Rizzio by Denise Mina - Historical Fiction
Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month for February 2022
Longlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2022
I read this one in February. It is a fictionalised account of a real event that took place in Edinburgh in March of 1566. In the review I wrote at the time, I described it as: "a delightful little book (in which) Mina gets deep inside the minds of each of the participants, analysing their motives, their opinions of the other protagonists, friend and foe alike. The sights, sounds and odours of Holyrood Palace, and the city beyond its walls, bring the events to life, playing out on the cinema screen in the reader's head. But this is not a wide screen battle raging across a landscape. This is mayhem within the confines of a brick and stone palace, poorly lit by flickering candles as befits so dark a sequence of events. Outside, crowds gather. A patrol of city guards and militiamen try to investigate sounds suggestive of a disturbance, but are assured that there is nothing for them to be concerned about."
I went on to conclude that it is: "A book to rival many an acknowledged masterpiece (and a) masterful foray into historical writing (by an award winning crime writer.)"
Revenge by Rebecca Bryn - Historical Fiction
https://www.amazon.com/Revenge-England-Scotland-rivalry-retribution-ebook/dp/B09VCRJSDQ
A book from an author I admire enormously. I read an early draft in January/February. Like Rizzio it is based on real events, also centred on Edinburgh, where, in 1697/8, a plan was hatched to establish a Scottish colony in South America. Much of the action is played out at sea. I found the descriptions of several voyages by two different protagonists, both narrated in first person, more than a little confusing. The final section of an over-long book was, however, as I said in my review published in March, where "Bryn's talent really shows. As one of the protagonists faces a series of fake charges which, if proven, carry the death sentence, tension is skilfully built to a climax. Here, the three different strands are brought together in a triumphant crescendo of masterful writing."
Raleigh by Tony Riches - Historical biography
https://www.tonyriches.com/elizabethan-series
Read and reviewed in June. I found it to be meticulously researched and that it carefully avoids the myths and legends that surround the Elizabethan adventurer. What we get instead is a portrait of the man and his career. One of the myths that Riches destroys is that Raleigh was Queen Elizabeth's favourite. On the contrary, he is constantly disappointed at her rejection of his plans and her preferment of others, especially Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex and, later, Robert Cecil.
In this interpretation of Raleigh's life he comes across as a man not unlike a modern entrepreneur: able to persuade others to invest in his adventures on the promise of excellent returns, equally able to delegate responsibility for the management of his estates and other enterprises to others.
I also suggested that the simplicity of Riches's style, when compared to some others, makes the stories he tells accessible to a much wider readership. It is a reason he has earned the accolade as Amazon best selling author, why his blog has over a million views and his podcasts 150,000 downloads.
The Last Train by Peter Bradley - History
https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/the-last-train-a-family-history-of-the-final-solution-peter-bradley?variant=39545616334926
Sub-titled "A Family History of the Final Solution", I read this book in July and wrote a review in August. Among other things, I said: "The book is peppered throughout with the testimony of survivors but also with extracts from correspondence between German officials. Correspondence which leaves no doubt about the enthusiasm with which the officers in charge of the occupation viewed their task - the elimination of Jews from Europe.
There is, too, an exploration of the thousand year history of anti-Semitism in Britain and Europe. Bradley reminds us that Jews were banned from the British Isles for 300 years in the Middle Ages."
Referring to his father, Bradley tells us: "In later life, musing on the reasons for the acquiescence of ordinary Germans to the ostracisation and ultimate murder of Jews, he posed the question: 'If Hitler had persecuted only Gypsies, how many of us would have stuck our necks out to show kindness to them?'
For Bradley, part of the answer is that 'In the events of our own time, we are all perpetrators, or bystanders, or victims or resisters, or perhaps more than one at once. The question is which of these roles do we choose for ourselves? This is a choice we have to make.' He concludes that "From beneath the indifferent pines of Latvia, my grandfather and grandmother and all those buried with them cry out: 'choose reason, choose justice, choose humanity.'"
The Trial of Lotta Rae by Siobhan MacGowan - Historical Fiction
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-trial-of-lotta-rae/siobhan-macgowan/9781787397316
Read and reviewed in September, Siobhan MacGowan's masterpiece combines an homage to the suffragette movement with a passionate anti-war message and a lament for the absence of justice for those who lack power. It is also a compelling exploration of the corrosive effect of guilt, not only on the guilty but on those they love.
It is not always easy to read, often harrowing in its descriptions of the brutal treatment meted out to hunger striking women and the horrors of trench warfare. But there are lighter moments, too, not least in the delightful episodes featuring Lotta's child.
MacGowan's debut is an experience that stays with you long after you first encounter it. Although set more than a century ago, it has important messages for today. In Western democracies we take universal suffrage for granted but there are many parts of the world in which it is absent. Current events in Iran being only the most recent reminder of this fact. In many places justice remains hard to achieve for those who do not have the luxury of friends in high places. Despite the lives lost in the "war to end wars", the many conflicts that have taken place since, and the billions of dollars expended on increasingly complex defence systems, war remains an ever present blight on humanity.
We rely on writers like McGowan to remind us of these truths.
The Invincible Miss Cust by Penny Haw - Historical Biography
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-invincible-miss-cust-penny-haw/1140788896
Read and reviewed in October, this book tells the story of Aleen Cust, the first female vet to practice in Britain and Ireland. In this meticulously researched novel her story has been brought brilliantly to life by South African writer Penny Haw.
Ms Haw's portrait of a strong woman with a soft centre makes it a compelling narrative. It is most emotionally engaging when dealing with the sometimes tempestuous relationship between the aristocratic, protestant, Ms Cust and her Roman Catholic professional partner William Byrne. Equally impressive, and often comedic, are her encounters with clients who doubt her ability. She simply takes charge, enlists the help of her detractor and proves by example that their prejudice is misplaced.
Give Us This Day by Rebecca Bryn - Historical Fiction
https://www.amazon.com/Give-Us-This-Day-Merthyr-ebook/dp/B0BM81S8HJ
Another work based on real events, this time in South Wales in 1831 when iron workers rose against their employers and were confronted by armed military. The setting, the hills and valleys around Merthyr Tydfil, is well realised, especially the contrast between the unspoilt high tops and the grime of the valleys desecrated by mining and iron working as the industrial revolution took hold.
The book opens with scenes which set the historical context: the history of mining and iron making in South Wales, the exploitation of labour through the truck system which restricted the ability of workers to spend their earnings other than in company sponsored businesses.
Also clearly evident is the importance of religion, especially Methodism, with the central character a newly appointed minister. His relationship with his wife, a midwife, and their children is established early on, as is the hardship experienced by members of his flock.
The seething anger of the workers prepares us for the events that reached a climax in the summer of 1831. These events have been well researched and skilfully retold with the minister taking on the role of mediator, enabling the fears and prejudices of both sides to be thoroughly explored.
After my disappointment with this author's Revenge at the start of the year, Give Us This Day, published on 1st December, was a welcome return to form for an author who has set out, through several outstanding novels, to highlight the suffering inflicted on the majority of our ancestors by the industrial revolution, and the struggles they underwent in pursuit of decent living conditions and the right to vote.
As her many readers have come to expect, there are many beautifully realised scenes that are by turns, tragic, comic and heart-warming. Here is another Rebecca Bryn masterpiece, making an important contribution to our understanding of the sacrifices made by ordinary folk that gained for us the rights we all too easily take for granted.