Finished last night:  THE KING'S MISTRESS by Emma Campion, 2010.

I was very interested in the subject of this novel, Alice Perrers, as she has gone down in English history as one of the most villainous of women, and I was curious as to how the author would treat her story. Alice Perrers was the mistress of English king Edward III towards the end of his life, and she gained a reputation for being a greedy, manipulative harlot who tore the rings off the fingers of the dead king before he was even cold and then fled for her life. Campion manages to provide a fairly credible story for Alice, especially her life up to the time she becomes a member of Queen Philippa's retinue and is noticed by Edward III. Although the idea that Philippa encouraged and approved of Alice's relationship with the king a little hard to take, I found Alice's argument "When had I a choice to be other than I was?" to be an interesting viewpoint, and it was useful as a recurring point throughout the novel. Risen from the ranks of the merchant class, Alice grew in power and prestige, but at the same time made enemies who cruelly brought her down later. Campion portrays Alice as a strong character, determined to rule her own life, which included acquiring property and wealth and providing for her children, but she also shows how Alice was repeatedly manipulated at court by powerful people like John of Gaunt, Edward the Black Prince, Joan of Kent, and even Edward III himself, to forward their own agendas. Even when she tried to do what was right it usually turned out to be wrong for herself. Campion gives lots of period details concerning court life during the 14th century, political machinations, trade, customs, daily life among the merchant class, financial transactions, and fashions. At times the detail almost overwhelms. The secrets concerning Alice's first husband's family and the dowager Queen Isabella I found very intriguing and was glad for the bit of suspense; I also thought the relationship that Alice had with Geoffrey Chaucer a nice touch, as well as Alice being acquainted with Katherine deRoet, the young girl who would later become Katherine Swynford, the mistress and then wife of John of Gaunt. Campion writes well and has definitely done her research. Fans of Anya Seton's Katherine would probably enjoy this novel as well.

Poldark Lives!

Recently re-watched the PBS series "Poldark" on DVD. First released in 1975, it came out on VHS a number of years ago, and now on DVD. Based on the first four novels of a 13 book series by Winston Graham and set in Cornwall, the main plotlines concern the characters of Capt. Ross Poldark, his cousin Francis Poldark, the ignorant waif Demelza, and the beautiful but shallow Elizabeth Chynoweth. Beginning in 1783, with Ross returning home from his service in the American Revolution to Cornwall (after being thought dead) to find his father dead, his home Nampara in a neglected state, his copper mines about to close, and his fiancee Elizabeth about to marry his cousin Francis, the story moves forward at a fairly good clip, involving more characters and storylines. There are 16 episodes in the first series; a second series was filmed as well--based on the next three books. And yes, while there are soap opera elements to the stories, the episodes remain close to the original novels, and the focus remains mostly on Ross and Demelza, two wonderfully drawn creations: Ross is a brooding, unruly sort of character, a heroic type who cares deeply for people and wants to do right, but gets himself into trouble because he can also be inflexible in his attitude. Demelza is a more free spirited type, smart and unafraid to share her thoughts, who doesn't understand why everyone can't learn to live together in peace. Other interesting characters include Verity Poldark and her longing for another life outside of Trenwith; George Warleggan, wealthy and socially inferior to the Poldarks and with a terrible jealous streak, continually makes trouble which creates a feud that runs through the entire TV and book series; Dr. Enys, young idealistic physician, whose lust for a miner's wife leads to tragedy; Francis and Elizabeth, whose marriage is an unhappy union for various reasons, all of which lead back to Ross; heiress Caroline Penvenen of Killewarren, who becames fascinated with Enys; Jud and Prudie, Ross' servants, who are poor but tough locals, and who provide some of the humor in these stories. I remember these stories with pleasure and enjoyed viewing them again. I read the novels years ago after viewing the TV series, and Graham's books are wonderfully done, with colorful, vivid characters and plenty of historical details, covering the gamut of human emotion and interaction: drama and heartache and inspiration and happiness and love and hate and loss, and even details on copper mining in Cornwall during the late 18th century. PBS did an excellent job of adapting and producing the series from the novels, and it has held up very well since 1975. If you've never viewed the TV series before (or even if you did years ago), the episodes are worth another look. And the books are well worth reading.You will be quickly drawn into the lives of these characters and enjoy the wonderful storytelling!

Yesterday I finished "I AM MURDERED": GEORGE WYTHE, THOMAS JEFFERSON, AND THE KILLING THAT SHOCKED A NEW NATION by Bruce Chadwick, 2009.

I wish I could say that I really enjoyed this work, but I was rather disappointed. This nonfiction book is an account of the murder of George Wythe, 80 year old Virginia born statesman at his home in Richmond, Va., in 1806. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, for years the only law professor of the College of William and Mary, teacher and mentor of men like Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and Henry Clay. He was respected, admired, and beloved by all who knew him. On May 25, 1806, Judge Wythe, his black housekeeper Lydia Broadnax, and his protege Michael Brown were all poisoned with arsenic-laced coffee. Broadnax survived, Brown died after a week, and Wythe lingered for two weeks until he expired. The judge insisted several times on his deathbed that he had been poisoned, but his doctors insisted he had not, and their later bungled autopsy on his corpse didn't help matters. A sensational and tragic event,Wythe's grandnephew, George Wythe Sweeney, who was a ne'er do well gambler and profligate and lived with him in his house on Shockoe Hill, was accused of the murders, tried, and acquitted, much to the consternation of the community at large. As Sweeney and Brown were Wythe's co-heirs to his large estate and the cash-strapped Sweeney had already forged checks, the public generally believed he had committed the murders in order to get the entire estate. The only witnesses to Sweeney's actions (Broadnax for one, who realized that she saw him put the arsenic in the coffee pot) were not allowed to testify as they were blacks. So an outdated legal code, issues of slavery and race, as well as the issue of non-existent laws pertaining to state banks added to the problems. As far as the actual case goes, it was presented in an interesting way, but so much of the book seemed like padding or unnecessary information: I did not need to know the details of each of the doctors' and lawyers' lives, nor did I need to know the entire history of forensics or arsenic or so much on Richmond's history. It was simply too much and overwhelmed the actual events. As one reviewer noted, this would probably have made a very interesting article, but it made for a rather shallow book. It just wasn't as good a read as I hoped.

Just finished reading THE KITCHEN HOUSE by Kathleen Grissom, 2010.

A truly absorbing and interesting story set in southside Virginia during the period 1791-1810. Lavinia, a 7 year old Irish girl, has survived the Atlantic crossing but  her parents died and she has been separated from her surviving brother. The owner of Tall Oaks, Captain James Pyke, brings her to work there as an indentured servant. Lavinia is placed in the kitchen house under the care of Belle, who is the master's illegitimate daughter and light enough to pass for white. Lavinia bonds with the family in the kitchen house: Mama Mae, Papa George, Dory, Fanny, Beattie, and Ben, and she becomes intertwined with their lives; she is less concerned with the white family in the big house. The captain is often absent for months at a time, the mistress is usually in an opium fog, and their son Marshall is less than kind. Over time, however, she is taken in by the Pykes; Lavinia comes to care for Captain James, helps Miss Martha, and comes to an understanding with Marshall. Belle, for her part, is offered freedom by her father, but refuses it; the kitchen house is her home, the plantation's people are her family. Even later, when she is cruelly abused by the Pykes' overseer Rankin (a truly nasty character) and by Marshall, she's determined to stay. But when Lavinia, who ends up straddling both worlds and is forced to choose between them and unknowingly entangles Belle, events are set in motion that ultimately lead to tragedy for all the people at Tall Oaks. This is a story of race and boundaries; violence and cruelty and madness; goodness and love; loyalty and forgiveness; lust and betrayal. Grissom writes well, emotionally involving the reader with the characters, making you feel their pain and anguish and triumph, giving a storyline that moves along and creates suspense. Her use of two unusual narrators, Lavinia and Belle, and her main themes of history repeating itself and isolation are interesting and effectively presented. It also begs the question of just who is enslaved and who is free? Not your typical Southern plantation life novel.

Watched "Blind Side" last night on DVD. I'm no big fan of Sandra Bullock, but she was very good in this movie as the mom who takes in a basically homeless black boy known as "Big Mike" and makes him a part of her family. Inspirational and thought-provoking, the story concerns wealthy and sharp-tongued Lee Ann Tuohy(Bullock's character) and her family adapting to this rather large, quiet young man who has kept a gentle and calm attitude about himself all through the hard knocks of his life. He's accepted along with another boy into a Christian school in the hopes of both educating him as well as getting him onto the football team. His knowledge is limited, but it's quickly proven that he isn't stupid, simply that he needs extra help to catch up. Kathy Bates plays his tutor, and she is good in the role. Ray McKinnon has a nice part as the football coach who has to take some heat from Bullock's character. The movie delves into the emotional conflicts and reactions of the various characters to this Sphinx-like boy. Conflicts are caused over his living with this wealthy white family who are huge Ole Miss fans. Lee Ann's friends are clueless, other students spread rumors, issues are raised about Mike's background, and a huge question is raised over his choosing Ole Miss as the school he wants to attend and play ball for over other good offers. An enjoyable movie, good story, excellent casting, and it raises good questions about issues of responsibility and accountability,what is truly important in our lives, and what motivates us to be the people we are. Bullock totally deserves the Oscar she won for this role.