Tag: Historical Fiction

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Review: The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

Book review of The Clan of the Cave Bear, the first book in Jean M. Auel’s epic Earth’s Children series set in prehistoric Europe.

the clan of the cave bear cover
Save Me on Pinterest !!!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see our full disclosure for further information.

Synopsis

Set in prehistoric Europe, this is the first book in the Earth’s Children series. Ayla is a young cro-magnon human taken in by a group of Neanderthals after her people are killed in an earthquake.

‘The Clan,’ as they call themselves, come to love Ayla, despite her strange actions and ugly (they think) appearance. The medicine woman, Iza, adopts her as her daughter as teaches her about herbs and healing. However, the son of the leader’s mate, Broud, hates her and does everything he can to make Ayla’s life miserable.

Review

I loved The Clan of the Cave Bear. It was a gripping story about people and their relationships, many of which appear unchanged for thousands of years. I could really sympathise with Ayla’s struggles to fit in; so much of the book felt familiar and relatable to modern experiences.

My favourite thing about this book is looking at the differences and similarities between humans and Neanderthals. I don’t know how much of it was true (especially the cultural stuff), but it was realistic.

Creb was thunderstruck. How had the girl been able to grasp the idea so quickly? She hadn’t even asked what slash marks had to do with fingers, or what either had to do with years. It had taken many repetitions before Goov had understood. Creb made three more slash marks, and put three fingers over them. With only one hand, it had been especially difficult for him when he was learning. Ayla looked at her other hand, and immediately held up three fingers, folding down her thumb and forefinger.

“When I am this many?” she asked, holding out her eight fingers again. Creb nodded affirmatively. Her next action caught him completely by surprise, it was a concept he had spent years mastering himself. She put down the first hand and held up only three fingers.

“I will be old enough to have a baby in this many years,” she gestured with assurance, positive of her deduction. The old magician was rocked to his core. It was unthinkable that a child, a girl child at that, could reason her way to that conclusion so easily.

I thought that Broud was an unconvincing villain. His evildoing felt cartoonish and grotesque. He was like a spoiled child. I think the problem was his motivation; he didn’t like Ayla because she was different and because people paid attention to her but not him.

The Clan of the Cave Bear intelligently explored some serious issues that are still present in society today. The Clan have strict gender roles and are incredibly resistant to change. It made me wonder how modern society would treat Neanderthals if they were still alive today.

Conclusion

Have you read The Clan of the Cave Bear? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Review: Daughter of Time by Sarah Woodbury

Review of Daughter of Time by Sarah Woodbury, prequel to the After Cilmeri series of time-travelling historical fiction set in medieval Wales

Daughter of Time by Sarah Woodbury cover
Save Me on Pinterest!!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see our full disclosure for further information.

Synopsis

Meg has been going through a rough time when a car accident throws her and her two-year-old daughter into 13th century Wales. Her car lands in a marsh and she is rescued by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales. Unsure what to make of her, he takes Meg with him as he deals with a rogue lord.

Along the way, Meg shares what she knows about Welsh history, particularly about Llywelyn’s betrayal and death 14 years later. As they spend more time together, they grow to care about each other and face various challenges together.

Review

It’s pretty obvious that Daughter of Time is a prequel. The story-line is weak (the main villain and conflict are unclear), there is very little character development (Meg doesn’t grow personally at all), and the secondary characters are insubstantial (it might have been easier to care for them if you had already read the main series).

Meg’s reaction to being in Medieval Wales is very believable. She initially distrusts the people around her and doesn’t immediately fall in love with her rescuer. She doesn’t magically understand the local language. However, she also doesn’t think much about her mother and sister at home; they must have been going mad worrying about her disappearing.

I had no idea what he’d said. Confused because his words were unintelligible, even as they tugged at my ear with familiar tones, I didn’t move or say anything, just stared. He tried again. I shook my head, uncertain.

He stayed relaxed, his hands at his sides and walked toward me, speaking a little louder, as if somehow that would help. I was desperately trying to make sense of what he was saying, but as he got closer, my breath rose in my chest until it choked me. He must have seen the fear in my face because he stopped, about three feet from the bed. I finally found my voice.

“What?” The words came out as little more than a squeak. “Who are you?” I dragged my eyes from his face and flashed them around the room again, seeking somewhere to run but no seeing anything but the long distance to the door and the man standing between it and me.

There were a few things that bothered me about Anna. For example, she seemed way too advanced for a 2-year-old; the sentences she uses are too complex. While I loved how everyone treated Anna (especially Llywelyn’s knights), it seemed like she was an extra character that was there because the author was stuck with her, not because she played any part in the story.

The ending made me want to scream. Meg’s return to the present is so sudden; it just happened. I’m not even sure if whatever story-arc the author was pursuing in the 13th century had a conclusion. I assume all the questions I was left with would be answered if I read the first book in the series.

Conclusion

Have you read Daughter of Time? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.

I got a copy of the eBook for free on Face Book (obviously the author giving away the prequel in order to get people hooked and buying the rest of the series); if you don’t mind eBooks, go see if you can find it.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Review: Into The Wilderness by Sara Donati

Review of Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati, an historical fiction novel set in late 18th century New York state.

Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati cover
Save Me on Pinterest!!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see our full disclosure for further information.

Synopsis

December 1792, Elizabeth joins her father at his home in the New York wilderness. She plans to start a school where she can teach all the local children. Despite her determination to remain single, her father has lined up a marriage for her with the local doctor.

Instead, she falls in love with Nathaniel Bonner, known to the local Indians as ‘Between-Two-Lives’ for the way he moves between the white and red worlds. In order to save the mountain the Bonners and their Mohawk family live on, Hidden Wolf, Elizabeth tricks her father and elopes with Nathaniel. What follows is an epic battle to keep what belongs to them and regain the good opinion of the local villagers.

Review

Into the Wilderness is often compared to Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. A brief appearance by Outlander’s characters was played upon by Donati’s publicist. I agree that this book would be enjoyed by Outlander fans. However, this book stands easily on its own merits and should not be avoided because the reader doesn’t like Outlander.

I found Into the Wilderness captivating. It is definitely the kind of book that I can disappear into and escape real life. The situations that the main characters find themselves in vary hugely, as do the settings, from Albany to a Mohawk village to the middle of the forest. The descriptions are superb; I really felt like I was a witness to 18th century New York.

The characters are all layered and well developed. Elizabeth is independent, tenacious, and brilliant. Throughout the book, we see her change significantly (as anyone would, going through what she does). She leans a lot and becomes more adaptable. Nathaniel is strong, manly, and lethal, but also loyal and tender towards his family. Even the minor characters have distinct personalities.

I really enjoyed how each character speaks differently. For example, Elizabeth has a very proper way of speaking, with perfect grammar and relatively sophisticated words. Nathaniel has a more informal manner, using words like aye and ain’t. Other characters’ speech suits their personalities and their role in the village/society. This makes the characters seem much more real.

Elizabeth turned her attention to her students. “I don’t recall giving permission for you to leave your seats. Please return to them at once.”

Sheepishly, with lingering last looks toward Liam, they retreated the way they had come. Elizabeth waited until she heard the door close and heard them talking inside the classroom behind her.

“What are you doing here, Liam?”

“Nothing,” he spat, earning a smart cuff above the ear from Nathaniel. “Oooww! What was that for?”

“For your sweet manners and courteous ways,” Nathaniel said. “Remember it.” Then he looked at Elizabeth. “It ain’t the first time. I was watching today because I saw his tracks here.”

There were several places where the names of some of the characters were a bit mixed up. For example, in one scene Elizabeth is teaching school and she checks “Ian Kirby’s” slate (page 726 in my copy). It’s obviously meant to be Ian McGarrity (there is a character called Liam Kirby, but based on context, it couldn’t be him). This really annoyed me, but I’ll get over it.

Conclusion

Have you read Into the Wilderness? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Review: Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon

Cross Stitch is the first book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series; historical fiction set in 18th century Scotland. Cross Stitch is also known as Outlander (it’s the same story, but published in the UK instead of the US).

Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon cover
Save Me on Pinterest!!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see our full disclosure for further information.

Synopsis

Claire is on holiday with her husband, Frank, in Scotland following World War 2. She walks through a circle of standing stones one day while picking flowers and finds herself in the 18th century.

To keep herself safe from her husband’s sadistic ancestor, she has to marry Jamie, a young highlander with an interesting history. Despite trying to keep some emotional distance between them, she finds herself falling for him, so much so that when she finally has a chance to return to Frank she decides to stay with Jamie.

They return together to Jamie’s family home but don’t get to spend much time as a happy married couple before Jamie is taken by the black watch. Claire has to search all over Scotland for him and save him from Frank’s sadistic ancestor.

Review

Love, love, love this book. I read it and re-read it and read my favourite bits over and over again and again. It was so engrossing. My first copy fell to pieces and my mum had to buy me a new one.

I was 15 when I first read Cross Stitch and Mum was unsure whether to let me. At first, it was because she remembered it having a lot of magic and witchcraft. After she read it again before giving it to me, her objection was based on the amount of sex portrayed. I didn’t have a problem with it; it wasn’t overly explicit and focused on feelings rather than actions.

The beginning was a bit slow (the first day of reading, I only made it to page 132 and had no trouble putting the book down). However, I learned a lot about Claire early in the book and there were scenes later on that were so much more interesting because I could link back to something that had happened earlier.

I loved how the traditional relationship roles are reversed in Jamie and Claire’s romance. Usually, the woman is the inexperienced virgin. However, here, Jamie is the inexperienced virgin and Claire is the experienced one. Also, Claire is four years older than Jamie, where men are usually older than their wife or girlfriend.

“Does it bother you that I’m not a virgin?” He hesitated a moment before answering.

“Well, no,” he said slowly, “so long as it doesna bother you that I am.” He grinned at my drop-jawed expression, and backed towards the door.

“Reckon one of us should know what they’re doing,” he said. The door closed softly behind him; clearly the courtship was over.

I absolutely loved the wedding, particularly the walk up to the chapel. ‘“I can’t marry you! I don’t even know your last name!”’ I found it hilarious that Claire ends up marrying Jamie in the same church she married Frank in. It’s one of those little things that isn’t crucial to the story but makes the reading experience so much more enjoyable.

While some characters did things that are completely unacceptable to a modern audience, they were still essentially good people and were acting as someone in that time and place would have acted. The exception to this is Captain Randall – he’s nasty, I hate him, but then we’re supposed to hate him. The only person (real or imaginary) I can think of who’s more sadistic than Randall is the Marquis of Sade, and sadism is named after him.

Conclusion

Have you read this Cross Stitch/Outlander? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said? Let me know in the comments.