Book review : Cup of Blood by Jeri Westerson

Cup of Blood
Crispin Guest Book #7
Medieval noir by Jeri Westerson
Actually a prequel of book #1

My rating: ★★★★★
4.5 rounded up to 5 stars.

Installment #7 in the amazing ( at least to me ) Crispin Guest medieval mystery series, which offers action, adventure, suspense, historical characters and legends and even a pinch of wisdom and good feelings.

It's actually the real episode #1, in fact it is a leap back in time, when former knight Crispin Guest first meets his future apprentice Jack Tucker in 1384 London.

However, the author immediately explains in the introduction, that this was her first novel in the series, but the publishers didn't accepted it because the same theme was already covered by another book that was highly publicized at that time and so the series began with Veil of Lies.


____ THE PLOT___ 1384, London.
Little Jack Tucker is a twelve year old, without a family, who has been living on the streets since he was only 8.
Jack sleeps wherever he can and survives thanks to his lively intelligence and by being a cutpurse.
Just when he pickpockets a handful of customers in a tavern, among them he finds one who is the classic type who "can't be fooled": Crispin Guest, a former knight, deprived of title, lands and knighthood and estranged from court for treason.
Crispin chases Jack, catches him and instead of showing himself arrogant and merciless like many others, he gives Jack the opportunity to redeem himself, returning the stolen property and promising never to do it again.
One of those robbed at the tavern turns out to be a corpse who died from poisoning.
Crispin, also known as the Tracker, the one who finds things (and/or people and unravels mysteries), begins to try to see clearly and is then hired by various people to find a legendary and very precious object connected to the dead man.
Jack, who wants nothing more than to sleep in a safe place and has never known goodness and kindness, has immediately become fond of Crispin and will insist on staying with him until even the Tracker decides within him that all in all he reciprocates the affection by Jack.

________________

I was very pleased to find Jack as a child, with all his spontaneity and desire to please the one he considers his mentor and in a certain sense his hero.
---> ACTUALLY, AFTER FINISHED READING THIS PREQUEL, I thought it was good, both for me as a reader, but also for the author's success, to start the series with Veil of Lies and the next 5 books , because this one, despite containing all the elements that I usually love in this series, is a little weaker in each of those aspects, which in the other books are more emphasized and which have a greater emotional impact on the reader (certainly on myself ).
I could therefore say: a good read, but less impressive than the other books.

If I hadn't read the previous books (which would actually be the following ones) I wouldn't have been able to appreciate this one, which in reality doesn't shed much light on the unfortunate story that led to Crispin's removal from the court of Richard II, nor on the emotional drama that he lives internally and that constantly conditions his work, his days, his relationships with other people, especially those from his past.

WHAT I LOVE IN THIS SERIES and WHAT I USUALLY FIND IN EACH BOOK is:

- The fast-paced pace at which the story unfolds, the unexpected twists that always change the perspective of things, continuously alternating the possible culprits between the various suspects, who are usually always at least four or five or even more.
I love the right mix between adventure and action scenes ( so well detailed in every shot and movement that it feels like watching a movie) and moments of inner reflection that are still valid and applicable to today's world;

I ALSO REALLY LOVE THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS:

- A 30 years old fascinating hero, but not without flaws and weaknesses, whose best quality is knowing how to make his sense of justice and honor prevail even when he would like to abandon himself to different and more convenient solutions.
The fact that he is a flawed hero, sometimes a little too self-pitying, with a penchant for wine and beautiful, winking women(who also often clouds his judgment) makes him less fictional and more real.
After all although in life experiences he can consider himself a mature man, he still has all the impetuosity and passion of a young man.

- A second main character who is none other than another hero in a small format whose genuineness and joy of living, given from a young age, manages to balance the bitterness and disillusionment that we find in the adult Crispin (due to his bad life experiences in the last 7 years ).
His witty and sometimes ironic jokes in an almost irreverent way towards Crispin and his women of the moment, lighten even the most dramatic situations and give an air of pleasant freshness.
His considerations, always made immediately and without mincing words, sometimes reverse the situation between him and Crispin: Jack becomes the wise adult and Crispin the child who has to review his behavior... It's very funny!

Crispin and Jack are like two sides of the same coin.
They live in the same world of poverty, cold and hunger, hard and heartless characters and only a few others who are charitable and yet their visions of life and the world are starkly opposite: Crispin always sees the glass half empty regretting the past and Jack always sees it half full appreciating every little good thing that comes his way.

I love their partnership because they complement each other and each of them gives something to the other: Crispin helps Jack grow with honesty and courage and teaching him a sense of honor as well as reading and writing, giving him what is most similar to a father's affection (in the course of the books) and for his part the child reciprocates with deep affection and devotion, not only getting him out of trouble more than once, but also helping him find his self-esteem, making him understand, in his naive ways and with his words of a street child, that even if the material goods in Crispin's life have changed and no longer have the same value, the value of his person has not changed at all.
As with Crispin, it is easy for all of us to fall into self-pity and consider ourselves failures. People like Jack help us look at ourselves in the mirror with more forgiving eyes, rediscovering the desire to start from scratch, with the means we have and what we are, in that moment.


___ THE MYSTERY TO SOLVE ____
Usually the mystery in each book concerns both a historical or legendary object (usually sacred relics to which particular powers are attributed or parchments whose lines can evoke monsters of ancient popular beliefs) and one or more murders that occur in relation to the wanted object.

Everything always starts out quite simply, but the more Crispin searches for the truth the more complicated things become, involving many characters, including real-life characters.

Except for book 3, the details of the murders are never described in a gruesome way, but they are certainly more detailed than in this first book and have much more weight on the whole story.
:-) Every time the culprit is unexpected!

___ HISTORICAL CHARACTERS, HISTORY AND LEGENDS ___
In all the books I read before this one, together with the fictional characters we find various historical figures who are not merely mentioned, but are cleverly inserted into the story with actions and dialogues and sometimes even participating in the investigations or being suspected of being the culprits.

Even with regards to historical details and popular beliefs regarding certain myths and objects, the author provides us with many interesting notions, both during the course of the story and in the afterword.


___ MEDIEVAL LONDON'S ATMOSPHERE___
The dark descriptions of medieval London are so vivid , almost real with its bad smells near the River Thames, its infamous neighborhoods in contrast with the pomp of the court, the terror that the cells of Newgate, the prison, aroused in Jack and also in Crispin who had been tortured there, the continuous humidity of the air and the cold that penetrates mercilessly through the layers of worn and patched clothes....
I ALWAYS FELT LIKE DIRECTLY TRANSPORTED TO THE PLACE!


:-( WHAT WORKED A LITTLE LESS IN THIS BOOK:

----> MYSTERY: not only did I understand who the murderer was before Crispin did, but sometimes it almost seems that the murder takes a back seat and the emphasis is more on the reappearance of the Templars (while the history books tell us that they had been massacred and the order eliminated 75 years before), on the search for the Holy Grail and above all on the hunger for power and greed of the various characters (as well as Crispin's gluttony due to the effect of women on him).

---> BACKGROUND : Although here too the busy comings and goings of the traders are described, the smoky and dark atmosphere of the tavern, the biting cold... in the books written later (but published previously) the author dedicates herself a little more meticulously to the surroundings and atmosphere descriptions.

---> HISTORICAL PART AND LEGENDS ___ in this episode we have a fiction within fiction: we return to the pursuit of the Holy Grail inspired by the poem Parzival by the German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach.
The return of the Templars thanks to the trick of a "secret and never made public pardon" by Pope Clement V (which, thanks to the Vatican's discoveries in 2002, seems to have actually happened) is certainly interesting, but unlike the other books, here we go less in depth regarding the historical facts and also the myth of the Holy Grail, not much is said, as I have already said, the story focuses more on the lust for power and the corruptibility of people, even those animated by the best resolutions.

---> TIME INCONSISTENCY : Considering book #1 Veil of Lies is set in 1383 and that this episode is the prequel to that book, it cannot be set in 1384 as stated in the first line of the first chapter.
For me it's not a problem, because I give more value to the content of books than to an oversight... but for the most fussy it can be strange.

CONCLUSION:

__ Did I enjoy reading the book? YES very much,
every time I read a book in this series it's like meeting two dear friends that I adore, in fact I consider the sexy Crispin my medieval boyfriend.
Once I have finished all 15 books, I will happily reread them a second and third time.

However the books written later (but published before) have a stronger and more engaging emotional impact in all aspects and book #1 Veil of Lies deserves to be in place #1 because it is the one that best defines the characters, their soul and the whole situation.

__ Readable as a standalone? Yes, there are no cliffhangers,
but the story is certainly more enjoyable if you read at least numbers 1 and 2 first.

__ Clean language.

__ Crispin spends the night with a woman and then there are a couple of kisses, but no descriptions.

__ No gruesome details about the deaths.

Considering the last 3 points, this is (so far) the only Crispin mystery that isn't a cozy mystery, but comes close.

Thank you for reading my opinion and please be patient with my English, it is not my native language.

------> Each book is readable as a standalone, but if you read them in order your enjoyment will be doubled !

If you want to know more about PREVIOUS BOOKS, you can read my reviews here :

BOOK #1 "Veil of Lies"

BOOK #2 "Serpent in the Thorns"

BOOK #3 "The Demon's Parchment"

BOOK #4 "Troubled Bones"

BOOK #5 "Blood Lance"

BOOK #6 "Shadow of the Alchemist"


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Book review : Vienna Wolfe by Mary Lancaster

Vienna Dawn
by Mary Lancaster
The Imperial Season book #4

My rating: ★★★★★
Actually 4.5 rounded up to 5 stars.

Very short story but very nice clean romance.

____ THE PLOT ___ 1814, Vienna.
Colonel Francis Wolfe, military hero and unexpectedly new Earl of Warenton after the recent death of his brother, is ready to do his duty and marry a woman, his equal, who would be the perfect Countess of Warenton to present to the world.
Too bad that the beautiful Sylvia Renleigh is also a cold and calculating girl that he would never want in his bed, in any case not after meeting the sweet, lively and spontaneous French refugee Elise.
Elise de Sancerre, like many French nobles, now finds herself in a situation of extreme poverty, tyrannized by Sylvia and her mother.
Thanks to a rescue from an injury and a masquerade ball, the flame of true love will prevail over every convention and hypocrisy of the aristocracy.
_________________

This is installment #4 in a series named "The Imperial Season".
I adored the first 3 books in the series ( all rated 5 stars by me ), all with a usual book length , all readable as standalone but all connected one to each other not only by the setting but also through the characters, so they're more enjoyable if you read them starting with book 1.

----> This is definitely a STANDALONE .

When I saw this one was only a short story, with the same setting ( 1814 Congress of Vienna ), but not linked to the others, I don't know why, but I felt so disappointed that I put it aside.
I also decided not to read it at all... until yesterday, when I needed something short to read, something not very demanding but which made me dream a little.
WELL, I LOVED IT !!
SO BAD IT'S TOO SHORT !! (That's why I consider it only 4.5 and not really 5 full stars )


____ THE HEROINE, Elise, 26 years old, is dreamy and spontaneous, just like many of us, when we imagine that the man of our dreams will finally come to take us away on his white horse.
She says what she thinks before even considering that perhaps it is not covered by the rules of etiquette and is so humble that she doesn't think for a moment that her dream could really come true.
... Do you know? It sometimes happens that the heroines of novels are too sweet, too beautiful and desired by everyone, too humble, too good, too this and too that... I LIKE ELISE, I find her pleasant in everything, and she deserves to be happy!

____ THE HERO, Francis is the soldier who never thought about marriage, he enjoyed the good life with women, he always held the military corps in high regard and less the civilian world, but he is a kind, intelligent and sometimes playful man.
Maybe now, at 38, he finally wants to settle down, but not out of calculation... he realizes that he wants a bond made of love.

___ KISSING AND ROMANTIC SCENES ___
This is a short story, so there isn't enough, but the two scenes (the central one and the final one) with kisses first stolen, then sweet, then passionate, their making love and the words he says to her, they are very beautiful and very sweet.

Dear Mrs. Lancaster, why didn't you write a book instead of a short story?
I loved it but it's too short!
Dear writer, you are one of my favourites, so I ask you:
Please, could you write a series with these two characters together, who, even if they are now married, have wonderful adventures (and perhaps investigations) in every book of the series?
A bit similar to Crime and Passion series, but without changing couples every time, focus on the love story of these two! I would be so happy !
... I know you won't read the review, I know you won't please me, but I tried anyway!

Thanks to all for reading my opinion and please forgive any errors you can find in my text, English is not my mother language.

READ ALSO "The Imperial Season" BOOK #1 - BOOK #2 - BOOK #3:
#1 Vienna Waltz
#2 Vienna Woods
#3 Vienna Dawn

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Book review : Petteril's Thief by Mary Lancaster

Petteril's Thief
by Mary Lancaster
Lord Petteril Mysteries series book #1

My rating: ★★★☆☆
3 full stars, which bodes well for the next books in the series

I couldn't get into it until after 50% through the book.

This is a long short-story ( only 157 pages ) and I know that I always find short story unsatisfying ( except those by Agatha Christie ), because there's no enough time to develop characters making them impressive and then the topic ( be it a mystery or a romance ) is always solved very fast without many details.

However after the first half of the book there has been an unexpected twist that finally took my attention and being this the book #1 in a series, I suppose all characters and events will get more interesting and captivating in the following short books.

____ THE PLOT ____  
In the spring of 1812, Piers Withan is dragged from his beloved Oxford to be the new Viscount Petteril.
Burdened by responsibilities he doesn’t want and the remnants of a family who don’t want him, he is saved from an irredeemable mistake by Ape, the small thief burgling his house.

The former Viscountess Petteril, Piers' aunt and wife of the late Lord, is now looking for an important family heirloom, a gold necklace with rubies that has disappeared.
However, the necklace was not among Ape's stolen goods, so who was it?
Are the culprits other criminals or someone within the greedy and indebted family?

---->  clean language
---->  suitable for cozy mystery lovers and young adult mystery lovers

_____________________________


____ ABOUT THE MYSTERY ____
the mystery is really light and not at all challenging, which is obvious in a short story, however there could have been a little suspense at least for two or three pages.
Usually this disappoints me, but the writer concentrated a pinch of suspense on another topic:
the private sphere of the characters and therefore I never thought of abandoning the book, I wanted to know the solution to "their problem"!

____ ABOUT THE CHARACTERS ____ 
I suspect Mary Lancaster was inspired by a classical mystery, none other than "These Old Shades" by Georgette Heyer, but while I didn't like that book, I've found the same topic here interesting, but I need to use a spoiler to better explain :
___ WARNING: SPOILER____ As in Heyer's book, a rich nobleman finds a boy living on the streets, takes him home and takes care of him by giving him a job on his staff.
In the course of the story the boy turns out to be a young woman, who, having lived for many years as someone of the male sex, no longer wants to go back to living with a feminine lifestyle, made up of clothes with petticoats and a bodice and behaviors more suited to the female sex (as well as different types of tasks within a staff of servants).
-----> While in Heyer's book I couldn't stand the girl, because she was in love and obsessed with her savior and I couldn't stand the fact that despite the huge age difference, they eventually became a couple, in Lancaster's book the girl feels grateful and attracted to her savior , but not in an obsessive and mean way towards the other characters.
Furthermore, the age difference here is acceptable, given that Petteril is also a young man and above all he is a lovable and kind-hearted guy. ___SPOILER END ____

As I have already said, the characters do not have much chance of being well developed in short stories, but Mrs. Lancaster, the author, managed to define each of them so well with just a few descriptive traits (of their way of being and thinking). This is what convinced me to continue with the story, also wanting to read the next books...
I have read several books by Mary Lancaster, I usually love her writing style and I know she will manage to develop the characters and their backgrounds, book by book, making them more and more interesting.

__ THE MAIN CHARACTER ____ Piers Withan, the knew LORD PETTERIL:
what I like about him is the fact that not being destined to inherit the title, he was able to follow his nature as a lover of books, dedicating himself to study and teaching.
However we discover that he is not just a bookworm, but having grown up with a brother and two older cousins, he has learned to defend himself both verbally and physically.

He is an intelligent and kind young man ( handsome too ) and relates to his new staff in a very friendly way, offering to help them with "a certain thing" in which humble people at that time were usually lacking (find out by reading the book!)

___ THE SECOND MAIN CHARACTER __ APE, the young thief and street urchin:
despite having to look after himself from an early age, stealing under the directives of dangerous criminals, we immediately see his desire to have an honest life.
This character immediately won me over for his inner wisdom despite his young age and will be the character who will give you the most surprises in this first book and in the next one and perhaps even the ones after (yes, I have already peeked into the plots of the back covers !! )

___THE OTHER SIDE CHARACTERS __
some amiable and some unbearable, but I'll be happy to meet them all again in the next Petteril's adventures.
humor and ironic jokes !
What I usually like in cozy mysteries, where obviously the mystery is light and the suspense is minimal, is the humorous atmosphere that usually permeates the whole story: funny moments, ironic jokes every now and then... that playfulness , which makes the reader smile and laugh and keeps him glued to the book because he is having fun, even though there is no complicated puzzle and no love story.
So: no complicated mysteries, no love stories (but who knows in the future...), no humour.
This explains my miserable 3 star-rating.
I'm confident though, the series will improve.

THANKS FOR READING my opinion and please be lenient with my English, it's not my mother tongue.

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Book review : A Hussar's Promise by Griffin Brady

A Hussar's Promise
The Winged Warrior #2
by Griffin Brady

GENRE: Historical adventure romance My rating: ★★★★★
💖🏰⚔ Again 5 full stars really well deserved !

This is book 2 in The Winged Warrior series and just like the first one, it has been a wonderful gripping reading !

____ THE PLOT IN SHORT ___ Kingdom of Poland, about 1614.
The story of book #2 begins with Jacek Dąbrowski, captain of winged hussars, guarding a fortress on the border of the Kingdom of Poland, in a place that seems forgotten by God.
The truth is that Lord Eryk, once his commander, mentor and friend, married, under coercion, the woman Jacek loves and exiled him to keep him away.
Lady Oliwia is now the lady of the castle and lives among luxury and privileges, but far from the only man she has always loved, she feels deeply unhappy.
Fate, with the work of some very evil people, shuffles the cards... Jacek and Oliwia seem to have another chance... but here mocking fate and the wickedness of the villains come back into play...
_____________________________

While sequels sometimes prove disappointing, approaching this one, I had full faith in the author's abilities.
I was already completely invested in the story of the two main characters ( after "THE HEART OF A HUSSAR", read my REVIEW HERE) and I couldn't wait to see how it continued, as the first book ends on a huge cliffhanger.

This book could perhaps also be read as a standalone, it is fully enjoyable equally, BUT I ADVISE YOU, OR BETTER I BEG YOU TO READ BOOK 1 FIRST, not only because this will give you the opportunity to have a broader vision of the whole story and understand better every ongoing situation, but because you will be able to enjoy a thousand times more all the beautiful moments and all the wonderful love scenes that this sequel offers.

__THE ROMANTIC PART AND LOVEMAKING SCENES __
The first part of the book, in fact, is largely dedicated to the feeling of love, passion, devotion and making love.
The descriptions are extensive, but never vulgar and give the reader all the intensity that two lovers experience in their intimacy.
Everything is written so well that we can feel the heartbeat of Jacek and Oliwia, the thrill of their passion and the happiness that explodes inside their soul.
I admit that I never wanted to leave those chapters and I put many bookmarks, to reread those pages in the next few days!

Reading book 1 will also allow you to understand how strong Jacek's will is to overcome the thousand vicissitudes and adventures that will involve him in the second half of this book.

When I say that the story is "compelling", I am not exaggerating at all, the pace of the book is fast, at times almost frenetic and will drag you into a vortex of twists and turns that will keep you in suspense: bloody battles, ravenous plots on the part of greedy enemies, traitors and murderers and a psychopath killer, daring escapes and a long journey worthy of Ulysses' Odyssey.
With each chapter I longed for the solution to all the problems, I turned the pages reading avidly and just when I glimpsed the light at the end of the tunnel, the author managed to make me jump again.

___ ACTION, ADVENTURE and SCENES SO VIVID THEY APPEAR REAL ___ 
I don't know how, living in our times and not using images from a film, an author manages to describe fight scenes in such a vivid and detailed way, complete with all the thoughts and emotions that the characters are going through at that moment.
I believe that in addition to in-depth historical knowledge, it takes a great talent to be able to convey to the reader not only the scene, but all the sensations, positive and negative, that derive from it and I can say with certainty that the author, Mrs. Griffin Brady possesses both qualities (historical knowledge and talent in writing), because now I feel not as if I had seen a film at the cinema, but more: as if I myself had experienced every situation together with Jacek, savoring the fatigue, the fear , anguish, resilience, strength, anger, hope, jealousy, uncertainty and finally happiness.
Oliwia is no exception, she too will have to overcome unexpected and very difficult tests, which will bring out the strong woman within her and which, instead of sinking her, will make her increasingly combative and resolute.

Even the background where the scenes take place are described in an excellent manner with details that not only help us reconstruct the scene in our mind's eye, but we are able to perceive the smells, the sounds, the contact with the body, the lights, the shadows and all the sensations that come from them.
I have sometimes read books in which the overly long and detailed descriptions bored me or exasperated me, well, this is not the case.
---> The writer's style is fluent and engaging, to the point that now that I have finished the book, I already feel nostalgic for the characters and their adventures.


_____ CHARACTERS___ 
Book #1 begins with 22-year-old Jacek and 15-year-old Oliwia.
The story takes place over 4 years in which the protagonists grow not only in age but also through difficult experiences and sacrifices.
In this book we find them decidedly matured, more aware of their feelings and their goals.
Now both have the chance to take control of their destiny, but nothing will be easy and within reach, in fact evil people and traps continually hinder their happiness.
Only great willpower and the deep love that unites them will lead to a happy ending.
Of course there are also light moments, in which I love the exchanges halfway between jealousy and playfulness.

I love the 2 main characters and I love their friends too:

_ Henryk, Jacek's best friend, charming and a great lover of all women, but with a heart of gold.
I laughed every time he gets too close to Oliwia and Jacek wants to strangle him and yes, a couple of times I wanted to strangle him too, but in the end he always proves to be a deeply devoted and sincere friend.

_ Jacek's soldier-brothers, who make us breathe feelings of brotherhood, loyalty, camaraderie with funny teasing and laughter, but also sharing pain and mutual help in hard times.

_ I also really liked other supporting characters such as Oliwia's brother, who can't wait to grow up and become a soldier.
The faithful cook with a soft spot for Jacek, the good priest, Oliwia's personal maid... each of them contributes to creating a welcoming atmosphere in stark contrast to the villains always lurking and ready to strike treacherously.

__ A FICTION SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE? ___
Connecting to the villains just mentioned, it must be said that we are dealing with a disgusting slime-ball and a psychopathic serial killer.
There are not only deaths in battle, but a real premeditated murder and other perverse attitudes, which, although described without going into exaggeratedly gruesome details, could perhaps trouble the most sensitive souls.
So I would say readable for ages 16 and up.
_ The language is clean, the author manages to convey the idea of the contemptuous attitudes of rough and nasty big men, without actually using vulgar swear words.
I really appreciated it !!


___ The WINGED HUSSARS and the HISTORICAL PART ___
The main characters and their story are naturally the fruit of the author's imagination, but the wonderful heavy cavalry of the Winged Hussars really existed.
They were all nobles, trained in the use of many weapons since they were children. Many battles mentioned by the author and some character names were equally real.



----> THE LAYOUT OF BIASKA CASTLE is inspired by real castles (of which the ruins remain) Castle in the Eagles' Nest and Bobolice Castle ( look at the pictures below ).
---> At the end of the book you will find a small guide to real events and historical figures, castles and places.





---> You will also find a small dictionary for the weapons and type of clothing of the time and a small guide to the pronunciation of names and words in the original language.
---> ON THE AUTHOR'S WEBSITE (www.griffin-brady.com) you will also find a blog with many interesting articles about the glorious history of the Kingdom of Poland in the 17th century, the historical events that made it powerful and about the Hussars.
____________

Thanks for reading my opinion. English is not my mother tongue so I hope I have still managed to express my thoughts effectively and have done justice to both the beautiful novel and the talented writer.
I will definitely also read book #3 of the series, even if I will take a short break of about ten days to enjoy the happy ending a little longer, before diving back into the obstacle-filled adventures of our two favorites.

THE PREQUEL :
BOOK #1 "THE HEART OF A HUSSAR", read my REVIEW HERE

Follow me if you also want to read the review of book #3.
And here is the beautiful Jacek of my mind ( the beauty of books is also being able to imagine the faces of the characters ;-), none other than the handsome Henry Cavill (here very young in The Tudors)




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Book review : The Heart of a Hussar by Griffin Brady

The Heart of a Hussar
The Winged Warrior #1
by Griffin Brady

My rating: ★★★★★
😃A wonderful read: 5 full stars so well deserved !

It's an amazing historical fiction. An adventure romance so very compelling and I really think it's the best novel I read so far this year.

I would like to start by saying that I usually choose shorter novels (around 300 pages or a little more), but the setting, different from the usual, immediately attracted me and if at the beginning I started reading the first sentences, with the fear that I would bored because it was too long and too different from my usual readings ( historical mysteries and clean romances), I have to tell you that I was involved in the story from the very first page to the last one!

____ THE PLOT IN SHORT __ Muscovy, 1610.
Jacek Dąbrowski is a twenty-two-year-old Polish nobleman, cavalry officer of the legendary Winged Hussars, who dreams of gaining land possessions thanks to his valor and military merits.
One day, during a military campaign on Muscovite soil, then an enemy of Poland, he saves fifteen-year-old Oliwia and her little brother from the clutches of soldiers who were looting and razing a village to the ground.

Since the two young people are without parents and relatives, Lord Eryk, the commander, decides to take them to his castle where he will make them his proteges.

The return journey is long and Jacek and Oliwia, traveling on the same horse, begin to get to know each other and without knowing it, they lay the foundations of what will be a strong bond.

Between military campaigns and life at the castle, obvious rivalries and dangerous enemies hidden in the shadows, parties and courtships, passionate kisses, dreams and disappointments, this gripping story takes place over 4 years, until the moment Jacek realizes that the his dream has changed, but just at that moment fate plays a bad joke...

_________________________

__NOT A STANDALONE__
WARNING : FINAL CLIFFHANGER
__THERE IS A SEQUEL____
Before starting to read the novel, I read some reviews (all enthusiastic, but this sometimes turns out to be a trap because then I create too many expectations).
Thanks to the reviews I understood that the book would end with a cliffhanger__ something that I usually don't like at all__ but here I wanted to take a leap into the dark, because the setting and the subjects of the story, the legendary winged Hussars of Poland in the 17th century, intrigued me too much !
If we add that there was the tag #romance, my heart was already kidnapped.

(In the author's defense I must admit that she wrote this in the first pages of the book and the sequel was published only a month after the release of the first volume, because it was supposed to be a duology)
In my case I consider myself lucky to have already found a third volume which the author has decided to write in 2023.

___ ABOUT WINGED HUSSARS ____
They were a heavy cavalry formation active in Poland and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1503 to 1702.
A distinctive feature of the Husaria were the "wings", wooden supports decorated with feathers, secured to their saddles or to the rear plates of their armour, which were intended to demoralize the enemy during a charge.
The hussars ranked as the elite of Polish cavalry, in fact they were all from noble families and they were raised since childhood to ride and to the use of many different weapons.

It has been very interesting to learn all these things about that military body and on a European territory of which I know little or nothing and of which I only know the fate of the post-war period of the 20th century.
I really didn't imagine that the Kingdom of Poland would be so powerful at that time.




___ BATTLES , SOLDIERS and TACTICS, ARMOUR and WEAPONRY __
What I didn't expect were the descriptions of battles, actions and military strategies, descriptions of weapons and traditional outfits of the time (both for soldiers and civilians) and I certainly didn't expect that they would fascinate me so much and that I would have found it very stimulating, really impressive.



I've read other books with battles and only the author Stella Riley managed to fascinate me, while other authors bored me deeply and if I had known before that there were so many battles described, I probably wouldn't have read the book... but I'm glad I didn't know BECAUSE THE AUTHOR DID AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB!!
Griffin Brady managed to combine all her historical and technical knowledge with the magic of fiction, creating within me great suspense, emotions and full participation in the scenes I was reading, as if a time machine had teleported me exactly there, in that place, at that time and with those people!

Each weapon, outfit and noble and military hierarchy was written with its original name and explained already during the story, BUT DON'T BE AFRAID OF GETTING CONFUSED,
for the reader's convenience, the author has also included a small dictionary for each word cited in Polish.
You will even find another chapter that will help you pronounce the names (after the first ten pages, everything will become very easy).

____ THE CHARACTERS __
Both the two main characters and the side ones are developed excellently.

We are able to see not only the physical appearance of each one, but also their character traits, their emotions, their thoughts, their aspirations and fears, their will to resist adversity and to conquer what they dream of.
The author managed to make them so intense that they seem real.

The dialogues are brilliant, often interspersed with short thoughts written in italics, which have the advantage of completing the dialogues and making the scene that the characters are experiencing vivid.

Some ironic banter between Jacek and his best friend Henryk or between the soldiers or between Jacek and Oliwia... give a light touch from time to time and entertains the reader.

___THE LOVE STORY___
as regards the romantic part, it appears just after 50% of the book, while in the first half some romantic premises are created, but the main characters are not exactly aware of it.

I admit that in the first half of the book, I was constantly wondering when the protagonists would fall in love and at a certain point I thought that the tag #romance was not appropriate for this fiction.
This was only for 5 seconds, because as soon as the two protagonists began to realize that they were attracted to each other, I was rewarded for all the waiting and the second part of the book is largely dedicated to the feelings of love of the two young people.
BUT NO BOREDOM, you will in fact find funny scenes, exciting scenes, you will suffer together with them and even more you will hope together with them.

___ JEALOUSY, INTRIGUE AND CONSPIRACY ___
In addition to the enemies in battle, the protagonists find themselves involved in difficult events, due to jealousy and presumption, envy and the desire for power and revenge, the arrogance and selfishness of some characters.

These situations create a lot of tension during the story, until reaching a climax that will determine definitive (or almost definitive) turning points not only for Jacek and Oliwia, but also for other main characters.

So the novel is compelling not only for what concerns the action and the romantic aspect, but also thanks to other elements cleverly inserted as a subplot.


---> Historical fiction SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE, even teenagers. ---> Despite the time period and the theme, the author managed to write the novel with: _ Clean language (or at most swear words which nowadays are not swear words) _ Sweet and romantic kisses _ Battles and deaths without gruesome descriptions


___ DO I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK? ___ yes, I recommend it 100% if you love historical fiction.

Don't be scared by the fact that you also have to read the sequel to feel completely satisfied, you will turn the pages one after the other, completely fascinated by everything that is told by the author and experienced by the characters!

I've already started reading book #2 and I can't wait to read #3 too.

___ THANKS FOR READING MY OPINION, I hope that my English, full of flaws (it is not my mother tongue), has not ruined too much of what was intended to be praise for this novel and my thanks to the writer.

THE SEQUEL :
BOOK #2 "A Hussar's Promise": read my review

_______________ A little off-topic:
while I was reading, my Jacek had the features of a young Henry Cavill ( picture from the Tudors ), because his description corresponds to dark hair, sapphire blue eyes and a frown in his gaze.
with the qualities of a great warrior and a man of sound principles that the writer gave him and the appearance of Henry Cavill, how could I not fall in love with him? 😉





...But those pictures below are my favorites, that's how I imagine Jacek when he turns lovely to Oliwia :

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Book review : A Revolution of Hearts by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen

A Revolution of Hearts
by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen

My rating: ★★★★☆
This must be read as 4.5 stars

--- I loved it and after finished it I feel like I'm missing the charaters.----

It's a lovely clean adventure-romance set between France and England in the late 18th century and related to the well known "Scarlet Pimpernel" ( by Emma Ocrzy / Emmuska Orczy ).
I read and appreciated E. Orczy fiction novels, so this is one thing that made me choose to read this book.

Despite the awful cover ( too dull colors,too much grey color in the background and not at all charming people ) that is suggesting something very dramatic, this is a lively romantic novel with a hint of adventure and of course a happy ending.

__THE PLOT__ Early 1789. Paris
Mademoiselle Dacia de Prideaux and her brother Marcel, from a rich and aristocratic family, are going to the theater.
While she only thinks about love and can't wait to meet her boyfriend again, her brother is taken by the new political currents, led by Robespierre, who would like to see the monarchs deposed and would like equality between the social classes.
That same night, 2 shocking events happen: her lover will marry someone else and Marcel will be killed by someone of his own political persuasion (this is not a spoiler, we know this right away).
Witnessing the murder and accused by the murderer of being the murderer, Dacia has to flee France and thus begins her adventure in England.
An adventure that is anything but easy, made up of physical effort, disguises, false identities and dangers... But in all this another aristocrat with a heart of gold, an adventurous soul and broad views will help her in her new path: Master Richard Harris, a close associate of Sir Percy Blakeney, the famous Scarlet Pimpernel.

__________________________________________

While in the start the story looked a little bit dull to me ( the chapters at the theater, while she was looking for her loved one ) after the murder ( about 20% through the book) all became interesting.


_ THE SETTING __
This is not a challenging novel (we can compare it to the usual regency romances), but the author has managed to give the reader a precise idea of the time and background in which the story took place, making the atmosphere alive and real, thus how the feelings and emotions of all the characters are fully perceptible.

Talking about the background in which the events take place and the atmosphere that the story gives us, the book can be divided into various sections:

__ Pre-revolutionary France and the first troubles shaking the country: the leaflets circulating with the new anti-monarchist ideas, the secret meetings of those who want to change history, the police and the first skirmishes and revolts underway.

__ The escape to England, Dacia's fear and anguish of being captured, the pain of her brother's death and the flashbacks of those moments, the fear of the unknown in an unknown world, the adventure together with strange characters that others they are simply men dedicated, by choice, to saving people in danger of their lives.

__ Life at Master Harris' estate, a bit of Downton Abbey set in the late 1700s, with servants, haughty aristocrats, balls and theatrical rehearsals of a Shakespeare comedy.

__ Imminent danger and action including rescue and total reversal of current situations.

__ Finally declarations of love and the only kiss of this slow-burn (very slow, too slow) romance and happy ending.

__ THE 2 MAIN CHARACTERS _
I liked both although in my opinion there is too little interaction between the two in the book.

😀 🌷The first half of the book focuses more on DACIA:
and it can be said that she is the only protagonist.
---> I liked her because as a wealthy and privileged person she found herself forced to take on the role of a very humble person and to take on all the hardships, pains and sacrifices of that type of life.
First she worked as a waitress and then as a scullery maid, but despite the humiliation she didn't complain, on the contrary, she learned the meaning of sacrifice and understood how she too, in her previous life, without realizing it, had been haughty and very demanding with her their servants, without taking their feelings and self-love into consideration.
The author focuses several times on these considerations and between the lines invites the reader to reflect 8 and I liked it ), because if it is true that today we (or should) all have the same rights, there is still a big gap between very wealthy people and poor and humble workers who often suffer the arrogance, arrogance and boastfulness of those who have more money and more power (even in our normal daily lives).

😀 🌷 When RICHARD (Master Harris) finally enters the scene
we still have too few scenes to know him well and the interactions between the two are few and devoid of the warm emotions that should instead constitute the romantic and sweet part of the story.
So, even after meeting the character, it was initially difficult for me, the reader, to fall in love with him and if the plot on the back cover had not revealed to me the name of the male protagonist of the couple, up to 75% I would not have even known who he was, since courtship was absent.
Richard has another girlfriend, not out of love, but imposed by his father and so for a good part of the time he tries to find points in common with her.
He behaves ambiguously with Dacia, as if he had a soft spot for her, but didn't realize it... but I would have liked the author to accentuate this unconscious attraction more.
When "falling in love" finally begins, I loved it but we are quite far into the book and so for me it wasn't enough.
The author inserts glances between Dacia and Richard during the story, but they are not enough to create an expectation complete with butterflies in the stomach for the reader, it all arrives later ( so that's why it is "too" slow-burn to me )
This is the main reason why I didn't give 5 stars, but since the whole story as a whole involved me and I liked it, I sincerely think that the book deserves a full 4.5

__ A PINCE OF HISTORY____ Have you ever heard of the "Cagots" in France?
I didn't and I learned, from this book, that the Cagots are pariahs (people of the lowest social status, living in isolation from the majority), that in the Middle Ages they lived on both sides of the Pyrenees and that popular superstition saw them as object of contempt and horror, partly inspired by the visceral fear felt by populations exposed to leprosy.
I LOVE TO LEARN THINGS by reading historical fiction !!!!


---> RECOMMENDED for those who love clean romances that are sweet and adventurous at the same time.
---> NOT RECOMMENDED for those looking only for romance and hot scenes

__I WOULD LIKE __ to read a series of book with this couple as main characters about their adventures rescuing people along with Walter ( Richard's brother ), Mr. Carter ( Richard's former valet and aid in his adventures), Marguerite ( Dacia's french best friend ) e of course Sir Percy Blackney.

FREE DOWNLOAD: you can download a free ebook of a short sequel-novella of this story ( named "Sergeant Jake and his Lady "), by subscribing to the author's newsletter on her website ( https://www.rondahinrichsen.com/ ---> click on FREE BOOK ).
I did it and of course I've already read it ( nothing very amazing but nice to read, so many thanks to the author for the giveaway )

THANK YOU all for reading my opinion and please forgive my English since it's not my language 😉

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Book review : Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell

Fools and Mortals
by Bernard Cornwell

My rating: ★★☆☆☆
2.5 stars, rounded down to 2, because I can expect such a dull story from a novice author on his first book, but not from a renowned author like Bernard Cornwell (and only one with a renowned and famous name can get away with it and still be able to sell the book).

I'm sorry to say that reading this book is a waste of time and money.

If you are really curious to read it (like I was and I chose it with great enthusiasm), then RENT IT FROM THE LIBRARY OR HAVE IT BORROWED FROM A FRIEND, DO NOT SPEND MONEY ON THIS BOOK (if you like it you can do it later)

The plot, reading the back cover, was interesting and the story could have been captivating and engaging, if only it had been developed with unexpected events and twists that had managed to keep the reader in suspense.

What was also needed was a main character with an incisive character and great willpower, perhaps also endowed with a big heart and great intelligence, a character that the reader could respect and become fond of.

The world of Shakespearean theater is certainly fascinating and this is what led me to choose this novel: I love theater and I appreciated both the historical notions on the birth of "playhouses" and on the life of actors during the Elizabethan era and on the difficulties and terror sown by the Puritans.

What distinguishes a good writer from a normal historical scholar, however, is precisely knowing how to enchant the public through a compelling plot, with which to surprise the reader with each chapter and push him to turn page after page with pressing curiosity.

___PLOT___ We are in London, during the reign of Elizabeth I Tudor.
William Shakespeare is not only an actor, but has his own company of actors and writes comic and tragic plays to be performed both on public stages and in the private mansions of the nobility.
The main character of the book is his young brother Richard, also an actor, who constantly lives in the shadow of his older brother, already well known and appreciated and completely devoid of affection towards Richard.
At that time female actresses were not accepted, so female characters were played by very young boys, still without beards and with voices not yet set up as adults.
This is Richard's biggest worry, besides poverty and hunger. He wants to play male roles and of course earn more money, but William is difficult to convince and the disagreements between them are getting deeper, which leads Richard to think about leaving his brother's company.
When the manuscript on the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet disappears, William and the other actors immediately think that Richard is the culprit, but he is not the only one who is dissatisfied and angry with William. To save his honor and his job, Richard will have the only option to find the real traitor.
______________________

It doesn't matter that there are no murders or gruesome battle scenes.
Theft and betrayal + brotherly love + the birth of a love story + the enchantment of Shakespeare's works, are all elements from which a wonderful and captivating story could emerge from the first to the last page! __ But this is not the case !!!!__

1) This STORY is FLAT, devoid of emotional elements capable of arousing in the reader surprise, hope, fright, relief and the whole range of emotion that a fiction enthusiast expects.

---> Almost three quarters of the book (that's right, you got it right, three quarters, that is, nothing interesting happens until almost the end! ) only tell us about the daily life of Richard and the other actors, when they rehearse on stage, occasionally addressing vulgar jokes, to joke or even to take offense), when Richard returns to his cold attic or goes to the pub.
If I could laugh at the first vulgar joke (not because of the swear word, but because of the situation: adult men tease each other like school children would), after a while it becomes tiring.

I'm not offended by the swear words, given the period in which the story takes place it was something I expected, but a good writer knows how to make people laugh by creating funny situations.
If a writer thinks he can make people laugh just by using vulgar jokes, then he isn't worth much to me.

2) Between one rehearsal and another, Cornwell inserts pieces of some of Shakespeare's works... Yes, of course, it's interesting, but copying verses and inserting them into each chapter isn't that difficult.

3) CONFUSIONARY WRITING STYLE.
The story is told in the first person by Richard who, in the middle of recounting each situation, goes on to recount past life memories that last so long that the reader forgets what he was telling before. When Richard returns to talk about the present it is difficult to understand immediately. There is great confusion.

Furthermore, during dialogues important to the story, the author inserts sentences from other people who do not participate in the scene, but are simply in the same place ( in the background ) and perhaps are arguing or uttering jokes on the stage during the play's reharsal.
So more confusion !
If I'm watching a film and during the main dialogue I hear other sentences in the background, there are no problems, because I see the scenes and understand that they are background chatter. In a book, however, I need the writer to make me understand this in some way, he can't simply insert jokes from other characters, here and there, in the middle of a dialogue between 2 or 3 people who are part of the main scene ! (I hope I was able to explain the concept).

4) At 60% of the book I was still waiting for something to happen!!!
I'm not exaggerating, it's really like that !
I usually leave books that fail to engage me, after 25% or at most 30% of the story.
This book is written by a very successful writer, so I kept thinking: "now something will happen"... but no.
I couldn't believe it!!!
I felt angry and mocked and I kept reading it deliberately, so now I can write an honest review with full knowledge of  it.

5) From 65% onwards, it finally seems that the story starts and the reader can finally wake up from a long lethargy caused by an insipid and boring plot.
Chapters 8 and 9 of the fourth part of the book are finally a little more interesting (but never really compelling, I repeat that this seems like a book written by a novice).
Don't have too many illusions though, you will have just a pinch of action, the solution to the problem, a little relief, again a slight suspense because there is a new problem, a new and quick solution to the problem, described in a completely simplistic way. That's all ...

After this, the author, so presumptuously taken with himself and his knowledge of Shakespeare, returns for the umpteenth time to tell us about the rehearsals, the costumes they wore, who knew the lines and who didn't, reports some of the most incisive lines and re-tells us the whole story of "Midsummer Night's Dream".

6) ___ MAIN CHARACTER: completely ANONYMOUS.
Speaking of the protagonist, Richard Shakespeare, I have no dislike for him, but I certainly can't say that he has a charming personality or that he can win over a reader in any way.
He is good looking and basically he is also a good guy, but he is not a character who emerges and will be remembered.
Richard is under the thumb of his older brother, he is unable to assert himself and the only time he finds in himself the strength to act, although he is a good boy, he exaggerates in violence against the one who is the real traitor, reducing him to a cripple.
Maybe I could have accepted the first blow, but he could have spared the subsequent beatings and in that scene the character disappointed me.

7) ___ SIDE CHARACTERS___

----> The character of W.Shakespeare:
I don't know exactly what he was like in reality, because I've never read his biography, but if I didn't like him in the film with Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench (All Is True, 2018), in this book he is even more unpleasant, very presumptuous, arrogant and devoid of any affection towards his brother (which is the only reason why we can appreciate the protagonist and that is because we feel sorry for him!).
  He was probably a real asshole in reality too, he certainly wasn't a good husband and a good family man.
 His works will remain great over time and testify to his talent, but the portrait that emerges from Cornwell's story is that of an opportunist like many others, arrogant and presumptuous, a cheating husband and a domineering and affectionless brother. Great playwright and poet as a human being... Meh.
Since this is a fiction, perhaps it could have given us a more appreciable W.Shakespeare.

---> ABOUT THE OTHER CHARACTERS: the writer inserts so many people and so many names (many of which actually existed), that initially it is really difficult to remember who is who.
None are particularly memorable, let's say that, taken as a whole, they contribute to giving an idea of the atmosphere of the time.

8) I didn't expect a love story, but the romantic element included in the book could have been developed a little more and better.
It could have been a strong point of the plot together with the theft and recovery of the script.
Instead, neither theft, nor betrayal, nor the sentimental story manage to act as catalysts, everything revolves around Shakespeare's verses which are scattered throughout the book.
Perhaps Cornwell wanted to write a book that was both educational and interesting, but the result is that this book is neither...

I also think that the publisher was only able to publish such an insignificant novel because of the author's renowned name.
______________

---> I can understand that every reader has personal tastes and that each of us perceives things differently, so I understand that for some this book is worth 2.5 stars while for others 3.5 or perhaps almost 4 stars...
But the reviewers, who rated it 5 stars, also wrote that this book is superlative.... the top of the quality... SORRY, BUT I CAN'T UNDERSTAND IT.
It's still a mystery to me.

Thank you for reading my opinion, probably written in a horrendous way, both because English is not my language, and because when I feel angry and disappointed by a book, I write in one go, without even the desire to reread my text (I've already had enough of the book and am happy to put it away forever).


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------******************-------

LIBRO disponibile anche in EDIZIONE LINGUA ITALIANA, leggi la mia recensione !

La Congiura dei fratelli Shakespeare
by Bernard Cornwell

My rating: ★★☆☆☆
2.5 arrotondato per difetto a 2, perchè una fiction del genere posso aspettarmela da un principiante e non da un apprezzato e navigato scrittore !

( e solo uno con un nome rinomato e famoso, può farla franca e riuscire a vendere ugualmente il libro )

___ Comincio col dire che IL TITOLO ITALIANO è ASSOLUTAMENTE INADEGUATO, NON C'ENTRA NULLA CON LA STORIA e ancora una volta devo pensare che GLI EDITORI NON LEGGANO I LIBRI __ QUESTA COSA MI DA VERAMENTE UN GRANDISSIMO FASTIDIO e neppure la copertina è azzeccata ( copertine e titoli a casaccio = zero professionalità ).

Mi dispiace dirlo, ma la lettura di questo libro è uno spreco di tempo e denaro.
Se proprio siete curiosi di leggerlo ( come lo ero io e lo scelsi con grande entusiasmo ), allora NOLEGGIATELO IN BIBLIOTECA O FATEVELO PRESTARE DA UN AMICO, NON SPENDETE SOLDI IN QUESTO LIBRO ( se vi piacerà potrete farlo in un secondo momento )

La trama, leggendo la quarta di copertina, era interessante e la storia sarebbe potuta essere accattivante e coinvolgente, se solo fosse stata sviluppata con eventi e colpi di scena imprevisti che fossero riusciti a tenere il lettore in tensione.
Serviva, inoltre, un protagonista dal carattere incisivo e dalla grande forza di volontà, magari anche dotato di un grande cuore e un grande ingegno, un personaggio che il lettore potesse stimare a a cui si potesse affezionare.
Il mondo del teatro shakespeariano è sicuramente affascinante ed è questo che mi ha spinto a scegliere questo romanzo: adoro il teatro e ho apprezzato sia le nozioni storiche sulla nascita delle "playhouse" ( i teatri ), sulla vita degli attori durante l'era elisabettiana e sulle difficoltà e sul terrore seminati dai puritani.

...MA ciò che distingue un bravo scrittore da un normale studioso storico però, è proprio saper incantare il pubblico attraverso una trama avvincente, con la quale sorprendere il lettore  ad ogni capitolo e spingerlo a girare pagina dopo pagina con incalzante curiosità.

___TRAMA___ Ci troviamo a Londra, durante il regno di Elisabetta I Tudor. William Shakespeare, non solo è attore, ma ha una propria compagnia di attori e scrive opere comiche e tragiche da rappresentare sia sui palchi pubblici che nelle case private della nobiltà. Il protagonista del libro è il suo giovane fratello Richard, anche lui attore, che vive costantemente all'ombra del fratello maggiore, già ben conosciuto ed apprezzato e del tutto privo di affetto nei confronti di Richard. A quel tempo non erano accettate le attrici donne, per cui i personaggi femminili venivano interpretati da ragazzi molto giovani, ancora privi di barba e con la voce non ancora impostata da adulti. Questo è il più grande cruccio di Richard, oltre alla povertà e alla fame. Lui desidera interpretare ruoli da vero uomo e naturalmente guadagnare anche di più, ma William è difficile da convincere e gli screzi tra loro sono sempre più profondi, il che porta Richard a pensare di lasciare la compagnia del fratello. Quando il manoscritto sulla tragedia di Romeo e Giulietta sparisce, William e gli altri attori , pensano immediatamente che il colpevole sia Richard, ma egli non è l'unico ad essere scontento. Per salvare il proprio onore e il proprio lavoro Richard avrà come unica opzione quella di scovare il vero traditore.

_______________________

Non importa che non ci siano omicidi o truculente scene di battaglia. Furto e tradimento + amore fraterno + nascita di una storia d'amore + l'incanto delle opere di Shakespeare, sono tutti elementi da cui poteva venire fuori una storia meravigliosa e accattivante dalla prima all'ultima pagina ! MA NON è COSì !!!!

1) Questa STORIA è PIATTA, priva di elementi emozionali che sappiano suscitare nel lettore  sorpresa, speranza,  spavento, sollievo e tutta la gamma di emozione che un appassionato di fiction si aspetta.

---> Quasi tre quarti del libro ( esatto avete capito bene, tre quarti, cioè non suiccede nulla di interessante fino quasi alla fine !  ) ci raccontano solamente della vita giornaliera di Richard e degli altri attori, quando sul palco fanno le prove, rivolgendosi di tanto in tanto, battute volgari, per scherzare o anche per offendersi ), quando Richard torna nella sua fredda soffitta o va al pub.
Se alla prima battuta volgare potevo ridere ( non perchè facesse ridere la parolaccia, ma per la situazione : uomini adulti si punzecchiano come farebbero degli scolaretti ), dopo un po' la cosa diventa stancante. Non sono offesa dalle parolacce, dato il periodo in cui si svolge la storia era un elemento che mi aspettavo, ma un bravo scrittore sa far ridere creando situazioni buffe.
Se l'unico modo in cui un autore sa far ridere è la battuta ricca di parole volgari, allora mi dispiace, ma come autore per me non è un gran che.

2) Tra una prova e l'altra, Cornwell inserisce pezzi di varie opere di Shakespeare... Si certo, è interessante, ma ricopiare pezzi di versi e inserirli in ogni capitolo non è poi così difficile.

3) TRAMA CONFUSIONARIA. La storia viene raccontata in prima persona da Richard che nel mezzo del racconto di ogni situazione, passa a raccontare ricordi di vita passata che durano così a lungo da far dimenticare al lettore, che cosa stava raccontando prima. Quando Richard torna  a parlare del presente è difficile capirlo immediatamente. C'è una grande confusione.  Inoltre, durante dialoghi importanti per la storia, l'autore inserisce frasi di altre persone che non partecipano alla scena, ma sono semplicemente nello stesso luogo e magari stanno litigando o pronunciando battute sul palco. Sentire altre frasi sullo sfondo in un film ci può anche stare, perchè vedo le scene e capisco che sono chiacchere di sottofondo. In un libro però ho bisogno che lo scrittore me lo faccia capire in qualche modo, non può semplicemente inserire battute di altri personaggi, in qua e in là, nel mezzo di un dialogo di 2 o 3 persone, che in quel momento fanno parte della scena principale ! ( spero di essere riuscita a spiegare il concetto ).

4) Al 60 % del libro stavo ancora aspettando che succedesse qualcosa !!!
Non sto esagerando, è davvero così !
Solitamente abbandono i libri che non mi coinvolgono, già dopo il 25% o al massimo il 30% della storia.
Questo libro è scritto da uno scrittore di grande successo, quindi continuavo a  pensare : " ora succederà qualcosa" ..e invece nulla. Non potevo crederci !!!
Mi sentivo arrabbiata e presa in giro ( i libri costano soldi, non ce li regalano ) e ho continuato a leggerlo volutamente per poter scrivere una recensione onesta e veritiera.

5) Dal 65% in poi, finalmente sembra che la storia parta e finalmente il lettore possa risvegliarsi da un lungo letargo provocato da una trama insipida e noiosa.
I capitoli 8 e 9 della quarta parte del libro, finalmente sono un pò più interessanti ( ma mai veramente avvincenti, ripeto che questo sembra un libro scritto da un novellino ).
Non fatevi troppe illusioni però, avrete appena un pizzico di azione, la soluzione del problema, un piccolo sollievo, di nuovo una leggera suspense perchè c'è un nuovo problema, una nuova e veloce soluzione del problema, descritta in maniera del tutto semplicistica. Tutto qui ...

Dopo ciò, l'autore, così presuntuosamente preso da se stesso e dalla propria conoscenza di Shakespeare, torna per l'ennesima volta a raccontarci le prove, i costumi che indossavano, chi sapeva le battute e chi no, riporta alcune delle battute più incisive e ci ri-racconta tutta la storia di "Midsummer Night's Dream" (Sogno di una notte di mezza estate ).

6) ___ PERSONAGGIO PRINCIPALE : completamente ANONIMO. A proposito del protagonista, Richard Shakespeare, non provo antipatia per lui, ma di certo non posso dire che abbia una personalità affascinante o che in qualche modo possa conquistare un lettore.
Bello d'aspetto lo è e fondamentalmente è anche un buon ragazzo, ma non è un personaggio che emerge e che si farà ricordare. Richard è succube del fratello maggiore, non riesce a farsi valere e l'unica volta che trova in se stesso la forza di agire, sebbene sia un bravo ragazzo, esagera nella violenza contro colui che è il vero traditore, riducendolo ad uno storpio.

7) ___ PERSONAGGI DI CONTORNO___ ----> ----> Il personaggio di W.Shakespeare: come fosse in realtà di preciso non lo so, perchè non ho mai letto la sua biografia, ma se già non mi era piaciuto nel film con Kenneth Branagh e Judi Dench, in questo libro è ancora più antipatico, molto presuntuoso, arrogante e privo di qualsiasi affettività nei confronto del fratello ( che è l'unico motivo per cui possiamo apprezzare il protagonista e cioè perchè ci fa pena ! ).  Probabilmente era un  vero stronzo anche nella realtà, di certo non era un buon marito e un buon padre di famiglia.   Le sue opere rimarranno grandi nel tempo e testimoniano il suo talento, ma il ritratto che ne emerge dalla storia di Cornwell è quello di un opportunista come tanti altri, arrogante e presuntuoso, marito fedifrago e fratello prepotente e privo d' affetto. Grande  drammaturgo e poeta MA COME UOMO ...MAH. Visto che questa è una fiction, forse poteva regalarci un W. S. più apprezzabile.

---> RIGUARDO AGLI ALTRI PERSONAGGI : lo scrittore inserisce talmente tanta gente che inizialmente è davvero difficile ricordarsi chi è chi.
Nessuno è particolarmente memorabile, diciamo che presi nell'insieme contribuiscono a dare un'idea dell'atmosfera del tempo. 
8) Non mi aspettavo una storia d'amore, ma anche l'elemento romantico inserito nel libro poteva essere sviluppato un po' di più e meglio. Poteva  essere punto di forza della trama insieme al furto e al recupero del copione.
Invece né il furto, né il tradimento, né la storia sentimentale riescono a fungere da catalizzatori, tutto ruota intorno ai versi di Shakespeare che sono disseminati in tutto il libro.
Forse Cornwell voleva scrivere un libro che fosse sia didattico che interessante, ma il risultato è che questo libro non è ne l'uno ne l'altro... e penso che l'editore abbia potuto pubblicare una storia così insignificante solo grazie al nome rinomato dell'autore.

___________ __ Posso capire che ogni lettore abbia gusti personali e che ognuno di noi percepisca le cose in maniera diversa , quindi comprendo che per qualcuno questo libro valga 2,5 stelle mentre per altri 3,5 o forse quasi 4 stelle...MA CHE LE RECENSIONI A 5 STELLE IN INGLESE SCRIVANO CHE QUESTO LIBRO è SUPERLATIVO .... SCUSATE, MA NON RIESCO A  COMPRENDERLO. Mi chiedo se hanno davvero letto tutto il libro per intero e mi chiedo se siano davvero tutti stati sinceri sui propri sentimenti al riguardo...chi lo sa, per me rimane un mistero.

Grazie per aver letto la mia opinione, probabilmente scritta in modo orrendo, perchè quando mi sento arrabbiata e delusa da un libro, scrivo di getto, senza neanche la voglia di rileggere il mio testo ( ne ho già avuto abbastanza del libro e sono contenta di archiviarlo per sempre ).