Customer Reviews

Lords of the White Castle

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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Fifteen year old Fulke FitzWairin was sent to court to serve as a companion to King Henry II's youngest son, Prince John, in hopes of ultimately regaining Whittington Castle. Prince John treats Fulke poorly, deriding him as a country bumpkin because he heralds from the Welsh marshes. His father's lessons in honor have not prepared Fulke for the deceptions and cruelty of court, making him a frequent target of Prince John's ire, culminating in the day the prince breaks a chessboard across Fulke's nose. When the dust settles, the prince looked much worse. A lifetime of bitter rivalry has begun.

Fulke leaves Prince John's service to become a squire to Lord Theobald Walter. Theobald proves himself to be a caring mentor of true honor. A chance game of ball among his younger brothers results in Fulke meeting the twelve year old Maude le Vavasour, who later weds Theobald. While Fulke eventually come to recognize the possibilities of passion between himself and Maude, neither wish to compromise the love and trust of Theobald, a man they both love. Eventually destiny takes a hand as Prince John's machinations make Fulke an outlaw and he threaten to marry the newly widowed Maude off to one of his court cronies.

Award winning author Elizabeth Chadwick captures the true essence of historical fiction in LORDS OF THE WHITE CASTLE. The challenges and triumphs of Fulke FitzWairin come alive on the pages from the ecstasy of marriage to his heart's desire to the agony of wounds both physical and mental. His king and his destiny challenge his ethics and beliefs even as Fulke remains a man of honor and valor. Although Fulke is a flawed hero, readers will adore his dedication to family and honor. Likewise, Maude presents a remarkable heroine with an impetuous spirit and fierce independence. As skilled with a bow as she is with her children, Maude sharply contrasts the typically meek and yielding women of her time. Yet Chadwick still adheres to the conventions of historical accuracy, for example, women marrying young and being left behind for safety's sake. In addition, Fulke and Maude share a passion that make the pages sizzle, and binds them even as it tears their hearts in two. Their wedding night is absolutely beautiful with fanciful touches and burning desire.

Chadwick is a remarkably gifted storyteller. Although the book numbers more than 600 pages, it reads quickly, fascinating the reader with the medieval period. Chadwick's admitted love for medieval reenacting gives her prose the ring of authenticity that will enthralls. LORDS OF THE WHITE CASTLE is a Winner of the WordWeaving Award of Excellence.

Elizabeth Chadwick does it again! This is the second novel I have read by her (the first being "The Love Knot") and this one is incredible too! The story begins in 1184 after Fulke FitzWarin is sent to serve Prince John, son of Henry II. His family thought it a great honor as did Fulke until John accuses him of cheating at chess, which by the way he didn't. He just plays chess better. Well, a fight ensues over this and both hold grudges against each other for a lifetime.

Meanwhile, Fulke is training under Theobald Walter, who becomes his friend and mentor. He also meets his future wife, Maude,on the day of her wedding to Theobald. Fulke's life takes many twists and turns and he becomes an outlaw. He tries to reclaim his family's estate of Whittington Castle time and time again, after his father's many attempts and failures. This struggle eventually kills his father, but Fulke endeavors to make his father's quest a realization.

After years pass by, he ends up finally marrying the woman of his dreams, Maude. However, their life from the beginning is spent running from King John's vengance. Even after all of this they manage to raise a family, endure one adventure after another and never cease to support and love one another.

The day-to-day trials and joys of the middle ages are brought to life with a wonderful perspective on how life must have been for not only the nobles of twelfth century England but also the commoners. The author really makes you feel as though you were there. So far all of her books have been winners, and if you love a great medieval story, this book is one of the best!

Elizabeth Chadwick does it again with yet another engrossing historical novel about medieval England. I have read all her other novels and was never disappointed with any of them. It is easy to see how the true figure of Fulke FitzWarin could have given rise to the legend of Robin Hood. For those who crave historical fiction about the time period surrounding the reign of King John, this novel will not disappoint. Highly recommended!

This year, I'm steadily working my way through the novels of British author Elizabeth Chadwick. If I allow myself one novel a month, I should be able to last until October, when she has several books being released at the same time, without any serious pangs of withdrawal. Since the early 1990's, Elizabeth Chadwick has been writing novels set in the England and France of the 12th and 13th centuries, full of people who actually lived, and looking not just at the great events of the time, such as wars and crusades, but also at the lives of people who were of the minor nobility and gentry, giving new life to stories of chivalry.

In The Lords of the White Castle, she continues the story begun in Shadows and Strongholds, telling more of the FitzWarin family. A generation has passed, with Fulke le Brun, and his Hawise having raised up a brood of six sons. The eldest, also named Fulke, has been given a place in the household of Theobald Walter, a great landowner, and brother of a bishop. It's a place where he rubs shoulders with royalty and gains not just fighting skills, but also gains some of the finer social arts. Unfortunately, in young Fulke's case, things go awry during a chess game with King Henry's son, John, that results in a violent fight between the pair and a mutual loathing that will affect the FitzWarins for decades to come.

For during the early part of the reign of King Henry II, the FitzWarins had to give up the estate of Whittington in exchange for a lesser one. That loss has tormented the FitzWarins, and only the knowledge that there would be terrible repercussions has kept them from starting a bloody and private war between themselves, and the current owners of Whittington, the FitzRoger family. When King Richard grants that Whittington be returned to the FitzWarins, the FitzRogers refuse to give it up -- and just as it seems that Fulke le Brun is going to see justice done, King Richard dies, and a tragedy strikes the family.

His son, Fulke FitzWarin, is raw over the loss of his father, the continued presence of Morys FitzRoger at Whittington, and when the new king, John, refuses to honor the return of his family's estate, Fulke turns to outlawry. But he's not the only one who has been wronged by the new king.

King John seems to have a desire to stir up trouble everywhere now that he has his heart's desire of being king of England. Theobald Walter has married a young heiress, Maude la Vavasour, and while he is old enough to be her father twice over, it is a marriage of strong loyalty and devotion on both sides. While there's tension between Fulke and Maude, their own sense of personal honour keep them straying to anything physical between them. Theobald, a loyal subject of the king, is pushed to near rebellion when John accosts Maude, and she fights him off.

Other characters in Angevin English history appear as well. Ms. Chadwick's depiction of Isobel of Angouleme, John's twelve year old bride, is particularly on target.

Readers of Shadows and Strongholds will want to read this one, as it takes up the story of Brunin and Hawise's son, Fulke FitzWarin.

What I really enjoyed was that this story is based in fact. There was a lengthy ballad created about Fulke FitzWarin and his troubles with King John, and yes, he did take to the roads and woods as an outlaw with his brothers, seeking to wreck as much havoc as he could for King John. If this sounds very familiar to a famous story, it's very likely that Fulke was the inspiration for that outlaw. Along the way I get the usual standard of excellence that marks a novel by Elizabeth Chadwick -- smart characters, terrific depictions of daily life without anachronisms that scream to be noticed, and a real understanding of medieval culture and why people did what they did. It's that ability to create a very believable world, populate it with people who act and behave in the real world, and do it all with a sure hand is what keeps me returning to Elizabeth Chadwick's books, and trying to hold on during the times between new releases.

Unfortunately, there isn't an American publisher yet for Ms. Chadwick's novels, so for those readers who want to get their hands on her work, it's necessary to either check the local library and hope that they can get a copy through interlibrary loan, find a used copy on-line, or get a new copy through a British bookseller.

Four and a half stars, rounded up to five. Happily recommended.

In 1184 as a favor to the lad's powerful family, King Henry II allows fifteen year old Fulke FitzWarin to join his teenage son Prince John's retinue as a squire. Coming from the Welsh Marshes, Fulke is considered a country bumpkin by the Prince. The eldest, Fulke must succeed if his family is to regain Whittington Castle lost generations ago, but still disputed. Fulke knows his tutor Master Glanville is the key for his family's plea, not the King.

John forces Fulke to play a game of chess. Planning to throw the game, Fulke gets caught up in the competition and checkmates John. The Prince accuses Fulke of cheating and hits him with the chessboard. Fulke retaliates in self-defense leading to John banging his head on the floor. A lifetime of bitter rivalry between John and Fulke begins that leads the latter into becoming an outlaw when the former becomes King.

LORDS OF THE WHITE CASTLE is biographical fiction at its most exciting best. Using the little factual information available about the real Fulke FitzWarin and the chronicle record written in his times, Elizabeth Chadwick paints a vivid picture of the medieval era by cleverly filling in the gaps with depth while staying true to what is considered authentic. The story line is loaded, cleverly designed, and never slows down focusing the plot on the key cast members especially Fulke, his wife, and John. This blend is a treat that historical fiction fans will want to read as the novel is sure to make everyone short lists of sub-genre best books of the year.

Harriet Klausner

Elizabeth Chadwick has mastered the technique of cramming her books with historically accurate facts and making the story interesting at the same time.

This book revolves around the hatred of two men for one another, Prince John of England and a young knight named Fulke. The gnawing anger and hatred begins when both men are in their late teens. Fulke is a squire in the household of Prince John and the tempers of both men cause them to draw blood on one another.

It is a hatred that can never be doused and is the main thread running throughout the book. Based on fact, the story is both exciting and dramatic and for those interested in this period of history is a must read.

...P>Chadwick is a remarkably gifted storyteller. Although the book numbers more than 600 pages, it reads quickly, fascinating the reader with the medieval period. Chadwick's admitted love for medieval reenacting gives her prose the ring of authenticity that will enthralls. LORDS OF THE WHITE CASTLE is a Winner of the WordWeaving Award of Excellence.

Cindy Penn, Editor, WordWeaving.com

Lords of the White Castle is a romanticized account of the life of Fulke FitzWarin, a real man who was a contemporary and lifelong minor antagonist of King John.

Author Elizabeth Chadwick is a member of a medieval reenactment group which emphasizes period accuracy, and she is most successful in Lords of the White Castle in depicting daily life. She does an outstanding job of creating realistic, sympathetic characters in richly described--though never excessively detailed--places and situations.

Chadwick's work draws a natural comparison to that of Sharon Kay Penman. Both authors write lovely novels that fill in gaps between known facts in medieval British history with plausible conjecture. In Lords, Chadwick injects her own variety of romantic notions into the FitzWarin lifestory. The result is a compellingly fast paced, romantic, historical novel.

This book tells the tale of outlaw Fulke FitzWarin, whose family had won (or so they claimed) important land - Whittington castle - on the Welsh border when Henry I invaded Wales. Ownership of the land apparently was in constant dispute for many years from 1100 to the opening of this story, which begins in 1184. Chadwick launches the tale with FitzWarin's father's final and failed attempt to win it back through legal means.

Meanwhile, FitzWarin serves Prince John, and the two mix as well as oil and water. When FitzWarin's father dies, the young Fulke turns outlaw over further disputes over the land, but also for personal reasons - the increasing animosity between he and John.

While the author never mentions this, some historians believe FitzWarin is the basis for the Robin Hood legend. Certainly, she relates the life of an outlaw during these times very well.

Later, FitzWarin meets and marries Maude le Vavasour. Contemporary accounts, upon which Chadwick bases their story, tell a spirited, romantic tale. Whether or not this is true, no one really knows. But it makes for a great love story.

The book ends following the Magna Carta rebellion, the death of King John, the signing of the Magna Carta, and sadly, the death of Maude.

Chadwick stays true to what is relatively certain concerning the history. She enlightens readers at the end with an explanatory note on the history.

If you like Sharon Kay Penman, you should enjoy this book. Moreover, if you have read HERE BE DRAGONS, you'll relate to several references to Llywelyn and the Welsh border struggles throughout the book.

Chadwick's SHADOWS AND STRONGHOLDS tells the story of the struggle for the disputed land.

While serving as a squire at the court of Henry II, fifteen year old Fulke FitzWarin runs afoul of a drunken Prince John and fights back when John attacks him with a wooden chess board, leaving a grudge that both men carry into adulthood. The FitzWarin family fights to have Whittingdon Castle, that was taken from them during the Civil War, returned to them, yet upon Richard I's death the now King John refuses to consider Fulke's plea out of spite. Fulke and his brothers rebel against John and become outlaws, living in the woods and robbing whenever they can from John (hmmm, a bit similar to a certain legend?).

Fulke has carried a torch for Maud Walter, who was married to a much older Theobald Walter when she was very young. Recently widowed, and at risk of being married off to one of John's henchmen, Fulke literally whisks her out from under John's nose and marries her and she joins Fulke and his brothers as outlaws as they continue to fight to regain Whittingdon Castle.

There's a whole lot more to the story than that, but as usual I'm not into book reports, read it for yourself. As always with Chadwick's books, the way she brings the medieval period to life in such a graceful and effortless way, be it the sights, sounds, smells, food, clothes and battles is just awesome. As quoted on some of her book jackets, the next best thing to time travel. Chadwick has also written a prequel of sorts telling the story of Fulke's parents, Shadows and Strongholds that I also highly recommend.