Cynthia Sally Haggard's Blog: Cynthia Sally's Blog, page 38

SLEEPING BEAUTY’S DAUGHTERS by Diane Zahler

I loved this volume! I loved Diane Zahler’s alternative “history” to SLEEPING BEAUTY (interwoven with the tale we know & love) in which when the princess pricks herself, her naughty sister pinches her hard to keep her awake!

Briar Rose and her husband The Prince (the one who awakened her with a kiss) have a happy marriage that has blessed them with two daughters. But dark memories intrude, causing them to live in a remote castle on a cliff, to forbid their daughters from wandering outside, and to ban any sharp objects.

Aurora, the elder, has the long golden locks and loveliness of her mother. Because there are no sons, she will rule some day. (She is twelve in this story.) Her younger sister Luna (who I guess is about eight years old) is a naughty sprite of a child, beloved (and spoiled) by her father, merrily creating havoc. Of course it is she who manages to cause a pot of honey to fall to the ground on the unforgiving stone floor of the kitchen. The shattered glass shards provide an opportunity for Luna to cut off her hair – a source of torment to her – as she cannot find scissors or sharp knives. (They have been banned.) Her mother nearly has a fainting fit on seeing this scene, complete with Luna’s blood. But nothing bad comes from the incident.

However, when Luna decides to rifle through the belongings of new tutor Master Julien, and discovers a quill which has been cut to an appropriate sharpness for writing, and Aurora pricks her finger on it, well, that is quite another matter. It seems that the Old Fairy who cursed Briar Rose also cursed Aurora, the curse making Aurora fall asleep for one hundred years if she pricks her finger.

But naughty sister Luna comes to the rescue. First she pinches her sister to keep her awake. Then she discovers a potion that has a similar effect as coffee (perhaps it is coffee?) causing Aurora to become alert, at least temporarily. Lastly Luna persuades Aurora to leave on adventure to find Fairy Godmother Emmeline, who can reverse the curse.

This is a wonderful book for sisters, as we follow solemn Aurora and merry Luna on a romp of improbable events that ends…you guessed it…Happily Ever After. Five stars.

A fresh take on a well-loved fairy tale (A TRUE PRINCESS by Diane Zahler)

A TRUE PRINCESS is a fresh take on a well-loved fairy tale.  It was so cleverly written that it wasn’t until near the end that I finally figured out which fairy tale it was.

Lilia is treated badly by her foster mother because she is an orphan. While her adoptive family (kind father, hard mother, and siblings Kai and Karina) sit at table to eat their meals, Lilia is forced to perch on a stool in the ashes of the fireplace. (No, this is not CINDERELLA.)

Eavesdropping one evening, Lilia hears her foster mother discussing what they will do once the new baby is born. It turns out that she is the father’s second wife, and thus stepmother to Kai & Karina who are both in their teens. I am not sure how old Lilia is, but I believe she is a little younger, on the cusp of being a teen. In any event, the stepmother’s plan is to sell Lilia off to a cruel miller to be his servant, because they are so poor one child must make way for another, and in any case, isn’t Lilia a piece of wasted space? The child makes lumpy porridge, forgets half her chores, does the other half badly and is another mouth to feed and another body to clothe.

Horrified by these plans, Lilia decides to leave. Secretly. In the middle of the night. Picking up a finely woven blanket from the new baby’s cradle (which the stepmother claims she made) Lilia sets off for the North, because she was found floating in a basket, in a curl of water, in a river that falls from the mountains to the north. She hasn’t gone far, however, before Kai & Karina catch up with her. They hate their stepmother, and want to help Lilia on her journey back to her homeland.

I won’t say more so as not to spoil it for those of you who have not had the pleasure of reading this volume. Suffice to say this is a well-plotted, well-crafted story, with interesting young people you will come to care about. Five stars.

PRINCESS OF THE WILD SWANS by Diane Zahler

I wasn’t sure what to think when I picked up this book. I hoped for some inspiration, as I’m dipping my toe into retelling Fairy tales for the YA crowd, but it’s been years since I’ve read a book for 8-12 year olds. I believed I would scan PRINCESS OF THE WILD SWANS for 10 minutes, and then put it down…but I couldn’t! It was so well written I was obliged to read it until the end.

What held my attention were the characters.  Protagonist Princess Meriel, aged 12, is predictably naughty so there were no surprises when this volume opened with her having a tantrum while her long-suffering governess tried to persuade her to sew. But her friends – half-witch Riona and her clever brother Liam – were so interesting, partly because of the loving descriptions that Ms Zaher bestows on every detail of their lives. Then there are the 5 brothers, so well delineated that even when they are swans, one can tell them apart.

When I was about ten or so, I started choosing my own books based upon words in the title. So I went through a lot of books with “moon” in the title. Then it was witches. Lastly, it was princesses. If you know of a young woman like that, this is the book for her. Also very enjoyable to read aloud to a younger audience. Highly recommended! 5 stars.

Reading Sundays: THE END OF CHILDHOOD (Part 5), a short story by Cynthia Sally Haggard

I held his gaze with my own, determined not to betray the fluttering in my chest as my heart leapt into my throat. I knew from watching Mrs. Clayton that a lady must always appear cool and composed, so I folded my hands and waited.

“I fear you are growing too old for this,” her remarked with a self-deprecating laugh as he withdrew another package from his pocket and slit the twine. It was another doll, similar to Maria’s, except that mine was attired in a ball-gown with deep décolleté.

I gave him another curtsey. “It is most kind of you to think of me, sir.”

“Ah, Susan. I often think of you when I have a moment.” His smile warmed me, and I thought how lucky I was to have Mr. Clayton as my benefactor, and indeed, my friend. He was such a gentleman and so good looking. I hoped that when the time came to find me a husband, I would find a gentleman who pleased me as well.

“Next time, I shall present you with something more fitting to a young lady’s taste,” he remarked. “A coral bracelet perhaps?”

I lowered my eyes to hide my astonishment. “You are very good, sir, but I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble on my account.”

“It is no trouble, I assure you.” He kissed the tips of my fingers again.

I looked up to read his expression, and caught Mrs. Clayton’s glare. I curtseyed hastily and fled upstairs to the chamber I shared with Maria, leaving her alone with her parents.

I folded my arms and leaned out the window, breathing in the warm air flavored with newly cut hay. Something was going to happen, I could almost feel a storm gathering in the prickles going up and down my neck. Leave, a small voice whispered. I frowned and shook myself. Don’t be ridiculous, I whispered back. Where would I go? Papa had sold the fine house he’d had when Mama was alive, and gone to live in a room in a tavern near Chatham dockyards,

Chatham Dockyards circa 1790

saying he wanted to save up all his money to get me a good marriage. I had to stay and do my best to navigate the tricky waters ahead. It was my duty.   [To be continued]

Kate Quinn’s LADY OF THE ETERNAL CITY (EMPRESS OF ROME #4) narrated by Elizabeth Wiley

This volume picks up where volume 3 left off, and concerns the younger generation of Romans: Faustina’s daughters, their friends and suitors.

Kate Quinn’s writing has great strengths. The way she does world-building so that you feel completely immersed in the era of  the Roman Empire of the First Century. She never puts a foot wrong and the whole experience is absorbing and fascinating.

Then there is her plotting, the way in which she introduces new characters and it is only after some time that you realize who they actually are. I loved getting to know Emperors Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius before I realized who they were. As always, the characters were wonderfully drawn and believable.

So, if you would like to learn about wealthy Romans and their Empire at the Height of its Powers, you could do worse than read this volume. Five Stars.

99-cent promo running this week for FAREWELL MY LIFE

FAREWELL MY LIFE, which recently won the 2021 Independent Press Award prize for Women’s Fiction is running a99-cent promo this week: https://preview.mailerlite.com/d6n9s8.If you wish to sign up for my newsletter, which I send out every month-ish, please click here: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/c8l8s4 . I will be talking about the background to my novels, the characters who inhabit them, plus giving you exclusive offers and deals.

The e-book version of “Farewell My Life.”

Kate Quinn’s EMPRESS OF THE SEVEN HILLS (EMPRESS OF ROME #3) narrated by Elizabeth Wiley

This volume picks up where Volume 1 left off. Thea and her husband are living in Scotland, raising a second family, while their eldest son 18-year-old Vix (short for Vercingetorix) joins the legions. Vix catches the notice of the Emperor Trajan, as he expands the empire into Dacia (present-day Romania) and Parthia (Iran), and so Vix quickly climbs through the ranks becoming centurion and having his own legion to command. He also acquires a wife and two daughters, plus an older boy as his ward. In short, everything is going swimmingly…until one day Emperor Trajan suddenly dies.

Trajan’s widow, Plotina, has been scheming for years to get her protégé Hadrian (whom she refers to as “dear Publius”) appointed his successor, and she succeeds. Trajan’s death is also very convenient as it saves Empress Plotina from having to answer questions about money laundering, siphoning off funds meant for building project and charities, so that she can fund her campaign to make Hadrian Emperor.

However, Hadrian’s wife Vibia Sabina loathes Empress Plotina, and now that she is the new empress of Rome, it will be interesting to see what happens.

One of the great strengths of Kate Quinn’s writing is her world-building: she really immerses you in every detail of what it was like to be alive in the Roman Empire between 102 and 117 CE. Five stars.

Kate Quinn’s DAUGHTERS OF ROME (EMPRESS OF ROME #2) narrated by Elizabeth Wiley

As is usual with second volumes in a series, this one did not quite match up to Kate Quinn’s first,  her MISTRESS OF ROME. What drove the first novel was the high-stakes rivalry between spiteful heiress Lepida Pollia and her slave Thea. Lepida Pollia had the power to ruin Thea and tried to destroy her. So it was fascinating to see how Thea escaped her destiny as a dockside whore to become an emperor’s consort.

There is no such high-stakes situation in DAUGHTERS OF ROME. Somehow, despite the upheavals and bloodshed attendant on having 4 emperors of Rome in one year (69 CE), I never felt that the quartet of women we come to know were in real danger. Yes, they are nearly killed on more than one occasion, but there was no deadly rivalry between them, no sense that one of them could be completely ruined.

Cornelia Prima, the eldest, loses her husband early on in the coup against Galba, and spends a great deal of the novel being heartbroken about it. But she shucks off her proper veneer to find a lover, second husband, and happiness in her bodyguard.

Cornelia Tertia, known as Lollia, goes through four husbands in the course of this novel, a clever way of illustrating what the cost of these sudden political changes were on wealthy Roman families, who were always obliged to cultivate the winning side in any political upheaval, so that they could keep their businesses and possessions intact. However, Lollia founds her own happiness with a slave from the north named Thrax.

Cornelia Quarta, known as Diana, was my favorite character, a tomboy of a girl who has no interest in men despite her great beauty, preferring to drive chariots instead. As other readers have mentioned, that description of the race she won in the Circus Maximus in Chapter 17 was a masterpiece of powerful writing.

Then there is Cornelia Secunda, known as Marcella (and subsequently Domitia) who is hustled into a marriage by Emperor Vespasian’s younger son Domitian near the end of the novel, as a means of stifling her successful meddling in Roman politics, which caused the rise and fall of four emperors in one year.  The way her political life came to an end was completely chilling, but there was little sense of this ending before it happened, and so there was no spine of tension to drive this novel forward. Four stars.

 

Reading Sundays: THE END OF CHILDHOOD (Part 4), a short story by Cynthia Sally Haggard

The clock hand crawled to eleven o’clock, then carriage wheels groaned up the hill and rolled to a stop. Maria flew out of her seat, disappearing into the foyer while I followed at a more sedate pace.

“Papa!” she called, her voice echoing in the marble foyer.

“Who is this?” he said to his daughter as I appeared. “Do I know you young lady?”

Maria giggled, her pale face gathering color.

“Would this young lady like to know what I have in my pockets?”

She nodded, bouncing on her toes.

He opened the large flap of his jacket, and drew out a small package wrapped in brown paper and twine. Then he put a leg forward and gave her a fine flourishing bow. “I have been instructed by His Majesty to present this gift to Mistress Maria Clayton, for her benefit and edification.” He took a small knife, slit the twine and undid the wrappings. Inside was a doll, dressed in a walking gown.

Maria squealed and clapped her hands, for an all-too-brief moment allowed to be a child.

As if on cue, there was a swish of skirts and Mrs. Clayton descended the stairs. She pursed her lips.

Maria glanced at her mother and instantly stilled, her movements frozen into a nunlike quietude.

If Mr. Clayton observed his wife appearing to greet him, he ignored her. Instead, he turned to me with a smile and gave another of his flourishing bows. “Good day to you, Mistress Susan.” He kissed the tips of my fingers, causing a shiver to run down my spine. “How are you?”

I dropped a curtsey. “I thank you, sir. We are both well.” I gestured to Maria.

But he didn’t look at his wife or daughter. With his eyes fixed on me, he drew me to one side. “You are looking very blooming today, if I may say so.”

I held his gaze with my own, determined not to betray the fluttering in my chest as my heart leapt into my throat. I knew from watching Mrs. Clayton that a lady must always appear cool and composed, so I folded my hands and waited.

[To be continued.]

FAREWELL won the Independent Press Award for Women’s Fiction!