Category: Blog Tour

Blog Tour/Book Review: The Pagoda Tree by Claire Scobie

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When Anne at Random Things Tours contacted me about taking part in the blog tour for The Pagoda Tree by Claire Scobie, I’ll confess it was the gorgeous cover as much as the book description that made me want to sign up to read and review it.  I’m pleased to say that I wasn’t disappointed and you can read my review below.

Do check out the tour banner at the bottom of this post to see the other great book bloggers taking part in the tour.

The Pagoda TreeAbout the Book

Love, loss, fate, exile: a tale of two cultures colliding in 18th-century India.

Tamil Nadu, southern India, 1765. Maya plays among the towering granite temples in the ancient city of Tanjore. Like her mother before her, she is destined to become a devadasi, a dancer for the temple. She is instructed in dance, the mystical arts and lovemaking. It is expected she will be chosen as a courtesan for the prince himself.

But as Maya comes of age, India is on the cusp of change and British dominance has risen to new heights. Far from home the East India Company is acting like a country in its own right and the British troops are more of a rabble than the King’s army. The prince is losing his power and the city is sliding into war. Maya is forced to flee her ancestral home and heads to the bustling port city of Madras, where East and West collide.

In this new home, Maya captivates all who watch her dance, including Thomas Pearce, an ambitious young Englishman who has travelled to India to make his fortune. But their love is forbidden and comes at enormous cost.

Praise for The Pagoda Tree

  • ‘A novel to be savoured… Its layering, the unravelling of the story, the subtext of the fortunes made and lost on cotton and silk, the evocative descriptions of saris themselves are all part of [its] tapestry.’ (Sydney Morning Herald)
  • ‘Women’s stories are rarely told in history, nor particularly honoured. The Pagoda Tree offers a powerful, sensual perspective on a time of great transformation in India.’ (Sarah Macdonald, author of Holy Cow)
  • ‘Claire Scobie’s seductive prose and immaculate layering of period detail capture India at her most exotic.’ (Susan Kurosawa, The Australian travel editor & author of Coronation Talkies)
  • ‘A rich and enthralling story handled with great skill by someone with a profound understanding of her material.’ (David Roach, screenwriter and film director, Beneath Hill 60 and Red Obsession)
  • ‘[The Pagoda Tree] offers new ways of seeing the past.’ (Canberra Times)
  • ‘A story told with great panache.’ (Country Style)

Format: Hardcover, ebook, paperback (416 pp.)    Publisher: Unbound
Published: 26th July 2018 (paperback) Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ  Amazon.com  ǀ Hive.co.uk (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find The Pagoda Tree on Goodreads

My Review

In her fascinating essay at the end of the book, ‘In Search of The Pagoda Tree’, Claire Scobie confides that while writing the book she was conscious that ‘the European men kept wanting to dominate the narrative, just as they did in the archives’.  She needn’t have worried because, to my mind, the female characters in the book are front and centre stage throughout and it is their feelings and experiences that resonated most strongly with this reader.   I loved the way the book reveals the details of their daily lives and the religious and cultural rituals that bind the women together.  It’s a way of life in which the beauty, artistry and cycles of the female body are celebrated.

In comparison, the male characters seem diminished, not because they aren’t finely drawn (they are) but because they seem unworthy of the women with whom they become involved.  In their own way, the two main male characters – Walter Sutcliffe and Thomas Pearce – are constrained by past experiences, financial obligations and social expectations.    As the book progresses, Walter manages to fight against these constraints and plays what at the time seems an incidental part in Maya’s story but which will turn out to be much more significant in retrospect.    I found I could less easily understand or forgive Thomas’s actions, especially towards the end of the book.  I hoped he might have been able to absorb some of Maya’s strength of character and resist more robustly the conventions of the day.

One exception to the generally unattractive male characters is the wise Rao, who can see beyond the seemingly conflicting cultural and religious practices, when he observes, ‘There are many ways…to tell the same story’.   Later, in what is a neat summation of the aims of the book – namely to tell the stories of those largely unrecorded in history – Rao explains to Maya: ‘The English love to write about themselves. They write letters about their lives here and send them back to their families.  They write books and books about us, Maya.  Even when they don’t know very much, still they write.’ 

This is an accusation that can’t be laid at the door of the author because the book is full of wonderful cultural detail.   Regular followers of this blog will know that I’m always drawn to descriptions of food.  Far be it from me to disappoint on this occasion!  ‘Crispy savoury vadais served with white coconut chutney; chunky vegetable and dhal pancakes smeared with butter and dark-brown sugar, and to wash it down, small bowls of tangy rasam, spiced with chilli.’  

Maya is the central figure around which the story unfolds and I liked the way she attempts to exercise the little power she possesses in order to influence the course of her life and of those close to her, sadly often without success because of the forces arrayed against her and women like her.   The role of a devadasi was something completely new to me with its strange mixture of sanctity and sexuality.  There are some fabulous descriptions of Maya’s dancing that really bring to life its artistry and storytelling. ‘Her dance began at the tips of her fingers and moved flame-like through her fingers, wrists, arms, until her entire body undulated… She was down on one knee now, her face anguished, both arms thrust out with the palms upward, pleading to her lover… Her hands caressed the air and her feet moved like quicksilver.  The slow tempo quickened and, with a turn, she transformed Phoenix-like from the devoted wife to the scorned woman.’    No wonder it has such an effect on those watching.

The book doesn’t shy away from addressing issues of inequality and colonialism, depicting the worst excesses of British military force and the ill effects of British economic and political influence on the region:  ordinary people literally starving in the streets whilst British officials and their wives feast on food supplies stockpiled within their fortresses; cruel mistreatment of native women by soldiers; punitive levels of taxation; and profiteering by members of the British East India Company.

As with the best historical fiction, The Pagoda Tree transported me to a different time and place, immersing me in a culture very different to my own.  Richly atmospheric and infused with the sights, sounds and smells of 18th century India, The Pagoda Tree is a treat for the senses and a deeply satisfying reading experience.

Congratulations to the folks at Unbound and all the book’s supporters for spotting the potential of this fantastic novel.  I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, Unbound, and Random Things Tours in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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In three words: Atmospheric, lush, sensuous

Try something similar…The Concubine’s Child by Carol Jones or Song by Michelle Jana Chan (click on title to read my review)

Claire Scobie Author PictureAbout the Author

Claire Scobie is an award-winning author and novelist who has lived and worked in the UK, India and Australia. Her travel memoir, Last Seen in Lhasa, won the 2007 Dolman Best Travel Book Award. In 2017, she co-wrote A Baboon in the Bedroom with her mother, Patricia Scobie. Claire writes for numerous publications, including The Daily Telegraph and The Observer; teaches creative writing workshops in Australia, Asia and the UK; and in 2013 completed a Doctorate of Creative Arts at Western Sydney University. The Pagoda Tree is her first novel.

Connect with Claire

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The Pagoda Tree Blog Tour Poster

Blog Tour/Q&A: Blood and Ink by D. K. Marley

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Blood and Ink_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL

I’m delighted to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for historical mystery, Blood and Ink by D. K. Marley.  I have a fabulous interview in which, amongst other things, the author shares her fascination with research, the challenges of achieving historical authenticity and her own favourite authors.

WinThere’s also a giveaway (open internationally) running until the end of the tour with a chance to win one of two copies of Blood and Ink. To enter and view the rules, visit the tour page here and complete the Gleam form at the bottom of the page.

On the tour page you can also see the other fantastic book bloggers taking part in the tour and follow links to reviews of Blood and Ink.

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Blood and InkAbout the Book

Blood and Ink tells the story of Christopher “Kit” Marlowe, the dark and brooding playwright of Queen Elizabeth’s court. Marlowe sells his soul to gain the one thing he desires: to see his name immortalized.

Inspired at an early age on the banks of the Stour River, his passion for a goose quill and ink thrusts him into the labyrinth of England’s underworld – a secret spy ring created by the Queen’s spymaster, Sir Frances Walsingham.  Kit suffers the whips and scorns of time as he witnesses the massacre of Paris, the hypocrisy of the church, the rejection from his ‘dark lady,’ the theft of his identity as a playwright, and wrenching loss breathing life into many of his unforgettable characters.

As he sinks further into the clutches of Walsingham, a masque is written by his own hand to save his life from shadowing betrayers, from the Queen’s own Star Chamber, and from the Jesuit assassins of Rome, thus sending him into exile and allowing an unknown actor from Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare, to step into his shoes.

And so begins the lie; and yet, what will a man not do to regain his name?

Format: Audiobook, paperback, ebook (438 pp.)    Publisher: The White Rabbit Publishing
Published: 28th March 2018  Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com  ǀ
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Blood and Ink on Goodreads

Interview: D. K. Marley, author of Blood and Ink

Without giving too much away, can you tell me a bit about Blood and Ink?

Blood and Ink is the story of the playwright, Christopher Marlowe, and his association with the underground world of Walsingham’s spy ring, how he became a playwright, the possibility he did not die in 1593 and is the suspected true author of Shakespeare’s plays.

How did you get the idea for the story?

In 2000, I visited the Globe Theatre in London. At the time, there was a display in the museum about the different men who might have written or co-written the plays of Shakespeare. One of them was Kit Marlowe. When I got back home from that trip, I started researching since it was always my desire to write a historical fiction novel. Something about the idea struck me as an incredible premise for an alternate history, so I spent the next few years researching and plotting out my novel.

How did you approach your research for the book? Do you enjoy the process of research?

I love the process of research, but sometimes I have to remind myself that I am a writer, or else I get really absorbed in history. My process is: 1) read and read and read; 2) take lots of notes and start arranging them on note cards or files; 3) plot out my story and characters and see how to fit in the history; 4) start writing.

What was the most surprising fact you came across during your research?

So much! Even though I am a staunch Stratfordian and believer in William Shakespeare as the author, I was surprised at how much of the sonnets reflected Marlowe’s life. I found myself baffled at times at the evidence of Marlowe’s death – the inquest, the grave, the suspicions, the trumped-up charges against him, and the secret identity of Monsieur LeDoux. Very intriguing!!

What do you think is the key to creating an authentic picture of a particular historical period?

To me, to take a reader back to the time period, you must stay true to the setting, the language (as far as it does not turn your reader off), the clothes, the smells, the poor living conditions, everything! Tudor England or Medieval England was not the romantic setting so often portrayed today on television or film…especially to the poor. Even to the nobility, you were dealing with dark, dank, sometimes sweltering, sometimes frigid estates or castles; so to stay authentic to historical fiction, all of these elements give your reader honesty.

Readers (me included) seem fascinated with the Tudor period of English history.  Why do you think this is?

I love it, as well. Tudor history is fascinating because it represents a time of incredible change, in thinking, in art, in religion, and all backed by one of the most interesting Queens in history. True, the history has been glamorized in television and film, but for me, there is something so relatable, as well as fantastical, about these people’s lives. Love, passion, betrayal, greed, suffering, ambition, death, marriage, feminism, bullying, machismo, friendship, lust, secrets, politics, religion… the stuff of life, even our life today, except flavoured with grand gowns, men with swords, and imposing castles. Somehow, I think (speaking as a reader myself) we imagine the aforementioned list manageable if we wore a corset and our hero swept in wearing a doublet. We seek to escape and what better century to escape than the seemingly magical world of the Tudors!

Were there particular scenes in the book you found especially challenging – or rewarding – to write?

I found the scenes of the massacre in Paris difficult to write. I rewrote the scene several times, sometimes more violent, sometimes less violent, but ended with trying to focus more on how the scene affected Kit as a young boy instead of the gory details of what happened in the streets of Paris. I loved writing the scene between Marlowe and the Countess of Pembroke. When I first read Venus and Adonis, I thought to myself…”this happened, the writer of this poem is speaking from experience, just the same as when he wrote the poem of a young shepherd boy to his secret love”… so the entire scene developed from the poem. Mary Herbert was an incredible poetess in her own right and very well could have been a match for Marlowe, so the entire scene just flowed from my mind as I wrote.

Do you have a favourite place to write or any writing rituals?

This may sound funny, but I have a loveseat covered with a Toile slipcover where I sit to write. The scenes on the slipcover depict English country scenes with women in flowing skirts and men on horseback, so maybe it gives me inspiration. Plus, my daughter, who was killed 3 1/2 years ago by a drunk driver, used to sit in this very seat and read her favourite books when she would come to visit me. She was my reading buddy, so I feel close to her when I sit here.

Which authors do you admire and enjoy reading?

I have so many and continue to add to my collection. My first and foremost is Carlos Ruiz Zafon, who wrote The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game. Next in my list is in order: William Shakespeare (of course), Ken Follett, Jane Austen, Rosalind Miles, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Toni Morrison, and Margaret George.

What are you working on next? 

My second novel, Prince of Sorrows, a historical fiction adaptation of the play Hamlet is now available on Amazon. I am working on a breakaway novel, meaning breaking away from my normal Shakespearean vein, with a historical novel titled Child of Love and Water set in the islands of Coastal Georgia in the 1700s, involving a Creek Indian warrior, a Gullah slave girl, a British soldier, and an Irish immigrant girl, due out in December of 2018. My next in the Shakespeare series is A Winter’s Fire which adapts the story of Lady Macbeth and is set for release in the spring or summer of 2019.

Thank you for those fascinating answers and insight into your busy writing life!

DK MarleyAbout the Author

D. K. Marley is a historical fiction writer specializing in Shakespearean themes. Her grandmother, an English Literature teacher, gave her a volume of Shakespeare’s plays when she was eleven, inspiring DK to delve further into the rich Elizabethan language. Eleven years ago she began the research leading to the publication of her first novel Blood and Ink, an epic tale of lost dreams, spurned love, jealousy and deception in Tudor England as two men, William Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe, fight for one name and the famous works now known as the Shakespeare Folio.

She is an avid Shakespearean/Marlowan, a member of the Marlowe Society, the Shakespeare Fellowship and a signer of the Declaration of Intent for the Shakespeare Authorship Debate. She has travelled to England three times for intensive research and debate workshops, and is a graduate of the intense training workshop “The Writer’s Retreat Workshop” founded by Gary Provost and hosted by Jason Sitzes.

She lives in Georgia with her husband and a Scottish Terriers named Maggie and Buster.

Connect with D. K. Marley

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