Customer Reviews

In Pursuit of the Green Lion: A Margaret of Ashbury Novel (Margaret of Ashbury Trilogy)

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

 

 

What is 14th century historical fiction without a touch of the arcane, folk mythology, faith healers and alchemists in search of the secret of life? In a European continent riddled with religion, politics and rampant superstitions, ghosts converse freely with the living, good and evil jousting for ascendancy. Such is the case in 1358 England, when Margaret Kendall, widow of a rich merchant, is wed to Gilbert, the second son of Hubert de Vilers. Formerly in training for the priesthood, the once Brother Gregory is ill-suited for marriage, especially when it includes two small, mischievous step-daughters. To further complicate the marriage, Margaret is blessed with the power of healing, although she tries to conceal it, and burdened with a bad-tempered and jealous brother-in-law, first-born Hugo, heir to Hubert's estate.

The knighted de Vilers charge into France under the local Duke's banner, but their return is tragic, Gilbert (Gregory) assumed dead, Hubert perhaps mortally wounded and Hugo determined to wrest Margaret's fortune from her. Marrying quickly, Hugo has plans to bury Margaret in a convent, but she escapes to London with her children, too quickly to learn of the Duke's offer to give her, and her fortune, shelter. Believing Gilbert is alive, Margaret goes in search of a hidden fortune to purchase her husband's freedom. After much confusion, Margaret discovers that Gilbert's ransom has been bought by a man of evil intent who thrives on twisting the wills of others to his own, determined to break Gilbert rather than release him. An enthusiastic student of alchemy, the Count de St. Medard pursues the same magical clues as Margaret's friends, Bother Malachi and Mother Hilde. Malachi and Hilde are conversant with the spirit world and willing to travel to France with Margaret to retrieve her husband and outwit the evil St. Medard. It is a journey plagued with dangers and betrayal at every turn.

Riley has a talent for tapping into the marrow of 14th century Europe, the intriguing mix of religion, alchemy, knighthood, misbegotten villains and truculent ghosts, an uncanny cast of characters that tumble through the French countryside, accompanied by the ghost of Master Kendall and Margaret's deceased mother-in-law, The Weeping Lady. Easy prey, Margaret is quickly trapped by the evil Count who feasts on little children and damsels in distress. Even after Gilbert's rescue, the party is besieged by difficulties, chased across the mountains by a renegade Archpriest and his murderous band, unable to secure passage home. The harrowing journey is fraught with disaster, the party buoyed only by their stubborn determination to survive the ordeal. This is historical fiction at its best, energetic and utterly consuming. Luan Gaines/2006.

Really - 3.5 stars...

I am a big fan of Judith Merkle Riley, but I believe she has honed her skills on each novel... I have found her later publications far more enjoyable than the early books in the Margaret of Ashbury series. Her books all have the same ingredients: a smart woman whose brains are overlooked on account of her sex, self discovery through late blooming love, a peppering of sassy humor, and a bit of supernatural goings-on to mix things up. The recipe, in my opinion, works far better in sixteenth century Paris (The Oracle Glass & Master of All Desires) than in fourteenth century England.

The roots of the humor and sass that make her later her characters so much fun are found here with Margaret of Ashbury. Margaret is a young woman - quite beautiful, of course - who has supernatural healing powers and who has recently been widowed by her wealthy merchant husband. The corrupt family of Brother Gregory (introduced in A Vision of Light) have their eyes on her gold and thus kidnap her and force her to marry Gregory, who turns out to really be Gilbert. Though the sexual tension between the two was more than palpable in the previous book, the sudden forced nuptials cool things right off. Margaret and her impish girls are unhappy and stuck in the country with Gregory's ogre brother and father. Just as love simmers back to the surface (and into the womb), Gregory/Gilbert goes off to France to chronicle the events for his overlord and his captured by a demented, torturous evil horrible man. Pregnant Margaret must rely on her wiles and those of her old rag-tag friends to find him, save him, defeat evil and restore love.

The story is light and entertaining for the most part, but I found the middle section - the "journey" with her old wily pals - a bit boring. I enjoyed this book more so than "Vision of Light" and hope that "The Water Devil" will improve as well.

I read the first part of this series and loved it, but this one was better! It felt more relaxed. The story was less tear-jerking than the first, but Margaret was just as powerful and emotional as ever. I enjoyed seeing the characters from the first story return to continue with Margaret. I would highly recommend this second novel.

In this second of the Margaret of Ashbury trilogy, the majority of the action takes place in France. Margaret's new husband, along with his father and brother, has been forced to go to war for his Duke. Father - mortally wounded- and brother return, but Gregory does not. When no message asking for ransom arrives, he is assumed to be dead. But Margaret knows he is not, and that she must rescue him. She sets out with her dear friends Hilde and Brother Malachi. Malachi has his own reasons for accompanying her- he is an alchemist and has come into possession of a text written in Hebrew, which he cannot read. He is convinced it contains the last secret he needs- the Green Lion- to create the Philosopher's Stone. Disguised as religious pilgrims, they set out.

Alchemy figures large in the tale. Not only does it provide a second impetus for Malachi, but it is one of the obsessions of mad Sieur d'Aigremont, who shows the pilgrims his, er, hospitality. One of the evilest characters I've read, the Sieur also seeks both the gold and the eternal life the Philosopher's Stone can provide. Multiple threads weave together in his keep as many of them face death. But those events aren't the end of their troubles- they still have to get back to England.

I think this is my favorite of the three. It has alchemy, ghosts, supernatural healing, noblemen good, evil and stupid, sham ladies and possibly Jesus. What's not to like?

I want Judith Riley to live 100 more years and write 2 novels a year. Here's another of her rip-roaring good books, carefully researched and set in a time she clearly knows a great deal about and respects. Her heroine is strong and intelligent and the story moves along quickly. Here's to more!!!!

When I read this as a teenager around the age of 14, I loved this book. I thought it was fantastic. After years of searching for the book & forgetting the title, I finally tracked it down. I assumed that I'd love it just as much now as I did then. While I did like the book, I wasn't as enchanted with it as I was as a kid.

The book follows Margaret of Ashbury as she narrates her tale to the reluctant monk Gregory, who initially assumes that her tale will simply be a normal tale of a medieval wife. When he discovers that Margaret's stories contain bits about her having miraculous visions & events, he initially refuses to believe it. He continues the stories & a friendship of sorts begins to blossom between the two of them.

The synopsis above really is an overly simplified version of the initial part of the book. Giving anything else would really be too much of a spoiler for my tastes.

Now I'm sort of torn between giving this 3 stars & giving it 4 stars. As a kid I would have immediately given this 5 stars, yet when I re-read it I viewed it as more of a 3.5 read. My vote of 4 stars is sort of a compromise, I guess. I liked the character of Margaret & I was able to get into her stories, but I found upon re-reading it that I really didn't care overly much for the character of Gregory as much as I did as a kid.

Over all, this is a book worth reading for the most part. I wasn't as enchanted with the sequels, but this book itself is worth checking out.

I was absolutely entranced with all three books in this series, and am sorry that this was the last. Great story line, and I beame engrossed in the historical perspective of the setting.

there were some parts of this book I found lacking. I enjoyed the return of the characters from the first book. The ghosts were entirely entertaining! But, after nearly 1,000 pages with these characters I still cannot see any charm in Gilbert/Gregory. The author has left me unable to see what Magaret can see in him. I think she did a better job making readers like the unfortunate Hugo more in this story. I also found the jumping from first person to third person distracting. I will still read the third book in the trilogy because, aside from a basic dislike of the hero, I really like the other characters.

I loved "A Vision of Light" and when I picked up "In Pursuit of the Green Lion" was hoping for a satisfying continuation of Margaret's story. However, it was very, VERY confusing at the beginning. At the end of "Vision," Margaret and Brother Gregory have agreed (in a somewhat distracted, yet happy fashion) to get married. At the beginning of "Lion" the narration starts with a very unhappy Margaret in the first person. It's so unlike what I expected after the happy ending of the first book that I almost thought this was NOT a sequel, but some other book entirely. It really wasn't made clear how this follows on from "Vision" until quite a ways into the book.

But although the writing is competent, the story itself has several unbelievable deus ex machina situations that simply don't ring true. I have been thinking about this and can't seem to figure out how to write the review without spoilers, but...

1. A foreign noblewoman comes to the family home of Brother Gregory's family, where he, Margaret and the family now live all together. The reason for this woman's sudden appearance really doesn't seem believable in the bounds of normal human behavior, but it just happens to come at a time when Margaret needs a third-party intervention. This woman's appearance and time in the story is trivial. Much later in the book something important comes into play that was introduced by this woman. So it seems she was simply inserted in here to provide the intervention and pass along the "something important."

2. Margaret learns, in an unusual way, something involving gambling. Later in the book, she *just happens* to obtain the items required. Then later this knowledge & these items *just happen* to be something Margaret needs to know to save Gregory's life. How convenient.

3. There is an annoying ghost in the chapel at Brokesford who is determined to follow Margaret to France. Other than providing some annoyance for Margaret she's not really important as a character. Later she *just happens* to be the catalyst needed to get Margaret out of an otherwise impossible situation.

Anyway, these things disturbed me enough that I had to knock off a few stars. I enjoyed the book but kept exploding with disbelief (as I am wont to do) when I would read these things. They just didn't seem like they were sensibly integrated into the story. They just dropped from the sky into Margaret's lap (so to speak).

I was sorely disappointed with this book. Loved Vision of Light. Was looking forward to more of the same. In this Green Lion, Margaret didn't seem to be the star. She didn't talk to God but once, which is something which I liked in the first one. The whole ghost thing and the whole gang trapsing off to France . . . I couldn't stand it. Finishing this book was very painful. I finished it because I typically finish what I start, not because I couldn't wait to see how it ended. I would not recommend this book at all; I have serious doubts as to whether I should read Water Devil. If it's better than Green Lion, please let me know, because I do not want to waste anymore time.