Captives Kindle Edition

You know, it REALLY upsets me when people post reviews telling other customers NOT to buy a novel based on their own PERSONAL view of the book! Guess what, another person might absolutely LOVE the book....like ME! I write book reviews for my blog, Historical Fiction Obsession, and I chose to review the book for free, in return for an honest review posted on my blog, as well as on amazon. I see no problem when someone posts a negative review, it happens, not everyone is going to enjoy the same novels. It is a REVIEW, which means that you are supposed to say what you did or did not like about the novel. You are not supposed to drag the book through the mud, simply saying over and over how awful it is, and telling everyone that it is a waste of money and not to buy it. That is not a review.

I apologize for my rant, but I truly enjoyed this book. Now, here is my REVIEW of this novel:

I absolutely love the novel Captives by Emily Murdoch. The entire novel kept me interested from beginning until end. Right from the start you are drawn in by the mystery that surrounds the captive that is brought forward in terrible condition after England has been invaded by the Normans in 1066. The reader finds out that this captive is Lady Catheryn, and her story continues to get more and more interesting from that point forward. I love the fact that her and her captive, Lord FitzOsbern are so drawn to each other, their connection makes for a great romantic novel read!
The descriptions are great in this book, and you can definitely picture everything that you are reading. Also, the author has a great writing style. I definitely am going to look to see if this author has written other historical fiction/romance novels, because I was really impressed with this book.Read more ›

'Captives' is the third story in a collection of three, set before and after the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The Norman conquest of England was the 11th century invasion and occupation of England by an army of Norman, Breton, and French soldiers led by Duke William II of Normandy.

This collection by Emily Murdoch consists of three separate stories that are connected in some way or another, for example certain scenes that you come across in the first story 'Conquests', you will also come across in the third story 'Captives', all be it from a different perspective. The protagonist Catheryn is in two of the stories and some of the characters in the second and third novella are related to some in the first. (I will explain no more as this would then become a 'spoiler alert')

This story is based in Normandy 1067 and tells the tale of Lady Catheryn an Anglo Saxon noble woman who is captured and taken to Normandy against her will. Lord Geffrei a barbarous invader who holds her prisoner hope to receive a ransom for her. However Queen Matilda who is King William's wife feels sorry for her and sends her to work for the FitzOsberns.

Catheryn had lost everything in the Norman invasion, her husband, her son both killed and even her daughter had disappeared. Her time with the FitzOsberns is full of turmoil, heart ache and confusing emotions as she becomes more and more involved in their relationship.

I thoroughly enjoyed this emotional roller coaster of an adventure, I felt that Emily Murdoch as with the other two novels in this series, had meticulously researched this time period, the culture as well as the history.

This is a fascinating story of the mixed feelings and emotions that can often occur between captives and their capturers.Read more ›

I waited several days after reading this book to write a review, thinking time would soften my first negative impressions. But it has not. The plot is advanced by some very improbable turns of events. That the heroine, having been kept for months as an animal by a nasty knight, is visited in her dungeon cell by the two most powerful people in the then known world, William the Conqueror and his wife, is extremely unlikely - extremely. It smacks a bit of deus ex machina, a weak technique at best. That FitzOsbern should spend most of the story lamenting his loveless marriage, then become enraged at his wife's death from a fevered illness and attack the woman he had professed to love, accusing her of causing his wife's death departs from what has transpired prior. And then, that an offer of marriage from a hitherto uninvolved noble woman would arrive unbidden in the midst of his rage did not grow out of the plot organically!! So a previously thoughtful and courteous man, who until that moment only desired peace and gentleness in his life and family, who has never until that moment acted rashly, even cautioning the Conqueror to cease his rash decision to annihilate the northern rebels, accepts the offer and disposes of his true love in an instant, immediately, while the messenger still stands in front of them, can only be regarded as a less than honest twist from left field.
The plot weaknesses might be excusable if the prose and dialogue had risen to an eloquent level, but they did not. The plot lumbers along, spending way too many words on non-essential asides that did not serve to move the story forward. The dialogue was stilted and didn't have any fire.
I cannot recommend this book.