Review: Daughters of the Grail by Elizabeth Chadwick

Synopsis:

The book is set at the beginning of the 13^th century in Languedoc. Young Bridget has just watched her mother Magda passing away in a Pyrenean cave. Magda had been accused of heresy and tortured almost to death by some black friars (Dominicans) . Now Bridget, her only daughter, despite fresh grief has a duty to perform. She remains the last of the Daughters of the Grail, direct female descendants of Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus. As such, she has some special gifts like healing powers, the ability of glimpsing the past and the future and the control over fire. She must make sure her bloodline is continued and her gifts - passed on. In other words she must have a child (but not necessarily a husband). Soon enough she finds the man who suits her the best but unfortunately  the young Raoul de Montvallant gets married the same day Bridget sees him for the first time; what's more his young wife, Claire, is a very beautiful girl. Bridget decides not to act on her own desire but she knows one day she and Raoul will meet again.

Meanwhile the peaceful, spiritual movement of the Cathars gains more and more supporters, Claire and her mother-in-law among them. Even Raymond de Toulouse, the prince of Languedoc, is accused by the Pope of supporting them silently; the war, or rather the crusade, is imminent. Of course religion is just an excuse for the French king to invade,  rob and occupy rich lands of Languedoc. Simon de Monfort, one of the Northern barons, is appointed as the commander of the French troops and the bishop of Citeaux represents the Pope and the Catholic church. Raoul and his father decide to join stronger French army as it is the best line of defense but soon enough they can’t stand participating in the atrocities against the Cathars and their own people as well. Bitter Raoul deserts after the horrible slaughter in Beziers. He enters the service of Raymond de Toulouse but even by doing so he can protect neither his wife nor his little son, Gillaume nor his land. Gillaume is taken in secret to one of his grandmothers but Claire remains at Montvallant when the French attack; she is raped and imprisoned by Simon de Monfort himself; in captivity she gives birth to his child, Dominic who is taken from her right after the birth and is raised among other de Monfort’s children. De Monfort keeps the rape and the parentage of Dominic as secret as possible. He hopes the boy might one day claim the lands of Montvallant.

Raoul doesn’t know about the plight of his wife; he meets Bridget again and they become one-night lovers. As a result Bridget bears a daughter, calling her Magda, after her grandmother. They hide among Cathars in their stronghold on the top of Montsegur and enjoy quiet life for some time. Bridget didn’t want to keep Raoul close as she saw in her visions Claire’s ordeal. Although Raoul finally finds and frees his wife she has become just a shadow of her former self, unable to love, forget and forgive.

The next generation – young Magda, Dominic and Gillaume – will have to fight their own weaknesses, the French and black friars as well and their fates will intertwine endlessly. Finally everybody will meet on Montsegur but only  few will escape the terrible fate of Cathars and other people defending the last free stronghold of Languedoc.

What I liked:

Plenty. The plot was not only interesting, quick-paced  and well-constructed but also close to historical facts. Of course I am fully aware that it is not a medieval history textbook but, as far as I remember, everything was more or less in accordance with the real events. Even a decent  bibliography was featured at the end of the novel. The fact that the authoress visited Montsegur really impressed me a lot! And you can feel it on the pages! After reading such a book you want to find out more about those events and I suppose it was one of the aims of the author. Well done!

I liked the characters as they were an interesting bunch, well-rounded and full of passion. Bridget, Dominic and Claire were my favourites but I also liked Raoul whose love-hate relationship with the world in general was really poignant. I loved the fact that all main characters kept reappearing here and there and their lives were so closely connected, almost like the lives of people in a Greek tragedy.

The theory behind Daughters of the Grail was not the same as in the “DaVinci Code”; because of that I liked it even more.While I'm not a big fan of the entire controversy about Mary Magdalene, this is definitely one of the better versions of the story. Oh , and the Knights Templars were added to the whole brew – a very interesting move!

Image by Lawrence OP via Flickr

What I didn’t like:

The baddies, especially Friar Bernard, were underdeveloped a bit – I would like him less black, maybe a tad more conflicted. Also I can’t help mentioning one detail which, in my humble opinion, was not in accordance with history. We were told that Magda, Bridget’s mother, was tortured by the monks. Well, Dominicans didn’t torture their victims themselves. Of course they led the Inquisition and were vicariously liable for all this horrible attrocities but they usually left torturing and murdering – the dirty and bloody work-  to the lay arm of justice. Well, perhaps there were exceptions.

The final verdict:

Finally a Chadwick book I can honestly recommend - it really wasn't bad at all! I even hope she continues the story!

Review:The Wild Hunt by Elizabeth Chadwick

Review: The Wild Hunt by Elizabeth Chadwick

Mass Market Paperback: 361 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (July 20, 1992)
ISBN-13: 978-0345377241
Genre: historical fiction/romance

Synopsis:

Guyon FitzMiles, lord of Ledworth a son of a Welsh Marcher Barron (called so because their lands "march" with the borders of Wales) returns home from the court with some grave news. He’s been ordered by the slightly perverse king William II Rufus, to marry 16-year-old Lady Judith of Ravenstow, the heiress to great lands, coveted also by her evil uncle, Robert de Belleme. His father is less than pleased as he believes this ordered marriage is tantamount to a death sentence because of the inevitable war his son will have to fight with de Belleme. The king’s will is nothing to trifle with, though. Guyon himself is also sad for personal reasons – he has to kiss goodbye to his beloved Welsh mistress, Rhosyn, who is pregnant but refuses to live with him or under his protection.

Some girls at 16 are already physically mature - almost grown women - but lady Judith is still little more than a child. She is also deeply terrified of the physical aspects of marriage. As a very young girl she witnessed very rough treatment her mother received, being beaten and raped, often  in public, by her brutal oik of a husband now happily dead; Judith, not knowing her future lord, doesn’t hope for a better treatment for herself. However, in some people adversity builds strength and despite her young age, Judith is determined to stand up to her new husband, and not be a weakling.

Small wonder marriage turns out to be a difficult experience for both Guyon and Judith, with such a very rough start and such a burden of bad emotions, but fortunately Guyon proves to be not only an experienced lover but also a compassionate and patient partner. He is so moved by the terror of his child bride that he refrains from sex on their wedding night and also later he decides to wait until Judith matures, although they officially sleep in one bed. The problem is they have less and less time together to overcome the mutual distrust. The Welsh raid over the border, and Judith's uncle Robert de Belleme with his lackeys are always determined to make mischief, even during Judith’s wedding. Guyon’s life is seriously threatened more than once as he gets caught up in the plotting and battling so endemic at the royal court at the end of the 11th century and beginning of the 12th century; many dark deeds and many dark secrets will be unveiled before Judith and Guyon, now passionate lovers, triumph over their evil enemies.

What I liked:

This is Ms Chadwick’s first novel and I must say it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. I liked the fact that the plot followed parallel lines: the personal history of Judith and Guyon, and the history of 12th-century feudal England. I liked it as far as it went but I wasn’t enraptured by it. Also some characters were not bad – I mean here mostly two women, Rhosyn and Judith. Guyon's dog and Judith's cat were a nice addition to the narration. The cover design is really pleasant too.

What I didn’t like:

Anachronist turns into a mean nerd, sprouts horns and a tail

Ok, it is supposed to be a historical novel; in such books the author should, in my very humble opinion, try his/her best to do A LOT OF research and present the world as close to the epoch they’ve chosen as possible. Ms Chadwick chose 12th century England, but in her book we might find passages not being entirely in accordance with this setting.

For example Judith and Guyon both can read and write. Excuse me? These skills were not very popular even among the monarchs at that time. Apart from that one must ask: in what language they were taught and who has taught them? At the beginning of the 12th century the most common and often the only places where you could learn such skills were convents and monasteries; most probably you would be taught to write and read in Latin, the lingua franca of that age and many years to come. While the fact that Guyon, the heir of a rich baron, might have had his private tutor in the shape of a monk or a priest, wouldn’t surprise me much. It was unlikely but it could have happened. I couldn’t simply imagine Judith's obnoxious father squandering money on a teacher of that unworthy daughter of his, though. If you think I am going over the top, here’s more. After the murder of a Welsh merchant compassionate Judith writes a letter of consolation to his family and the letter is read also by Guyon’s mistress, Rhosyn, who later tells Guyon his wife didn’t sound childish in it anymore. Right. Hello, hello, Earth to the author, Earth to the author…time to return to the solid ground of reality. My first question is: in what language was the letter written? Latin? Welsh? Old French? Old Saxon? English? The most probable answer is Latin but then how come a simple Welsh wench or a family of a common Welsh merchant could read Latin? Who taught them for a change?

I also wasn’t entirely persuaded by the pair of protagonists, especially Guyon. Dear me, that guy could have never existed. EVER. Imagine a handsome 30-year-old man in full health, a former courtier who used to enjoy carnal pleasures to the full, sleeping with his nubile wife for a YEAR in the same bed and never touching her…some saints failed an analogical trial which lasted only ONE NIGHT. Although the life of a courtier was a highly stressful morsel of bread and the debauchery of the court was always rather on a higher level than ordinary standards, Guyon returns home practically unspoiled…he is simply too good to be true. And the scene in which he almost died defending a pair of pretty much unknown people just because it seemed the right thing to do…do forgive me my retching and enough of it. I think I made my point. I have to say the lack of experience shows in this book.

The final verdict:

As a recreational read it will do. I am still willing to try other books of Ms Chadwick; I’ve heard they are better. We’ll see.