Up and Down in the Dales - Gervase Phinn

For some reason, I found Up and Down in the Dales a little tougher-going than the previous three. It was still light-hearted, but seemed a lot more wrapped up in Phinn's personal life rather than tales of the schools he inspects, which is always the most joyful part of the books.

In this book, his wife gets up in arms about a school closure, Sidney Clamp plays a rather amusing joke concerning a Quaker meeting house, and Phinn welcomes his first child into the world.

Head Over Heels in the Dales - Gervase Phinn

Head Over Heels in the Dales is book number 3 in the Dales series by Gervase Phinn.

Another delightful book full of anecdotal tales. This story also delves a little more into the personal lives of the various characters we've come to know pretty well over the course of the previous two books - in actual fact, it can be likened to getting to know colleagues at work: a few interesting facts and titbits dropped here and there in the course of the rest of the story.

So we hear about Connie's father, and Harold's intention to retire, and, as always, the backdrop to the rest of the story is the love affair between Gervase and Christine, who is now Mrs Phinn.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my romp through these gentle books.

Over Hill and Dale - Gervase Phinn

Over Hill and Dale is more of the same from Gervase Phinn - the second year of his job as a school inspector in the Yorkshire Dales. Once again, we meet a cast of wonderful characters, including the three other inspectors - Harold, David and Sidney; Connie, the rather draconian caretaker of the Staff Development Centre; and, of course, Miss Christine Bentley, the beautiful young headmistress that Phinn is gradually falling in love with.

The writing is eloquent and at times beautiful, as Phinn describes the awesome sights of the Yorkshire Dales that he encountours in the course of his school inspections. There is also a wonderful sense of his deep and abiding respect for the institution of teaching, and the part that teachers have to pay in the formative years of children.

The children here are the stars of the show - blunt, yet innocent Yorkshire children who are more accustomed to seeing rabbits being shot as pests than as the main characters in stories by Beatrix Potter! There are little anecdotes about each school visit, including some lovely tales of nativity plays.

The other side of the Yorkshire Dales is also explored here - the inner city schools and in some places the dire lack of basic education for children who are not expected to amount to more than factory workers and labourers.

Altogether, a delightful book.

The Other Side of the Dales - Gervase Phinn

I highly enjoyed The Other Side of the Dales, a gentle selection of anecdotes about Gervase Phinn's experiences in his first year as a school inspector in the Yorkshire Dales. Phinn has a talent for introducing eccentric and warm-hearted characters, and his enthusiasm for the role he had comes through strongly.

This book is quintessentially English - in fact, the Yorkshire Dales almost become a character in their own right. We see them through Phinn's eyes as the seasons pass, and his descriptions of the various schools he visits are vividly drawn.

It is very much in the spirit of James Herriott, and is a very pleasurable way to spend a couple of hours.

Playing James - Sarah Mason

I'm frankly amazed at the relatively high reviews Playing James has received from other reviewers. As a piece of chick lit, it was frothy, hugely contrived, tried too hard to be humourous and won't be remembered past the last page.

Holly Colshannon is a two dimensional journalist for a local paper in Bristol, who is to shadow a detective as part of a new diary feature. The two do not hit it off to begin with, but, what do you know, they start to thaw towards each other ready for a rushed finale where they end up kissing in a broken-down car.

I disliked the fact that none of the characters were really developed at all - there is nothing really to identify Holly and James from the many other chick lit protagonists out there. I disliked the way the plot seemed to shoehorn as many comic devices in as possible in order to 'entertain'.

Altogether, this was a disappointment and, with the likes of Marian Keyes, Fiona Walker and Freya north all writing far superior fiction, there is nothing to differentiate this from the many other chick lit authors.

The Sunne in Splendour - Sharon Penman

The Sunne in Splendour is Sharon Penman's first novel, and over the course of 900 pages she deals with the life and times of Richard of Gloucester, the man who was to become Richard III of England. History has not dealt kindly with Richard - Tudor propaganda has dealt him a cruel blow by making him out to be a deformed and evil man who was able to put his nephews to death and contemplate bedding his niece while his beloved wife lay close to death.

In this story, we follow the fortunes of the Yorkists from Richard's early life when Edward moved to claim the throne from Harry of Lancaster. Richard is written to be an intensely loyal and clever man, beloved by his elder brother and honoured by many positions of authority. It is easy to develop a strong sympathy for the character of Richard, which lends understanding to why he would then claim the throne after his brother's death.

The book looks at the events of the time through many character's eyes - including Francis Lovell, Richard's friend from childhood; Anne, destined to become Richard's cherished wife; and Bess, the first-born daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Woodville.

The strongest element of Penman's writing is her ability to draw vivid and realistic characters. From the pleasure-seeking Edward to his ambitious and conniving queen; from the dignified Cecily who watched four sons be buried to the arrogant and self-seeking Buckingham. None of the characters can be assigned a 'good' or 'bad' tag - all have very believable motives assigned to them, and you end up feeling huge empathy for why they might act the way they do.

Although the book is a lengthy tome, I read it in under a week, drawn into a world where Richard is allowed to take his place as a man who cared deeply about his family and as a king who took the throne reluctantly. The last few hundred pages were heartbreaking as Buckingham sought to claim the crown for himself, and Richard was forced to experience the death of his nephews at someone else's command, then the illness and death of both his son and wife. When he eventually took to battle at Bosworth Field, he treated it as a trial by combat to be judged by God.

I think this is a stunning achievement, a book that should be read time and again. It was absorbing and extremely poignant - especially knowing the outcome prior to beginning the story.

The Reckoning - Sharon Penman

"The Reckoning" is the third book in the trilogy concentrating on the final days of Wales as a truly independent country from England. It links most closely to "Falls the Shadow", continuing the tale of the de Montfort family and the princes of Wales.

In this tale - once again sweeping through years of historical events - we see Edward tightening his hold on Wales. Most of his predecessors had looked to the continent - to take control of Anjou and Poitou and Aquitaine, and the many other principalities that now form modern-day France. Edward was more than happy to consolidate his hold on the other countries that now form the United Kingdom - at the time, the Scottish King already paid homage to Edward as a liege lord and he was looking to Llewelyn to do the same.

Edward uses heavy-handed methods to achieve his goals, including imprisoning Llewelyn's bride - Ellen, the daughter of Simon de Montfort - and turning Davydd (Llewelyn's ambitious and loyally ambiguous brother) against him.

This was a much improved story (although I do dislike using the word 'story' when referring to historical fiction, since the events have at least a basis in fact) in comparison to "Falls the Shadow". There were strong and memorable characters, and the central love story between Llewelyn and Ellen is very sweetly written - since you end up feeling much empathy for the characters due to the way in which Edward deals with them, the very tragic ending to their relationship is all the more heartbreaking.

I had some minor complaints about the story - having said how sweet the love is between Llewelyn and Ellen, it is also a little cloying at times; the characters that Penman wrote herself with no basis in fact can be easily told from those who actually inhabited history; and sometimes Davydd's motives can be hard to comprehend being as he was from such a different age.

Having said that, these are very minor issues and overall this is a very strong novel from Penman.

Falls The Shadow - Sharon Penman

In "Falls the Shadow" Penman continues her trilogy of the turbulent times in Wales and England through the troubled thirteenth century.

We meet again characters introduced in a peripheral fashion in "Here Be Dragons" - the grandson of Llewelyn Fawr, also called Llewelyn; the sister of both Joanna and Henry III of England, Eleanor often called Nell; and Elen, daughter of Llewelyn Fawr and Joanna.

This tale takes us back to just before the death of Joanna - a time of relative peace between Wales and England. It centres upon the characters of Nell and Simon de Montfort - a celebrated soldier whose silvered tongue won him back an earldom from the Earl of Chester - and their conflict with the King of England.

Simon is a man with a zeal for reform, which includes making a King accountable to his Lords and bishops rather than just to God. Clearly, this was a view that had little appeal for Henry of England - believing himself to be the Anointed and chosen of God - and the two men (plus their sons) got caught up in a terrible conflict that culminated on the battlefield.

Although the novel is as well written as any of Penman's historical epics, with rich details of medieval life, it is not as fast reading. I attributed this mainly to the fact that I had very little sympathy or liking for many of the characters. I felt that Simon and Nell's relationship was based upon a casual disregard for religious oaths - since Nell had dedicated herself to God after the death of her first husband. The fact that they then defied and lied to the King of England - implying that Nell was with child to ensure his agreement - left me feeling as though they were due a comeuppance.

Add to that the feeble character of Henry III (widely held to be one of England's most incompetent kings), whose petty motivations caused so many of the issues through the novel; his arrogant and dishonourable son Edward; the the carousing sons of Nell and Simon, and it doesn't feel as though there are many characters that deserve liking or respect.

I will read the third book in the trilogy, but I was glad that "Here Be Dragons" was my first foray into Penman's work, since it is preferable in every way.

Here Be Dragons - Sharon Penman

Here Be Dragons is a sweeping historical epic concerning Llewelyn Fawr - the first self-proclaimed Prince of Wales - and his enduring love affair with Joanna, the illegitimate daughter of John, King of England. The book covers the period between 1183 and 1234, and deals in both micro and macro events. We see the world not only in terms of the major historical events that shaped that period of time but also from the point of view of characters in terms of their own relationships.

The characters are memorable and aid the reader in becoming invested in this very early period of English history. One criticism that can be levelled, however, is that the cast of characters seems to be in the hundreds and sometimes it can be difficult to tell your Wills from your Richards from your Ranulfs.

I also found it difficult at times dealing with the idea of child brides - the fact that King John perhaps took a twelve year old bride to bed is anathema to those of us in modern times, and can make for uncomfortable reading. Penman writes readily about the role of women in those days, which can also create a sense of outrage - when daughters are married away to foreign countries for political expediency, it is hard to realise that this was a common occurrence and certainly one that women prepared themselves for.

Mostly, though, this book is a joy to read and I found that the 800+ pages passed in a flash. I was eager to find out what happened to Llewelyn and Joanna. The fact that their love was served up against an historical backdrop which had been lavishly researched only added to the pleasure of reading the events.

I would recommend this wholeheartedly.

A quick update!

I log and review all my books over at Librarything.com (also under the name Magemanda) and I think it's about time I popped them all on here as well to bring me bang up to date!

I managed to read 95 books through 2009 and reviewed them all, so expect to see a quick flurry of posts as I get the rest of them on this blog.

My resolution through 2010 is to keep this blog up-to-date with my reviews as they happen, rather than using Librarything exclusively.

I also intend to complete the Buffy and West Wing rewatches, since I have a backlog of other series I wish to watch (including Chuck, Dollhouse, True Blood, Desperate Housewives, House, Mad Men, The Wire, Battlestar Gallactica....... okay, there are WAY too many decent programmes being made now and put out in the recent past. We are really spoilt for choice these days!)

Basically, look out for much more activity on this blog as we head into 2010!