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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Mystical, Magical Book,
By J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews Barbara Erskine is a history graduate and no doubt this has helped her a great deal in her writing of historical novels. She has several best selling internationally acclaimed novels and these help to demonstrate her love of history and also her interest in the supernatural. She lives with her family in an ancient manor house near Colchester, a place that is, itself steeped in history, particularly around the time of the Roman occupation. Much to my shame I always used to think that good historical novels were always written by men, which of course is complete nonsense and Barbara Erskine is one of those female authors who prove the point. This book switches between the past, Roman Britain and the present day, where history impacts quite dramatically on the lives of three women. The novel features Cartiimandua, a young woman destined to become the ruler of one of the greatest British tribes, the Brigantes. As her power grows her life becomes ever more complicated. She knows that she enemies on all sides, not only from the Roman invaders but people much closer to her. She has to make a choice that will change the future forever . . . In the present day, Viv Lloyd Rees a historian has specialized in the tales that abound about the Celtic queen. She becomes so immersed in her work that she starts to have visions of Cartimandua herself. Viv's obsession with the subject becomes even greater when she takes possession of an ancient brooch. A piece of jewellery that provides a link with the past. Then suddenly without warning the past intertwines with the present and Viv finds herself in danger of her life.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Combining past and present,
By J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME) Starting in the present, Edinburgh based historian, Viv Lloyd Rees, has immersed herself in the legends surrounding the Celtic queen Cartimandua. She has written a book about Cartimandua and is a working on a dramatisation of her life. Viv 'borrows' a brooch which is considered to have ties to Cartimandua and increasingly becomes caught up in what appears to be the life and times of Cartimandua. This experience is not confined to Viv: others associated with her also become caught up in what appears to be a reliving of key events from the life and times of Cartimandua. The switches between the present and the past, and the points of view of different characters, are both intensely irritating and an important part of the plot. I enjoyed those parts of the novel set in the past far more than those set in the present. Jennifer Cameron-Smith
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Okay, considering this is the first book of her's I've read...,
By kellie (perth australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Daughters Of Fire (Paperback)
Daughters of Fire is written like alot of historical fiction is written these days- a character who lives in the past and a character who lives in the present, and how their lives are intertwined; with the actions of the past affecting the characters of the present. This story follows the lives of Cartimandua- a pagan queen of the Brigantes during the roman invasion, and Viv- a modern day historian who has a passion for 'Carta' and has written a book about her.
Viv gets premonitions from Carta, which is how she has been able to write a detailed life about this maligned queen, but has caught the attention of her boss Hugh, who believes that Viv has let her imagination run away with her and is putting the integrity of the university she works for (and the department he runs) in danger of becoming an academic joke. The more premonitions Viv gets though, the more danger she puts herself in and those around her (who of course she loves), until the book reaches its dramatic (and largely unbelievable and boring) conclusion. When I read the blurb for this book I stifled a snort- I mean, come on, how generic can you get? But I was shocked at this author's ability to transport you to another period of time. Erskine's prose was fluid and confident during the parts about Carta, but stilted and awkward in the parts about Viv, and needless to say, I preferred the parts of the book that revolved around Carta. It is my opinion that Erskine's novel would have been just as good without adding the overly dramatic Viv into the mix, as Carta's life was dramatic and turbulent enough as it was. I found that I ended up skipping the parts that involved Viv and only read the parts that revolved around Carta, which is why I am giving it three stars instead of two. Overall, this book was enough to interest me in Erskine's other works, although I have been led to understand that they are all pretty much in the same vein as this one. 3 stars, for Carta.
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