Review: GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN by Marci Jefferson

Experience might teach readers not to judge books by their covers, but in the case of Marci Jefferson's debut novel, GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN (St. Martin's Press, February 11), readers have no need for caution. The gorgeous cover, which reproduces a contemporary portrait of the novel's protagonist, Frances Stuart, bespeaks with fitting perfection the sumptuous tale within.

The novel recounts the story of Stuart (1647-1702), mistress to King Charles II of England and model for Britannia, the personification of the realm that graced England's coins for decades. Despite her prominence during Charles's reign, Frances is a figure heretofore little examined in historical fiction. Jefferson depicts "La Belle Stuart" during the prime of her life, from her coming of age as a Royalist refugee at the French court of Louis XIV to her sudden widowhood at age forty. She surrounds Frances with a cast of convincing historical characters and sketches with clarity a political situation hazy, at best, to most American readers. Yet Jefferson's novel is more than a fictionalized biography set against a carefully constructed evocation of Restoration England. Like the best works of historical fiction, the novel projects the protagonist's inner life onto the broader political stage. Frances's struggle for autonomy mirrors that of England, determined to escape foreign entanglements and avoid an undesired imposition of the Catholic faith. The turmoil and soul-searching that accompanies Frances's attempt to reconcile her personal happiness with the good of the kingdom makes her plight a fascinating one.

Jefferson gives this "mistress of the king" story several interesting twists. First, Frances does not choose the role; it is thrust upon her by Louis XIV, who intends to use her as a way to keep Charles friendly to France, and by Charles's mother, who believes Frances can persuade her son to restore Catholicism to England. Frances, however, cannot comply with these demands: a secret that threatens to ruin her family necessitates that she remain free from scandal. She travels to England determined to befriend and influence Charles without becoming his mistress, a goal she soon discovers will satisfy neither Charles nor her own heart. Jefferson further complicates Frances's mission by establishing a friendship between her and Charles's Portuguese bride, Catherine of Brançaga, who arrives without a word of English and innocent of the ways of Charles's licentious court. Frances takes Catherine under her wing and develops a true respect and fondness for the foreign queen, making her decision on how far to pursue a relationship with Charles all the thornier. Third, Charles, an inveterate womanizer, considers Frances his pure and noble angel. Frances fears that if they consummate their relationship, Charles will lose the one thing that challenges him to be a better man. Frances knows her personal happiness lies in Charles's arms, but loyalties, politics, and the needs and expectations of others thwart her at every turn. Despite painful sacrifices, she never abandons the struggle to conform the desires of her heart with the realities of her situation.

Ultimately it is freedom, rather than love, that Jefferson's Frances -- reluctantly worldly, refreshingly loyal, spunky yet surprisingly wise -- seeks, the freedom to determine her own fate. A freedom for which England, of whom she serves as emblem, likewise searches. The Frances who withstands the pressure to conform in the final scene of the book is a far cry from the young girl forced to assume a role from which she shrinks in the opening chapters, and the reader who accompanies her on her journey to independence understands and appreciates the depth of the change.

Just as her protagonist escapes limits imposed from without, Marci Jefferson succeeds in slipping the restricted expectations that so often shackle debut novelists. If this first book, with its thoughtful characterizations, vivid settings, well-paced plot and subtle symbolism is any indication, Jefferson stands poised to become a definitive voice in the world of historical fiction. Accomplished and thoroughly satisfying, GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN glows with a luster that persists long after its striking cover falls closed.

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MARCI JEFFERSON grew up in an Air Force family and so lived numerous places, including North Carolina, Georgia, and the Philippines. Her passion for history sparked while living in Yorktown, Virginia, where locals still share Revolutionary War tales. She lives in Indiana with her husband and children. This is her first novel.

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Return tomorrow to read my interview with Marci and enter to win a complimentary copy of GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN, along with a special gift!

Sixteenth Century Quote of the Week

Mars and Venus (1530), pen and ink
The work that secured Rosso an invitation to the court of France.

"Nor could he in this life have obtained greater dignity, honor, or rank, since he was highly regarded and esteemed above everyone else in his craft by such a great monarch as the king of France. And in truth, the merits of Rosso were such that if Fortune had brought him any less, she would have done him a grave wrong."

---Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), Italian painter, writer and historian

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects (1550)

Best Reads of 2013

I was lucky to read many excellent books last year, but these are the ones that stood out from the pack. Some are recently published; others are older books I'd never gotten around to reading. They are listed here in no particular order. The full list of books I read in 2013 may be found in the sidebar.

FEVER by Mary Beth Keane (Scribner, 2013)

FEVER tells the story of Irish immigrant Mary Mallon, popularly known as "Typhoid Mary." Proud and determined to live an independent life, Mary claws her way out of the slums to become cook to some of New York City's most prominent families. Yet, as an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid, she leaves a trail of death in her wake and winds up imprisoned and forbidden to ever cook again for public consumption. Despite her willful disregard of the terms of her release, Mary remains a sympathetic character caught in the cogs of a nascent public health machine. The author evokes turn-of-the-century New York City in the fullness of its splendor and its grime.

THE PROMISE by Ann Weisgarber (Mantle, 2013; forthcoming from Skyhorse, April 2014)

A touching, wise and beautifully executed book. There is so much below the surface of this story of two women's love for the same man, set against the devastating Galveston hurricane of 1900. THE PROMISE is about forgiveness--of self, of others, of fate--and its redemptive power. Weisgarber is a masterful writer who plumbs the truths of the human condition while enthralling readers with a tension-filled tale of characters caught in circumstances beyond their control. Her books offer a hope-filled vision of humanity that is missing from so many modern works. I loved THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF RACHEL DUPREE, but THE PROMISE simply blew me away. If you read one book this year, make it this one.

THE GIRLS OF ATOMIC CITY by Denise Kiernan (Touchstone, 2013)

I don't read much nonfiction, and this book made me realize what I might be missing. GIRLS tells the hidden story of the women--from secretaries to janitors to scientists--who contributed to the development of the atomic bomb at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, during the Second World War. Kiernan constructs a fascinating account of this secret city whose every inhabitant devoted herself to the furtherance of a mysterious project they were told would lead to the end of the war. No one knew anything beyond the scope of her specific duties and learned not to inquire into those of friends and neighbors, yet each worked with dedication and patriotic fervor, determined to bring brothers and husbands home from battle. A riveting read, one that sheds light on the nature of the time and raises interesting questions about whether secrecy on such a large scale would even be possible today.

THE PAINTED GIRLS by Cathy Marie Buchanan (Riverhead, 2013)

This novel deserves the hype it has received ever since its publication. It follows the plight of three impoverished sisters as they struggle to survive in the underbelly of nineteenth century Paris. One sister, who dances in the ballet and poses for Edgar Dégas, submits to a rich patron's exploitation in order to give the youngest a chance for a better life; the other, who takes a bit part in a stage production, becomes embroiled in the crime-ridden underworld. With subtle efficacy, the novel explores the sociological issue of whether nature, nurture or circumstance nudges individuals towards delinquency. A convincing evocation of the seamier corners of nineteenth century Paris combined with an emotionally satisfying twist at the end makes this novel a compelling read.

CUTTING FOR STONE by Abraham Verghese (Knopf, 2009)

Moving from India to Ethiopia to New York City, CUTTING FOR STONE tells the haunting story of twin brothers Marion and Shiva, born of the secret union of an Indian nun and a British surgeon at a mission hospital. Set against a backdrop of political turmoil, the narrative weaves a beautiful tapestry of family ties, trust, betrayal, life, death, and miracles both great and small. The author, a surgeon himself, incorporates medical detail into the fabric of the story and explores with insight and compassion the daily challenges of serving the sick in impoverished, strife-ridden areas. But it is the symbiotic, emotionally powerful relationship of the brothers that keeps the reader turning the pages.

THE ENCHANTRESS OF FLORENCE by Salman Rushdie (Random House, 2008)

An elaborate, artful, and continually surprising exploration of the power of story. West meets East as a conjurer from Renaissance Florence travels to the Mughal court of India to share the tale of the mysterious and breathtakingly beautiful princess Qara Köz. The reader often loses track of the convoluted and fantastical plot, but even so is sucked into the tale by Rushie, the true enchanter. A book that would sustain multiple readings and delight anew each time. The hero reminded me strongly of Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond. A dazzling feast of words.

THE CLEANER OF CHARTRES by Salley Vickers (Viking, 2013)

The sensitive story of Agnès Morel, a woman with a troubled past who attracts the scrutiny and enmity of the town gossip. The quirky style will either please or annoy, but the finely drawn, believable characters and a plot that expertly weaves past with present and leads to a celebration of human goodness make this a richly rewarding tale. The cathedral of Chartres provides a fitting setting for Agnès's rehabilitation and redemption, and the author's shrewd understanding of the dynamics of provincial town society keep sentimentality at bay.

Sixteenth Century Quote of the Week

Portrait of Anne d'Heilly, Duchesse d'Étampes,
by Corneille de Lyon. Mid-sixteenth century.

"[Madame d'Étampes] a tant de crédit que je puis dire, qu'elle seule peult tout en ce royaume et n'y a personne du conseil, du moins s'il veut régner, qui ose parler au Roy de chose petite ou grande, s'il ne scet premièrement que Madame le trouvera bon."

"[Madame d'Étampes] has such credit that I can say that she alone can do anything in this kingdom and there is no one in the council, at least among those who wish for power, who dares speak to the king on the slightest matter unless he first knows whether Madame approves."

Imperial ambassador M. de Saint-Vincent to Mary of Hungary

Letter, May 1541

[translated by David Potter]

Review: BECOMING JOSEPHINE by Heather Webb

Today Heather Webb's debut novel, BECOMING JOSEPHINE, publishes from Plume. Here is my review of this fascinating fictional portrait.

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Desperate for love and adventure, young Rose Tascher visits a voodoo priestess to learn her fortune. "You will become more than a queen," the priestess informs the plantation owner's daughter, who has braved the dangers of the Martiniquan jungle at dusk to learn her fate. More than a queen, indeed--Rose will rise to become France's first empress, Joséphine, wife of Napoléon Bonaparte. But--as the reader of Heather Webb's engaging debut novel BECOMING JOSEPHINE (Plume, December 2013) learns--empress is not Rose's highest calling. That is to become a woman who creates her own destiny and happiness, who embraces the "joys, pains, deeds and failings" that define her journey to wholeness.

Webb's novel deploys the favored topos of women's fiction--a female protagonist who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and ultimately saves herself (see Amy Sue Nathan's Women's Fiction Defined)--within a historical setting. She recounts thirty years of Rose's life, from her days as a child on Martinique, to her failed marriage to a French aristocrat, her imprisonment during the French Revolution, her struggle to redefine herself and survive the fluid years of the early Republic, through her marriage to and divorce from Napoléon. The events serve to illustrate how Rose grows and changes, how her outlook on life and her vision for the future expands. For Rose does, indeed, change, maturing from a flighty, pleasure-loving ingénue to a generous, devoted mother of both her children and her country, a woman who realizes both her past failings and her own inner strength. The transformation is all the more convincing in that it doesn't occur in a linear, absolute fashion, but in often contradictory, yet completely realistic, fits and starts. It takes the catalyst of divorce for Rose's enlightenment to complete itself, opening the promise of a fulfilling future in which she will define herself in relation to nothing and no one but her own soul.

Webb's Joséphine never forgets her Creole roots. From the opening prophecy of the voodoo priestess, to her lifelong belief in Tarot and fortune-telling, to the sacrifices and supplications she makes to the island fertility goddess, the practices and beliefs of island religion offer Rose a steadying refuge when catastrophic events threaten to overwhelm her. Her beloved servant and half-sister Mimi, daughter of her father and a plantation slave, remains her constant companion, a living link between her formal Parisian present and her vibrant island past. Rose never forgets the scents and sights of her island home; part of the fabric of her being, her Caribbean roots influence everything from her taste in clothing to her love of gardening to her generosity and warm hospitality. Her effusive nature serves to soften Napoléon's abrasiveness and elevates her as an influential stateswoman in her own right--even as her zest for the pleasures of life contributes to her downfall. Webb's emphasis on Joséphine's "otherness" provides the character an intriguing multifacetedness that enchants the reader as thoroughly as it did Napoléon and an entire nation.

Webb writes with a smooth, accessible style that serves its subject well. She provides just enough historical detail to bring the sights and smells and events of a dizzying era to life. She handles the political changes with aplomb, never losing the reader as France travels from kingdom to republic to directorship to empire. More importantly, she never shifts her focus from Rose's inner journey. Just as Rose becomes "more than a queen," BECOMING JOSEPHINE becomes more than a typical historical novel. It sketches a compelling portrait of generous, engaged, resilient woman who "toils for what [is] right and striv[es] to do her part." The historical finds a felicitous blend with the psychological in Heather Webb's triumphant debut.

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You can order BECOMING JOSEPHINE from Amazon or find it at your local bookseller. Learn more about Heather Webb and her book at her website.

Interview with Heather Webb, author of BECOMING JOSEPHINE

My dear friend Heather Webb's debut novel, BECOMING JOSEPHINE (Plume 2013), publishes this December 31. BECOMING JOSEPHINE recounts the story of Rose Tascher, who overcomes an impoverished Créole childhood and a series of misfortunes to become Empress Josephine, consort of Napoleon and, for a time, the most powerful woman in France. BECOMING JOSEPHINE has received a glowing review from Kirkus. I'll post my own review on publication day. Here, Heather answers some questions about her interest in Josephine and the writing of the novel.

1. What drew you to write a novel about Josephine Bonaparte?

The idea for this novel came to me in two parts. I taught a unit about the French Revolution in my high school French classes for several years, which sparked my interest in the time period. Yet despite my teaching, I knew little about Josephine and I “discovered” her later. Ultimately she was a minor player in a sea of France’s most famous and infamous people during the Revolution—at least until Robespierre fell and the Directoire took over the government.

When I began to feel the pull to writing a book, I had a dream about Josephine. Strange, but true. From the very first biography I read, I was hooked. Her vivid childhood home, her adaptable nature and courageous spirit had me enthralled. Her rich life story set to the backdrop of the chaotic Revolution and the opulent Napoleonic Empire cinched the deal.

2. How is your Josephine different from other novelists' Josephines?

What a good question! I've enjoyed all the accounts of Josephine that I've read, but the Josephine who spoke to me most was the survivor, the adaptable, cunning woman who was excellent at reading the emotions and the needs of those around her. I wanted to emphasize how she wasn't just a victim of her time, but a woman who knew how to leverage the crisis of the day to her advantage. Also, I've found other authors have depicted her generous nature and the way Napoleon took advantage of her, OR her highly sexualized nature, and rarely did the authors marry all the facets of her person. I attempted to do that--to layer my Josephine. I believe we're all contradictory in some aspects and I wanted to illustrate that in my characters.

3. Did the real Josephine dabble in Tarot and the dark arts of her native Martinique?

Yes. There are many sources that document her fondness for Tarot cards, how she relied on them heavily (especially during times of strife), but also that she visited soothsayers in Paris as well as her African medicine woman, the quimboiseur in Martinique. I also found a few accounts of Napoleon being very superstitious and a bit of an amateur palm reader himself.

4. Which period of Josephine's life did you find the most difficult to write about?

Her time with Napoleon! I had to condense so much of their history together to keep the book moving.  Also, I didn't want to overwhelm the story with ANOTHER tour out of the country, another parade through France, or the endless number of lovers Napoleon took on. It would have become trite, in my opinion, to go overboard detailing those events. I also found this period difficult because there are hundreds and hundreds of sources documenting every single step of Napoleon's life and very many that did the same for Josephine. I had to cut through all of the detail and decide which of those were the most important facts to bring to life.

5. In your opinion, would Napoleon's career have been very different if he had not met and married Josephine?

Absolutely. While he was a brilliant military strategist, he had a hideous temper and lacked social grace. Also, as his power grew, so did his ego, consequently making him difficult to deal with on any level. Very many statesmen despised him. He turned into quite the tyrant over time, like any power-hungry politician. Josephine smoothed over so many of his tantrums, charmed his ministers and foreign diplomats, as well as placated the returning Royalists after he came into power.

6. Are the letters you feature from Napoleon and Josephine to each other actual letters? What did reading the pair's historical correspondence reveal to you about their characters? 

Yes, they are--all but the final farewell note to Josephine. It was fascinating to see how Napoleon's feelings toward Josephine changed over the course of their relationship. He all but worshiped her when they first married and by the end of their relationship, he loved her as a dear friend. But he also chastised her when she would tell him she missed him during his travels, or when she wept over losing friends or family members. He also chastised her immodest dress, as he called it. You could see how controlling and chauvinist he really was. To Josephine's credit, she ignored him when she wished. For example, he forbid her from wearing English muslin gowns and both Josephine and her daughter Hortense wore them anyway. He wanted to cover her low necklines so she draped a shawl about her shoulders to appease him, but refused to cover her necklines. So yes, he was domineering, but she was cunning and knew how to appease him and still get her way.

7. If you could own one item once owned by Josephine, what would it be and why? 

Oooo, a fun question. I think I'd have to say Malmaison--the home she built outside of Paris. But if I had to choose a smaller, physical item, I'd LOVE to own her Tarot deck.

8. What do you hope readers take away from your book?

The message I would like readers to grasp—this is tricky because a book, film, or piece of art, means something different to each person based on their own emotional lens and life experiences—is that there is hope in beginning anew, not just loss. Also, true contentedness comes with forgiveness and generosity, and the loving relationships you nurture in your life.

9. What is the most important thing you learned about yourself in writing this novel?

That I can do it! I can follow my passion, work hard, persevere (!!), and that dream is possible!

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Heather Webb grew up a military brat and naturally became obsessed with travel, culture, and languages. She put her degrees to good use teaching high school French for nearly a decade before turning to full time novel writing and freelance editing. Her debut, BECOMING JOSEPHINE will release December 31, 2013 from Plume/Penguin.

When not writing, Heather flexes her foodie skills or looks for excuses to head to the other side of the world. She loves to chitchat on Twitter with new reader friends or writers (@msheatherwebb) or via her blog. Stop on by!

The First Thanksgiving Feast: Salt Pork, Garbanzo Beans and Tortoise?

Tradition--and most history books--teach that the first Thanksgiving feast was held in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, in November of 1621, when Protestant Pilgrims invited their Wampanoag neighbors to share a meal of wildfowl, corn and venison. However, the true "first Thanksgiving" may well have taken place fifty-six years earlier in St. Augustine, Florida.

In 1565, King Philip of Spain sent Pedro Menéndez de Avilés (1519-1574), a Spanish admiral, to destroy a colony of French Huguenots that had established itself in Florida in territory claimed by Spain. On August 28, the Feast of St. Augustine of Hippo, Menéndez and his men landed near the native Timucua village of Seloy and founded the settlement of St. Augustine. Shortly after, they commemorated their safe passage by celebrating Mass--considered by many to be the first Catholic Mass celebrated on American soil--and invited their Timucuan neighbors to a meal of Thanksgiving.

As the meal took place shortly after the Spaniards' arrival, it would have been comprised of dishes produced from the remaining provisions brought from Spain. The most likely candidate was a stew called cocido, made of garbanzo beans and salt pork flavored with garlic, which would have been served with hardtack biscuits and red wine. The Timucua probably contributed dishes made of corn, venison, and tortoise, staples of their diet.

The battle over the "first Thanksgiving" is in all likelihood a moot point, for as historian Michael Gannon points out, other Europeans in pre-Mayflower days would have marked their arrival with prayers of thanksgiving and perhaps even meals with their Native American neighbors. Gannon does emphasize, however, that the thanksgiving at St. Augustine was the first to take place at a permanent European settlement on the American continent. Sorry, Pilgrims!

In any case, I wish you a happy holiday marked by a spirit of genuine thanksgiving for all the blessings we share!

Source: 
Horowitz, Tony. A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World (Picador, 2008).

Sixteenth Century Quote of the Week

"From the Cunstable as yet for my repair to the Court I have hard nothing, who dothe promise many things, and soon forget them. Such ys the nature of all Frenche men universally."

John Wallop (c. 1490-1551), English diplomat assigned to France

Letter to King Henry VIII, 27 October 1540

Cover Reveal Contest: Susan Spann's BLADE OF THE SAMURAI

Once again, it's cover reveal time. Susan Spann, author of CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur, July 2013), just received the cover art for her second novel, BLADE OF THE SAMURAI (Minotaur, July 2014), and it is breathtaking! But in true ninja fashion, Susan refuses to reveal it all at once. Instead, she's parceled it out in tantalizing chunks. You must travel--stealthily, of course--from blog to blog and piece it all together. Here is the portion she shared with me:

To whet your appetite even further, here's a description of the story (which I've read and enjoyed even more than I did CLAWS OF THE CAT!):

June, 1565: Master ninja Hiro Hattori receives a pre-dawn visit from Kazu, a fellow shinobi working undercover at the shogunate. Hours before, the Shogun's cousin, Saburo, was stabbed to death in the Shogun's palace. The murder weapon: Kazu's personal dagger. Kazu says he's innocent, and begs for Hiro's help, but his story gives Hiro reason to doubt the young shinobi's claims.

When the Shogun summons Hiro and Father Mateo, the Jesuit priest under Hiro's protection, to find the killer, Hiro finds himself forced to choose between friendship and personal honor.  

The investigation reveals a plot to assassinate the Shogun and overthrow the ruling Ashikaga clan. With Lord Oda's enemy forces approaching Kyoto, and the murderer poised to strike again, Hiro must use his assassin’s skills to reveal the killer’s identity and protect the Shogun at any cost. Kazu, now trapped in the city, still refuses to explain his whereabouts at the time of the murder. But a suspicious shogunate maid, Saburo's wife, and the Shogun's stable master also had reasons to want Saburo dead. With the Shogun demanding the murderer's head before Lord Oda reaches the city, Hiro and Father Mateo must produce the killer in time ... or die in his place.

Now, to reward her faithful and intrepid ninja readers, Susan has devised a contest. If you leave a comment on any of the five reveal tour posts this week, you'll be entered into a drawing to win one of three fun prizes--and yes, multiple comments means multiple entries, though there's a limit of one comment per person per blog post and a limit of one prize per person. The prizes include a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble, a ninja mug, and a set of ninjabread men cookie cutters:

(Because, as Susan says, all cookies secretly want to be ninjas.)

So visit Kerry Shaefer's Swimming North to comment on yesterday's cover art snapshot and Heather Webb's Between the Sheets for tomorrow's. On Friday, you can view the entire cover reassembled on Susan's blog. All comments must be left on participating blogs before midnight Pacific Time on Sunday, October 27, 2013. Limit one prize per person. Limit one eligible comment per blog post, for a total maximum of five entries per person.

May the Force be with you. (Oh wait, wrong book.) Gabarimasu! Good luck and have fun!

BLADE OF THE SAMURAI: A Shinobi Mystery can be preordered here.

M.K. Tod's 2013 Reader Survey

Readers, want to influence the publishing industry? Please take the time to fill out Mary K. Tod's survey on your reading habits and preferences. Mary, an author of historical fiction herself, compiles the data from the voluntary survey in order to provide readers, authors, editors and agents a snapshot of historical fiction trends and audience interests. As she describes the project:

"Last year’s reader survey conducted by M.K. Tod uncovered insights about those who read historical fiction and those who do not - demographics, story preferences, favourite time periods, reasons for reading or not reading this genre, top authors, the different perspectives of men and women, sources of recommendations and so on.

The 2013 survey will augment these results with a broader focus on reading habits as well as social media’s role in enhancing the reading experience. Survey questions were developed in collaboration with Richard Lee, Founder of the Historical Novel Society.

Whether you read historical fiction or not, please take a few minutes to complete the survey. To add to the robustness of data collected, please pass the survey URL along to men and women of all ages and in any part of the world you can reach!"

Here's the link:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JCG7NYP 

The survey takes less than ten minutes to complete. Thank you in advance for your participation!

Exhibition: Elizabeth I and Her People

Portrait of Kathryn Berain

An exciting new exhibition is opening at the National Portrait Gallery in London. "Elizabeth I and Her People" uses portraiture to explore the lives of Elizabeth's subjects. Portraits include those of nobility, craftsmen, merchants, soldiers and artists. The exhibition runs from October 10, 2013 through January 5, 2014. The website makes available a series of short films about the exhibition. Play the interactive game to discover your "inner Elizabethan"! If any readers are lucky enough to visit the exhibition, please come back and tell us about it.

Review: THE STUDY OF MURDER by Susan McDuffie

The pursuit of knowledge takes a vicious turn in Susan McDuffie's THE STUDY OF MURDER (Five Star, 2013), the third novel of her fourteenth century Muirteach MacPhee series. Scottish sleuth Muirteach and his wife Mariota accompany Donald, their lord's teenaged son, to Oxford University for his studies. Soon a tavern maid disappears and someone bludgeons an Oxford master to death. As Mariota sneaks into lecture halls and Donald carouses with fellow students, Muirteach investigates the crimes. Tensions between the academic community and the townsfolk rise to a fevered pitch when another senseless killing occurs and the undersheriff arrests suspects on the basis of Muirteach's findings. Yet Muirteach himself remains unconvinced of their guilt; certain the strange drawings Donald discovers on some used parchments will lead him to the killer, he continues his inquiries. Then Mariota disappears, and Muirteach must solve the riddle of the murderer's identity with all haste if he hopes to find his wife alive.

The strength of McDuffie's mystery lies in its evocation of medieval Oxford. With the help of the included map, the reader follows on Muirteach's heels as he traipses through town, visiting its stately college halls, shabby student tenements, raucous taverns and busy booksellers and stationers. She smells the offal in the gutter, the acrid odors of the tannery, the sweet flowers of the surrounding countryside. She hears the drone of Latin lectures, the off-key plucking of Donald's lute, the shouts of rioting mobs, the scrape of tools on parchment. She tastes the cheap wine, the hearty meat pies, the landlady's comforting stew. Not only does the author evoke the sensory details of fourteenth century life, she describes the structure of the medieval university, the conventions of instruction, the importance of disputation in earning a degree. McDuffie brings to vivid life a university experience quite different from today's.

The novel's characters are convincing and likable. Devoted to his wife and his charge, Muirteach is a reluctant sleuth, but a thorough one, determined to get to the bottom of things and bring the true criminal to justice. Headstrong Mariota might be a tad modern for the times, given her determination to further her medical education, but her family history and her father's reputation as a physician make her yearnings believable. The students who populate the university cross the spectrum from cerebral philosophers to partying louts; the masters themselves are distinctive and wedded with enthusiasm to their specialties. Palpable tension exists between the merchants, landlords, servants and watch and the often supercilious and dissolute students who take them for granted. Muirteach, in his role as Donald's chaperone, understands and mediates between the two factions.

The mystery itself is carefully developed so as to cast suspicion on multiple persons, each of whom has a valid motivation for involvement in the crimes. Early on I had a hunch as to the identity of the perpetrator, yet I found my confidence in this identification challenged again and again by the plausible motives of other suspects. Even though my guess proved ultimately correct, it was entertaining to watch Muirteach piece together the evidence and come to conclusions that defy the obvious.

Enriched by colorful characters, caustic conflict, and a finely researched setting, THE STUDY OF MURDER will please readers looking for a unique, historically based whodunit.

You can learn more about author Susan McDuffie at her website. Susan wrote an interesting article about the historical Voynich manuscript, the creative kernel of her mystery, here.

September 12: Birthday of "le grand Roi"

François Ier by Jean Clouet. Oil on oak panel, circa 1530

Five hundred and nineteen years ago today, a son was born to a count of a minor branch of the house of Valois. François d'Angoulême became heir presumptive to the French king, Louis XII, only when it became clear Louis himself would have no sons. On his deathbed in 1515, Louis married his daughter Claude to her cousin, making François King of France at the age of twenty. François ruled for thirty-two years, during which time the French court blossomed, power became centralized, and France competed with England and Spain for control of the Continent. François reformed the judicial system, established French as the realm's official language, and sponsored exploration of the New World. He enticed Italian artists and artisans to France, supported writers and scholars, and designed and built elegant palaces throughout the kingdom. His sons and grandsons ruled France through the end of the century. Known for his joie de vivre, his exquisite taste, and his embrace of the chivalric code of honor, François is revered by the French as le grand roi François.

Feuilleton on Fontainebleau

photo credit: Marilane Borges

This week, channel France 2 is running a feature serial about the château of Fontainebleau. Today's installment focuses on the private apartments of Napoleon, although it includes a beautiful segment shot in the galérie François Ier. Straightening the cord across a velvet-upholstered armchair whose wooden back boasts a carving of François's salamander emblem, the security guard reminds viewers that the chairs which line the gallery are authentic period pieces, quite valuable and fragile. The Fontainebleau segment begins at the 28:25 minute mark. Just before it, starting at 25:24, is a segment on the old city of Lyon and its Italianate architecture. Hmmm, the settings of my two novels, back to back on French television... is it a message from the gods? One can hope. :)

Here's the link to the video, in French. Enjoy!

Fontainebleau: More than a Castle

Say the word "Fontainebleau" and most people immediately think of the château outside Paris favored by both François I and Napoléon. Few realize that Fontainebleau also designates one of the largest and most popular forests in France. The fôret de Fontainebleau covers approximately 110 square miles in the department of Seine-et-Marne, southeast of Paris. Over 13 million visitors a year hike the forest's 200 miles of paths.

In 1528, François I decided to renovate the old medieval castle at Fontainebleau. He not only rebuilt the palace, but increased the grounds attached to the domain through a series of purchases and appropriations. By 1537, the royal forest covered 51 square miles. The forest was rich with game: deer, boar, lynx, wolves, martens, and over two hundred species of birds. Being an avid hunter, François spent countless hours pursuing his prey through stands of oak and beech trees and around the huge boulders that litter the site. To care for his beloved forest, François created the honorary position of Grand Forestier, the official who oversaw the corps of horse guards and that patrolled and managed the domain.

Forêt de Fontainebleau by Karl Bodmer. Etching, 1850

Countless boulders make the forêt de Fontainebleau a favorite spot of rock climbers today. The area was once covered by a sea, which deposited a deep layer of white sand. Over the millennia, this sand compressed into the long chains of rocky plateaux and oddly shaped boulders that characterize the landscape. The forest soil contains up to 98% sand; in places, there are dunes. Because of this high sand content, no streams are visible in the forest, only ponds where water gathers in hollows in the massif. The palace itself is built of this durable local sandstone.

Artists, photographers, writers and poets have long found inspiration in the forest's rocky wilderness. While early painters used the forest as a backdrop for hunting scenes, Camille Corot was one of the first painters to make the forest itself the subject of his paintings. Claude Monet, Renoir, Sisley, Cézanne, Seurat all painted there. Rousseau and Millet formed what is known as the école de Barbizon at Fontainebleau in the mid-nineteenth century. Photographers followed the painters, and numerous writers, among them Hugo, Stendhal, Sand, Balzac and Proust, visited the forest or evoked it in their works.

In the Forest of Fontainebleau by Paul Cézanne. 1880

Several scenes of my current novel take place in the forêt de Fontainebleau. In this one, Anne d'Étampes, King François's mistress, hurries to a rendez-vous deep in the woods:

       The path plunged beneath the canopy of new leaves, eager as Anne to escape the shimmering May sun and the scrutiny of the palace’s countless windows. The horses’ hooves drummed a steady beat on the ribbon of packed earth, cleared of debris and hazards in perpetual readiness for the royal hunt. Wasted effort on the groundskeepers’ part, of late; the pain in François’s belly had kept him from the saddle for more days now than she cared to count. She’d left him in his library in thrall to a desiccated scholar who claimed to hear the music of the celestial spheres. Would that François’s ears might detect the note of falsity in the man’s bombastic claims.
       She rode alone, save for the groom who followed a few lengths behind and knew better than to chatter. Late, she prodded her mare to pick up the pace. The grotto lay a fair distance away, and she knew he wouldn’t wait if she were slow to arrive. Why he refused to meet her in some secluded corner of the gardens instead of here in the godforsaken woods, she’d never understand. Riskier there, yes, but at least they’d be surprised by a pair of impatient lovers and not a pack of peckish wolves.
       Maybe she’d still beat him there. Curses on the chaplain for delaying her. She much preferred to be the first to arrive at any appointment; not only did it give her time to collect herself, but it allowed her to play on the inconvenience of being made to wait. Rushing, she almost missed the fork in the trail that lead to the grotto. This spur was but a narrow crevice between the trees, little more than footpath really, strewn with stones and knobby roots that slowed the horse to a careful walk. The groundskeepers hardly bothered to maintain it, for an army of hunters, horses, and dogs could never pick its way down the steep slope without landing in a jumbled heap. She only knew of the spot because François had taken her there once, in the early days, when they'd made a game of sneaking off alone. She was surprised when the painter suggested it. 
       Giant boulders loomed ahead, perched one atop the other in improbable piles that always made her uneasy to stand beside. She dismounted. “Wait here,” she told the groom, who took her reins and led the horses to nibble at a nearby bush while he pared his nails with a knife. No worries that he’d spy—she paid him plenty to ignore what she didn’t want him to see, and knew enough about him to ensure her wouldn’t tattle if he did fail to look away.
       She descended the last few feet of the path, slipping precariously on loose gravel, to stand on a large, flat rock that could have been the stage of a Roman amphitheater. On three sides, the tumble of carmel-colored rocks created a honeycomb of nooks and small caves, openings camouflaged by ropes of of ivy and tangles of exposed roots. Pine trees vied with a massive oak for light, casting deep pockets of shade on brittle drifts of last autumn’s leaves. Anne shivered. If one were a hunted beast, this must surely be the safest place in the domain to hide. She peered at the maw of the nearest cave, half-expecting to find yellow eyes of a forest cat staring back. 
       A pebble landed at her feet. Another tapped her shoulder. Shielding her head with her arm, she had turned to flee when a chuckle stopped her. “Leaving so soon, Aphrodite?”

Click here to watch a stunning video of the fôret de Fontainbleau in winter. It's no surprise that Fontainebleau and its domain were François's favorite palace. He spent more time there than anywhere else save Paris.