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The second lady we hear from is Elizabeth Paston who has not had a suitable marriage arranged and worries about her future constantly as the years are passing along with her hope of finding a suitable husband. Nicholas Culpeper's The Complete Herbal, a fascinating resource to a historical novelist first published in 1649, has become essential bedside reading. As a result the use of herbs in medicine and witchcraft, for both good and ill, has appeared in some of my novels. Anne Haute, first cousin to the Queen, is embroiled in a longstanding betrothal to Sir John Paston, the eldest son and heir to the Paston seat. But despite his promises, Anne can’t help but doubt that he will ever keep his word and make her his wife…
A splendid historical fiction saga that heralds the beginning of a new series. Anne O’Brien is a master at writing royal historical fiction, she has an ability to not get bogged down in the politics whilst still conveying the key points of the politics in an extremely readable fashion.
Queen of the North
With a title like The Royal Game, you might expect this novel to be about a king or a queen; in fact, it’s the story of the Pastons, who rose from humble origins to become members of the aristocracy and one of Norfolk’s most influential families during the 15th century. Their collection of personal letters, known as the Paston Letters, is the largest archive of private correspondence surviving from the period and tells us a lot about life in England at that time. The Queen’s Rival: my most recent novel, the dramatic story of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, the Queen of England who was never crowned.
These are the Middle Ages. In the years leading up to The Wars of The Roses. Families marry their children off for status and wealth. Perhaps love will blossom perhaps not, as this is not the reason to marry. Women are expected to produce heirs to the family estate. People have to be careful when discussing the Yorks and the Lancasters as they dare not be seen to be on the wrong side. It has been delightful to return to historical fiction with this book, particularly the late/high medieval period which is my favourite (1380-1485 is my favourite period of English history.) It is one of my goals this year to read more of the genre that really got me into reading as a teen, and THE ROYAL GAME was a great place to start (and has made me excited to continue with the goal!)Margaret, an heiress marries young into the Paston family and brings with her lands of her own at Gresham. These are taken by Moleyns another ‘gent’ and we follow how they attempt to reclaim their land through the courts and through the Royal Court. This is happening at a time of real upheaval in England at the start of the Wars of the Roses when Henry VI is incapable of ruling. A wonderfully immersive and intriguing read, meticulously researched. I was completely captivated’ Barbara Erskine This story follows the Paston family who were a real family in the 1400’s. Landowners in Norfolk, many of their letters have survived to give us a wonderfully intimate portrait of their life and goings on at this time. In the end, there are many lose ends which it seems will be dealt with in another volume. Slightly unsatisfactory. This novel follows the ambitions of the Paston family, told through the voices (and letters) of three women: Margaret Mautby Paston (married to the Paston heir, John), Elizabeth 'Eliza' Paston (John's sister), and Anne Haute (cousin of Elizabeth Woodeville, hoping to marry into the Paston family).
The Pastons were prolific letter writers and it is fortunate many of their letters have survived to this day to tell the first hand stories of life and all its troubles during the 1400’s. I found this a great read, focused on women, insightful and compelling. I’m really looking forward to the next instalment of the Paston families lives. My knowledge of the Paston famiy was zero before reading this book, and now I just want to know all I can!! The author has done a wonderful job of conveying their story through 3 very different female characters - from Margaret who takes charge when her family future is threatened, to Eliza who is downtrodden and controlled by her mother but wants to break free, to Anne who is looking for a suitable marriage - you get to see history and family struggles through their eyes and it is enthralling stuff! I have always enjoyed the appeal of History.I taught the subject with enthusiasm but it became my ambition to write historical romances. My first novel, The Runaway Heiress, was published by Mills and Boon in 2004.
Titles
This first book was a Regency Romance in the great tradition of Georgette Heyer - who has not admired her skill and delicate touch for the period? I have drawn on my interest in the Stuart century to write about the English Civil War and Restoration England of Charles II. Living in the Marches however I soon discovered the wealth of atmosphere and legend in this isolated part of England from medieval times. It was not long before I was encouraged to create a medieval romance inConquering Knight, Captive Lady. The Pastons’ story is retold by Anne O’Brien in fictional form, using the letters as a guide. She has chosen to focus on three characters in particular: Margaret Mautby Paston, wife of John Paston, who becomes head of the family after the death of his father; John’s sister Elizabeth (known as Eliza); and Anne Haute, a cousin of Edward IV’s queen, Elizabeth Woodville. There are chapters written from the perspectives of each of these women, mainly Margaret and Eliza at first, with Anne only introduced halfway through and becoming more prominent towards the end of the book.
The King’s Sister: Elizabeth of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster. Treachery and death at the heart of the royal Court. Instead, this is a book about the lower class of the landed gentry (or would-be gentry as they aren't titled) and their struggles to rise in the world, taking and keeping property. I really enjoyed reading about the ambition and legal battles of this family, their determination to accrue a large estate and keep it feeling like a microcosym of the history of the time. A Marriage of Fortune: the sequel to The Royal Game. The Paston women return with more adventures, victories and heart-break. The Uncrowned Queen: short story and ebook only: the marriage of Philippa of Hainault and Edward III While there are technically three narrators in this book (Margaret, Elizabeth, Anne), the book is really Margaret, the matriarch of the family. She has the most chapters, marshalling her wits to push and shove those around her (sometimes subtly, sometimes with forthrightness) to her way of thinking. She's a fascinating woman, running an estate more or less on her own with her husband away so much.This book is a stunning read - and more, an easy read - despite the vast number of Johns in it (I'll leave that for you to discover because wow - that's a weird thing to have done). I had to force myself to slow down and stop reading because I didn't want it to be over. Now I have to wait for next year to read the second part of the story.
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