Customer Reviews

The Winter Mantle

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had always wondered what happened to the Saxon nobility after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Elizabeth Chadwick offers a partial explanation in this rousing tale of medieval love, war and political intrigue. Like many of Chadwick's novels, it is loosely based on real historical figures and events.

It's a few months after the Conquest, and, among the Saxon nobles being held in Rouen, France by a distrustful King William is Earl Waltheof of Huntingdon. The King's niece, Judith, immediately feels drawn to this giant of a man with his Viking looks. Waltheof is even more certain of his own desires: He decides then and there that he will have Judith for a wife. When William refuses to grant him Judith's hand, Waltheof takes part in a rebellion against his new king. The rebellion is put down, but William comes to see the prudence of a familial alliance with this young earl who is so beloved by the English people.

Now married, Judith and Waltheof face the real challenges of their relationship. Their loyalties are nearly opposite, and the strong personalities that made courtship exciting are a hindrance to wedded happiness. When Waltheof makes another misstep, Judith must make the most wrenching choice of her life, one whose consequences will endure for her lifetime and beyond.

Love isn't always enough to bring about a "happily ever after," and at no time was this more true than in the Middle Ages. The dilemmas faced by the real people in THE WINTER MANTLE are compelling, heartbreaking, and anything but black and white. Yet not all hope is lost, and each character finds, in the end, his or her own version of closure.

As if being the consummate storyteller wasn't enough, Elizabeth Chadwick is a master of medieval history. If you want to know how they really lived, loved, fought and died, there's no more pleasurable way to find out. Sharon Kay Penman is mesmerizing, and meticulous with dates and events, but she doesn't bring us nearly as close to the splendor and grit of the medieval world, nor to the peculiarities of the medieval mindset.

One final note: In case you don't already know it, there are TWO Elizabeth Chadwicks, and Amazon does a poor job of differentiating between them. Amazon has even been known to offer a book by this EC along with one by that "other" EC as a "Better Together" selection. Rule of Thumb: If it has a lurid title, like ELUSIVE LOVERS or WANTON ANGEL, it was not written by the Elizabeth Chadwick who wrote THE WINTER MANTLE, LORDS OF THE WHITE CASTLE and THE LOVE KNOT, among many other greats.

This title began in the year 1067. King William (the Conqueror) had just triumphed at Normandy. One of his young noble hostages was Waltheof of Huntingdon. Waltheof set his eye on William's niece, Judith. During this time of war and turmoil, their lives would be tested often for loyalty toward each other and their king.

The book continued into the next generation. Matilda, Waltheof's oldest daughter, married Simon de Senlis. Simon had once been Waltheof's squire. Old King William had died and the eldest son was now king of England, while the middle son was king of Normandy. Some believed the eldest son should have received BOTH kingdoms, thus the chaos continued. Matilda and Simon would now be tested. Treason may lurk around any corner and being at court was more dangerous than anyone today could possibly imagine.

Author Elizabeth Chadwick's pen has taken real people from the past and written an awesome tale of the love, hatred, and betrayal, that existed during the past of England and Normandy. The author kept all the details she could find of the people in this novel true and only added her own fiction to the many parts of history that would unable to be found.

I found this book to be extremely well done. I am happy to recommend it highly to everyone!

In 1067, William the Conqueror has become the King of England and Normandy. To secure his hard-earned throne, he holds hostage many local nobles including the Earl Waltheof Siwardsson of Huntingdon, who remains a noble because he did not fight at Hastings. Shockingly, Waltheof finds he desires William's Norman niece, Judith and even more surprisingly they make a match of it even while treachery lurks behind every niche and cranny.

Two decades later, loyalty has become even more complex as William recently died and his two kingdoms divided between his older sons. Many of the Conqueror's followers believe that the middle son should have received nothing instead of sitting on the Normandy throne. Waltheof's oldest daughter, Matilda marries her father's former squire Simon de Senlis. Matilda and Simon want to live and love in peace, but once again treachery and shifting alliances make life as dangerous if not more so than when her father was an English hostage in a Norman court.

Though the story of William and his sons have been told numerous times few efforts match the thrilling saga provided by Elizabeth Chadwick. The story line focuses on people wanting peace and love yet caught up in an age of immense chaos and turmoil fostered by treachery, hatred and betrayal. Real people and recorded information of the period provide fans with an exciting historical novel that is probably as much factual as fictional, all elements interwoven into a cohesive delightful tale that William readers will cherish.

Harriet Klausner

I picked up Elizabeth Chadwick's "The Winter Mantle" after reading a couple of Sharon Kay Penman's amazing novels of merry old England, in the hopes that Chadwick's works would essentially be more of the same, which would be high praise indeed.

"Mantle" reads like a cross between a traditional work of historical fiction and a tawdry bodice-ripper. While I am not a fan of the romance genre, Chadwick has such total command of the period that "The Winter Mantle" was quite enjoyable.

"Mantle" opens in 1067 as William the Conqueror attempts to cement his hold over England following the Battle of Hastings. The English nobles -- a wild Celtic bunch with massive arms and even more massive beards -- are chafing under William's rule, and William is not one to suffer disloyalty. The theme of loyalty dominates the novel, although Chadwick focuses more on the loyalty of the heart than to the crown as she focuses on two generations of lovers.

The ill-matched English earl Waltheof and Norman beauty Judith form the first couple, and one cannot help but take Waltheof's side against his shrewish wife. Waltheof is a great big bear of a man, who wears the winter mantle of the title - a massive polar bear skin unique in all the lands. A loveable lug of an earl, Waltheof's herculean strength is exceeded only by his kindness. Judith, on the other hand, is the kind of repressed gal who cannot help becoming a wanton in the hands of her husband - and who resents him for it. Her icy resentment builds until she lashes out at Waltheof one time too many, and the consequences are dire.

The second couple brings together the Norman courtier Simon, whose life was saved as a youth by Waltheof, and Waltheof's daughter, Matilda. At first, Matilda seems to follow her father's carefree manner over her mother's rigid self-control. But gradually, Matilda's once-regressive shrewish traits become much more pronounced, and her relationship with her husband adopts a hard edge.

Through it all, Chadwick spices things up with love scenes that leave very little to the imagination. And while she does so with great skill, one grows weary of the bedroom scenes. To be sure, Chadwick can write a battle scene very well, but these scenes are remarkably truncated when compared to the drawn-out exposition of wedding nights and romantic trysts.

Where one cannot quibble with Chadwick is her ability to capture daily life in 11th century England. Her descriptions are concise and vivid, and her characters are remarkably individualized -- even if the mothers and daughters share some glaring-yet-unattractive traits.

And yet, at the end, when tragedy has been avoided and all is (relatively) right in the world, one feels that in the years following the Norman arrival in England there was a larger story to tell than the one Chadwick just told so well.

While not a must-read for fans of historical fiction (but clearly not a waste of time, either), I imagine this novel would be a big hit for fans of torrid romances.

I'm having a hard time reconciling all of these positive reviews with the mediocre book I just finished. Until about halfway through the book, I considered abandoning it, and I hardly ever put down a book after starting it. Granted, the second half of the story was much better than the first, but even the second half wasn't great.

The writing is inconsistent, many of the characters are painfully flat, and for all of the criticisms that I've read concerning this book's close resemblance to a tawdry romance novel, I've read better sex scenes in a Harlequin paperback.

If you don't mind the unfocused, meandering plot and shrewish women that fill the first 300 pages, the last 200 pages are somewhat enjoyable. But as a book editor, I don't believe that it's worthwhile to waste a reader's time for very little payoff.

England, 1067, not long after the Norman Conquest. The Saxons are in France, and King William plans to go to war against them. The Earl of Waltheof, a giant of a man with Viking looks, falls for Judith, King William's niece. William, of course, is opposed to this union, but that doesn't stop the earl from desiring Judith as his wife. But then things change. William thinks it over and comes to the conclusion that an alliance with Waltheof would be beneficial for him. A political alliance through marriage would come in handy for him. And so, a deal is made. And that is just the beginning for Waltheof and Judith. The hardships they go through, mixed in with some tragedies and struggles, really make them test their feelings. What's worse is that they have different beliefs, different views, which makes their union all the harder to take. Each person has a preference for his upbringing and cultural/political views, which is understandable, but spells trouble to an otherwise passionate couple. Does love conquer all in a time when war and politics rule since William conquered England?

Elizabeth Chadwick wowed me with The Conquest, which also takes place during the Norman Conquest. Once again she has captured me with this beautiful and at times sad tale of love and war during the medieval times. Chadwick uses modern language for her narrative and at times with the dialogue as well. I like the fact that she does this without throwing the reader with a wording that may sound too modern for the times. She has explained in her author notes that she'd rather use modern terminology at times so as not to confuse the reader. I for one appreciate this. Though I like my historical novels to have a convincing language that captures the times, I also understand that authors mustn't go too far and try too hard to sound like they're from another time -- thus sounding fake and pretentious in the process. This is far from the truth with Chadwick. The Winter Mantle, like The Conquest, is wonderfully researched, and you are transported to a time when men wore armor and tunics and the women covered their long hair with pieces of cloth that looked not unlike a nun's headdress. Waltheof and Lady Judith moved me, and the secondary characters are also very compelling. I couldn't put this wonderful effort down. I recommend The Winter Mantle and Elizabeth Chadwick. I already have The Marsh King's Daughter and The Scarlet Lion in my possession, and I look forward to reading them. But first I will take a break and absorb this wonderful effort for a while longer. This author is not published in the US (at least, not that I know of), and I won't be able to order her UK books for a while.

This was another fast paced work of wonderfully blended history and fiction from Elizabeth Chadwick. While my rating may not show it, this was a good book. There were just a few things that brought my overall rating down. It is the true story of Waltheof of Huntington, an English lord held hostage by William of Normandy after the Battle of Hastings, and his Norman bride Judith, William's niece. After finally marrying the woman of dreams, Waltheof realizes that she is not as wonderful as she originally appeared. After many turbulent years of marriage and children, Judith eventually makes a decision that seals Waltheof's fate. As their daughter Matlida grows, she desperately wants to avoid the situation her parents ended up in.

This is a wonderfully written book with great descriptions and details and good character development. Chadwick really excels at making the past come alive for the reader in her descriptions of all things in the medieval world. Surprisingly, there really are no "villains" in the story, just some really annoying and arrogant people (Judith's mother for one). Waltheof is honorable and quite likable though his one weakness, his inability to think before he acts, lands him in trouble again and again. Sometimes I just wanted to shake him and tell him to wake up. Judith starts out as a character I could feel a bit sorry and cheer for because of what she puts up with from her mother. She appears to be a loving, kind-hearted girl who just wants to find love - until she and Waltheof marry. This is where my rating on the book began to drop. Once married, Judith morphs into a horrid, shrewish person I wished Waltheof would slap some sense into (or just slap for that matter). Her constant arrogance over her Norman blood being better than Waltheof's English really made me dislike her. The unending scorn she held for the Simon de Senlis, the boy Waltheof saved, was really irritating as she felt he kept showing up just to make her feel guilty about the part she played in it. She really turned into her mother. It was hard for me to comprehend how someone could change so drastically and so quickly. After her roll in Waltheof's downfall I had absolutely no pity or sympathy left for her. At this point I was a bit confused because the story switches and focuses on Waltheof and Judith's daughter, Matilda. While this was a complete change and not what I was expecting from the book, Matilda's story was enjoyable to read. The whole episode dealing with her marriage to a friend of her father's, just to get away from her mother was priceless (and I liked seeing Judith get what was coming to her). It was interesting to see how she matured and tried to avoid the mistakes her mother made.

This was a good story, as usual, from Elizabeth Chadwick but not one of my favorites. The change in Judith's character was a huge swing that left me scratching my head a bit. The chemistry between her and Waltheof was so wonderful to read about in the beginning but then it just disappeared. I really loved reading about Waltheof and hated the way he was treated by the woman he loved. The switch in the focus of the story was a bit of a shock as well, though Matilda's story was interesting to read. Those two issues though are what brought my overall rating down on this book.

This story was wonderful. It's been a few months since I've read this but I remember it well enough for it to have earned 5 stars. My favorite thus far for Elizabeth Chadwick books.

The Winter Mantle is an excellent book. It was actually one of my favorite by Elizabeth Chadwick. As always, Chadwick, seems to weave factual details into a very engrossing story. I love reading her work. I always feel as though I learn many things about medieval history. I enjoy a great story. The Winter Mantle was a winner.

The Winter Mantle begins in 1067 after The Conquest as Waltheof of Huntingdon and several other English nobles are kept under William's close eye in Normandy. Waltheof desires William's haughty niece Judith and is torn between making his peace with William and pressing suit for her hand or participating in further rebellion against the Norman conquerors. After one rebellion in the north fails, William forgives Waltheof and marries him to Judith, although she is torn between pride in her Norman ancestry and desire for her husband, and this eventually leads to discord in the marriage. Waltheof allows himself to be convinced to participate in one last attempt at overthrowing William, and this time with drastic results.

The story then takes up with the second generation, Waltheof's beloved daughter Matilda and Norman courtier Simon de Senlis who at the behest of King William Rufus comes to take charge of the lands Judith inherited from Waltheof. Furious, the ever haughty Judith refuses to cooperate and wed Simon and he turns his eye to Matilda as a younger and more appealing choice. The story then continues as Matilda and Simon raise their children, and Judith finally comes to terms with her own guilt in Waltheof's fate and his death as a traitor, as well as the consequences to Simon and Judith's marriage from Simon's actions on his return from the Crusades.

Based on true people, this was a lively entertaining tale and I very much enjoyed how the author was able to take such a snotty piece of goods like Judith and humanize her in the end - it really was a love/hate relationship between she and Waltheof and in many ways those two warring emotions are very much the same. As with all of her books, Chadwick has an amazing knack of bringing the medieval period to life, be it the sights, sounds, smells, food, clothing and more. Highly recommended and a side note that the tiny baby at the very end of the book has his own story in The Falcons of Montabard.