- By Diana Gabaldon
Outlander -
punched me in the gut, shattered my heart, splintered my spleen, yet it
managed to push me to the finish line, overwhelmed with emotions
ranging from love to hate. But, at the end of it all, I loved it. I
loved the story, I loved the characters, I loved the author's narration.
It is a historical romantic page turner, even for non-romantics and that
is saying something.
Frank Randall, Jamie Fraser,
Claire Randall (Claire Beauchamp), Jonathan Randall, to name a few- are
all such intricate characters, who left me staggered, helpless,
distraught and passionately in love with most of them. If you read the
book, you will know why I could love only few, while I desperately want
to strangle a few. And I am quite sure, I am not the only one, wrung
with those feelings, having arrived a little late to the Outlander party!
Diana Gabaldon
captured my interest and kept me hooked through an entertaining saga of
history and politics, war and violence, passion and masochism, bravery
and morality, interlaced with a trickle of time travel. She tells a
compelling story with sympathetic protagonists, mainly characterizing a
strong female lead who is fortunate to find love in the present time as
well as in the past, when she finds herself thrown back by two hundred
years and has the presence of mind to handle herself in a war driven
Scottish highlands of 1700s.
The story begins with the
portrayal of a loving marital relationship between Frank and Claire
Randall, exploring Inverness on their second honeymoon post second world
war, in 1945. Claire, a retired war time nurse who takes up Botany
explores Inverness for specimens of plants and flowers, while Frank, an
Oxford history professor explores his genealogy when he finds a scrap
of paper indicating that his ancestor had something or other in this
region back in the eighteenth or seventeenth century.
Introduced
to the miniature stone henge set in the form of a circle of stones, by a
local botanist, Claire is fascinated with the beautiful yet eerie
testimonial. As a novice botanist set on exploring the local specimens,
she finds herself at the stone henge on Beltane (an ancient Celtic
festival). On touching the stone, she hears a vivid screaming that has
her stumbling back and falling down, literally through time, into a war
driven Scottish highlands of 1743, two hundred years from her now!
Ofcourse, she had no idea the instant she opened her eyes that she was
in another time, where she wasn't even born! And in that fraction of a
second, on that fateful Beltane day, her life changed, from being in a
loving relationship with her husband to being thrown back in time and in
the day's course of events, finds herself, assaulted, threatened,
kidnapped and jostled. From being in the comforts of the nineteenth
century, to being thrown back to seventeenth amidst the Jacobite
uprising and clan wars, with nothing but her wits and mind, Claire has
an uphill task of finding her way back to her time and her husband.
Diana
Gabaldon authoritatively portrays the historical time of Jacobite
Rising, weaving an intrinsic web with laborious detail, sparingly
brushed with humor and liberally laced with passion and pain, bursting
with violence and staying appallingly true to the living conditions of
1743.
Scotland has always been a place of romance for
me. Rich in its history and folklore, Scottish heroes have always
harbored a romantic notion in my heart. When I read the book, with
absolutely no back drop, I did not see the time travel element coming!
It starts off rather slowly, but once Claire finds herself in 1743
Scotland, the story progresses rather rapidly. The author managed to
capture my attention with the story that made me turn the pages faster
than I thought possible, because of the sheer insanity of the story
line, of a modern time female, living in a male dominated society,
finding herself in situations that are rather mind numbing to me,
personally. (WHAT?!?.)
For a wartime nurse, gunshots
and mortal wounds are an everyday thing. But, it certainly is something
to witness the crime and punishment of the then era. And it certainly is
another, to cut and stitch people up without pain killers or
disinfectants! I swear, I had goosebumps when I read few passages. But,
running underneath it all, is the love she finds in Jamie, an outlawed
convict. Torn between infidelity and passion, between reason and
reality, she sure had a tough time in the seventeenth century!! Poor
Claire!!
Jamie has fast become one of my favorite
fictional characters of all the time, with his humility, his presence of
mind and untamed passion! Oh Jamie, how my heart aches for you!!! Why, O
Why could you just not be a knight in shining armor, with a valiant
heart and blue eyes? Why did you have to be a convict running from law?
Gah!! His character is one of my favorite in the novel, from being a
laird of Lallybroch who had to run away from home and family treading on
danger with every step he takes, to finding his soul mate in Claire
(his Sassenach (Outlander) as he fondly calls her), he sure is a character portrayed to touch everyone's heart, especially a female's!
Though
time travel was what kicks the novel to a jump start, it does not
reoccur in this novel, the first in the series of eight novels. Each
novel is lengthy, rich in detail and authentic in depiction of the
period time. It certainly is not for the faint hearted! But for every
zealous reader, who loves a story set in periodic times, for the
romantics and non-romantics alike, this is an unadulterated pleasure to
read. And for those who have no patience to read the novel, the series
is being telecasted as a show on Starz and so far, the TV series stays true to the novel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this historical tale and I hope you do too!!
Showing posts with label Periodic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Periodic. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
The Other Boleyn Girl
- By Philippa Gregory
Even as the days pass by, the beauty of the history is that it never tires one… This novel is a brilliant effort to bring in a piece of history without any lullabies in between. I can only imagine the effort it must have taken, to put in a novel of this magnitude, in one piece, considering the astounding amount of information that is available, with fewer facts. But, leaving aside the history, the novel takes us back to the 16th century English court, to the times when men ruled (not that they do NOT have a say now!) both in the house and outside (:D), where marriage is about family connections and way to move forward, where mistresses are common, especially if the person is wealthy and the love between siblings is certainly a little more closer for comfort… and more importantly, it is about the “Boleyn Girl” (Anne) who is ambitious in that she wants to be the “Queen of England” and how the family supports her ambition and revels in her success and leaves her alone when everything shatters round her, told from another Boleyn girl’s (Mary) perspective. The novel, though a rendition of history, has everything to make it a story that is captivating. It has – passion, rivalry, love, ambition, greed, scandal, incest, murder, lies and a little more. I am not sure if all the incidents did happen, or if this novel is a historical fiction, but I would say this much – the novel is a page turner, either you are reading it or thinking about it, it is as simple as that!
The author has done a splendid job in bringing out the contrasts in the characters and the vivid details of the societal imbalances. And the prose is beautiful, to keep one going till the end.
Mary Boleyn, was fourteen when she first came to the kings court as a lady in waiting, in an attempt to draw king’s attention away from Catherine, the queen of England, who fails give the king, a male heir. In a more complex scheme, devised by her uncle and supported by the Boleyn family, Mary is merely a pawn and they will stop at nothing, to reach the heights of fame, fortune and glory. Anne is brought into the court along with Mary, to entrance the king and keep his eyes on Mary. George, their brother, will stop at nothing, to ensure that his sisters are in the eyes of the king at all times. When the king and Mary elope and Mary is carrying his child, he showers her with gifts and a rare passion, but, Anne has a mind of her own and draws the king to her, through her flirtations and charms and teases him and pleases him at the same time, manipulating him by the click of her fingers, yet deliberately making him yearn for her. The wicked mind games of Anne eventually force Mary out of king’s way. Though Mary does love the king, she understands that she merely is a pawn in the bigger scheme of the things and that, her role in the court as a king’s mistress ended as the king is now interested only in Anne. Mary gives birth to a boy, yet, fails to please the king any longer, hence failing in the main plan. And, Anne, has everything to play for, now that the king is dancing to her tune and that is exactly what she does. She plays a hard game that eats her away from the inside, yet, she never stops, that is the power of ambition, that she moves forward and upward, but in the nights, in the confines of her room, seeks the comfort of the solitude or her sister or brother, to hold the king to her.
The story progresses to show how Anne raises and how, despite her success, she is unhappy. On the other side, it shows the contentment in Mary, when she finds a husband in William Stafford, who is willing to stand for her and father her children, along with her. Though she has no riches of the court, she is happy to be a farmer’s wife, though, not for once, forgetting that she is a Boleyn and that the family priorities will always come first. And when it did come to stand up for her family, her husband stands by her and supports her.
When Anne is carrying the king's child in her womb, Mary is called to the court to be the lady in waiting for Anne. When Anne gives birth to a girl named Elizabeth, the king is displeased. And the other children that Anne carries are still born. And there comes the full circle, with king losing interest in Anne and moving out with another mistress, Lady Seymour. With her dream threatening to be shattered, Anne is carrying again and is on the verge of losing everything. But when she gives birth to a monster – still born, she loses everything, including her family. In the scandal that follows, she is tried and charged for incest and sorcery and murder and is found guilty on all charges and is beheaded. George, who helps her in every step of her way, is charged with adultery and for assisting Anne in sorcery against the king and is found guilty.
Thus, the fall of Anne Boleyn. But she did leave an heir, not a male heir, but a beautiful girl, Elizabeth, who went on to rule England and start the Elizabethan era!!!
(Hmpf! Even men wiser than me, fail to realize that the hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world :D)
Leaving the facts or the fiction of the tale, I loved the way the novel progressed. With over 500 pages, it should have had a few boring passages, but there were none. It is an easy read, captivating and irresistible. The grace with which the novel progressed is in every word as rich as its theme. Giving a taste of the earlier generation and the emotions of people and families, the whiplash does last long and does move a person! Despite all the soup that is not easily digested, it is worth picking up and sure is worth the time too!!!
Even as the days pass by, the beauty of the history is that it never tires one… This novel is a brilliant effort to bring in a piece of history without any lullabies in between. I can only imagine the effort it must have taken, to put in a novel of this magnitude, in one piece, considering the astounding amount of information that is available, with fewer facts. But, leaving aside the history, the novel takes us back to the 16th century English court, to the times when men ruled (not that they do NOT have a say now!) both in the house and outside (:D), where marriage is about family connections and way to move forward, where mistresses are common, especially if the person is wealthy and the love between siblings is certainly a little more closer for comfort… and more importantly, it is about the “Boleyn Girl” (Anne) who is ambitious in that she wants to be the “Queen of England” and how the family supports her ambition and revels in her success and leaves her alone when everything shatters round her, told from another Boleyn girl’s (Mary) perspective. The novel, though a rendition of history, has everything to make it a story that is captivating. It has – passion, rivalry, love, ambition, greed, scandal, incest, murder, lies and a little more. I am not sure if all the incidents did happen, or if this novel is a historical fiction, but I would say this much – the novel is a page turner, either you are reading it or thinking about it, it is as simple as that!
The author has done a splendid job in bringing out the contrasts in the characters and the vivid details of the societal imbalances. And the prose is beautiful, to keep one going till the end.
Mary Boleyn, was fourteen when she first came to the kings court as a lady in waiting, in an attempt to draw king’s attention away from Catherine, the queen of England, who fails give the king, a male heir. In a more complex scheme, devised by her uncle and supported by the Boleyn family, Mary is merely a pawn and they will stop at nothing, to reach the heights of fame, fortune and glory. Anne is brought into the court along with Mary, to entrance the king and keep his eyes on Mary. George, their brother, will stop at nothing, to ensure that his sisters are in the eyes of the king at all times. When the king and Mary elope and Mary is carrying his child, he showers her with gifts and a rare passion, but, Anne has a mind of her own and draws the king to her, through her flirtations and charms and teases him and pleases him at the same time, manipulating him by the click of her fingers, yet deliberately making him yearn for her. The wicked mind games of Anne eventually force Mary out of king’s way. Though Mary does love the king, she understands that she merely is a pawn in the bigger scheme of the things and that, her role in the court as a king’s mistress ended as the king is now interested only in Anne. Mary gives birth to a boy, yet, fails to please the king any longer, hence failing in the main plan. And, Anne, has everything to play for, now that the king is dancing to her tune and that is exactly what she does. She plays a hard game that eats her away from the inside, yet, she never stops, that is the power of ambition, that she moves forward and upward, but in the nights, in the confines of her room, seeks the comfort of the solitude or her sister or brother, to hold the king to her.
The story progresses to show how Anne raises and how, despite her success, she is unhappy. On the other side, it shows the contentment in Mary, when she finds a husband in William Stafford, who is willing to stand for her and father her children, along with her. Though she has no riches of the court, she is happy to be a farmer’s wife, though, not for once, forgetting that she is a Boleyn and that the family priorities will always come first. And when it did come to stand up for her family, her husband stands by her and supports her.
When Anne is carrying the king's child in her womb, Mary is called to the court to be the lady in waiting for Anne. When Anne gives birth to a girl named Elizabeth, the king is displeased. And the other children that Anne carries are still born. And there comes the full circle, with king losing interest in Anne and moving out with another mistress, Lady Seymour. With her dream threatening to be shattered, Anne is carrying again and is on the verge of losing everything. But when she gives birth to a monster – still born, she loses everything, including her family. In the scandal that follows, she is tried and charged for incest and sorcery and murder and is found guilty on all charges and is beheaded. George, who helps her in every step of her way, is charged with adultery and for assisting Anne in sorcery against the king and is found guilty.
Thus, the fall of Anne Boleyn. But she did leave an heir, not a male heir, but a beautiful girl, Elizabeth, who went on to rule England and start the Elizabethan era!!!
(Hmpf! Even men wiser than me, fail to realize that the hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world :D)
Leaving the facts or the fiction of the tale, I loved the way the novel progressed. With over 500 pages, it should have had a few boring passages, but there were none. It is an easy read, captivating and irresistible. The grace with which the novel progressed is in every word as rich as its theme. Giving a taste of the earlier generation and the emotions of people and families, the whiplash does last long and does move a person! Despite all the soup that is not easily digested, it is worth picking up and sure is worth the time too!!!
Thursday, April 10, 2014
The Glass of Time
- By Michael Cox
The Glass of Time by Michael Cox is a time capsule. Going back to the 1870’s, the story is intricately fabricated, taking the reader through the peaceful setting and the Victorian times and on a ride for adventure.
At the age of nineteen, sent for a ‘Great Task’ by her guardian Madame de L’Orme, to get the job of a lady’s maid at the home of the widow Baroness Tansor in Evenwood, little did Esperanza Gorst know of her future nor could she have predicted it. As the ‘Great Task’ unveils she is caught in an adventure that would take her and the reader into a twist of thrill that forms a fascinating read.
As she gains the confidence of the Lady Tansor, she also knows the little secrets her Lady wants to be kept secret and the nightmares her Lady often suffers from. The fact that her Lady still mourns her dead fiancĂ© Phoebus Daunt, surprises her. The two sons, Perseus and Randolph court her, while she is working on knowing the secrets of her Lady. As the twist unfolds, revealing the real reason she was sent there, she is caught in a web of guilt, for she genuinely cared for her Lady, but then, the over powering reason that justice had to be served drove her as she diligently went about understanding her life and her Lady’s. It is clear from the beginning that she was not a lady’s maid for she has all the qualities of a Lady and she quickly raises to the position of being a companion to her lady and then a friend.
The story might be a little less gripping to one who has already read the Meaning Of the night, its prequel, but, for anyone reading this as their first book will find it captivating and interesting. And readers will thoroughly enjoy this historical write.
The Glass of Time by Michael Cox is a time capsule. Going back to the 1870’s, the story is intricately fabricated, taking the reader through the peaceful setting and the Victorian times and on a ride for adventure.
At the age of nineteen, sent for a ‘Great Task’ by her guardian Madame de L’Orme, to get the job of a lady’s maid at the home of the widow Baroness Tansor in Evenwood, little did Esperanza Gorst know of her future nor could she have predicted it. As the ‘Great Task’ unveils she is caught in an adventure that would take her and the reader into a twist of thrill that forms a fascinating read.
As she gains the confidence of the Lady Tansor, she also knows the little secrets her Lady wants to be kept secret and the nightmares her Lady often suffers from. The fact that her Lady still mourns her dead fiancĂ© Phoebus Daunt, surprises her. The two sons, Perseus and Randolph court her, while she is working on knowing the secrets of her Lady. As the twist unfolds, revealing the real reason she was sent there, she is caught in a web of guilt, for she genuinely cared for her Lady, but then, the over powering reason that justice had to be served drove her as she diligently went about understanding her life and her Lady’s. It is clear from the beginning that she was not a lady’s maid for she has all the qualities of a Lady and she quickly raises to the position of being a companion to her lady and then a friend.
The story might be a little less gripping to one who has already read the Meaning Of the night, its prequel, but, for anyone reading this as their first book will find it captivating and interesting. And readers will thoroughly enjoy this historical write.
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