Nominations: February 2011 BOTM

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Sun January 2nd, 2011, 4:47 am

How about a naval adventure? Annis liked Julian Stockwin's Kydd, and it's on my TBR. Just an ordinary guy, minding his own business in the local tavern, and he gets nabbed to serve in the king's navy. (See Annis's review.)

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Sun January 2nd, 2011, 5:51 am

[quote=""Divia""]Did we read this before? I think we did, but maybe not.[/quote]

It's been nominated before, but not chosen. Here's a page with all of the BOTMs:

http://www.historicalfictiononline.com/ ... month.html

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Sun January 2nd, 2011, 5:52 am

[quote=""Elizabeth""]In SACRED HEARTS, there are a few mentions of historical members of the Este family, and I believe one of the duke's sisters makes a cameo appearance, but they don't really have that much to do with the story. I liked SACRED HEARTS a lot and would love to discuss it.

I'd nominate RED ADAM'S LADY, but I think it's too hard to find copies of it.

What about one of the Susan Howatch historicals, THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE or PENMARRIC or CASHELMARA? Great turn-of-the-century (19th-20th) sagas with all fictional characters, yet re-enacting Plantagenet drama.[/quote]

Which Howarth book do you want to nominate?

Vanessa · Post by **Vanessa** » Sun January 2nd, 2011, 9:34 am

Isn't Penmarric the first in a trilogy?

Elizabeth · Post by **Elizabeth** » Sun January 2nd, 2011, 12:23 pm

Of the three Howatch books I mentioned, my own favorite is THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE, so I'll nominate that one.

PENMARRIC, CASHELMARA and THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE aren't a trilogy in the ordinary sense--they all have separate settings and characters in lavish turn-of-the-century settings and on the surface are unrelated. The underlying stories form kind of a trilogy, though, in the sense that they parallel the stories of the Plantagenets: Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine in PENMARRIC, Edward I and Edward II in CASHELMARA, and Edward III, the Black Prince, Joan of Kent, John of Gaunt, Katherine Swynford, Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V in WHEEL OF FORTUNE.

I love these books and only wish she'd kept writing them--what she could have done with Edward IV and the Tudors! But she started writing about the Anglican Church instead.

Vanessa · Post by **Vanessa** » Sun January 2nd, 2011, 1:16 pm

I have all three on my TBR pile, so would like to read them all!

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Sun January 2nd, 2011, 1:51 pm

[quote=""Elizabeth""]Of the three Howatch books I mentioned, my own favorite is THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE, so I'll nominate that one.

PENMARRIC, CASHELMARA and THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE aren't a trilogy in the ordinary sense--they all have separate settings and characters in lavish turn-of-the-century settings and on the surface are unrelated. The underlying stories form kind of a trilogy, though, in the sense that they parallel the stories of the Plantagenets: Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine in PENMARRIC, Edward I and Edward II in CASHELMARA, and Edward III, the Black Prince, Joan of Kent, John of Gaunt, Katherine Swynford, Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V in WHEEL OF FORTUNE.

I love these books and only wish she'd kept writing them--what she could have done with Edward IV and the Tudors! But she started writing about the Anglican Church instead.

[/quote]

What she could have done with the Wars of the Roses!

I'll nominate Cashelmara. You know, if each of us nominate one we might spread the votes out too thin and loose.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Sun January 2nd, 2011, 6:40 pm

But she started writing about the Anglican Church instead.

I read those, and they're superb, so even though they're not historical, it's hard for me to mourn her not writing something different!

annis · Post by **annis** » Mon January 3rd, 2011, 7:36 am

Posted by Margaret

How about a naval adventure? Annis liked Julian Stockwin's Kydd, and it's on my TBR. Just an ordinary guy, minding his own business in the local tavern, and he gets nabbed to serve in the king's navy

Kydd is celebrity-safe, but as the series goes on, Tom Kydd does get to meet some famous people along the way, including Lord Nelson

Madeleine · Post by **Madeleine** » Mon January 3rd, 2011, 11:27 am

[quote=""Vanessa""]I have all three on my TBR pile, so would like to read them all![/quote]

Me too! I also have Sacred Hearts on mount tbr, and think I voted for that last time it was nominated, so if the Howatch books are in the poll too, I'll have a tough decision to make!