Book Log 47/2009
Jul. 30th, 2009 03:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaceyElizabeth Chadwick – Lords of the White Castle
This follows on from the story of Fulke (LeBrun) Fitzwarin and Hawise as told so well in ‘Shadows and Strongholds’ (number 30/2009 on my booklog). The hero if this book is LeBrun’s son, also Fulke, who carries forward his family’s ambition to regain title to The White Castle at Whittington in the hotly disputed Welsh Borders, arbitrarily taken from the Fitzwarins by Henry II and bestowed on a lord with half a foot in the Norman camp and half in the Welsh.
It’s an ambition that’s going to drive him to despair and almost to the point of destruction since Fulke (the younger) quarrels with the young Prince John. John is never going to forgive and forget, so as king he blocks Fulke’s access to Whittington at every turn – ultimately causing Fulke to turn outlaw. Fulke Fitzwarin – the outlaw – is a matter of historical record, but within the broad sweep of history Chadwick has teased out a very human story.
Fulke’s attraction to Maude, the child bride of his much-loved mentor, Lord Theobald Walter, is an itch he dare not scratch until Walter dies, leaving Maude a young, childless widow under the protection of the Archbishop of Canterbury – lusted after by King John, who considers seducing his Baron’s wives a fair sport. Fulke and Maude are united at last, even though all he can offer her is the life of an outlaw’s wife as he travels the difficult road towards an uneasy peace with John.
Fulke and the spirited Maude spat like cat and dog but she is the light of his life even though things do not always run smoothly. Their story is fraught with danger, as the Welsh dispute the border. If Fulke regains Whittington can he hold it?
Because I'm a sucker for seeing my two main protagonists ride off into the sunsdet hand in hand, I think I would have liked this better if Chadwick had stopped earlier in Fulke’s story, but she takes us right through to the end of the real historical record. It's a huge book, 670 pages, and a great page-turner. Even with that caveat, it's still highly recommended.
This follows on from the story of Fulke (LeBrun) Fitzwarin and Hawise as told so well in ‘Shadows and Strongholds’ (number 30/2009 on my booklog). The hero if this book is LeBrun’s son, also Fulke, who carries forward his family’s ambition to regain title to The White Castle at Whittington in the hotly disputed Welsh Borders, arbitrarily taken from the Fitzwarins by Henry II and bestowed on a lord with half a foot in the Norman camp and half in the Welsh.
It’s an ambition that’s going to drive him to despair and almost to the point of destruction since Fulke (the younger) quarrels with the young Prince John. John is never going to forgive and forget, so as king he blocks Fulke’s access to Whittington at every turn – ultimately causing Fulke to turn outlaw. Fulke Fitzwarin – the outlaw – is a matter of historical record, but within the broad sweep of history Chadwick has teased out a very human story.
Fulke’s attraction to Maude, the child bride of his much-loved mentor, Lord Theobald Walter, is an itch he dare not scratch until Walter dies, leaving Maude a young, childless widow under the protection of the Archbishop of Canterbury – lusted after by King John, who considers seducing his Baron’s wives a fair sport. Fulke and Maude are united at last, even though all he can offer her is the life of an outlaw’s wife as he travels the difficult road towards an uneasy peace with John.
Fulke and the spirited Maude spat like cat and dog but she is the light of his life even though things do not always run smoothly. Their story is fraught with danger, as the Welsh dispute the border. If Fulke regains Whittington can he hold it?
Because I'm a sucker for seeing my two main protagonists ride off into the sunsdet hand in hand, I think I would have liked this better if Chadwick had stopped earlier in Fulke’s story, but she takes us right through to the end of the real historical record. It's a huge book, 670 pages, and a great page-turner. Even with that caveat, it's still highly recommended.
