Review: The Countesses of Castello

The Countesses of Castello by Milena Agus is a simple and yet intriguing tale of three sisters - the countesses of the title - and their search for that which will make them complete. The setting of the novel, the Countesses' palazzo, reminded me of the opening scenes of Hitchcock's "Rear Window" in which we take a panoramic view of the residents and yet we do not delve too deeply into their lives. The focus of the novel is on the three sisters - Noemi, Maddalena, and the Countess Ricotta.

I was honored to have received this book through a Goodreads giveaway and am glad I entered. I highly recommend both the book and the author, Milena Agus.

Other Works by Milena include:

* The House in Via Manno

* Madame Agnese

* La Contessa di Ricotta

About the Author:

Milena Agus was born in Genoa to Sardinian parents, and now lives in Cagliari where she teaches Italian and history at a secondary school. The House in Via Manno (published in Italy as Mal di pietre), her second novel, won three Italian literary awards, and has been a bestseller in Italy, France, and Germany. In December 2008, Milena Agus was awarded the prestigous Zerilli-Marimò Prize in New York. A film adaptation of the novel is in production.

Review: Lancashire Witches

I was very grateful to receive a copy of Mary Sharratt's "Daughters of the Witching Hill" recently.  I had only heard mention of one the the characters in Mary's book - only briefly - and was not aware of the full story.  So this was a delightful read.

The book opens with one Bess Southerns - Old Demdike - telling her story of how she became a "cunning woman" and goes on to detail her life in the Pendle Forest.  She tells of her first meeting with her "familiar" and how local folk consulted her for cures and blessings.  Little by little her family and close friends are drawn into her circle - some share in her gifts - others fear them.

The second part of the story is told by Alizon Device, Bess' granddaughter.  Here there is more about Alizon, her brother James - a "simple" lad with an agenda of his own - and her half-sister Jennet.  Without giving too much away, the family eventually implodes and when the local magistrate finally catches up with then, none of their cunning can save them from their ultimate fate.

"Daughters of the Witching Hill" is set in the latter years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and the early years of the reign of King James I (or VI of Scotland).  The dominant religion of the time is that of the Reformers or Protestants.  The Catholics are considered heretics and any attempt the maintain the "old religion" is dealt with quite harshly.  It is into the cross-current of religious dogma that Bess and her family are caught.  Many still remember and practice the "old religion" and disguise it in local folk remedies.  Times are harsh for the folk of Pendle Forest and any misfortune is seized upon as the work of those of "ill-repute".

But ultimately, like it's Salem counterpart, the small community is torn apart by the political aspirations of one, the greed of others, by revenge of another, and through spite and misunderstanding.

Although Mary herself admits to some slight modification in the names of her characters (to save unnecessary confusion), the story is quite true.

In addition to Mary's wonderful book, I would also recommend an older and slightly different version of events in "The Lancashire Witches" by William Harrision Ainsworth, Esq (Pub: 1849).

Review: Tuscan Countess by Michele K Spike

Tuscan Countess: The Life and Extraordinary Times of Matilda of Canossa by Michele K. Spike

The book charts author Michele Spike's journey to discover the real Matilda of Canossa. It merges her modern journey through Tuscany with historical notes on the cities she visits, all the while taking the reader back to Matilda and the events that shaped not only her life, but the course of history.

Written in a similar style to Joann Fletcher's "The Search for Nefertiti" and Mary Taylor Simeti's "Travels with a Medieval Queen".

The Military Leadership of Matilda of Canossa
Matilda of Canossa

Further Reading
Matilda Countess of Tuscany by Mary E. Huddy
Matilda of Canossa, An Historical Drama in Five Acts by Benjamin Gott
Matilda of Canossa by Leone Tondelli
Matilda of Tuscany, la gran donna d'italia by Nora Duff
The Book of Love by Kathleen McGowan

Review: Jane Whorwood - The King's Smuggler

From the Press Release:

THE KING'S SMUGGLER: JANE WHORWOOD, SECRET AGENT OF CHARLES I by author John Fox (Pub: The History Press 8th February 2010).

It is the first biography of Jane Whorwood. She spied for the King and smuggled a huge amount of gold in order to raise funds for the army and the royalist cause in England's Civil War.

Most biographies about the Civil War relate to the men's stories and the women's escapades tend to get missed out!

Jane Whorwood was one of King Charles' closest confidantes - when he was imprisoned she set up correspondence networks, consulted the national astrologer, raised and moved money, and organised escape attempts, ending up in the hub of a naval mutiny.

So, who is this woman you are asking. I did too when first asked to review a copy of John's biography. Not only did I know nothing of her role in the English Civil War of the 1640s but I had not heard of her either. Upon a visit to my local library, I checked out various books on the English Civil War - and there was no mention of Jane at all.

John's book was an eye-opener on a woman who contributed much, lost it all, and was never recognised at all for her role. Flora MacDonald achieved world-wide fame for her support of Bonnie Prince Charles - but Jane was a "non-entity" or rather "non entry" on the pages of history.

Jane (or Joan, Jeanne, or Jean as she was variously known), was a member of a prominent Scottish family at the Courts of Kings James I & VI and Charles I of England. Her family (of which the branches of her family tree were numerous and fruitful) attained positions at both courts, and in particular that of Charles I.

And so the first third of the book deals with background information - vital to the story. It covers Jane's early years and her family rise through the ranks of the nobility culminating in the her step-father's appointment as "Black Rod". Next we deal with Jane's marriage and that of her sisters. We find Jane settling into the socially expected domesticity of her status.

The disputes between Charles I and his Parliament become the focus of the daily lives of the English peoples, especially the nobility. We find, like the American Civil War, families on opposing sides - in this instance - having "crossed the bridge".

The Parliament - which did not have the powers of Parliament as we know it today - were fearful of Charles' view of an "absolute monarchy" and in the "Divine Rights of Kings" - that is, the King is subject to God alone. The Courts of Kings James I and Charles I saw the introduction of Scottish magnates into the English dominated court. Conflict was inevitable of courtiers jostled for position and favouritism. With financial and religious difficulties, Parliament attempted to force the King to acceed to their demands. War was effectively declared.

One Mistress Whorwood in Oxfordshire, was wont to bring in intelligence to the late king, as well as to Oxford as to the Isle of Wight. She was sent several times of messages. Thomas Coke, interrogated in the Tower, May 1651

It was not only intelligence that Jane sent to the King, but money with which to sustain his army. Her activities were barely known - even after the event - as she used a system of codes to disguise both herself and the King. Her position and that of her family, gave her ready access to information - it was not as if she had to don a disguise to infiltrate royal circles. She was already there - on the spot.

Jane's service in the King's name ended with his execution and the abolition of the monarchy in England (30 January 1649). Jane herself was imprisoned for her loyalty to the late Charles I; her family lire crumbled around her with the return of her abusive husband; and she was in fact disinherited. Divorce and scandal ensued - and her family (more importantly her sisters) deserted her in her time of need.

But Jane survived - the monarchy was restored under King Charles II.

Consistent with the previous thirty years, Jane never cited her service to the Crown, as if governed by an unspoken etiquette.

She spent her final years petitioning for that which was due to her - fighting till the very end.

Few co-conspirators from Wartime were alive to notice Jane’s death. Poverty and isolation reduced her to childlike pleading with a king who either did not know, or preferred to forget that his father had once importuned her in a similar isolation. In the summer of her death the great and the good – the second Earl of Clarendon and Archbishop Sancroft – began to enquire about Jane’s and others’ role in Charles I’s final years. By then, Dugdale’s sources and memory were suspect or failing, most witnesses were dead, Jane was stilled and no one asked again for many years.

Jane was a woman of extraordinary courage and conviction - she stood by her monarch when others fell away - and she paid the price. I cannot but commend this book on a most remarkable woman. Hopefully one who will no longer be a footnote on the pages of history.

About the Author - John Fox:
John is an Oxford university trained historian and has spent 6 years working on the project. of Jane Whorwood John has also written "Forgotten Divisions" (1994) on WWI in Bonn and Manchester, (‘a publishing rarity’, Geoffrey Moorhouse), and "Macnamara’s Irish Colony" (USA, 2000) on British designs to annexe California in 1846 (‘fascinating evidence, superb cast’, Prof. Roy Foster). Besides the new "Jane Whorwood" entry in ODNB, he has written several local histories for his home community near Oxford.

Review: Dirty Little Angles

Wow - what can I say about Chris Tusa's "Dirty Little Angels" that has not already been written.

This is a hard as nails, in your face look at the life of a young girl burgeoning into womanhood in the seamier side of New Orleans. There are no white picket fences, no happy families, no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. This part of New Orleans is reflective of the lives of those who live there - tough, gritty, and and barely surviving.

Hailey spends her days like most others - hanging out with friends, getting into trouble - but her actions have consequences. And when all else fails, she turns to religion.

Chris knows New Orleans - and it shows in his writing. These characters seem so real, and yet they are not the type that you would know as friends and neighbours. But their story will suck you in so much so that you cannot leave.

If contemporary literature and social commentary is your genre, make sure you read "Dirty Little Angels".

Chris on the web:

Chris Tusa - website

Reviews for "Dirty Little Angles"

Alberto O Cappas

I have the pleasure of being an "i-friend" (ie: internet buddy) of Alberto. And as such, was honoured when I had the opportunity to read some of his works.

A Little About Alberto
Alberto O. Cappas is both a poet and social observer. His works reflect the changing conditions of Puerto Ricans in both their homeland and mainland America.

He is active in promoting self-empowerment among his local community and encouraging people to take life the the scruff of the neck and make something for themselves.


Dona Julia
A collection of poems that tell of life on the "other side of the tracks" - where life is both hard and cheap; where people struggle to eke out a living day by day; where violence dominates; and yet it is also a place of the home and family, of comfort and familiarity.

The language is not flowery and gossamer-like - it is harsh, sometimes brutal but always upfront and in your face. It is a reflection of reality - it is not something akin to the fantasy poetic worlds of Keats and Byron. It is poetry for today and for today's society.

Alberto provides a glimpse into the ying and yang of life.


Lessons For Myself
A work dedicated to young people who feel trapped by their environment; who feel that there is no possible way out of the day to day struggle with life; who feel nothing but despair and anger.

Alberto's work compels young people to "think outside the box" - to not accept stereotypes, to take charge of their destinies, to make the change necessary themselves rather than sit wallowing in self-depredation. Life is there to be lived, enjoyed, and experienced to the fullest - and only you can make that detour on life's great journey.

Never Too Late To Make A U-Turn
"Never Too Late" was specifically written with students in mind, and has been accepted and utilised within the American educational system.

Alberto speaks of his own trials and tribulations in an attempt to help young people cope with their own. He is the voice of experience in a world where the lessons of experience can sometimes comes at too late in life. He offers guidance and understanding to a youth that really needs a helping hand. A man dedicated to empowering our youth and thus the world we live in.

Visit: The Educational Pledge

Book of Outremer

Anyone who is familiar with the history of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem cannot but be struck by the similarities in the Book of Outremer trilogy by Chaz Brenchley.

Book One - Tower of the King's Daughter
"The Kingdom of Outremer was born of blood and pain and passion; forty years on, enemies still threaten its borders and heresy still threatens its peace."

The First Book of Outremer is loosely based upon the first years of European settlement in the Holy Land after the First Crusade. It mixes a combination of magic and fantasy with the right amount of near history.


Feast of the King's Shadow
"The Kingdom of Outremer was raised on sands steeped in the blood of war, and to war it is returning. The Sharai tribes, bitter and divided in defeat, have regrouped in their stronghold of Rhabat. Observing an uneasy truce under the banner of the charismatic Hasan, they await the coming of the Ghost Walker, the long-promised deliverer of their people."


Hand of the King's Evil
"The Kingdom of Outremer was forged from the hot blood and cold steel of battle but a fragile peace has come at last. Still the threat of war stalks its borders and heresy lurks from within, the poison seeping from its own renegade state ... An army of poor is also marching to an uncertain end, following a preacher with a blessed relic and a gift for miracles."


Chaz on the Web:

• Official Website
• The Books of Outremer
• Murder Squad
• The Idle Solitary

Christopher Marlowe

"O, thou art fairer than the evening air clad in the beauty of a thousand stars."


Marlowe was born in February 1564, about 2 months before Shakespeare. His father was a prosperous middle-class merchant of Canterbury. Christopher received his early education at King's School in Canterbury and at the age of 17 went to Cambridge, where he held a scholarship requiring him to study for the ministry. He received a bachelor of arts degree in 1584 and a master of arts degree in 1587. Toward the end of his stay at Cambridge he evidently aroused the suspicions of the university authorities, who threatened to withhold his degree. The Queen's Privy Council intervened, however, and assured the authorities that Marlowe "had done Her Majesty good service." The nature of this service is still a mystery, but it is likely that Marlowe was involved in a secret espionage mission abroad.

Shortly after receiving his master's degree, Marlowe went to London. He soon became known for his wild, bohemian ways and his unorthodox thinking. In 1589, for example, he was imprisoned for a time in connection with the death of a certain William Bradley, who had been killed in a violent quarrel in which Marlowe played an important part. He was several times accused of being an "atheist" and a "blasphemer," most notably by his fellow playwright Thomas Kyd. These charges led to Marlowe's arrest in 1593, but he died before his case was decided.

His Death:
The circumstances of Marlowe's death first came to light in the 20th century. On May 30, 1593, Marlowe dined at Deptford with a certain Ingram Frizer (Fraser) and two others. In the course of an argument over the tavern bill, Marlowe wounded Frizer with a dagger, whereupon Frizer seized the same dagger and stabbed Marlowe over the right eye. According to the coroner's inquest, from which this information is drawn, Marlowe died instantly. Despite the unusual wealth of detail surrounding this fatal episode, there has been much speculation about the affair. It has been suggested, for example, that the deed was politically motivated and that Frizer (who was subsequently judged to have acted in self-defense) was simply acting as an agent for a more prominent person.

His Works:
Marlowe wrote only one major poem (Hero and Leander, unfinished at his death) and six or seven plays.


Tamburlaine the Great, a two-part play, was first printed in 1590 but was probably composed several years earlier. The play itself is a bold demonstration of Tamburlaine's rise to power and his single-minded, often inhumanly cruel exercise of that power. The hero provokes awe and wonder but little sympathy.


Although written sometime between 1588 and 1592, The Jew of Malta was not printed until 1633. The chief figure, the phenomenally wealthy merchant-prince Barabas, is one of the most powerful Machiavellian figures of the Elizabethan drama. Unlike Tamburlaine, who asserts his will openly and without guile, Barabas is shrewd, devious, and secretive.

Doctor Faustus, which is generally considered Marlowe's greatest work, was probably also his last. Its central figure, a scholar who feels he has exhausted all the conventional areas of human learning, attempts to gain the ultimate in knowledge and power by selling his soul to the devil. The high point comes in the portrayal of the hero's final moments, as he awaits the powers of darkness who demand his soul.


Books:

• The Reckoning by Charles Nicholl (Review)
• Christopher Marlowe by Park Honan
• Christopher Marlowe by JE Bakeless
• Who was Kit Marlowe? The story of the poet and playwright by Della Hilton
• Christopher Marlowe by Philip Henderson
• Christopher Marlowe by GM Pinciss

Links:

• The Marlowe Society
• Christopher Marlowe
• Marlowe - Works

Queen Nefertiti

Nefertiti, "the Beautiful One Comes", wife and consort of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, who ruled Egypt at a time of great upheaval. Very litle is known of this enigmatic Queen, whose daughter Ankhesenamun married the young Tutankhamun.

Akhenaten created controversy in Egypt by worshipping one God alone - the Sun God - Aten, and moving his power base to a new city, Armana, created in honour of Aten.


Kazimierz Michalowski speculates that at some point during Akhanaten's reign at Armana, the royal couple experienced "problems" and Nefertiti moved into another palace, with Tutankhamun and four of her daughters. Following the death of Akhenaten (1362BC), Tutankhamun became Pharaoh, and the royal court was moved back to Thebes. Nefertiti all but vanishes from history.

Nefertiti Resurrected on Discovery Channel - this presentation takes you on the journey of Egyptologist, Dr Joann Fletcher on her quest to find the final resting place of Queen Nefertiti (See also her highly recommended book: "The Search for Nefertiti").
Queen Nefertiti by Jimmy Dunn

Nefertiti is the subject of many a book ... a selection follows:
The Search for Nefertiti by Joanna Fletcher
Nefertiti, the Mystery Queen by Burnham Holmes
Nefertiti by Philipp Vandenberg
Akhnaten: the Rebel Pharaoh by Robert Silverberg
Nefertiti by Evelyn Wells
Akhenaten and Nefertiti - Cyril Aldred
The Life and Times of Akhnaten, Pharaoh of Egypt by A. Weigall
King Sun: In Search of Akhenaten by Joy Collier
Nefertiti Lived Here by M. Chubb
Pharaohs of the Sun: Akhenaten: Nefertiti: Tutankhamen by Rita E. Freed
Amarna, City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti by Julia Samson


Fictional accounts...
Nefertiti of Egypt by Mary Englar
Nefertiti: The Book of the Dead by Nick Drake
Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen by Joyce A. Tyldesley
Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
Valley of the Kings by Cecelia Holland
The Golden Pharaoh by Karl Bruckner
The Lost Queen of Egypt by Lucile Morrison
Pillar of Fire by Judith Tarr
The Goddess Queen: A Novel Based on the Life of Nefertiti by Johanna Harwood
Sun Queen: A Novel About Nefertiti by Emma L. Patterson
Nefertiti by Alexandra Hamilton
Queen Nefertiti by Francis B. Rylance