages.  Five times shortlisted for the RNA Major Award, her novel To Defy A King won the historical prize in 2011.  The Greatest Knight, about forgotten hero William Marshal became a  New York Times bestselling title, and its sequel The Scarlet Lion was nominated by Richard Lee, founder of the Historical Novel Society as one of the best historical novels of the decade.  The Summer Queen, the first novel in her new trilogy about Eleanor of Aquitaine  was published in June 2013 and became a hardcover bestseller in the UK.  It is to be published in the US by Sourcebooks in summer 2014.  When not at her desk in her country cottage, she can be found researching, taking long walks with her husband and their three terriers, reading, baking, and drinking tea in copious quantities.
She can be contacted at her website, Twitter and on Facebook.


I want to thank Elizabeth for taking the time out of her busy schedule to do this interview and to highly recommend her novels to anyone that loves a well researched historical fiction book.

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Marsha's Review of The Wayward Prince Book One: The Getting of Empire by Austin Hernon

Robert the Wayward Prince Book One: The Getting of Empire by Austin Hernon tells the tale of the not-so-well-known oldest son of William the Conqueror, Robert. This story of Robert begins in 1079, thirteen years after the Battle of Hastings and the Norman takeover of England. Robert, who was about 12 when his father conquered England is now aged 25 and is out and about practicing war games in the borderlands of France. He is there after another disagreement with his father. So begins the pattern of Robert's life. A life full of conflict, love, and adventures.

Robert had a great many conflicts with his father William, many arising from Robert's way of ruling which disappoints and angers his sire. Robert excels at military campaigns and diplomacy which William takes full advantage of as in his dealings with Malcolm of Scotland. When William dies he leaves Normandy to Robert who becomes Duke and England to his second son, William Rufus. Robert and William Rufus get along for the most part but some conflicts do arise as when William Rufus thinks he can rule Normandy better than Robert. William Rufus will also make use of Robert's skill in warfare and diplomacy in certain of his dealings. Thrown into the mix is William the Conqueror's third son, Henry, who is left money but no land when William dies but will scheme for the land denied him. Throw in a great many rebellious Norman lords and Robert had his hands full. The novel covers all the conflicts Robert endured.

Covered in the tale is Robert's loves, such as his first love Morberga and a Welsh Princess Tegwin, the mother of his two sons, Richard and William. Tegwin, a love of long standing, is made to suffer long separations from Robert as he tries to govern Normandy. While the story does contain some graphic language in the love scenes, one can feel for Robert and Tegwin enduring their separations and the mutual love and respect they have for each other.

One adventure highlighted in the book is Robert's journey to meet Matilda of Canossa, Italy, a fascinating lady of history. We see the journey Robert and his mesnie have to endure and the friendship that develops between Robert and Matilda. Further adventures await Robert and the reader as Book Two: Robert Warrior of the Cross will be coming soon.

If you are a reader who likes a long, adventurous story that covers a great span of time then this book is for you. Austin Hernon writes with authenticity of the time period. One can feel they are part of Prince Robert's mesnie as they attack their enemies or as they travel around Normandy, England, and Italy, so vivid are the descriptions.  I greatly enjoyed reading Prince Robert's story and look forward to reading his continuing adventures in the Holy Land coming in Book Two. I leave you with a quote found at the beginning of the book by the author which so profoundly describes Robert and his life.

Be certain good princes, that when you defy convention you should also write your own history- else those whom you did frighten or discomfort will gladly write it for you. Or worse, bury it

Austin Hernon was born in the middle of a world war (1941) in an industrial area of north-east England; not surprisingly he led a mostly military life. He was a recovery mechanic in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. He also specialized in marine recovery, being a Royal Navy trained diving supervisor. He spent time attached to the Royal Engineers, Royal Marines and three years at sea in Combined Operations - and no, that was not the normal life for a soldier; however he is still, mostly, a working model, if a bit ragged around the edges.

When he retired from the army he worked for British Telecom organising logistics support for field engineers, and then for Royal Mail developing support systems for high value goods distribution.

He then retired and got real busy. He wrote an autobiography, but as he was not a celebrity nobody was interested in publishing it. Along the way he came across Robert and he could see that he had been dealt a bum deal, so he thought that he should put it right.

Robert: The Wayward Prince can be found at Amazon.

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Anna Reviews: Dangerous Desire a Modern Romance by Annie Seaton

Dangerous Desire

While I enjoy the odd romance, I must admit to not being an avid reader of the genre, and especially not of contemporary romance. Ms Seaton’s book, Dangerous Desires, is, however, an interesting combination of romance and suspense, and this in combination with two likeable protagonists has me quickly hooked.
Gracie is searching for her sister, Regan. The last she heard of her she was working on a boat, Midas, but since then Regan hasn’t called her or replied to her e-mails or texts. Which is why Gracie is in Airlie Beach, Australia, considering various options to access the boat and find out what may have happened to her sister. Due to Regan’s somewhat colourful past, Gracie is reluctant to ask the police for help, and the boat in question is a private luxury yacht teeming with the rich and beautiful, night after night of endless hedonistic partying.

Jake Alexander is a former cop. An injury has forced him to retire, and now he works as a private investigator of sorts. His latest assignment is to do surveillance on Midas, taking photos of everyone on board. Jake suspects the insurance company he is working for is merely a front, especially as he recognises many of the people on the boat as members of the shadier parts of society.
When Gracie asks some of the crew about Regan, she is brusquely told there’s no one aboard with that name. This only increases her worries, and so Gracie decides to spend a night spying on Midas, hoping to catch a glimpse of her sister – which is how she ends up on the deck neighbouring boat, a deserted, dark vessel belonging to Jake Alexander.
Jake is none too thrilled to have this strange woman potentially bungling up his surveillance job. He is even less thrilled when he hears she intends to get aboard the Midas, convinced as he is that there is something very shady going on. Even more irritating, at least initially, Jake is irresistibly attracted to pretty Gracie, his protective streak growing exponentially with every hour he spends with her.
Gracie is as attracted, but is not about to have this overbearing man stop her from finding her sister – not even when he shows her photo after photo of her sister in the arms of the suspected drug lord, Cabal. She doesn’t like it one bit when Jake calls her an innocent, and sets out to prove that she is fully capable of taking care of herself.
When writing romance, it is my perception that generally the book benefits from having both the female and the male point of view represented. Ms Seaton switches between Jake and Gracie effortlessly, allowing the reader to get under the skin of both of them. The background stories could have been more fully developed (how did Jake end up dirty rich, one wonders) but on the other hand, the information provided is sufficient to make Gracie’s and Jake’s actions understandable. At times, Gracie is a bit too naïve, but as this is also one of her more endearing qualities, the reader forgives her for it.
The story is well-paced, the prose flows easily, and Ms Seaton skilfully weaves together the romantic aspects of the story with a somewhat more sinister subplot. Ms Seaton also provides one misunderstanding after the other between Jake and Gracie, highlighting just how difficult these two people find it to trust another person – as well as creating quite some tension between them.

My one little gripe would be that the book repeatedly refers to Columbian ships/men, when in fact it should be Colombian. Likewise, there are a number of places where the quotation marks have disappeared, but in general the context is sufficient to avoid confusion.
The book contains a number of explicit sex scenes – excellently written. Couple this with two very attractive people, a good story and a satisfying ending, and you have quite the sizzling romance – perfect reading when in need of entertainment.

About the author
Annie Seaton lives next to the beach on the coast of East Australia. Now that her two children are grown, she shares her home with her husband Bob, the dig and two cats. She has always been fascinated by all things romantic and has found her niche writing romantic novels, through a variety of sub-genres.

You can buy this book on Amazon UK and Amazon.com.
You can follow Annie on Facebook and Twitter.

Ms. Seaton is offering an e-copy of her book as a GIVEAWAY 

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leave a comment on the blog here or on our Facebook page 

This book was reviewed by Anna Belfrage, author of The Prodigal Son and three others, all part of The Graham Saga. Set in the 17th century, the books tell the story of Matthew Graham and his time travelling wife, Alex Lind.  Follow Anna on Facebook, Twitter or her blog. 

If you would like your book reviewed by Anna please check out the submissions tab at the top of the page.

The Lady of the White Cockade

Prince Charles Edward Stewart descending the Canongate Sept 17th, 1745

The people of Edinburgh awoke on the morning of September 17th, 1745 to find the city had fallen into the hands of the wild Highlanders of Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army. Only the mighty bastion of Edinburgh Castle remained in government control.

The city itself had fallen without a shot being fired as several hundred men composed of Camerons of Clan Donald and Appin Stewarts led by Cameron of Lochiel had stormed through the Netherbow Port and seized control. The success of the operation carried out during the long dark hours of the autumn night owed much to a young man more used to organising letters and appointments than military affairs. His name was John Murray of Broughton. He was a young man, short of stature with a handsome face and affable nature who would serve as private secretary to the rebel prince throughout the uprising. It was his knowledge of the geography of Mid-Lothian that had been called upon to guide the force of warriors as they travelled over hill and dale to enter the city unseen by the garrison in the castle who were on alert for any approach by the enemy. 

Despite the fear that the wild Highlanders would ravage the town and its people the denizens of Edinburgh were relieved to discover that the ragged men from the mountains were kept on a shorter leash than their counterparts in Redcoats. Gradually as it became clear their lives and property were in no danger the townsfolk emerged from behind locked doors to view their conquerors with curiosity. Their appearance both revolted and fascinated the people as they viewed these “hill-skippers” and “scurlewheelers” who had been reckoned to be no more than bandits and cattle thieves. If the common clansmen who made up the bulk of the rebel forces did not inspire much admiration for their looks the rumoured appearance of the young Chevalier himself provoked much consideration among the women of town. When it became known that he, and the remainder of his army, were encamped around Duddingston Loch on the southern side of Arthur's Seat to protect them from the heavy cannon in the castle curiosity turned to fascination. When it was announced that the prince was to ride to his old family home of Holyrood House the people, in their tens of thousands swept down the Royal Mile to welcome him home. 

With the sky above torn by the cheers of the populace Prince Charles Edward Stewart entered Edinburgh and let it be known that there would be a Royal Proclamation read at the Market Cross later that day.

Come one o'clock the High Street was crowded from the Lawnmarket to the Netherbow Port as everyone jostled to see the prince and to the wild music of the bagpipes he rode up the Canongate and entered the Old Town escorted by the great and good of Tory/Jacobite society to endless cheers and exclamations of adoration. It was only as the party reined in by the Market Cross surrounded by a protective cordon of Highlanders that people began to nudge each other and point towards one figure in particular who sat on a white horse by the prince.

What made this particular figure was not only the fur trimmed blue uniform of a French Hussar or the naked blade of a broadsword which rested on their shoulder nor even the broad brimmed hat festooned with ostrich feathers, it was the fact that in the midst of this masculine display or martial splendour here was a single solitary woman.

The Beautiful Recruiting Sergeant

She was Margaret Murray, nee Ferguson, the beautiful young wife of Mr Secretary Murray as he insisted on being addressed by all and sundry. Margaret had been born in Nithsdale in the Border region between Scotland and England and was a dyed in the wool Jacobite who delighted in being so close to the centre of affairs and rubbing shoulders with the prince himself. 

Her role at the Cross that day however was straight forward. With her she carried a velvet bag filled with scraps of white muslin stitched together into cockades, the emblem of the Jacobites, and once the prince had been proclaimed Regent she beckoned the men and boys of Edinburgh forward. She was the beautiful recruiting sergeant and the men and boys who kissed her fair hand and took the white cockade were quickly drummed into the ranks of the rebel army.

Margaret followed her husband loyally as the Jacobite forces marched south into England until they reached Derby only 130 miles from London before the order was given to begin the long retreat back to Scotland. She, and the exhausted clansmen, took the long road north until their travels ended on the marshy, sleet-swept moor of Culloden where so many hopes and lives were brutally snuffed out.

Margaret avoided the carnage as her husband had declared himself too ill to travel with the army the final stretch towards their doom. He had confined himself to bed twenty miles from the battlefield in Elgin and it was there that he learned the prince had fled and declared it was every man for himself.

While she was devastated by this craven act Mr Secretary Murray, who now chose to become plain old Mr Murray again, was casting an eye towards his future. 

Handing out White Cockades

She was sent off into the hills to look after herself as best she could while he travelled through the Highlands trying to reunite the scattered clans with promises of French gold, ships and troops on the way to assist them. By now the clansmen had had their fill of these hollow promises. Their homes were being systematically burned by the rampaging troops of the British Army who met any resistance with extreme violence which saw whole families being lined up against the wall of their croft before a firing squad!

Margaret survived her adventures in the wild moorland and mountains of the Highlands living rough and eking out an existence from what little food the scattered and destitute population could spare her.

The beautiful woman who had looked so splendid as she handed out white cockades only a few months earlier was now ill, heartbroken and alone. Eventually her husband thought to look for her and claimed he had arranged transport to carry her to Ireland where she was to remain until things had stabilized. Slowly and painfully she managed to travel to the west coast only to find that no boat awaited her. By now seriously ill and only able to move with the greatest difficulty the young woman somehow managed to find her way to Edinburgh, the scene of her finest moment, where she finally found shelter in her mother's home on Cant's Close, which she reached on June 25th, 1746, three months after Culloden. Those three months of sleeping in the heather and struggling to find sufficient food had taken a grim toll on her health. She was also pregnant with her first child.

The wilderness Margaret endured for several months

However the vengeful government in London wanted blood and her name was high on their list of supposed traitors who could expect no mercy. With soldiers searching for her Margaret was moved to a supposed safe house in the Abbey Hill area of Edinburgh not far from Holyrood House where the previous September she had danced and laughed at the balls held to celebrate the Bonnie Prince's return. Now there was no dancing and nothing to laugh about as rumours reached her ears that the safe house was anything but! Once more she was forced to move on. On July 6, 1746, she was secretly taken to a house in Bruntsfield Links. Here she was concealed in a small closet in the attic. Mr Hamilton, the householder, knew nothing of her presence. It was his wife, secretly a Jacobite sympathiser, who had agreed to take her in and care for her. Mr Hamilton, was well known Whig whose loyalty to the government meant he was above suspicion, and this fact protected Margaret from any danger of discovery from searching troops.

When news that her husband had been captured reached her her spirits sank lower than ever and it was felt that it was time to move on. Still gravely ill she was taken to a property in the Lawnmarket where on September 25th, 1746 she gave birth to a son named Charles. Tragically the ill health which had blighted Margaret for months had taken their toll on her child who lived only a few days.

Sinking deeper into illness and melancholy the unfortunate woman was secretly carried once more back to her mother's home in Cant's Close where slowly through the months of autumn and winter she slowly regained her health. In the spring she finally felt well enough to depart Scotland and travel to Europe with the hope of joining the Court-in-exile of King James VIII. Arrangements were made for a ship to carry her to Holland but these fell through leaving her frustrated as time after time her plans were thwarted. She by now suspected that her husband's relatives were behind these setbacks. More than once they had refused to allow her access to her husband's money with no good reason ever given.

The White Cockade worn in the bonnet
of Bonnie Prince Charlie

Determined to make a new life for herself Margaret packed her meagre belongings and travelled to London hoping to be reunited with her husband who was then held as a prisoner in the Tower of London. Arriving safely she took lodgings with a Mrs Pitcairn in Lambeth in May 1747 under an assumed name.

It was now that she learned just how low John Murray was prepared to go to save his own neck. Time after time he stood in court to betray fellow high ranking Jacobite lords and officers. Not for nothing was he mockingly known as Mr Evidence.

With her loyalty to the Jacobite cause undimmed despite all that she had suffered, she turned her back on her husband for the last time. Using her assumed name she had no difficulty booking passage to Holland.

John Murray was eventually released from the Tower after betraying Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat who was beheaded in 1747. John married a young woman, despite still being legally married to Margaret, and he thereafter introduced his new wife as Lady Murray!

Of Margaret herself little is known of her subsequent adventures on the Continent. She returned to London at some point and the beautiful woman who had once distributed white cockades to the young men of Edinburgh died in London in 1779 and was buried at Marylebone Cemetery on the 10th of September.

To be entered in a lucky dip to win a copy of my ebook A Capital Crime which features

Margaret Murray at the height of her glory please leave a comment below.

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Stuart Laing is the author of The Robert Young of Newbiggin Mysteries.

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Lisl's Bits and Bobs: Review of Marguerite, Book I of The Merencourt Saga

A 19th century quest for personal autonomy

Marguerite (Book I in The Merencourt Saga) by Carol Edgerley

When I first came upon Carol Edgerley’s Marguerite, I wondered about the historical romance element; this genre generally is not my cup of tea. However, when I learned the novel is based upon events in the life of the author’s great grandmother, my interest was further piqued and I decided to give it a go. Having now finished the book I can say my faith was well-placed as Marguerite is an engaging read whose protagonist is someone a good many of us can relate to.

Born into 19^th century French nobility, Marguerite de Merencourt suffers the fallout from her embittered mother’s hatred, the roots of which are secreted in the Marquise’s unwanted arranged marriage to a man she despises. Unable and unwilling to differentiate between her husband and the newborn who is the image of her father, Francine sends the baby away and hurls a bottle of perfume into a mirror, watching in self pity as her image falls in pieces to the floor.

Marguerite’s baby- and childhood does little to soften her mother’s stance and when she captures her attention, it usually is of the negative variety. The Marquise, who refused even to name her child, dotes on her boys, particularly the ingratiating Jérome. It is he who emerges as partner in his mother’s disturbing behavior towards Minette, as she is affectionately known to those who care for her, and the pair engage in childish duplicity designed to ensnare the girl at every turn.

As events occurred my horrified awe at this woman’s conduct gave way to disbelief. While I am aware a great many women were forced into marriages against their will and dislike or even hatred of their husbands kept hidden for years, even lifetimes, the transference of such to an innocent child, and with such unmitigated force, unsettled me. Could a mother of sound mind actually hate her own child simply for being the product of an unwanted marriage? Some women dislike or are uninterested in children, but Francine had others she adored, and only Minette felt the force of her mother's acrimony.

Sadly, no pictures of Marguerite are now known to exist; she was not very keen to be photographed. From childhood Minette drew great comfort from and loved horses dearly. Above: Calcutta Racecourse

Photo courtesy Carol Edgerley

I vacillated between the horror of such loathing and the concept that here perhaps was a shameful secret inhabitants of the 19^th century managed to keep buried in obscure or esoteric records and journals, and that it was something more common than I had imagined. If that were the case and Francine simply loathes her daughter for being her husband’s offspring, failing to account for parts of herself in the girl, perhaps she was not of as sound mind as once presumed? Or could it be she fully sees her own image in Minette, hating it as much as she hates herself? But why, interjects a new train of thought, does she love her other children so much? Is it because Minette is a girl? The probing carries on, and in such a magnified way reflects its impact on Minette herself, who remains steadfastly optimistic and forward-looking, perhaps a strength learned as part of her elite upbringing and the behavioral expectations associated with it.

As the years go by and Minette approaches marriageable age, a husband is chosen for her, mostly by her mother’s doing, knowing how her vivacious daughter will react to the thought of being wed to a man many years her senior, and of such distasteful proportion and manner. Minette reacts strongly to her father’s announcement. “Is this a joke, Papa? The man I spoke to at that [b]all was old, sweaty, and bursting out of his clothes. He also made personal remarks… so embarrassing. As a matter of fact, I thought him rather peculiar.” The Marquis will not tolerate such disrespect from his daughter and wonders if her mother’s claims about the girl’s negative behavior have been correct all along. Minette’s impulsive reactions have gotten her into trouble before, though her father’s involvement typically does not include exposure to the injustices that triggered her fits of temper.

Following attempts to buy herself time and Francine’s successful upsets of her daughter’s small victories, the Marquis puts his foot down and announces his intention to “take the advice of your mother to send you away to the Sacred Heart Convent in Ireland…You will spend the next two years there, learning how a young lady of standing should conduct herself in a proper manner.” So commences the immediate series of events that lead to Minette’s introduction to a more suitable, in her eyes, marriage partner and their eventual elopement before her two-year sentence reaches its conclusion.

Monkey-man coming to the house in Alipore to entertain the children
Photo courtesy Carol Edgerley

Edgerley’s layout of timing in Marguerite is noteworthy: Looking back I saw that seventeen years are covered in roughly the first third of the book. From the time Minette is born to when she runs away from Ireland is, comparatively, a small portion of the novel, yet its impact so large. So many events occur in that space of time, with such detail imparted and such strong reader response, one marvels at what may be ahead. From the book’s blurb readers are aware of time spent in British India and hardships ahead for Minette, and because Edgerley’s prose is descriptive and engaging, it becomes difficult to put the book down. While there is a rather sudden fit of references to Minette as “the French girl”—notable here by its too-frequent repetition—it ceases almost as suddenly as it began (partly owing to it no longer being appropriate), and though somewhat distracting, the story is too enchanting to leave off.

Escaping her mother’s influence proves to be a new beginning of Minette’s challenges in life, and readers journey with her as she courageously determines to release her captive spirit, only to find along the way she simply moves from one societal confine to the next. Here, however, is perhaps the part of the book I enjoyed the most, for two elements: my own love for India is indulged as Edgerley releases vivid and evocative imagery as longed-for as the frangipani scent that welcomes Minette to her new home in Lucknow. I also appreciated Minette as a strong woman in a time of severe social bigotry, even more so because her story is so personal. While Minette has flaws like anyone else, her individual biases are not what I might refer to as extraneous: She recognizes the power of men over her and all other women, but declines to adopt an institutionalized hatred or reverse bias against men in general.

Through Edgerley’s telling, readers are presented the opportunity to grow with a historical figure; as she experiences one event after another, we learn more about the ordinary of her time (ordinary is something that tends to fascinate me), historical events and eras and insight into how people of a variety of backgrounds and social classes experienced life in the 19^th century and the costs associated with personal autonomy, when such was achievable at all. Marguerite is an honest and at-times gritty account that for me was often very personal, and one that readers are likely to bond with and hold close.

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Carol Edgerley is also the author of Claire, (Book II of The Merencourt Saga). Forthcoming is Susanna, third book in the series. You can read more about the author at her website, and find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Lisl can also be found at before the second sleep. If you would like her to review your book or conduct an interview, please see our submissions tab above. 

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Update: to see Lisl's review for Claire, the sequel to Marguerite, simply click here.