Monthly Archives: September 2011

Shaz’ Stars interviews Author Pauline Barclay

In the hot seat today I would like to welcome:
  

PAULINE BARCLAY

Hello Pauline, thank you for letting us have a peek behindthe scenes.  Your sun sign is SCORPIO.
  1. A Scorpio will never give up because they are determined to reach their goal.  The key to success is founded on their ability to re-survey and take a different approach if necessary.  Has this ever happened to anything you’ve been writing?  Has something not been working out and you’ve managed to step back and re-evaluate what you could do?
Laugh! Ithink most of the time. I can say at some point during my writing of my lastthree books I had to stop and look at what was happening. In fact if I’m to behonest, more than once! Sometimes drastic changes were needed, other timestweaks. My latest book had some serious rewrites to get it flowing well. Sometimes It Happens… has a large castof characters and it was vital that not only did the characters play theirpart, but at the right time!

  1. With astute powers of observation and excellent memories, Scorpions are able to recall anything when needed.  Do you use these skills when writing a descriptive piece from memory?
I’mterrible, I remember every detail and rarely miss much, but it does come inuseful when building my characters. Jane Leonard’s emotions in Magnolia House swing from joy to despairand I’ve tried to capture tiny details that convey to the reader how Jane feelsand how she deals with the enormity of her situation.

  1. Scorpions like to be in control – to be aware of situations and always know what’s going on.  In life that isn’t always possible.  Do you feel that in creating a world via your writing this helps you to feel safe on an inner level when maybe life is in chaos around you? 
I’m acontrol freak and when I’m not in control I look for ways to shift the balanceback. As for writing, I just love to write, I suppose creating my charactersputs me in control of how they develop. Henry Bryant-Smythe from Satchfield Hall totally controlseveryone around him. He is the frightening side of control.

  1. Setting short term goals that can be accomplished is a Scorpion trait.  Do you set yourself short-term goals – plan ahead? 
I alwayshave a number of goals to meet, I like to set challenges. With my writing I amthe same, I set time frames and word counts. So when the words don’t flow orother things get in the way and I don’t meet my expectations, I am not happywith myself.

  1. With such a penetrative mind, Scorpios ask questions and delve deeply to understand something.  Is this a trait you use in your research?  Can you share with us any research techniques that have worked well for you?
I liketo fully understand what I write is plausible. I love writing the emotionalside of my characters, so I spend a lot of time watching and listening topeople on how they react and behave. For my next book (number 4) I have anappointment with a bank manager to understand debt, particularly unpaid debtand the actions that need to be taken, in particular drastic action! Once Iunderstand this part, I can write the emotional side of the story!

  1. Scorpions sensitivity means they get hurt easily on an emotional level.  How have you handled any rejection in connection with your writing?  Have you any helpful strategies to share with our readers?
Mywriting like all writers, I take personally and yes I do get upset withnegative criticism and rejection. I cry and keep away from people. Then whenI’ve ran out of tissues, I realise it is not the end of the world and I pickmyself up, brush myself down and get right back to doing what I love, writing.Everyone has their opinions and some are right and others, well! I wouldsuggest to anyone that no matter what is thrown at you, never ever give up inbelieving in yourself.

  1. John Keats, George Eliot and Robert Louis Stevenson are writers who were born with a Scorpion sun.  Who has inspired you and please would you share why?
I can’tsay anyone person inspired me to write, I’ve always loved writing, but EnidBlyton inspired me to read all her wonderful children’s books. My parents areavid readers and I have never known a time in my life when they did not have abook at their side.



Thank you for sharing with us Pauline. 
Pauline is a showcased author with Loveahappyending which is an interactive reader/author website.  Visit Loveahappyending to find out more about this brilliant project and how you, as a reader, can support them. 

Pauline Barclay Biography 

Years ago I gained a BA (Hons)degree from the Open University, today I spend my time writing fiction. I havethree books published: Sometimes ItHappens…
Magnolia House and Satchfield Hall.

I am a Yorkshire lass, but havelived in several different locations including, Suffolk, Surrey andHolland.  Today, I live on the beautifulvolcanic island of Lanzarote with my husband and our two gorgeous rescuedoggies.

All my books are available fromAmazon
All three are available in Kindleversion
Magnolia House & Satchfield Hall are also available inpaperback.
You can find me at:
My Web: www.pauliebarclay.co.uk
My Blog: http://paulinembarclay.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pauline-Barclay/121242304590624
Twitter:@paulinembarclay
Loveahappyending: http://loveahappyending.com/pauline-barclay/


  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 408 KB
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B0050K7NVE

Winning the lottery was just the beginning for Doreen Wilkinson, nothing prepared Doreen for her holiday at Villas Bonitas and nothing prepared Villas Bonitas for Doreen Wilkinson.

Sometimes It Happens…is about secrets, deception, lies, love and laughter. Tears will flow because this is one holiday that will never ever be forgotten by many!



A tweet with a well-timed surprise!

I was intrigued by this tweet ‘Hello! Hope you’re having a fabby day. Thereis a little award for you on my Blog’
I’ve had a couple of ‘down’ days (which we all have now and then!) butnow I’m smiling and it’s all because of Pauline Barclay who sent me theFriendly Blogger Award!






Pauline and I ‘met’ through the innovative Loveahappyendingproject.  She is a very supportive ladywith a fab blog called Scribbles.  I’ve read some very interesting posts as well as her author news. No hesitation in recommending you go and have a browse and you’ll seeexactly what I mean!  Pauline is alwaysso upbeat and positive.  I keep up todate with Pauline’s posts because she’s on my ‘Author Blogs’ roll on my ownblog J
Now it’s my turn to pass it on.  The bloggers I have chosen are all supportive, leave comments,and seem to know my every blog tweet so they can retweet it or share it onFacebook!  They’ve become firm friends.
So … without further ado, I think the following bloggers deserve toreceive The Friendly Blogger Award:
Carol at Dizzy C’s Little Book Blog
Amanda at OneMorePage
Lou at Lou Graham’s Blog
Joanna at Winter Jasmine Therapies
Mandy Baggot
Melanie Robertson-King at |Celtic Connexions
Sarah at Sarah’s Book Reviews
Carole at Carole’s Book Corner

Rea at Reabookreview
Award Rules:  Sendthis award to about 10 people who regularly comment on your blog.  A link back to my blog would be good too …
… and don’t forget to keep coming back to read and comment –you’re all very much appreciated!

An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson

     Paperback: 432 pages
                    Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd (29 Sep 2011)
                    Language English
                    ISBN-10: 184983203X
                      ISBN-13: 978-1849832038
Synopsis from Amazon: 

After a bruising divorce,headstrong Juliet Miller invests in a flat and advertises for a flatmate,little believing that in her mid-thirties she’ll find anyone suitable. Butalong comes self-employed copywriter Floz, raw from her own relationship split,and the two women hit it off. When Juliet’s twin brother Guy meets Floz, he isovercome with a massive crush. But being a shy, gentle giant, he communicatesso clumsily with her as to give her the opposite impression. Guy’s best friendSteve has always had a secret, unrequited crush on Juliet. After a night of toomuch wine, Steve and Juliet end up in bed, after moaning about the lack of sexin their lives. Convinced that Juliet doesn’t feel the same way, Steve agreesto a ‘just-sex’ relationship, until they can both hook their dream partners.Just when Guy has finally plucked up the courage to tell Floz how he feels, hefinds she has rekindled an old romance. Floz has never had much love in herlife and is obviously thirsty for affection. She loves the whole Miller family,from Juliet and Guy’s warm, loving parents, to their ancient one-eyed black cat.But can Guy turn Floz’s affection for his family into something more – intolove for him? Then Juliet makes a series of discoveries which will turn thelives of all four friends upside-down and turns that Autumn into a season wherelove can be harvested.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the opening of this story where Juliet and her friendCoco are interviewing for a flat mate, right up to the last punctuation mark, Ihave really enjoyed living in this world created by Milly Johnson.
The story takes us through the Autumnal months of August,September, October and November living alongside characters whose antics haveprovoked emotional outbursts from me and no doubt will from you! 
Guys frustrated attempts at getting close to Floz actuallyhad me in stitches of laughter.  Ispluttered with mirth at the things that happened when Steve and Guy went roundto Juliet’s flat, ostensibly to check out the plastering. 
I also just have to mention Steve who at one point findshimself outside on the steps of the flat whose clothing leads Juliet’s neighbour to believe he’s a transvestite.  Hilarious! I am still laughing now …
Amidst the laughter though (of which is there plenty),sadness is also woven through the story. Milly Johnson is not afraid to deal with the darker side of life.  Dysfunctional families, internet dating,addictions and more all have their place in this novel.
I loved The Miller family who are open and welcomingproviding roots and stability for everyone involved in their lives.
There is also plenty of intrigue.  The author drops us hints as we’re going along so the first timesomething is mentioned it gets you thinking where it will fit into the storyand as you’re reading further into the story we get to know a little bit moreuntil the time is right for the revelation.
Milly Johnson very cleverly moves the plot along at a steadypace and just when something is becoming all ‘sown up’ something else isdropped into the mix so there is more intrigue to keep you turning those pages,wanting to know what will happen.
The way the story is written just carries you along in itsflow.  I found it easy to read which tobe honest, is just what I needed after a working day in school – although attimes I should have been sleeping and NOT reading!  Pure escapism …
I was quite sad when I knew I was getting close to theend.  I’d been swept along with Floz bythe power of Juliet’s personality, been caught up in Coco’s flamboyant personality and love life, been wrapped up in the warmth of the Millerfamily, cried tears of laughter and sometimes deep sadness, been frustrated bythe non-relationship of Floz and Guy but uplifted by Juliet and Steve’sshenanigans.  An Autumn Crush has keptme good company this past week and taken me out of my everyday life.  I didn’t want my brief time in this world toend.
An Autumn Crush has truly entertained me and touched myemotions and for these reasons, my rating is:


I would like to thank Simon & Schuster for providing mewith a copy to review.
I have The Yorkshire Pudding Club on my Kindle tbr pile andI will definitely be adding Milly Johnson’s other titles.
You can find Milly Johnson at her website, onTwitter and on Facebook.

http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=jersjam-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=184983203X&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

Handcrafted Bookmarks by Sherieann





I ‘met’ Sherieann (@RedRoses4) recently on Twitter from a tweet that someone had retweeted into my timeline.  Before that I had a vague knowledge of @RedRoses4 as she had won a Facebook fanpage design from someone in my network.  The thing that really caught my eye was a tweet linking to Sherieann’s bookmark page.

I love everything that’s related to books and have bookmarks of all different shapes, sizes and material scattered around my home. 

A few of my bookmarks

When I saw the tweet I couldn’t resist checking the link out!  http://www.sherieann-jewellery.co.uk/index.htm


The bookmarks that Sherieann has made looked gorgeous.  I saw the reasonable price and thought to myself ‘there’s going to be a hefty postage cost to make up for the actual cost of goods’ so image how surprised I was to find that the price INCLUDED posting and packing.

I ordered my bookmark on the Tuesday afternoon and it was delivered this morning (Thursday).    The packaging was impressive – bubble wrap, tissue and a gorgeous pouch. 


And this is how gorgeous my bookmark is:




I was curious to find out the background to @RedRoses4/Sherieann so I invited her to answer some questions on my blog.
Hi Sherieann,
Thank you for agreeing to answer some questions for me.
How did you get started making jewellery and how long have you been making it?

I have been making jewellery since I was a little girl, most of my presents would be jewellery making kits or craft kits. Mainly it is a hobby and a very good way for me to relax.
About 2 yrs ago I decided I would see if I could sell some of the jewellery that I was already making for myself , so I started to sell on-line, and yes I have been lucky with my website to have a few sales.
Do you have a workspace at home?  If so, where do you keep all your tools and materials?)

This question made me smile, when you start making jewellery to sell, it takes over your house. I do have a 6ft craft table set up in my lounge, this is my main workspace.

Lots of room to scatter my ideas about on the table.

I am very organized really, all tools and materials are kept in craft boxes.
  

I noticed on your website you state you wanted to make affordable items of jewellery for everyone.  Is it possible to explain to us how you have managed to do that?

I buy mainly in bulk, so that the cost of making various items is kept low.  I do not charge for the time making it.

At times it can take up to 2hrs to make just one handbag charm, but as I enjoy doing it I don`t mind.

On Twitter I have seen your tweets stating that you are donating money to charity with every pair of ear-rings purchased.  Is this something you do regularly?

Yes I donate to various charities from the sales of each pair of earrings at £3 , to the charity of the buyers choice.

I joined a site on twitter called Crafts for Charity, The arts and crafts directory with a heart… Promoting crafts and raising money for charity, @Crafts4Charity. As a thank you I put a page on my website to promote them and help raise some money too.

Your website tells us that you sell your gorgeous handmade items at craft fairs.  Which areas can we find you in?

I only do small craft fairs local to me in Norwich Norfolk, mainly for schools and charity events
Thank you Sherieann!
Sherieann shares some personal information:
I am 45 yrs old, love living in the country, I have three lovely dogs, which take up a lot of my time. I love to chat as you may of noticed if you follow me on twitter. I am just a simple country girl and love the simple things in life.
You can visit Sherieann’s webpage here:  http://www.sherieann-jewellery.co.uk/index.htm

A new fashion accessory – book related!

I received something rather exciting in the post this week …  thanks to author Mandy Baggot!  and just had to share with you (not that I’m an exhibitionist or anything).


For those of you who don’t know, Mandy is a featured author on the innovative project that showcases 30 authors called Loveahappyending.  I am an Associate Reader for Mandy.

Please excuse the love handles :)

Yes, I am proud to be a member of TEAM BAGGOT, but that’s not all …


I can’t wait for Mandy’s new novel ‘Strings Attached’ to be released in paperback on 1st November!  Having supported Mandy on this particular journey and being a beta reader, I know just how fab the story of George and Quinn is:  
I really do love Strings Attached!
This really is one love story you won’t want to miss :)
CatererGeorge Fraser has a mission. She’s going to prove everyone wrong. Ambitiousowner of catering firm Finger Food and black sheep of her family, she’sdetermined to succeed in business where she’s so far failed in her personallife. Asked to cater for gorgeous rock star Quinn Blake’s after-show party herlife suddenly takes a turn for the dramatic. 
Magneticallydrawn together, George and Quinn embark on a relationship that no one must knowabout. But is Quinn everything he seems or is there more to his star life thanhe’s telling her? 
Thingshot up when George is invited to the wedding of the millennium and herintegrity very soon becomes compromised. With celebrity obsessed colleagueMarisa in the mix and her beloved Adam spending more time in her life canGeorge keep her secrets and hold on to her ambition, or will love finally getin the way? 


A virtual book tour is taking place starting 1st November with lots of lovely interviews, fun articles and giveaways.  I suggest you put that date in your calendar now!
Well maybe I am a bit of an exhibitionist at heart!
So what do you think of my new fashion accessory?  

On My Wishlist (#10)

I’m a sucker for fairy-tale, myths or legends being re-told in a modern world!  


  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: David Fickling Books (PB) (6 Jan 2011)
  • ISBN-10: 1849920729
  • ISBN-13: 978-1849920728

When the family business collapses, Beauty and her two sisters are forced to leave the city and begin a new life in the countryside. However, when their father accepts hospitality from the elusive and magical Beast, he is forced to make a terrible promise – to send one daughter to the Beast’s castle, with no guarantee that she will be seen again. Beauty accepts the challenge, and there begins an extraordinary story of magic and love that overcomes all boundaries. This is another spellbinding and emotional tale embroidered around a fairytale from Robin McKinley, an award-winning American author.






This appeals to my romantic side (jousting knights and beautiful ladies) and also to my interest in history (which does include the worst things that have happened!).  



  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage (1 Oct 2009)
  • ISBN-10: 1845950992
  • ISBN-13: 978-1845950996



As the review in the Guardian says ‘Statistics are all very well, but unless they come clothed in flesh it is hard to know them in your bones. You can read about the Black Death until you’re blue (or, rather, yellow with funny red blotches) in the face. You can know it wiped out a third of Europe’s population, but until you’ve seen a man sobbing as he tells you he has buried five sons, or watched as wild pigs chomp on the remains of your loved ones, then history remains a glorified spreadsheet of society’s profit and loss.’








What do you think about my choices this week?  Visitors to the blog are warmly invited to share your wishlist.  So many fab authors and stories out there.







Celebrating 50 blog followers …

Yes it’s true!  Earlier this month I hit a landmark.  It’s a landmark to me because 50 seemed a very long way off when I started blogging my book reviews in February! I had no idea I would have so much fun and meet such fabulous people.



To say thank you for your continued support I have a giveaway… 

The lovely publishers over at Choc Lit are giving one lucky blog follower the PICK from any of the books they’ve published!  Yes, you did read that correctly … it’s your choice!




If you haven’t heard of Choc Lit (where have you been?!?!) they are an independent publisher creating a delicious selection of fiction.  I haven’t been disappointed by any of their authors I’ve read.  They’ve published contemporary, historical and fantasy genres … with a few thrillers coming soon. 

What do you have to do to be the lucky person? Leave me a comment stating which book you are choosing and why. 






Entries are for UK residents only.  Closing date is Friday 30th September at midnight after which time I will get a member of my family to choose the winner.  ONLY leave your email address if I am unable to contact you through Google Account/Twitter/Facebook.  I’ll notify Choc Lit so they can get the book posted out to you.


Good Luck :)





The Water Room (#2) by Christopher Fowler

A Bryant & May Mystery

  • Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam; New edition edition (1 Sep 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0553815539
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553815535






Synopsis from Transworld:

Originally built to house the workers of Victorian London, Balaklava Street is now an oasis in the heart of Kentish Town and ripe for gentrification. But then the body of an elderly woman is found at Number 5. Her death would appear to have been peaceful but for the fact that her throat is full of river water. It falls to the Met’s Peculiar Crimes Unit, led by London’s longest-serving detectives, Arthur Bryant and John May, to search for something resembling a logical solution. 

Their initial investigations draw a blank and Bryant’s attention is diverted into strange and arcane new territory, while May finds himself in hot water when he attempts to save the reputation of an academic whose knowledge of the city’s forgotten underground rivers looks set to ruin his career. In the meantime, the new owner of Number 5 is increasingly unsettled by the damp in the basement of her home, the particularly resilient spiders and the ghostly sound of rushing water . . .

Pooling their information to investigate hitherto undiscovered secrets of the city, Bryant and May make some sinister connections and realize that, in a London filled with the rich, the poor and the dispossessed, there’s still something a desperate individual is willing to kill for – and kill again to protect. With the PCU facing an uncertain future, the death toll mounts and two of British fiction’s most enigmatic detectives must face madness, greed and revenge, armed only with their wits, their own idiosyncratic practices and a plentiful supply of boiled sweets, in a wickedly sinuous mystery that goes to the heart of every London home.


~~~~~~~~~~

Having previously thoroughly enjoyed ‘Bryant & May on the Loose’ #7 in this mystery series I chose this book from those available as the final one in my Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge.  You won’t be able to read that review here as it was in the days before I blogged! I was looking forward to The Water Room, read on to find out whether it met my expectations …

The Peculiar Crimes Unit is in a world of its own.  The team defuse politically sensitive and socially embarrassing situations which was set up during WWII… and what a team it is!  Led by Bryant & May who are totally opposite in character, we follow their investigations that take us totally out of the box and make us think laterally.  The team all have quirky and very interesting personalities (wellI think they do!) and it was great for me to be able to re-visit them.

The story starts with Arthur Bryant, at the end of a 13 week heatwave, freelancing as a city tour guide in London.  Here we are introduced to his character.  He descends into nostalgia, remembering things as they were during his childhood. 

There is the chaos of the re-fitting of the PCU’s offices and then the murder of Ruth Singh at No. 5 Balaklava Street occurs … and so begins the supposedly convoluted path we take through this mystery.  Young couple Kallie and Paul buy No. 5 and we meet the rest of the residents at a cocktail party. 

Running alongside the murder we get involved in John May trying to save a rival academic from further humiliation who is involved insomething illegal.

I really enjoy the wit, humour and lack of respect for government rules/guidelines.  The bumbling on the surface hides a powerhouse underneath.  Interspersed with the building tension ofthe investigations we have the joy of getting to know the colourful and quirky personalities that make up the team and those of the characters involved.

There’s also a very brief dip into psychogeography (although not named as such) in the story.  I came across this in the book ‘The Lost Art of Walking’ by Geoff Nicholson which I reviewed this month. 

Remembering Arthur Bryant’s knowledge of the esoteric from my previous read, I was hoping this would also feature somewhere in the story and I wasn’t disappointed!

I have an interest in the history of London because my paternal line migrated there in the very early 1800’s – there are bizarre facts related to London in The Water Room – which gives these mysteries an added pull for me.  I also have ancestors that were river pilots on the Thames, master coopers and master shipwrights at Blackwall, so this also pulls me in as water is the key to this particular mystery.

I find the way the author writes easy to read, everything happens when it should, the building tension has you turning the pages and getting totally lost in this world.  I loved the figurative language for example ‘Pigeons living in the high iron rafters dropped down through the hall, their wings fluttering like the ruffled pages of old books’.  I didn’t guess the perpetrator or the identity of someone else who is key to the story.

The Water Room is more than a mystery.  There is the intrigue of the psychological profiles of the characters and the relationships between them, the sense ofcommunity (or lack of) all played out amidst the historical city of London.

I think you can all guess the rating I am going to give …



As I said, this is the last book in my Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge.  I’ve read four fantastic books, three have received my highest rating of ‘buy it but be loathe to share your copy, it’s a keeper.’  I would like to say thank you to Transworld for creating this challenge and I hope it runs again next year.  If it does, I will definitely be taking part. 

You can read more about Christopher Fowler on his blog.  You can also follow him on Twitter.

On My Wishlist (#9)

It seems like I have been interested in right/left brain function for ever … I want to try out the activities in the following book.  Yes, it was published in 1991 but it’s only been on my wishlist since January 2010!

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd (1 Mar 1991)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0671701355
  • ISBN-13: 978-0671701352

A book which demonstrates the way to gain first-hand experience of the “inner child” – actually feeling its emotions and recapturing its sense of wonder – by writing and drawing with the non-dominant hand.












To be honest, ‘That Summer in Ischia’ intrigues me.  I want to find out what happened!

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 699 KB
  • Print Length: 320 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1906994188
  • Publisher: Tindal Street Press (5 May 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B004WK2ZWA

In the long hot summer of 1979, best friends Helena and Liddy travel to the beautiful island of Ischia to be au pairs to the children of two wealthy Italian families: the Verduccis and the Baldinis. From the opulent hillside villas and sun-drenched beaches the girls plan their great adventure to find romance and excitement, whatever the cost, on the sleepy island. But when a little boy in their care goes missing, the spell is broken and the girls find themselves under suspicion from police. Under pressure, the cracks in their relationship begin to show and one will betray each other, changing the course of both of their lives forever. Twenty-five years later, Liddy, walking her dog on an English beach, spies a figure oddly reminiscent of her estranged friend. And so begins a startling quest to the villa where it all went so wrong for Helena and to the heart of the mystery of what really happened that summer in Ischia.


What’s on your wishlist this week?





The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

  • Hardcover: 512 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd (15 Sep 2011)
  • ISBN-10: 184737459X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1847374592

Synopsis from Simon & Schuster UK:


Jacquetta, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg and kinswomanto half the royalty of Europe, was married to the great Englishman John, Dukeof Bedford, uncle to Henry VI. Widowed at the age of nineteen she took theextraordinary risk of marrying a gentleman of her house­hold for love, and thencarved out a life for herself as Queen Margaret of Anjou’s close friend and aLancaster supporter – until the day that her daughter Elizabeth Woodville fellin love and married the rival king Edward IV. 
Of all the little-known but important women of theperiod, her dramatic story is the most neglected. With her links to Melusina,and to the founder of the house of Luxembourg, together with her reputation formaking magic, she is the most haunting of heroines.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The Lady of the Rivers is the third in Philippa Gregory’sPlantagenet women series.

On this magical fictional journey (based on fact) throughhistory, we get to experience Jacquetta’s life by her side. 

Before we begin the story there are family trees (if youread my reviews you will know I love to see a family tree!) detailing thehouses of York, Lancaster and Tudor in the summer of 1430.

The story begins in a cell in Castle Beaurevoir (1430) wherewe see Jacquetta become friends with Joan of Arc and then we journey with herthrough her marriage to John, the Duke of Bedford and on to her life as thewife of Richard Woodville and confidant to Queen Margaret. 

As the Duke of Bedford’s wife we see her welcomed in Londonand obeying his rules.  Throughout hermarriage to Richard we see her grow as a woman with much importance in her ownrelationship as well as that alongside Queen Margaret.

We see what happens in a man’s world when a woman walks tothe beat of her own drum and experience betrayal and deaths.  The fear of living on the edge, not knowingwho you can turn to is a page turner in itself!

History really does come to life in this book with the rivalcousins at court …with all the politics and alliances that are made and brokenand the day-to-day living at court.  Weget a brief glimpse of how the peasants/commoners live and a chance to spendtime at the edge of a battle.

I thought that Joan of Arc’s demise was powerfully portrayedas seen from Jacquetta’s perspective.

I really enjoyed our journey into alchemy and washeartbroken with Jacquetta when she heard the song of Melusina.  This aspect of the gift she inherits, a songlikened to that of the music of the spheres, is torture.  Not enough time to do anything constructivebut the knowledge that a family member will be leaving this earth.

Alongside the court intrigue and history, we watch Richardand Jaquetta’s relationship spark and grow. In it’s early days it survives the fact that she married beneath her andduring the cousins differences, survives the distance separating them.  Their relationship offsets the negativitythat accompanies an unstable court.

I love it that this book is based on a real character fromhistory.  The author pieced togetherevidence of Jacquetta’s life and has woven the fact into an absorbingworld.  There is a lot of truth in TheLady of the Rivers.

Anyone with a love of history, heroines who struggle to findtheir way in a man’s world and find their power will enjoy this book.  You won’t be disappointed.  I would love to see more women from historyresearched and brought into public awareness! We need a balanced view – not just the ‘great’ men that shaped the world.

For the past week I have been thoroughly absorbed inJacquetta’s story.  I am giving The Ladyof the Rivers my highest rating not only because of the fabulous weaving of thestory but also because of the way it is written.



The Lady of the Rivers is published by Simon & Schuster15 September 2011. 

I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy.

Philippa Gregory has written an essay on Jacquetta’s lifeand joined together with two other historians to create ‘The Women of theCousin’s War: The Duchess, the Queen and the King’s Mother (also published bySimon & Schuster 15 September 2011). 

The authors website contains new essays, historical debatesand responses to questions about this and other novels in the series. 

To receive all the latest news on Philippa Gregory’s books,you can follow her online team on Twitter. 

Philippa Gregory has an official fan page on Facebook (30, 399 people like this!)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in the Tudor period and wrote the internationally bestselling novel The Other Boleyn Girl. Now she is looking at the family that preceded the Tudors: the magnificent Plantaganets, a family of complex rivalries, loves, and hatreds. Her other great interest is the charity that she founded nearly twenty years ago: Gardens for The Gambia. She has raised funds and paid for 140 wells for the primary schools of this poor African country. A former student of Sussex university, and a PhD and Alumna of the Year 2009 of Edinburgh University, her love for history and commitment to historical accuracy are the hallmarks of her writing. She lives with her family on a small farm in Yorkshire.