Customer Reviews

The Conqueror

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Georgette Heyer, best known for her formulaic Regency and Georgian romances, strayed from her usual path long enough to turn out this excellent, entertaining novel. The narrative follows the life and achievements of William, duke of Normandy--better known as William the Conqueror--through the eyes of one of his young knights, the fictional Raoul de Harcourt. Major events of William's life, from his illegitimate birth to his coronation as king of England in 1066, are described with fine period detail. Heyer's rousing treatment of the Battle of Hastings is particularly good, and for the most part, she sticks to the facts. Of course there are a few inaccuracies--credit for the creation of the Bayeux Tapestry, for example, is given to William's wife Matilda of Flanders, although it is known to have been made by the English not long after the Conquest. And did William really beat Matilda in her father's house?! That legendary event probably never took place, but here it makes for a lively episode in the account of William's courtship.

All things considered, lovers of medieval history should find this book, with its colorful descriptions of eleventh-century France and its well-drawn characters, a pleasure to read.

This story is a refreshing change to the usual Heyer formula; if you are tired of buckskin breeches and oriental neckcloths, dive into The Conqueror for an entertaining glimpse of the Norman Conquest seen through the eyes of a fictional knight in William of Normandy's retinue.

Written in 1931, the narrative takes William, the title character, from his birth and cradle, through his constant struggles to retain hold on the Duchy of Normandy against rival dukes and the French King himself (her depiction of the defeat of King Henry at the ford of Varaville is particularly well written) to the infamous wrangle over the English crown between himself, Harold Godwineson and Edgar Aetheling and the eventual battle of Hastings.

Like her narrative of the events at Waterloo in An Infamous Army, Heyer is masterly in her battle descriptions; she never shies away from the brutality of war which is quite graphically depicted, and can switch easily from broad sweeping action scenes to intimate close-ups of battle from a individual viewpoint.

William comes across as ruthless and single-minded, which he must have been, but his motivations are understandable due to the circumstances of his illegitimate birth (a sore point with him, evidently) - even though you may despise his cruelty you cannot help but admire his courage and generalship.

The romance between him and Matilda of Flanders shows two equally fierce lovers, and according to historical accounts their devotion and fidelity is accurately written by Heyer, which would have been unusual at a time when heroic love, not courtly love, prevailed. Marriages were arranged to unite kingdoms and cement political alliances. It is an interesting romance of equals which could have been further developed, but unlike most of Heyer's other books, it takes up only a small portion of the story.

The fictitious Raoul de Harcourt, who takes allegiance with William when both are nineteen, is the Conqueror's most devoted knight and becomes his closest friend. Heyer seems to be ambivalent about her title character, as if unsure how the Duke's occasionally unpalatable character will be received: Raoul's observations and feelings are distinctly modern, and he becomes the mediator between the Duke and us, the modern audience. Heyer endows Raoul with a lot of modern sensitivities as a result, to the point where Raoul becomes almost an anachronism in the brutal times in which he lived. Unfortunately Raoul as a device does not let us see more deeply into the mind or heart of the Duke: we end up knowing more about Raoul than his lord, who remains a mystery up to his coronation at the end of the book.

Raoul may be tied to William by both loyalty and true friendship, but he is not slavish - some of William's cruelties sorely try his devotion, and one wonders what he would have made of the Harrying of the North which followed the Conquest a few years later. This is a compliment to Heyer's skill, though; if characters can inspire speculation over fates NOT in the book, then they are well-written.

My other criticism of Raoul is his somewhat formulaic romance with a Saxon lady Elfrida, sister of his friend Edgar, a follower of Harold. It never comes across as convincing, and some of the plot devices to bring them together are too forced to make me care much about their fates.

The problem is that Heyer has made a much warmer and engaging tale of love (in the heroic sense) between her hero and his boss; but then felt it necessary to balance this with a female love interest to woo Raoul away from William's side. Unfortunately Elfrida is so shallowly-drawn you end up wondering if she would have been able to keep him for long anyway.

Her brother Edgar, who is sent as hostage to Normandy and becomes a member of the Norman court, is a far more likeable character, and he brings the necessary Saxon perspective to the tale without being purely a plot device. His inevitable meeting with Raoul on the battlefield at Hastings is sad and quite poignant.

I think Heyer enjoyed writing this book - the pace is excellent and her paintings of the main characters assured. She balances her historical narrative with individual stories and romances, weaving them in and out of each other, so you get a good feel for not only the events surrounding the Norman conquest, but how it affected the lives of both Normans and Saxons and their families.

Occasionally the language comes across as stilted: one can only take so many "by the Rood of God!"s but this is a difficult problem to overcome in any true historical novel and it doesn't threaten the enjoyment of the story. The religious aspect of Norman and Saxon society is handled very well in general, it's there but it doesn't overwhelm.

Overall, an excellent read if you are interested in this part of English history, and want a reasonably true depiction of the Conqueror's life and the times in which he lived, and the events leading up to the Norman Conquest. If you are after a pure romance, though, you may be disappointed. The story is far more biography than romance.

Note: this story has so much of the flavour of Mary Stewart's Arthurian saga of Merlin that I wonder if Stewart read it and became a fan.

History textbooks should all be like this! Heyer's lovely potrayal of William the Conqueror is breathtaking, full of magnificence and romance. It is a story of war, a story of friendship and of love and sorrow. A tale set in a time when chivalry was not dead and the sound of the bugle signalled the start of galloping destriers charging to battle. A fine read and I would recommend it to all out there who have ever believed in knights and damsels in distress.

I just started reading the Kindle version and then stopped until the publisher fixes the Kindle version. On most pages there are no paragraphs, just a solid wall of text. It should be easy for the publisher to delineate the paragraphs in the Kindle version. The few pages I read were very interesting but difficult to read because of the abscence of paragraphs.

It often occurs to me that had Heyer been male these rich historic works would have been more appreciated.
In this piece we trace William from the room of his birth through one of the most significant and enduring "map-changings" of the last millenium. We see reasons for his behaviour, insight into his relationship with Mathilde, and exquisite detail into the times they lived in.
This book is in some ways like My Lord John and An Infamous Army, in that it is so meticulously researched and yet enlivened by personalities, thus saving it from being a boring historic work. Bravo again and again Mme. Rougier! I wish I could have known you and got inside your head.

Georgette Heyer is famous for her regency romances but she wrote wonderful historical fiction too and The Conqueror was probably the best of the bunch. It's a thrilling tale of Duke William's climb from an ignoble birth to the king of England. You get paegentry, romance, violence, death and fine writing. I read this book when I was in high school and it remains a favorite of mine.

I think this is a fine book (and recommended it to my husband after I finished it) but I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a romantic plot or anyone who is squeamish (or doesn't like reading the details of military campaigns). If you are just looking for good historical fiction, I would give it 4.5 stars, but if you are looking for a Heyer romance, I would give it about 1.5 stars.

This is an entertaining, colorful historical novel based on the life of William the Conqueror, as seen from the vantage point of one of his knights. Lively, with plenty of detail, much of it accurate. There are inaccuracies, of course. (William's wife, Matilda, did not create the Bayeux Tapestry.) But all in all, a very good read that gives a good sense of 11th century Normandy and England.

This books is basically a bio about William the Conqueror. If I recall correctly, I believe that a lot of research went into this so there is also a lot of fact mixed in with the fiction.

While I love European history, the bulk of this was just a little too much factual illustration of the life and times to keep my interest as a novel, let alone a romance.

I will say, however, that there is one unforgettable point in this story where William answers Matilda's (Williams's wife) rejection of his suit. I'm not sure exactly of the historical accuracy but it surely made this story memorable for me.

The Conqueror is one of six historical novels written by Georgette Heyer, who is best known for her Regency Romances, and if this is an indication of the other five - then sign me up!

Heyer brings us back to 11th Century Normandy and introduces us to William, Duke of Normandy, (a.k.a. William the Bastard) through the eyes of Raoul de Harcourt - a knight in Duke William's retinue.

Raoul began his service to the Duke as a young knight and he quickly rose to be one of William's most trusted friends. Loyalty is a running theme throughout the novel - loyalty from a knight to his lord. Raoul may not have agreed with a lot of the tactics used by William, but he trusted and respected his lord enough to comply. Don't get me wrong, Raoul was no pushover - he voiced his opinions when it was warranted, but in the end he knew his role and played the part.

Duke William was a very intriguing man - ambitious would be putting it lightly. He valued brain over braun and cunning over might. Once he saw something he wanted, he got it. Doesn't matter how, but he got it. Which leads me into a great scene with William and his future wife, Mathilda....but I'll leave that for you to read! Let's just say it's not a good idea to call William a bastard!

One aspect of why I love historical fiction is the educational factor. I know I'm a total dork, but it's true - I've learned so much history through all the historical fiction novels I have read. I take some of it with a grain of salt cause it's historical fiction after all, but for the most part I know a lot more than I did a few years ago. While reading The Conqueror I learned a great deal more about the difference between an Englishman (or Saxon) and a Norman and the Battle of Hastings scene was not put-down-able!

I enthusiastically recommend this novel! Heyer's writing is impeccable and her research is without a doubt one of the best. Character development is awesome and dialogue excellent. The Conqueror keeps you enthralled during and wanting more when you're done...which is how every good book should be!

Amy says: 5 / 5

Soundtrack: Conquest by Whitestripes