Stormy Weather

Last week I finished 'The Angry Tide' by Winston Graham, the seventh Poldark novel.  Normally I'm a bit of a sucker for a good book cover, but for some reason I didn't pay much attention to this one. Wish I had as I'd have been much better prepared for this book's revelations...

'The Angry Tide'
by Winston Graham
(2008, Pan Macmillan)

It's the last years of the 1700s and still waters run deep for the Poldarks and Warleggans.  While both Ross and George appear prosperous and content, old rivalries continue to simmer beneath the surface and it's not long before they burst forth.  While the enduringly bitter George seizes chances to conspire and strike against the Poldarks and their associates, an opportunity of another kind may mean a ray of hope for the unrequited lovers Morwenna and Drake.  But best laid plans often go astray, especially in the storm ravaged Cornish peninsula...

I might be being a bit harsh, but I felt that 'The Angry Tide' took a while to get going, but once it did, boy did it go!  Winston Graham shows himself to be a master plotter, deftly setting the scene and building the tension before letting the deluge go.  I found this book almost impossible to put down, as wave after wave peaked and troughed until the story's devastating climax is reached.

Graham also shows himself to be an expert at the art of misdirection - just when I thought I knew which way things would go, the current took me elsewhere.

Along with the 'The Black Moon', I think this is the best of the series so far and that fans of historical fiction or family saga will love it too.  I can't wait to get started on 'The Stranger from the Sea' - but I think it'll have to wait until after the new BBC series!

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Ross Poldark
Demelza
Jeremy Poldark
Warleggan
The Black Moon
The Four Swans

Bred of Devon

I've always had a fondness for those books of local legends that you find in Tourist Information Centres across the UK. One of the best areas for such stories has to be the West Country, so during a recent trip I read 'Devonshire Folk Tales' by professional storyteller Michael Dacre.

'Devonshire Folk Tales' is a joyful romp through stories of yore from one of the country's most

'Devonshire Folk Tales'
by Michael Dacre
(History Press, 2010)

beautiful and boisterous counties.  From the giant origins of these lands to encounters with fairies good and bad, to the nefarious activities of wicked rogues and ghastly encounters with ghosts and ghouls, not to mention much mischief of a truly devilish sort, this short book covers a lot of ground without leaving the confines of this enchanting county.

The worry with reading a book like this is that it's possible to get swept up in it and begin to wonder what kind of superstitious back water you're going to find yourself paddling around in.  Fortunately, Dacre's tone remains mischievous throughout, managing to thrill rather than chill the reader.  No sleepless nights here, thank you!

The variety of topics is excellent, as is the passion with which the stories are told.  Dacre clearly loves both folk tales and the county that inspired them, not to mention the people that tell/told them.  Such hand-me-down myths and legends are a dialect all their own and should be treasured as much as any regional accent or words.  Through this book, Dacre preserves and shares not just the voices of generations long gone, but more recent enthusiasts and it's hard not to be swept up in the sense of community and fun that comes with such storytelling.

I would recommend 'Devonshire Folk Tales' for anyone who wants a locally themed book to dip into during their visit to the county.  It gives a glimpse beyond the stereotypical cream teas and buckets and spades to the character of an area that is so much more than a tourist trap.

Now, what next...

Suspicious Minds

I've finally got around to reading another book in Philippa Gregory's Cousins' War series, 'The White Princess'.  About time, I'm only about four books behind...

'The White Princess' sweeps the veil of Tudor propaganda aside and suggests an alternative story of the dynasty's founding couple, Henry VII, only child of the ambitious Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort, and Elizabeth of York, eldest daughter of the late King Edward IV and sister to the famed Princes in the Tower.  When her usurper uncle Richard III is defeated at the Battle of Bosworth Field, Elizabeth once again finds herself the unhappy victim of another dramatic change of circumstance, one of many that has seen the wheel of fortune turn her from princess to pauper and back again many times. With few options open to her, Elizabeth is forced to become a pawn in the power games between the new rulers and her mother, the widowed Elizabeth Woodville, While Henry VII and Margaret Beaufort weave a public story of strength, unity and authority, Elizabeth sees the threadbare truth of a family wracked with fear and eaten away by suspicion, a situation that reaches breaking point when a pretender marches on the kingdom claiming to be Elizabeth's missing younger brother, Richard of York...

The difficulty with Philippa Gregory is that all of her work is of such a consistently high standard that each book really has to work hard to stand out from the others.  I'll admit that I haven't enjoyed many in the Cousins' War series so far because I think they often suffer from two common historical novel issues.  Number one: if you have an aristocratic female lead, then they don't get to do much, which can get quite frustrating, especially if they don't hear about what's going on in the outside world through a spy network or letter writing relations.  Number two: the writer is constrained by having to hit certain known historical events to retain authenticity, but consequently loses some control over pace and don't have full creative freedom.  The minute a historical novelist of  Gregory's supreme talent is able to flex her muscles with a less well known historical figure, the difference is obvious and, for me, the results are always better.

The strength of 'The White Princess' is that it provides a different perspective on the traditional story of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.  Usually portrayed as the rather romantic way that the Wars of the Roses ended and a genuine love match, Gregory successfully suggests an alternative view that seems more plausible and reminds the reader not to take everything they think they know about the past for granted.

Overall, this is a worthy addition to the Cousins' War series of books and hasn't stopped me wanting to read more, but unlike 'The Other Boleyn Girl', 'The Other Queen' or 'The Lady of the Rivers', I doubt I'll want to read this again.

Now, what next...?

Related Posts

'The Lady of the Rivers' (Cousins' War Book I)
'The White Queen' (Cousins' War Book II)
'The Red Queen' (Cousins' War Book III)
'The Kingmaker's Daughter' (Cousins' War Book IV)

'The Virgin's Lover'
'The Other Queen'