Book Review
Dec. 4th, 2018 10:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariThe Winter Mantle
by Elizabeth Chadwick
The Winter Mantle takes place in the three decades after the Norman Conquest. It opens just a year after the conquest, with Waltheof, an English nobleman kept under close watch by the king. While at court in Normandy, he saves William's niece Judith and a young squire, Simon de Senlis, from an out of control horse. Waltheof thus becomes bound to each of them in very different ways that will echo down two generations. He and Judith fall in love and eventually marry, and Simon becomes a valued member of the king's household. However, Waltheof and Judith's different temperaments cause their relationship to founder, as does a trusting nature that leads Waltheof into a plot of rebellion that ultimately costs him his head. Years later, William Rufus grants Simon Waltheof's lands, and Simon then falls in love with and marries Waltheof and Judith's daughter Matilda. Luckily, they are better able to sustain their relationship, despite conflicts and crises both personal and political.
I greatly enjoyed reading this book. Chadwick has a knack for bringing the past to life and sticking fairly closely to the historical facts while spinning an engaging and emotionally resonant tale. I especially like the way she incorporates romance into the narrative - she shows the whole scope of her characters' relationships rather than just concentrating on the heady whirlwind of courtship and desire. It makes for very meaningful love stories seamlessly integrated into the historical plot.
by Elizabeth Chadwick
The Winter Mantle takes place in the three decades after the Norman Conquest. It opens just a year after the conquest, with Waltheof, an English nobleman kept under close watch by the king. While at court in Normandy, he saves William's niece Judith and a young squire, Simon de Senlis, from an out of control horse. Waltheof thus becomes bound to each of them in very different ways that will echo down two generations. He and Judith fall in love and eventually marry, and Simon becomes a valued member of the king's household. However, Waltheof and Judith's different temperaments cause their relationship to founder, as does a trusting nature that leads Waltheof into a plot of rebellion that ultimately costs him his head. Years later, William Rufus grants Simon Waltheof's lands, and Simon then falls in love with and marries Waltheof and Judith's daughter Matilda. Luckily, they are better able to sustain their relationship, despite conflicts and crises both personal and political.
I greatly enjoyed reading this book. Chadwick has a knack for bringing the past to life and sticking fairly closely to the historical facts while spinning an engaging and emotionally resonant tale. I especially like the way she incorporates romance into the narrative - she shows the whole scope of her characters' relationships rather than just concentrating on the heady whirlwind of courtship and desire. It makes for very meaningful love stories seamlessly integrated into the historical plot.
