Tag: historical fiction

#BlogTour #BookReview The Wheelwright’s Daughter by Eleanor Porter @BoldwoodBooks

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Screenshot_2020-04-20-16-41-24_kindlephoto-612530156Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for The Wheelwright’s Daughter by Eleanor Porter. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resourcesfor inviting me to take part in the tour and to Boldwood Books for my digital review copy via NetGalley. You can read my review below but do also check out the posts by my tour buddies, Bookish Jottingsand Joanna at Over The Rainbow Book Blog.

The Wheelwright's DaughterAbout the Book

Can she save herself from a witch’s fate?

Martha is a feisty and articulate young woman, the daughter of a wheelwright, living in a Herefordshire village in Elizabethan England. With no mother Martha’s life is spent running her father’s meagre household and helping out at the local school whilst longing to escape the confines and small-mindedness of a community driven by religious bigotry and poverty.

As she is able to read and is well-versed in herbal remedies she is suspected of being a witch. When a landslip occurs – opening up a huge chasm in the centre of the village – she is blamed for it and pursued remorselessly by the villagers.

But can her own wits and the love of local stable-hand Jacob save her from a witch’s persecution and death…

A brilliant and accomplished novel that perfectly captures the febrile atmosphere of Elizabethan village life in an age when suspicion and superstition were rife. Perfect for fans of Tracy Chevalier.

Format: ebook (310 pages)             Publisher: Boldwood Books
Publication date: 21st April 2020 Genre: Historical fiction

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My Review

For those who’ve read any amount of historical fiction set in the 16th century, it will be a familiar (no pun intended) story: an independent-minded, young woman educated beyond what might be expected with a knowledge of herbal remedies suspected of witchcraft by those who seek answers for events they cannot comprehend.

In this case, the seemingly incomprehensible event is a geological one, a landslip that destroys the village chapel. What clearer message can there be, some villagers wonder, that the Devil is in their midst? They are encouraged in this belief by the charismatic but sinister Father Paul who is bent on rooting out Catholics priests and prepared to use any pretext to gain favour and satisfy his own puritanical urges. As is often the case, there’s a misogynistic, not to mention rather un-priestlike, element to his fervour.

It has to be said that Martha doesn’t help herself initially, making light of the whispered rumours about her and continuing to roam the countryside alone at night, relying on the continued support of the daughter of the Lord of the Manor to protect her. The fact that Martha’s father is a drunkard prone to profane outbursts doesn’t help. Nor, unknown to Martha, do the circumstances of her mother’s death. As a friend warns her, “They are afraid…all these goings-on. Who’s to know what’s behind it all? It’s easier for them to decide it must be you.”

Along with a generous cast of secondary characters, there is some lovely detail about village life in the period, such as seasonal celebrations. The book’s conclusion invites the reader to use their own imagination to decide Martha’s future or, perhaps, to wait patiently for a possible sequel.

The Wheelwright’s Daughter is a skilfully crafted story of love, betrayal, superstition and fear in 16th century England.

In three words: Engaging, assured, immersive

Try something similar: Widdershins by Helen Steadman

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8106517-683x1024About the Author

Eleanor Porter has lectured at Universities in England and Hong Kong and her poetry and short fiction has been published in magazines. The Wheelwright’s Daughter is her first novel.

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The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2020 Shortlist

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WalterScottPrizeThe shortlist for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction was announced on 2nd April 2020.

The six books are:

  • The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey (Atlantic)
  • The Parisian by Isabella Hammad (Jonathan Cape)
  • To Calais, In Ordinary Time by James Meek (Canongate)
  • Shadowplay by Joseph O’Connor (Harvill Secker)
  • The Redeemed by Tim Pears (Bloomsbury)
  • A Sin Of Omission by Marguerite Poland (Penguin South Africa)

I’m disappointed my own personal favourite from the longlist, Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield, didn’t make it through but my congratulations to the authors and publishers of those that did. You can find more details about the shortlisted books further on in this post.

In usual times, the winner would be crowned in June at the Borders Book Festival but, since we’re definitely not in ‘usual times’ and the Festival has had to be postponed, news of how and when the winner will be announced is still awaited. Something that is usual is how spectacularly unsuccessful I was once again in forecasting which books would appear on the longlist.  To be fair, I actually got three – The Hiding Game, Once Upon A River and The Offing.

As in previous years, I’ll try to read as many of the books on the shortlist as possible before the winner is announced.  This year that task is made harder by the fact I haven’t yet read any of them and don’t own copies of them all either.

Once again, I’ll also share my prediction of which book will win. Now there’s something I have been more successful at, having correctly picked last year’s winner, The Long Take by Robin Robertson, and the 2018 winner, The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers. (At this stage, just based on the book descriptions and judges’ comments, my money would be on To Calais, In Ordinary Time by James Meek because, if the past couple of years is anything to go by, the judges seem to favour books with an unusual narrative style.)

IMG_8790-low-res-e1585643526736About the Shortlisted Books

The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey (in my TBR pile)

Described by the judges as ‘a quiet tour-de-force’, the book is a portrait of the marriage of artist Edward Hopper and his wife, Josephine.

The Parisian by Isabella Hammad (in my TBR pile)

Described as ‘a ground-breaking first novel’, it explores the unequal relationship between the Levant and Western Europe before the First World War. It’s a whopper at over 700 pages!

To Calais, In Ordinary Time by James Meek

According to the judges, the book is ‘an extraordinary novel’ but one which they also describe as ‘ambitious and challenging’. Set in the 14th century, it’s about a group of disparate characters en route to Calais.  It’s also been nominated for The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction 2020.

Shadowplay by Joseph O’Connor (currently listening to audiobook version)

Described as ‘a deep dive into late Victorian theatreland, the book explores the turbulent relationship between actress Ellen Terry, actor and impresario Sir Henry Irving and Bram Stoker.

The Redeemed by Tim Pears (in my TBR pile)

The final part of the author’s West Country trilogy, is set in 1916 and described as ‘a timeless, stirring and exquisitely wrought story of love, loss and destiny fulfilled, and a bittersweet elegy to a lost world’.

If there’s any justice, Tim Pears should be in with a chance because both the two previous books in the trilogy – The Horseman and The Wanderers – were longlisted in previous years.

A Sin Of Omission by Marguerite Poland

A book I’d never heard of before it appeared on the longlist, it’s the story of a young South African man trained for the Christian ministry in England who faces prejudice and conflicted loyalties when he returns to South Africa.

What do you think of the judges’ selection? If you’ve read any of the shortlisted books, what are your thoughts on them?