Customer Reviews

The Serpent Garden

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The book alternates between the first person of Susannah Dallet, the Dutch-English heroine paintrix, and the third person descriptions of evil deeds of an evil doing demon master and the demon he conspires with. Susannah is just hoot. She's innocent, but intelligent, not quite blissfully unaware of all the rotten stuff going on around her, and she sees the world through her art, in terms of color and pigment, and has quite a bit to say about faces and how to paint in miniature. Not to mention that she must resort to subterfuge to keep practicing her trade in the man's world that is Tudor London and the rest of Renaissance Europe, for that matter. Susannah just wants to paint and be a good girl, but unfortunately her society won't allow her to do both. Through a series of adventures she ends up employed by Cardinal Wolsey to serve in the train of Mary Tudor, bride of the old King Louis of France. The historical detail is excellent here, right down to Jane Poppincourt's affair with the Duc de Longueville, Francis 1 rst libido, and Louis' sending Mary servants back to England. Riley does a wonderful job fusing characterization with Historical fact, and then moving from art to the beyond with demons and angels. At first the demons are a bit boring, but when the angels show up, the whole supernatural element fits right in, and makes for a wonderful tale.

I absolutely love Judith Merkle Riley's accurate incorporation of the living conditions faced by women during the periods she writes about, and her creative, fun ideas about how they deceive others to survive and thrive in such a harsh culture. The angels made me laugh throughout.

Riley's delightful historical fiction is marked by wit, elegant writing and heroines with unusual talents and this fourth novel, set in the court of Henry VIII, is no exception.

Susanna Dallet is the daughter of a painter and the wife of another (who married her to learn her father's secrets). Because her husband spends all his money on his mistress, Susanna accepts a commission, in his name, to copy in miniature a portrait of the King's beautiful and willful sister, Mary.

Well taught by her father, she completes the painting herself and delivers it the next evening. But her husband has meanwhile been murdered by a jealous husband, so the painting acquires the cachet of having been completed by a ghost - women and non-guild members being forbidden to paint.

Such court powers as Bishop Thomas Wolsey are not so gullible however and Susanna's talents soon bring her to his notice (after an interlude supporting herself and an extended household through "naughty" religious paintings). Guild rules do not apply in the King's court and Susanna is soon swamped with orders, if not payments.

And when Henry VIII schemes to capture the throne of France by marrying his sister to the aging French king, Susanna is included among the vast wedding party.

Meanwhile, her dead husband's darker activities are dogging her footsteps. Part of a group of Satan worshipers, her husband acquired an ancient manuscript much covetted by his co-conspirators and a faction of the Knights Templar. Not knowing what the book is, Susanna has been cutting the margins as parchment for her miniatures while the devil-worshipers close in.

Romance, suspense, danger and intrigue abound. Susanna becomes adroit at escaping the silken nets of plots at both the British and French courts. She survives a disastrous storm at sea, but seems likely to lose the man she loves to poisonous whispers.

Menacing strangers watch her every move. Demons and angels compete for ascendancy in her world. Yes, demons. Riley enjoys a dash of spice from the supernatural and is a good enough writer weave it into the story's flow for the most part. This affinity worked better in 'The Oracle Glass,' however, where the heroine was a trained clairvoyant to the rich and famous. When angel and demon throw themselves into human endeavors in 'The Serpent Garden' it gets to be a little much - more farce than wit.

A minor complaint, however. Riley has a gift for immersing the reader in her period. She conveys the details of mixing and buying paint, learning anatomy, cleaning a studio floor, layering color on a miniature, guild rules and much much more without ever making the reader admire her research skills. Riley keeps the details integral to her heroine's daily activity and passionate commitment to her art.

Perhaps more impressive, she manages to convey the gist of political maneuverings without lengthy discourses and without her heroine's ever showing the slightest interest in any of the lofty intrigue. A colorful, captivating read.

This book was amazing. As a lover of historical fiction set in France and England, this book has the best of both worlds. Susannah, the main character, is a paintrix who paints under the names of two different dead painters, both men, one her husband. She was an intriguing character, human and flawed, beautiful and talented. Bishop Wolsey was another great character. His manipulations of Susannah kept the plot going. Robert Ashton, the love interest, was at first frustrating because of his stubborness and changeability, but his depth of emotions makes one really want him and Susannah to be together. I have read two other Riley books and this was my favorite. I strongly recommend her books, especially this one, and I plan to read the rest of her books.

In spite of hearing great things about her witty historical fiction (with a dash of fantasy) I never read anything by Judith Merkle Riley until today. I should never have waited so long.

This is an almost perfect novel. It has history, about Henry VIII's little sisters marriage to the king of France, mystery, in the shape of a secret priory of noble men keeping a secret about the "true royal blood of France" romance, and a spunky main character with a real personality. You'll even pick up on something (a very common theme in historical fiction actually, especially with the Cathers) that has come into the spotlight lately.

There's not much that needs to be said beyond that. This is a quirky, quick uplifting read that should enchant lovers of both historical fiction and fantasy. The main character, Susanna, a plucky and very talented woman painter who must shift for herself when her no good husband is murdered because of a secret manuscript and a locked up demon, is someone that you'll love instantly.

It is not a book to be taken seriously, but is purely a novel that provides novel entertainment. Perfect for summer reading. I polished it off in about a day and have allready ordered more of the authors books.

Four stars.

Judith Merkle Riley's "The Serpent Garden" is another clever blend of her imagination and historical tidbits. I highly recommend this book for those very selective readers who enjoy historical romance novels; particularly those written by Bertrice Small, Theresa Medeiros, or Virginia Henley, yet wish for a bit less romantic fare and a bit more adventure. Riley has followed her established formula of a young woman bucking propriety, probably because it is such a wonderful formula. My favorite feature of this book is the dividers between chapters detailing paintings-written as from an actual art history book-and followed by comments from our paintrix about the paintings. Riley has again treated us to a feast of imagination.

In "The Serpent Garden," Judith Merkle Riley features another strong woman moving outside the constraints of her society; this one, a "paintrix" forced to support herself. The supporting characters are almost more interesting than Susanna and Ashton. I especially liked the portrayal of Bishop (later Cardinal) Wolsey before he fell from favor, and Marguerite, later to be Queen of Navarre. The descriptions of day-to-day life are interesting and well-written, and the story flows smoothly.

However. This book suffers from what I call the "third act flaw." This storyline is almost identical to "The Oracle Glass" in that it follows the same pattern. Plucky young woman is in a difficult situation. Plucky young woman discovers she has unique and marketable abilities to resolve difficult situation. As she grows in prominence, plucky young woman finds herself accumulating enemies... and so on. (Come to think of it, this plot also is similar to that of "A Vision of Light.") Also, although Hadriel, the cherubs and the demons were amusing, the supernatural elements in "The Oracle Glass" and the Margaret of Ashbury books were both more subtle and more crucial to the plot. A nice read, with a nice ending, but not as good as her earlier works.

I've been a fan of Judith Merkle Riley's books for a couple of years, and this book is really great. Susanna is a strong female character, and it is easy to get involved in her story; also, to see a woman in such an unusual position, where she is supporting herself, in the early sixteenth century was refreshing. However, The Serpent Garden doesn't quite measure up with another of Riley's books, The Oracle Glass, which I count among my favorite books. Susanna, though adventurous, is also sometimes overly modest and goes on and on about women's traditional roles, being a good wife, etc. However, if you like historical fiction, and if you enjoy Riley's books, I really recommend this one. Despite its shortcomings, it really is an enjoyable read and I'm happy to have it in my library.

This was my second Judith Merkle Riley book to read-- having read The Oracle Glass first. I thought that the story was plausible but... be prepared for angels and demons to be living and breathing in the story.

The heroine of the story, Susanna Dallet is a quick witted, strong, talented court painter in Henry VIII's court. The facts/details included in the story about the methods of painting-- preparation of paints and tools was fascinating and I thourghly enjoyed this information.

The supernatural, fantasy characters were farfetched--confusing at times, but not totally ridiculous as both the good and evil 'beings' did have their own humourous charm.

If you like fantasy stories and can let your imagination just let go and run w/the fantasy created-- then this book is for you. I had a hard time accomplishing this while reading the book.

JMR has written a charming, humorous novel of courtly intrigue and occult mischief set amid King Henry 8th's Tudor England. The fiesty heroinne, Susanna, is a delightful creation realistically portrayed: though restrained by the social conventions of Tudor England, by wit and talent (and a little divine inspiration) she rises above difficult circumstances. If you liked JMR's "In Pursuit of the Green Lion," you're really going to love this one! Terrific fun!