Review: The Spiral Staircase by Ethel Lina White

Synopsis: Helen Capel is hired as a live-in lady-help to the Warren family in the countryside. She enjoys the eccentric household and her duties, but her peaceful and simple life is soon disturbed by a series of mysterious murders in the isolated community.

As Helen’s employer, Professor Sebastian Warren, battens down the hatches and locks all the doors of their remote country house, the eight residents begin to feel safe. But somewhere out there lurks a murderer of young girls. As the murders crawl closer to home, Helen starts to wonder if there really is safety in numbers—and what happens when those numbers start to dwindle?

~ ~ ~

The premise evolves around a young maid, employed in a remote country house, where not all of the members of the household are what they seem; the setting is suitably gothic and claustrophobic; a murderer is on the loose and closing in.

I am in two minds - I love classic crime fiction, which is what this is; on the other hand, it was rather tedious in the initial set up, which I found distracting. The ending was rather curious and not all-together ..... well, believable. However, as this is fiction, the author has provided the reader with a fairly decent psychological drama.

First published in 1933 as "Some Must Watch"

2023 in Review

Just a quick recap of my reading for 2023. I didn't get through as many books as I would have liked due to studying, but I did manage around 50 or so over the year. You can find my reading list here at Goodreads - My Year In Review.

There were some definitely stand-outs, some that missed the mark, some the became formulaic the more of a particular author (and authors from the same publisher) that I read, and some that completely failed to engage me as much as I thought they would.

My two stand-outs for this year are:

Dogboy V Catfish by Lucas Gracias

The Counterfeit Countess by Elizabeth B White & Joanna Sliwa

Both books are highly recommended reading!

In other news, I have unsubscribed from a number of "book lists" - their offerings have failed to grab my attention, and am currently reviewing (pardon the pun) books I select for reviewing as I have been sorely disappointed in my chosen selections this year. For the next year, I will no longer feel need / compulsion to finish a book that fails to engage me, but will instead invest in those that do. I will also be culling my book / reading groups that I no longer engage in myself.

I hope that you - the reader - have embarked upon your own reading journey this year and have found it rewarding.

Review: The Vanished Settlers of Greenland by Robert Rix

Synopsis: For four hundred years, Norse settlers battled to make southern Greenland a new, sustainable home. They strove against gales and winter cold, food shortages and in the end a shifting climate. The remnants they left behind speak of their determination to wrest an existence at the foot of this vast, icy and challenging wilderness. Yet finally, seemingly suddenly, they vanished; and their mysterious disappearance in the fifteenth century has posed a riddle to scholars ever since. What happened to the lost Viking colonists? For centuries people assumed their descendants could still be living, so expeditions went to find them: to no avail. Robert Rix tells the gripping story of the missing pioneers, placing their poignant history in the context of cultural discourse and imperial politics. Ranging across fiction, poetry, navigation, reception and tales of exploration, he expertly delves into one of the most contested questions in the annals of colonization.

~ ~ ~

I came to this one through my reading of some of the medieval explorers - John de Mandeville, Marco Polo, Hugh Willoughby, Walter Raleigh and their ilk. And like many readers, I was fascinated by tales of lost cities of incalcuable wealth, whose demise was a mystery - shades of Atlantis, Crete, El Dorado, isolated worlds and utopias, and even Roanoke. So it was with keen anticipation that I was able to pick up this tome.

The scholarly tome is not a "search for" but a "look at" how this particular settlement of Greenland - or rather it vanished Norse settlement - became a cultural memory. This book provides a study of ".. how the memory of Greenland's "lost colony" was transmitted, interpreted and negotiated from the late sixteenth to the early twentieth century." In short, it looks at the Wests fascination and imagination of the Arctic and its peoples; it is a study of European misconceptions, legends, folklores; and of how contemporary scholarship fueled the germination of these legends. Rix then examines the cultivation of memories of the past and how they are often driven by national and geographical motivations before considering the "master trope" of the fabled lost settlement.

For those looking for something different - an analysis of the European interpretations of history and an idealised, poetic imagery of a land and its people that metamorphosed into fantastical whimsy presented as fact, then this is for you.

Review: Messalina by Honor Cargill-Martin

Synopsis: This is the story of Messalina – third wife of Emperor Claudius and one of the most notorious women to have inhabited the Roman world.

The scandalous image of the Empress Messalina as a ruthless and sexually insatiable schemer, derived from the work of Roman historians such as Tacitus and Suetonius, has taken deep root in the Western imagination. The stories they told about her included nightly visits to a brothel and a twenty-four-hour sex competition with a prostitute. Tales like these have defined the empress's legacy, but her real story is much more complex.

In her new life of Messalina, the classicist Honor Cargill-Martin reappraises one of the most slandered and underestimated female figures of ancient history. Looking beyond the salacious anecdotes, she finds a woman battling to assert her position in the overwhelmingly male world of imperial Roman politics – and succeeding. Intelligent, passionate, and ruthless when she needed to be, Messalina's story encapsulates the cut-throat political manoeuvring and unimaginable luxury of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in its heyday.

Cargill-Martin sets out not to 'salvage' Messalina's reputation, but to look at her life in the context of her time. Above all, she seeks to reclaim the humanity of a life story previously circumscribed by currents of high politics and patriarchy.

~ ~ ~

Messalina - a name synonomous with notoriety, debauchery, and murder - a woman who - for many - was the epitome of all that was wrong with the Roman Empire. And like Jezebel and Eve, her reputation will be forever darkened, with no hope of redemption.

With her tome on Messalina, author Cargill-Martin has three main intents: she wants the reader to look at Messalina in the overall context of the period and her husband Claudius' reign; she seeks to address and examine Messalina's role; and she wants the explain to the reader the bias of the contemporary sources.

A quick google search will bring up a font of information on Messalina. For instance, Encyclopedia Britannica answers the question "what was Messalina famous for?" as:

Messalina Valeria, Messalina also spelled Messallina, (born before ad 20—died 48), third wife of the Roman emperor Claudius, notorious for licentious behaviour and instigating murderous court intrigues.

Whilst Encyclopedia dot com describes her as thus:

Roman empress, notorious for deviously influencing political affairs and for sexual indiscretions, who was executed for an alleged involvement in a plot to overthrow her husband Emperor Claudius.

Even good old Wikpedia uses language such as:

Messalina enters history with a reputation as ruthless, predatory and sexually insatiable ....

To give Wiki its due, it does at least list the original sources at the bottom of the article for those interested.

Messalin'a reputation - whether deserved or not - has already been decided for us, the reader, her behaviour spread out before us in great detail (akin to her legs in her competition with Rome's leading prostitute) by those writing her story. My questions is - did any of these contemporary (male) writers look at her behaviour in any form of context - or like today, did the downfall of the great and powerful make such good fodder for scandal?

Statue de Messaline par Eugène Cyrille Brunet

Lets be clear from the outset - Messalina is not a feminist role model - there is quite literally, too much sex and murder for her even to be considered as such. Does her reputation need rehabilitating or understanding? Quite possibly the latter. So who in fact was Messalina and what should her legacy look like?.

Cargill-Martin begins with the most obvious - Messalina's name and reputation, her vilification by a misogynistic and hypocritical patriarchy, who following her death, set about bastardising and destroying her history. Cargill-Martin then introduces us to the chroniclers both Greek and Latin - the ones who will tell her story - or at least their version of her story. We know history is written by the victors and written for a specific audience and patron - it was no different in the Classical period. Much of what was written about her was at a period of time when there was great hostility to the Claudio-Julian line. Most relied on second hand accounts, gossip and hearsay, filling in the blanks with fiction to make their tales more popular.

Then we begin ... with the end - the events leading to Messalina's eventual downfall in 48AD before we are catapulted back to Messalina's beginnings, of which very little is known prior to her marriage to Emperor Claudius in 38AD, aged 18 or 20 years old. And thus it is to her family and their position in Roman society that we must first look for clues and anecdotes relating to her childhood. What we do know is that for Roman women and girls, family defined their status and identity. A look at the reign of Emperor Tiberius and the notorious Sejanus follow. I recommended "I Claudius" by Robert Graves if you want a more "user friendly" version of this period, or check it out on YouTube. I remember watching this as a child - so much of an impact it made that I remember it still to this day - and as I was reading Cargill-Martin's book, it was the images and the actors from this series that populated my imagination.

The debauchery that was prevalent in the Roman Imperial Court did not begin nor end with Messalina. She was born into it, grew up within it, learned to survive it, and learned to use it. Cargill-Martin revisits the court of Caligula - "... a court built upon conspicuous consumption and sexual depravity ..." and demonstrates his arbitrary and immediate power over the life and death of his subjects, regardless of status and position. Caligula's reign fostered an atmosphere of fear, intrigue, paranoia, and murderous ambition. This was the court Messalina was forced to navigate as a young bride - her marriage to Claudius did not preclude any favouritism or guarantees of personal safety. So we the reader must see how this court, this reign, may have coloured Messalina's view of power and politics from any early period.

With the assassination of Caligula in 41AD - Claudius is now Roman Emperor. Previously, the likes of Livia and Octavia set the example of the role of women in public life. But now Messalina becomes active in both shaping and promoting the image of her husband's principate, whilst cultivating allies and rooting out and eliminating any threat to her, her children or to Claudius. Like his predecessors, Claudius' reign was born out of intrigue and violence, and relied upon both to maintain its stability.

Many commentators like to criticise Claudius for being in thrall to Messalina. But lets look at this somewhat objectively, Claudius was no catch - he is often described as having a limp and being slight deafness due to sickness at a young age, and he was ostracized by his family and excluded from public office. He was a scholarly hermit getting by - out of sight, out of mind. Messalina was a young, and we may assume, vibrant Roman girl, who entered into an arranged marriage with a dribbling man old enough to be her father. I am sure Claudius couldn't believe his luck!

Anyway, it wasn't just Messalina who held Claudius' attention - he was guided by his self-made men: Callistus, Pallas and Narcissus. These men were also out for power and maintaining that power by whatever means. What role models for the young Messalina! And as mentioned above, Livia was held up to be the epitome of Roman matronhood, a rle-model for an impressionable young girl - and with much hindsight, we all know about Livia!

Following a short-lived rebellion in 42AD, purges of enemies of the regime began - "justice was decidedly bloody" - even though many were starting to fear her power, can this all be attributed to Messalina, I think not. It was around this time that Cargill-Martin notes that Messalina was feeling confident in her position - she had healthy heirs, her rivals were dead or banished, and her position as wife of the Emperor was exalted. And personally, I think it all began to go to her head, and her cycle of self-destruction began from this point onwards.

Cargill-Martin reviews the Roman Laws around adultery and the alleged lovers of Messalina. To play devil's advocate here, one could suppose that so confident in her position was she, that Messalina used adultery as a political tool - a means of creating her own court faction, separate from Claudius' made-men. What is most curious is that around 47AD, Claudius assumes the role of censor - a role tasked with the maintenance of public morality! It has often been asked whether Claudius was aware of or encouraged his wife's immorality. I guess this is an answer only Claudius himself is privy too. I personally, find it hard to believe that he did not and that - at the time - it suited him to turn a blind eye. Messalina was an instrument in coalescing support for and removing enemies of his vulnerable regime - and she would always provide - when the time came - a more than adequate scape-goat.

Cargill-Martin now takes us back to the events leading up to Messalin'a fall. Her adultery is more brazen; the Senate turns on her agents and supporters; her instigation of the murder of one of their own has turned Rome's freeman against her; and then the is the "marriage" ceremony with Silas / Silius.

The historian Tacitus (Tacitus, Annals, 11.26) thus writes:

I know it will seem incredible that, in a city as watchful as Rome, anyone could have felt so safe. Far more so, that on a specified day, with witnesses in attendance, a consul designate and the emperor’s wife should have met for the avowed purpose of legitimate marriage. That the woman should have listened to the words of the auspices, assumed the veil, performed sacrificed to the Heavens. That both should have dined with the guests, have kissed and embraced, and finally have spent the night in the licence of wedlock. But I have added no touch of fantasy: all that I record shall be the oral or written evidence of my seniors.

In what context was this "marriage" performed - as some Bacchanal ritual or a slap in the face to Claudius, was it to gratify her sexual needs or cement an alliance for the protection of herself and her son following Claudius' (eventual) death. Whatever the reason, Claudius had finally had enough - retribution and punishment were swift. Messalina was dispatched.

The Senate then agreed to remove all traces of her existence through a practice we now refer to as damnatio memoriae. Messalina's name was chiseled out of all official inscriptions; coins that bore her name and image were defaced; and many of her portraits were mutilated and vandalized until her likeness became as unrecognizable as her reputation.

Following the death of Messalina, Claudius remarries - this time, his niece Agrippina, mother of Nero. Here Cargill-Martin talks about reputation, and the obvious comparisons between Agrippina and Messalina that written about. Cargill-Martin covers off the period following the death of Claudius in 54AD, the rise of Nero, the assassination of Messalina's son, Britannicus in 55AD, and the fates of the other main players in Messalina's story. The final part of the book looks at the personification of Messalina - the ancient femme fatale, the woman who embodied carnal desire, and her representation by later artists, writers, composers and film-makers.

Messalina is the perfect case study both of the perils of Roman womanhood and of the peculiar sensuous and paranoid world of Rome's first dynasty.

I cannot recommend this book enough if you - the reader - would like to draw aside the curtain and look inside the world that this woman was born into, lived and died in. Look at her life in the  context of this before judging her actions too puritanically. Could you have survived in such an environment and come out smelling like roses?

Read more

Wikipedia - Claudius 

Wikipedia - Messalina

Ancient History Sourcebook

Review: The Girls Who Fought Crime by Maj. Gen Mari K Eder

Synopsis: Mary "Mae" Foley was a force to be reckoned with. On one hip she held her makeup compact, on the other, her NYPD badge. When women were fighting for the vote, Mae was fighting crime in the heart of New York City - taking down rapists, boot-leggers, Nazis, and serial killers. One of the first women to be sworn into the police force, Mae not only fought crime in the city that never sleeps, but also did something much bigger - challenged the patriarchal systems that continually tried to shut her and other women down. The result of her efforts? A long career that helped over 2,000 women join her auxiliary police force, the 'Masher Squad.' Mae Foley is proof that women can do anything men can do, all while wearing corsets and the perfect shade of rouge.

~ ~ ~

Unfortunately, this failed to hit the mark for me.

Whilst to narrative had more of a conversational flow, which was easy enough to follow, it lacked specific details, which were probably not readily available. In fact, author Eder alerts the reader to this from the very start. Based upon that fact alone, Eder might have done better to focus on the "girls" of the title and include more on those she has mentioned the text, using Foley and key points in Foley's life with which to anchor the narrative.

Further reading: 

Annual Report. New York Police Department. 1918. p. 85.

More publication can be found at the same website by New York (N.Y.). Police Department.

Review: King John's Right Hand Lady by Sharon Bennett Connolly

Synopsis: In a time when men fought and women stayed home, Nicholaa de la Haye held Lincoln Castle against all-comers. Not once, but three times, earning herself the ironic praise that she acted ‘manfully’.Nicholaa gained prominence in the First Baron’s War, the civil war that followed the sealing of Magna Carta in 1215. Although recently widowed, and in her 60s, in 1217 Nicholaa endured a siege that lasted over three months, resisting the English rebel barons and their French allies. The siege ended in the battle known as the Lincoln Fair, when 70-year-old William Marshal, the Greatest Knight in Christendom, spurred on by the chivalrous need to rescue a lady in distress, came to Nicholaa’s aid.

Nicholaa de la Haye was a staunch supporter of King John, remaining loyal to the very end, even after most of his knights and barons had deserted him.

A truly remarkable lady, Nicholaa was the first woman to be appointed sheriff in her own right. Her strength and tenacity saved England at one of the lowest points in its history. Nicholaa de la Haye is one woman in English history whose story needs to be told…

~ ~ ~

My initial problem is with the title: King John's Right Hand Lady.

Whilst the historical Nicholaa / Nicola / Nichola was a loyal supporter of King John, to say that she was his "right hand" - his "Sir Hiss" or his "Sheriff of Nottingham" to use more populist references - would be highly incongruous. Roger of Wendover's "abbetors of iniquity" list does not mention Nicholaa, and at Runnymeade it is Archibishop Langton, William Marshall and Hubert de Burgh who are acknowledged as his advisors. So I am at a loss as to where Nicholaa sits in all of this - even more so when the author claims both Nicholaa and John "worked in harmony".  We need to remember that hers was a "deathbed appointment" by a King eager to shore up support for his infant son and heir at a time when said monarch found a distinct lack of support from all the usual suspects.

That she was a remarkable woman in her right, there is no doubt.  However, its all well and good to bring forth a tome on a notable person, but to ascribe to them more than their due is being disingenuous to the reader and playing fast, loose and false with the subject at hand.

Now for the rest: the tome contains lots of events not directly linked to Nicholaa; lots of repetition of information; and lots of information of family and familial connections. If you have read any of Bennett Connolly's other books on the period you will notice that they all cross over into each other, containing the same information, on the same people, over the same period. "But this her area afterall" I hear you say. Sure - that's fine, but each tome doesn't need to feel like it needs to include the previous ones as part of it. The chapter on the "legacy" was superfluous and was most likely taken from her previous tome on the de Warennes.

The extent of research is evident ... literally! But there is just not enough on Nicholaa to cover the 180 odd ages of relevant text. History is littered with many similar such stories if you go searching for them - this is just one.

Review: Cleopatra's Daughter by Jane Draycott

Synopsis: The first biography of Cleopatra Selene – daughter of Cleopatra VII – princess, prisoner and African queen.

In 1895, archaeologists excavating a villa outside Pompeii discovered a hoard of Roman silverware. In the centre of one dish was a female figure with thick, curly hair, deep-set eyes, a slightly hooked nose and a strong jaw, and sporting an elephant scalp headdress. Modern scholars believe this woman is Cleopatra Selene, daughter of the infamous Cleopatra and Mark Antony.

Using this discovery as her starting-point, Jane Draycott recreates the life and times of a remarkable woman. Unlike her siblings, who were either executed as threat to Rome's new ruler, Augustus, or simply forgotten, Cleopatra Selene survived and prospered. She was a princess who became a prisoner; a prisoner who became a queen; an Egyptian who became Roman; and a woman who became a powerful ruler in her own right at a time when women were marginalised. Her life shines new light on the conflict between the politics, culture and history of Rome and Egypt, as well as the relationship between Rome and one of its most significant allied kingdoms, Mauretania.

~~~

Cleopatra Selene ... " ... born a princess of one of the most ancient kingdoms in the classical world, only to lose her entire family, her birthright and her rank, and become a Roman prisoner, and succeed in being crowned Queen of an entirely different and brand new kingdom, and rule it successfully for two decades ..."

I really enjoyed this book on one of history's more neglected personalities. Overshadowed by her more famous mother, Cleopatra Selene lived in most interesting times - a period when Egypt, a mighty empire in its own right, came into conflict with another stronger nation whose imperical aspirations would dominate both the region and her life.

Draycott utilises what is readily available - archaeological evidence, historical documents and contemporary histories - to flesh out the life of this cultured and politically astute woman. However, as with many women throughout history, actual, verifiable evidence is often lacking, making the retelling more general than specific. Many women are often overshadowed by either famous parents, siblings or marriage partner, and Cleopatra Selene is one. As a result, Draycott uses more generalised knowledge to re-imagine what her life may have looked like - and that is fine, as long as this is not taken for actual fact.

From the very little we know of Cleopatra Selene, we know she is a survivor, a diplomat, and an astute ruler.  As a result of her hard work, Mauretania became wealthy - especially through the export of purple dye - and she attracted many intellectuals and scholars.  Juba himself was said to have been highly educated as a result of his time spent in Rome as a "spoil of war" following the death of his father.  We can only assume that Cleopatra Selene's intent was to re-create her lost homeland of Egypt in this new kingdom of hers.  

Cleopatra Selene II died fairly young, and we are left wondering about what could have been had she lived longer - would she have achieved a greatness to rival her mother and namesake - we will never know. This is a worthy tome to pick up if this is your area of interest or if long lost historical women are on your research radar.

See also article by Jane Draycott for History Today.

Review: Carmen and Grace by Melissa Coss Aquino

Synopsis: Carmen and Grace have been inseparable since they were little girls, more like sisters than cousins, survivors of a childhood marked by neglect and addiction, and a system that never valued them—for too long all they had was each other. That is until Doña Durka swept into their lives and changed everything, taking Grace into her home, providing stability and support, and playing an outsized role in Carmen’s upbringing too.

Durka is more than a beneficent force in their Bronx neighborhood though. She’s also the leader of an underground drug empire, a larger-than-life matriarch who understands the vital importance of taking what power she can in a world too often ruled by violent men. So, when Durka dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances, Carmen and Grace’s lives are thrown into chaos. Grace has been primed to take over and has grand plans to expand the business. While Carmen is ready to move on—from the shadow of Durka and her high expectations, and most of all, from always looking over her shoulder in fear. She’s also harboring a secret: she’s pregnant and starting to show, and desperate to build a new life before the baby arrives.

But how can Carmen leave the only family she’s ever known, this tight sisterhood of women known as the D.O.D, a group of lost girls turned skilled professionals under Durka’s guiding hand, all tightly bonded in their spirituality and merciless support for one another—especially now, when outside threats are circling, and Grace’s plans are speeding recklessly forward.

~ ~ ~

This one packs a punch!

Two girls, living in the Bronx's Puerto Rican community, find that their lives take a turn - for better or worse is a matter of semantics - when the benevolent, mother-figure and protector, Dona Durka takes them under her wing. But Dona Durka is a hardened drug boss, and their girls are part of the DOD - Daughters of Durka, a sisterhood of street-toughs, banded together by friendship, loyalty and culture. It is only after the death of Dona Durka that two of the girls - Grace and Carmen - must make a decision - to stay or go.

This is a powerful debut novel that explores the complexities of sisterhood, culture and upbringing, of loyalties and the ties that bind. No decision is easily made and all decisions have consequences, not just for the self but for others.

Definitely a must read!

Review: The Night of the Wolf by Cassandra Clark

Synopsis: The ruthless reign of Henry IV and the clerical tyranny of Archbishop Arundel keep Brother Chandler and his friends under constant threat in this gripping medieval mystery featuring friar-sleuth Rodric Chandler.

Chester, 1400. Riding for his life, with a copy of Chaucer's heretical Canterbury Tales in his possession, friar-sleuth Brother Chandler is ambushed on the road and wakes up in a stranger's house.

Is his 'rescuer', wool merchant John Willoughby, friend . . . or foe? Willoughby declares that he, like Chandler, has renounced the self-crowned King Henry IV and will help Chandler get his dangerous belongings to safety. He seems trustworthy, but Chandler knows that if he's caught by the King's merciless censors together with the Tales, he'll be burned at the stake.

But then Willoughby's young wife perishes in a terrible accident at their house - or so it seems . . . Willoughby asks Chandler to help investigate if it was indeed an accident or if someone had a hidden agenda.

All Chandler wants to do is find safe haven for Chaucer's Tales and return to London, but he accepts the case. Little does he know that it will lead to secrets being uncovered which will put not only Chandler but also those around him in unimaginable peril.

~ ~ ~

"The Night of the Wolf" follows on directly from the two preceding Brother Chandler books. Richard II is dead; Henry IV is king; Chaucer is missing presumed dead; Chandler is a wanted man, in possession of Chaucer's only works.

For those that are interested, Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" (which were unfinished at the time of his death) were considered to be controversial at the time as they criticized the clergy and called attention to all the hypocrisy, thievery, abuse of power, lying, and self-enrichment characteristic of the clergy. His ties with the Lollards lead to his books being considered heretical.

Clark really does give the reader a sense of how things were at the start of the reign of Henry IV: the claims of Richard II's supporters that he still lived, threats from the Welsh under Owain Glyn Dwr, crisis after crisis following his seizure of the throne, burning of heretics, fear and paranoia. 

However, there is no real inkling that the actual background to this story-line is based upon the mysterious disappearance of Chaucer! The story instead focuses on the secondary mystery of the murder of a merchant's wife. For me, this is not up to the standard of the first two - it dragged on a bit, and the side narratives of the "Mattie" character were surplus to stock - again!  Unfortunately for me there is too much hithering and dithering.  We constantly moving back and forth between London and Chester for this secondary investigation, which for Chandler, being such a wanted man in possession of a precious cargo, is surely the last thing he should be doing. 

Look, I will interested to see how the next in the series pans out, but I am not breaking down doors to do so.

Review: Matilda II The Forgotten Queen by Joanna Arman

Synopsis: The wife of King Henry I and the mother of the Empress Maud is a woman and a Queen forgotten to history. She is frequently conflated with her daughter or her mother-in-law. She was born the daughter of the King of Scotland and an Anglo-Saxon princess. Her name was Edith, but her name was changed to Matilda at the time of her marriage.

The Queen who united the line of William the Conqueror with the House of Wessex lived during an age marked by transition and turbulence. She married Henry in the first year of the 12th century and for the eighteen years of her rule aided him in reforming the administrative and legal system due to her knowledge of languages and legal tradition. Together she and her husband founded a series of churches and arranged a marriage for their daughter to the Holy Roman Emperor. Matilda was a woman of letters to corresponded with Kings, Popes, and prelates, and was respected by them all.

Matilda’s greatest legacy was she united two dynasties and gave the Angevin Kings the legitimacy they needed so much. It was through her that the Empress Matilda and Henry II were able to claim the throne. She was the progenitor of the Plantagenet Kings, but the war and conflict which followed the death of her son William led to a negative stereotyping by Medieval Chroniclers. Although they saw her as pious, they said she was a runaway nun and her marriage to Henry was cursed.

This book provides a much-needed re-evaluation of Edith/Matilda’s role and place in the history of the Queens of England.

~ ~ ~

I'll begin with a quote from the book: "... much of what we know about her is an idealised and carefully considered version of events written by people who had a specific view of gender norms and social role ...". In other words, much of what we know about early medieval women - their lives and roles - is based upon the stereotypical views of the predominantly male clerics who were writing at the time. 

In fact for this particular monarch, records on her activities are rather scarce, and much of what we do know is centred around her family, her husband, and her children. Her lineage, her education and piety were notable - she was the unifying link between the Anglo Saxon House of Wessex and Normandy.

Beginning with fourteen pages of who's who, Arman then sets out to trace Matilda's ancestry and her links to the religious foundations of Romsey and Wilton. We are treated to the history of the period, briefly under Williams I & II, the conflict between Church and Crown, and the succession of Henry I. Diversions to the Crusades and Henry I's early political career overshadow any real gleamings we have of Matilda.

However, Arman soon gets around to Matilda's family, her siblings Mary and David, her own children Matilda and William, and Henry's brood of illegitimate children. Matilda's patronage of scholarship, her pious building projects and relationships with clerics are also touched upon. In reality, much of Matilda's life was overshadowed by political events pertaining to her husband, even her time in the political spotlight as regent for Henry I was brief. She did not live to see death of her only son William in the White Ship disaster of 1120, not the succession wars of her daughter Matilda and her nephew Stephen.

I am hoping that prior to final print, a good editor will be going over this - there were numerous errors with dates and names that need attending to. I myself was not a fan of the layout of the book - it really is a very basic introductory work, and in fact much of the content could be readily found on the internet. Kudos for subject matter. However, to say that this work "provides a much-needed re-evaluation of Edith/Matilda’s role" I think is slightly ambitious.

Review: The Invention of Sicily by Jamie Mackay

Synopsis: A fascinating cultural history of this most magical of islands.Sicily has always acted as a gateway between Europe and the rest of the world. Fought over by Phoenicians and Greeks, Romans, Goths and Byzantines, Arabs and Normans, Germans, Spanish and French for thousands of year, Sicily became a unique melting pot where diverse traditions merged, producing a unique heritage and singular culture.

In this fascinating account of the island from the earliest times to the present day, author and journalist Jamie Mackay leads us through this most elusive of places. From its pivotal position in the development of Greek and Roman mythology, and the beautiful remnants of both the Arab and Norman invasions, through to the rise of the bandits and the Cosa Nostra, The Invention of Sicily charts the captivating culture and history of Sicily.

Mackay weaves together the political and social development of the island with its fascinating cultural heritage, discussing how great works including Lampedusa’s masterpiece The Leopard and its film adaptation by Visconti, and the novels of Leonardo Sciascia, among many others, have both been shaped by Sicily’s past, and continue to shape it in the present.

To be totally honest, I only read this one for selected chapters that covered the period from 826AD to 1693AD to enhance my already sound knowledge of this period in Sicily's history (and to pick up any nuggets I may have missed elsewhere).

Overall, it was an easy to read primer that flowed well; it was well researched and informative. It will provide an ample launching pad for someone who is interested in Sicily, its history and its diverse cultures and population.

Review: Plantagenet Princes by Douglas Boyd

Synopsis: When Count Henry of Anjou and his formidable wife Eleanor of Aquitaine became king and queen of England, they amassed an empire stretching 1,000 miles from the Pyrenees to the Scottish border, including half of France. Henry's grandmother Empress (of Germany) Mathilda had taught him that ruling is like venery: show the hawk the reward, but take it away at the last moment, to keep the bird eager to please. To sons and vassals alike, Henry promised everything but gave nothing, keeping the three adult princes hating him and the other siblings all their lives.

Plantagenet Princes traces the lives and infamous webs of mistrust and intrigue among them. What sons they were! Henry (b. 1155), 'the Young king' was entitled to succeed his father, yet was a rich playboy who died crippled by debt before his thirtieth birthday, after living the life of a robber baron. Richard (b. 1157), 'the Lionheart' was lord of his mother's duchy of Aquitaine and became, thanks to her, England's most popular king despite bankrupting the Empire twice in his disastrous 10-year reign. Geoffrey (b. 1158), count of Brittany, was the cleverest, but was trampled to death by horses aged 32 in a pointless melee at Paris, leaving his wife Constance to act as regent for their son Arthur in a long power struggle between Philip Augustus, king of France, and the Plantagenets. The runt of the litter, John (b. 1166) was nicknamed Lackland, since no inheritance was initially promised him. He proved the longest-lived by far, dying at the age of fifty after signing Magna Carta, losing the key duchy of Normandy and most of the other continental possessions - also murdering his nephew Arthur, imprisoning Arthur's sister for life and waging war against his barons, continued by Henry III.

The Plantagenet line continued with Richard of Cornwall, Edward I conquering Wales, gay Edward II, Edward III, Edward the Black Prince and Richard II, who died in prison while his usurper sat on the throne.

I will say this makes for a better introductory book on the male Plantagenet line from Henry II through to Richard II rather than an actually study of the four surviving sons of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Yes these sons are featured, but barely half the book is dedicated to them before diverging down the line to encompass the selected offspring of the princes and then continuing - selectively again - down the line to Richard II.

For someone more well read, this will provide nothing new - and this type of reader has most likely already tackled individual biographies - for someone looking for an overview or introductory text, then this is more than suitable - though I would re-think the title and leave it just as "Plantagenet Princes".

Review: Catch Us The Foxes by Nicola West

Synopsis: Some secrets you try to hide. Others you don’t dare let out … Twin Peaks meets The Dry in a deliciously dark and twisted tale that unravels a small town.

Ambitious young journalist Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson would do anything to escape the suffocating confines of her small home town. While begrudgingly covering the annual show for the local paper, Lo is horrified to discover the mutilated corpse of Lily Williams, the reigning showgirl and Lo’s best friend. Seven strange symbols have been ruthlessly carved into Lily’s back. But when Lo reports her grisly find to the town’s police chief, he makes her promise not to tell anyone about the symbols. Lo obliges, though it’s not like she has much of a choice – after all, he is also her father.

When Lily’s murder makes headlines around the country and the town is invaded by the media, Lo seizes the opportunity to track down the killer and make a name for herself by breaking the biggest story of her life.

What Lo uncovers is that her sleepy home town has been harbouring a deadly secret, one so shocking that it will captivate the entire nation. Lo’s story will change the course of her life forever, but in a way she could never have dreamed of.

I don't tend to wax lyrical about a book but in this case I will make a rare exception.

I am going to put this forward as one of my must read psychological thrillers for the year - right up there with two of my past favourites - Killing The Girl and The Creak on the Stairs.

I - and probably much to the angst of the publisher - recommend having a physical copy of this book as you will often find yourself moving backwards and forwards, thinking you have missed some little clue, as the author dangles much before you, only to snatch it away at the last moment.

This book is - to use a colloquialism - an onion. There are so many layers that the reader really does need to pay attention. The synopsis really does give the reader a slight inkling as to what to expect - but you are being deceived. And don't think that by skipping to the end you have the whole story - you don't! You will find yourself sucker punched a number of times before the ending is revealed.

In the words of our protagonist: " ...... I know better than anyone just how alluring a conspiracy theory could be ..... I had fallen for it's allure ... it was a better story than the truth ..." - but what is truth, what is conspiracy and what is delusion ....... well, I for one won't be revealing that!

All I will add, is someone had better snap up the film rights to this one rather quickly!

Kiama Visitor Guide 

Update for 2021

I hope everyone is having a better start to the new year. Here in Australia, C19 seems to be waning but then again we are in our summer and the warmer months, so I have been led to believe, contribute to a reduction in noticeable cases. So to you all in the northern hemisphere, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I have been a bit tardy on the review front. I have a number pending from last year which I am endeavouring to get to, as well as addressing numerous review requests and current review commitments. 

At the same time, I started a new job, which slowly snow-balled out of control over our busy tourist period, and wasn't helped by staff leaving and a skeleton staff left entirely in the lurch to cope as best we could, unsupported (especially when dealing with some - well, basically, (lazy, catty,  bitches!). And just to top it all off, I decided, during our C19 lockdown last year, to embark on further tertiary studies! So literally, no time to scratch myself. Now things have quietened down on the work-load front, and my first lot of study is under my belt, I can take a deep breath and focus on my reading!

So to any and all who have emailed me with review requests, my sincere apologies for my tardiness - sometimes, life just gets in the way of getting to a good book!