33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chadwick's books just can't be bad, November 30, 2005
This review is from: Shadows and Strongholds: A Novel (Hardcover)
Because I bought this book in an English bookstore in Amsterdam, I've read it before it has been published in the USA. This book is very good, it's even better the Lords of the White Castle, and is certainly worth reading for the back-story on how the FitzWairin family loses Whittington Castle.
England in the time of the civil war between Stephen and Matilda is not a fun place to be. Because of the war between the kingly ones, justice is not getting dispensed to those in need. For this reason, strong alliances are more important than ever. Thus, Hawise de Dinan and Brunin FitzWairin, two teenagers who have known each other their whole lives are made to wed so that Brunin can help protect Hawse's family estate, Ludlow, which is under almost constant attack from Gilbert de Lacy.
Readers of Lords of The White castle will be delighted to read the romantic and stunning story of the parents of Fulke FitzWairin, who unfortunately aren't seen much in LOTWC.
All The characters are real people of their time with true personas and real motivations, and as always, this is not some nice neat tale of midlevel life. It's dirty and gritty and very realistic. It's also not really fair to classify this as a romance novel, since there isn't that much sex in the book. Chadwick has done it again!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A smashing good tale of medieval England that's based in fact., June 27, 2008
This review is from: Shadows and Strongholds: A Novel (Hardcover)
Every couple of years or so, British author Elizabeth Chadwick delivers up a new adventure of life in the tumultuous twelfth century for her fans. Whenever I find myself waiting impatiently for her next new release, I go through her backlist of novels to help me bide the time.
This time with the novel, Shadows and Strongholds, the story is set on the Welsh frontier of England in the twelfth century. It is a rather untamed place, where the lords of the various castles and manors are on a constant state of alert for the Welsh to come raiding, their favourite hobby being the cattle rustling and stealing women away. Too, they don't fight like the English, much preferring a quick hit-and-run approach rather than the more organized Norman way of battle.
Into this world is born Brunin FitzWarin. Brunin is the second son of a powerful nobleman, and has grown up in the shadow of his fearsome grandmother, the sharp-tongued Mellette. Mellette has never bothered to hide her contempt for the child, and has encouraged his brothers to tease and torment him, causing Brunin to retreat into himself, doubting his own abilities, a fatal flaw in a culture that prided itself on personal courage and warfare. When he goes with his father to St. Peters Fair in the nearby town of Shrewsbury, Brunin gets a hard lesson in medieval politics when he is beaten and nearly killed by squires of his father's rival, Gilbert de Lacy. His father furious, but a family friend, Joscelin de Dinan, offers to help by taking Brunin into his household for training. It's a solution that Fulk happily agrees to.
In Joscelin's stronghold of Ludlow Castle, ten year old Brunin gets to discover a world that he could scarcely dream of. At Ludlow he finds that Joscelin's wife, Sybilla, is a kind mentor, and his daughters, Sibbi and Hawise, are just as forceful and proud as their father. Hawise in particular becomes a close friend, sharing in his adventures, and even the adoring, kittenish, Marion, forms a bond with him. In this nurturing environment, Brunin is able to build his self-reliance and finds a talent for warfare and courage within himself. Both of these talents will be needed when he suddenly succeeds to his father's lands just as civil war for England's crown overtakes the Welsh marches, and everyone at Ludlow risks losing everything that they have built...
Yes, there is a follow-up to this one, Lords of the White Castle, published several years earlier, but taking place after the events of Shadows and Strongholds.
I really took to the story of Brunin and Hawise. Brunin is a very sympathetic character, a young man that finds the strength inside of himself to succeed. Hawise is more of a partner to him than just a broodmare of a wife, clever in her own way, and able to work with her husband -- and lucky enough to have a husband that sees that valuable trait in her. The secondary characters are just as interesting, especially Joscelin and Sybilla, and who can't help but wince at the choices that Marion makes? Even the villains of the piece, the de Lacys and their henchmen, inspire some understanding, and moves them beyond the usual two-dimensional figures that are all too common.
I have to say that Elizabeth Chadwick has become one of my favourite authors to read. Her research is based around solid research about the actual people and times of the period -- and yes, Josecelin, Sybilla, Brunin and Hawise all lived, and even poor Marion is an actual historical figure. It's this ability to turn a legend or story into people that the reader gets to know and like, and not resorting to the trivialities of most historical fiction, that makes this author really stand out from the lackluster fiction that most historical fiction tends to pass itself as. While her books are indeed rather thick, and do take time to get through, the patient reader will be greatly rewarded.
What I enjoy the most about Ms. Chadwick's work is that she remains focused on the people and times of the period. Her research is spot on, and has the feel of actually being there in an age of chivalry. Yes, it's very much a man's world, where women have little political voice and power, but behind the scenes, they could have a great deal of influence. As to the round of daily life, the details of the battlefield and such things as clothing, food and music, Ms. Chadwick has gotten to know what she is doing, by being brave enough to be with historical reinactors and learns by doing. It's this little step that fills her novels with so much life that I swear I can feel the medieval period come to life around me, and isn't that, after all, what we read historical fiction for?
Don't let the cover fool you, these are not the sappy, sticky historical romances that tend to litter bookstores. This is straight up historical fiction based in fact and worth every penny. The more I read of Ms. Chadwick's work, the more I want of her novels. Fans of Sharon Kay Penman and the early works of Roberta Gellis are urged to give her books a try, you won't be disappointed.
Four and a half stars, round up to five. Enthusiastically recommended.
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