A Crowning Achievement

Firstly, an apology.  I meant to have published this blog post by now, but unfortunately I caught one of the many bugs going around at the moment, so I've been out of action for a while.  Hope you can forgive me and that this was worth the wait!

Late last year, the lovely people at Bantam Press kindly sent me a copy of 'The Shogun's Queen', the latest novel in the Shogun Quartet by Lesley Downer, a story of women, politics and change in 19th century Japan.

'The Shogun's Queen'
by Lesley Downer
(Bantam Press, 2016)

Growing up in rural Japan, the daughter of a minor Samurai nobleman, Okatsu, learns to be bold, clever and headstrong at a time when girls should be meek, polite and obedient, much to the despair of her mother.  But, unknown to Okatsu, the qualities that make her different from other women will also set her on a unique path that will make her a vital player in a complex game of politics and power.  Her feudal lord, Shimazu Nariakira, Prince of Satsuma and second in power only to the Shogun himself, plans to make her central to a plot to bring about much needed change in a country that is struggling to find its place in the modern world.  As ships arrive from Holland and America, bringing traders who demand more and more from the ancient and very private culture, Okatsu finds she must sacrifice the life she knew in order to ensure the survival of the country she loves...

I have to be honest and say that I didn't take to Okatsu - or Princess Atsu as she's more frequently called in the book - straight away, but it wasn't really her fault.  The trouble is that headstrong, fiery yet beautiful female characters seem a bit of cliche and there's part of me that wants to hear about the ugly people!  But I was determined to stick with her and I'm glad that I did.  This is a story of perspectives (particular of insiders and outsiders) and as Downer takes us with Atsu on her journey to the Women's Palace, we see her vulnerabilities as well as her strengths.  I felt for her as she struggled with the demands of Lord Nariakira, etiquette and her own desires, finding excuses as well as untapped sources of strength as she matures into the queen of the title.  By the end of the novel, she was a person, not a cliche and I was sorry to leave her.

I've said before that I prefer historical stories of political intrigue over romance, and 'The Shogun's Queen' stuck the right chord for me.  There was enough emotion to make Atsu relatable and human and enough plotting and competing motivations to keep it interesting.  It read like the best books by Philippa Gregory and I feel that fans of Gregory would very much enjoy 'The Shogun's Queen'.

While Gregory's work is firmly rooted in her excellent knowledge of English history, Downer's superlative knowledge of Japanese culture gives 'The Shogun's Queen' wonderful depth and texture.  Once again she performs the perfect balancing act, giving us enough information so we can inhabit Atsu's world but without overwhelming the reader and distracting from the story being told.  The beautiful fabrics, ever changing landscapes, labyrinthine buildings, formalised speech, delicate foodstuffs - all combine to give us a three dimensional world that's easy to slip in to.

'The Shogun's Queen' features an interesting cast of characters, but once we're secluded in the Women's Palace, it's the Lady Dowager Honju-in, the Shogun's mother, who dominates.  Talk about the mother-in-law from Hell!  Representing an unsustainable desire to resist change and using every devious trick she's got to keep her power and influence, Lady Honju-in is a fantastic villain, the perfect contrast to the naive and uncertain Atsu.

I'd thoroughly recommend this book to any fans of historical fiction looking for something set outside of the UK.  To be honest, I'm a bit sick of stories about the Tudors, so this was perfect for me - the same high quality, but telling me about a time and a place I knew little about.  Downer skilfully crafts Atsu's story, wearing her knowledge lightly and offering a new perspective on a fascinating culture.  I'm really looking forward to reading other books in the series.

Now, what next...!