Marie Macpherson's Blog, page 2
January 22, 2014
Bronze Medal
The fabulous cover of
The First Blast of the Trumpet has won a Bronze Medal in the Book Cover Competition of 2013 organised by AuthorsDatabase.
The First Blast of the Trumpet has won a Bronze Medal in the Book Cover Competition of 2013 organised by AuthorsDatabase.
November 21, 2013
Undiscovered Scotland Review
Delighted to read this review in Undiscovered Scotland of my novel about the Scottish Reformation. They call The First Blast of the Trumpet 'a 'magnificent book' and 'essential reading for anyone interested in this period of Scotland's history'.
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk...
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk...
September 18, 2013
WINNERS!
CONGRATULATIONS to Karen in USA for winning the FREE giveaway of
hosted by Jo @Jaffareadstoo.
Thanks to all who took part and sorry you couldn't all win - this time. Next time perhaps? Watch this space!
hosted by Jo @Jaffareadstoo.Thanks to all who took part and sorry you couldn't all win - this time. Next time perhaps? Watch this space!
WINNERS!
Congratulations to Debra Brown for winning the FREE giveaway of
hosted by The History Lady
Happy reading, Debra!
hosted by The History LadyHappy reading, Debra!
September 9, 2013
FREE GIVEAWAY
FREE GIVEAWAY! Another chance to win a copy of Scottish historical novel, 'The First Blast of the Trumpet'. Visit Jo's website to read the interview, the fabulous review and more importantly ENTER to win. Good luck!
http://jaffareadstoo.blogspot.co.uk/2...
http://jaffareadstoo.blogspot.co.uk/2...
August 22, 2013
GIVEAWAY
This History Lady is hosting a contest to win
a FREE COPY of my novel,
The First Blast of the Trumpet
Visit The History' Lady's Blog to enter and to read her interview.
http://thehistorylady.wordpress.com/2...
a FREE COPY of my novel,
The First Blast of the Trumpet
Visit The History' Lady's Blog to enter and to read her interview.
http://thehistorylady.wordpress.com/2...
August 2, 2013
April 25, 2013
Review by Rev Stewart Lamont, Journalist and Broadcaster
Historical novels which spin a good yarn and keep to the known historical facts are a pleasing way of learning history. Marie Macpherson’s well-researched novel
captures the period which led up to the Reformation in Scotland, in which decay and despotism led eventually to a new regime.
She leaves the reader much better informed about the rivalries between the Scots nobility, and the way in which they used the late medieval church as a power base to consolidate their hold on power. In addition, she skilfully escapes the constraints of the known facts to give her readers an intriguing fictional tale of the early life of John Knox, about which little is known other than that he was a notary and Catholic priest.
Dominating the story is the feisty Elisabeth Hepburn, daughter of the Earl of Bothwell, reluctant Prioress and ardent lover of David Lindsay (he of the Thrie Estates). She remains close to her godson Knox as the story unfolds, despite her loyalties being with the old regime as the reformers gather strength. Elisabeth is the subject of a venomous vendetta by a nun who is passed over for promotion to Prioress, the post being in the gift of her uncle, the ecclesiastical wheeler and dealer, prior Hepburn.
The violence and brutality of life in sixteenth century Scotland is well captured, along with the struggles among the vying dynasties to supplant a weak monarchy. The venality of the church leaders like David, Cardinal Beaton makes it easy to understand the appeal of the reformers like Wishart under whose spell Knox fell. The book ends with Knox still in exile in the French galleys and Elisabeth at the side of Mary of Guise, the French Regent of Scotland and mother of Mary Queen of Scots.
The author excels in her ability to weave Scots words and expressions into the text, enriching it immeasurably. This vivid vocabulary is applied also to the scenes of carnal activity, underlining the brutality of the period. Her romances are earthy rather than ethereal, her nobles far short of heroic and the result is a book which portrays the main players in Scotland’s Reformation as flawed human beings rather than the goodies and baddies which partisan history has often made them.
captures the period which led up to the Reformation in Scotland, in which decay and despotism led eventually to a new regime. She leaves the reader much better informed about the rivalries between the Scots nobility, and the way in which they used the late medieval church as a power base to consolidate their hold on power. In addition, she skilfully escapes the constraints of the known facts to give her readers an intriguing fictional tale of the early life of John Knox, about which little is known other than that he was a notary and Catholic priest.
Dominating the story is the feisty Elisabeth Hepburn, daughter of the Earl of Bothwell, reluctant Prioress and ardent lover of David Lindsay (he of the Thrie Estates). She remains close to her godson Knox as the story unfolds, despite her loyalties being with the old regime as the reformers gather strength. Elisabeth is the subject of a venomous vendetta by a nun who is passed over for promotion to Prioress, the post being in the gift of her uncle, the ecclesiastical wheeler and dealer, prior Hepburn.
The violence and brutality of life in sixteenth century Scotland is well captured, along with the struggles among the vying dynasties to supplant a weak monarchy. The venality of the church leaders like David, Cardinal Beaton makes it easy to understand the appeal of the reformers like Wishart under whose spell Knox fell. The book ends with Knox still in exile in the French galleys and Elisabeth at the side of Mary of Guise, the French Regent of Scotland and mother of Mary Queen of Scots.
The author excels in her ability to weave Scots words and expressions into the text, enriching it immeasurably. This vivid vocabulary is applied also to the scenes of carnal activity, underlining the brutality of the period. Her romances are earthy rather than ethereal, her nobles far short of heroic and the result is a book which portrays the main players in Scotland’s Reformation as flawed human beings rather than the goodies and baddies which partisan history has often made them.
March 12, 2013
LASR Review by Water Lily
I'm posting the review on Long & short Reviews here as some people have had difficulty accessing the site for various reasons (!):
Sometimes I open a book, read the first couple of lines and congratulate myself on picking a really, really good read. Then I giggle to myself, lock the bedroom door and dive in. That was my experience with Marie Macpherson’s The First Blast of the Trumpet, because…as the first line states, “There’s no rhyme nor reason to it. Your destiny is already laid doon.” At least mine was by opening the book.
I connected with the characters instantly and was pulled into the book from the opening scene. I loved the slightly awkward, historical language and found it added to the texture of the book. The multiple points of view included on most pages might cause some readers problems, but it did not give me pause. It brought to life characters whose time was limited but whose part in the story was essential. I found myself thinking of this book and the characters when I wasn’t reading—a true sign of a good book in my opinion.
If you like well researched, rich, historical stories full of the sights, sounds and scents of a past era, embroiling real people in the messy mélange of honest emotions and frequently misguided ambitions that make up human history, then this may well be the book for you. I certainly enjoyed it. Frankly, this is my preferred way of learning about the past. History through the eyes of those who lived it. Ms. Macpherson brought early 16th century Scotland to life and showed how the Battle of Flodden was truly the first blast of the trumpet that changed the course of Scottish history. I highly recommend The First Blast of the Trumpet.
Sometimes I open a book, read the first couple of lines and congratulate myself on picking a really, really good read. Then I giggle to myself, lock the bedroom door and dive in. That was my experience with Marie Macpherson’s The First Blast of the Trumpet, because…as the first line states, “There’s no rhyme nor reason to it. Your destiny is already laid doon.” At least mine was by opening the book.
I connected with the characters instantly and was pulled into the book from the opening scene. I loved the slightly awkward, historical language and found it added to the texture of the book. The multiple points of view included on most pages might cause some readers problems, but it did not give me pause. It brought to life characters whose time was limited but whose part in the story was essential. I found myself thinking of this book and the characters when I wasn’t reading—a true sign of a good book in my opinion.
If you like well researched, rich, historical stories full of the sights, sounds and scents of a past era, embroiling real people in the messy mélange of honest emotions and frequently misguided ambitions that make up human history, then this may well be the book for you. I certainly enjoyed it. Frankly, this is my preferred way of learning about the past. History through the eyes of those who lived it. Ms. Macpherson brought early 16th century Scotland to life and showed how the Battle of Flodden was truly the first blast of the trumpet that changed the course of Scottish history. I highly recommend The First Blast of the Trumpet.
January 13, 2013
Review by Ann McMillan, Honorary President of the Dorothy Dunnett Society
I was very pleased to read the review on the Marie Stuart Blog by Ann McMillan, Honorary President of the Dorothy Dunnett Society. this is just an extract, the full review can be read on Marie Stuart Blog.
'In this tale of the birth of the Scottish Reformation, Dr Macpherson’s excellent research uncovers a harsh, decaying, unforgiving and raw world of rivalry and betrayal, where sins and decisions made can affect further generations. In the chaotic upheavals of this uncertain world with the looming religious conflicts, there are stirrings of the Reformation which will change Scotland forever and lead to the Enlightenment.
The brutal, earthy world of the 16th century seems real and immediate, laced with saving humour. The romances are gritty and sensual without being gratuitous. There are some surprising plot revelations but, although questionable, they seem possible and believable. The thrilling narrative is evocative and descriptive, full of the wonderful Scots words of the 16th century and there are many quotations from the rich literature of the period. Being a linguist Dr Macpherson makes the Scots words and phrases sound natural and expected, and they do not appear forced nor in ‘inverted commas’.
The real historical characters are presented with a tenderness and humanity and no one is presented with a monopoly of right. Most of the famous players from the 16th century appear and, because of the excellent research, their roles seem natural and believable. Some have a Chaucer-like quality, such as the gluttonous voluptuaries, the Hepburn brother and sister.
In pre-Reformation Scotland sins of the flesh were considered venial rather than mortal, and almost every churchman had at least one mistress, and several had a ‘wheen o’ weans’ whose futures had to be paid for. It is from this ‘puddle of Papistry’, corruption and superstition that the young Knox begins to emerge and to question the practices of the Church and the role of the ‘ Anti-Christ’.
I look forward with impatience to the second book in the Knox trilogy.
Ann McMillan
'In this tale of the birth of the Scottish Reformation, Dr Macpherson’s excellent research uncovers a harsh, decaying, unforgiving and raw world of rivalry and betrayal, where sins and decisions made can affect further generations. In the chaotic upheavals of this uncertain world with the looming religious conflicts, there are stirrings of the Reformation which will change Scotland forever and lead to the Enlightenment.
The brutal, earthy world of the 16th century seems real and immediate, laced with saving humour. The romances are gritty and sensual without being gratuitous. There are some surprising plot revelations but, although questionable, they seem possible and believable. The thrilling narrative is evocative and descriptive, full of the wonderful Scots words of the 16th century and there are many quotations from the rich literature of the period. Being a linguist Dr Macpherson makes the Scots words and phrases sound natural and expected, and they do not appear forced nor in ‘inverted commas’.
The real historical characters are presented with a tenderness and humanity and no one is presented with a monopoly of right. Most of the famous players from the 16th century appear and, because of the excellent research, their roles seem natural and believable. Some have a Chaucer-like quality, such as the gluttonous voluptuaries, the Hepburn brother and sister.
In pre-Reformation Scotland sins of the flesh were considered venial rather than mortal, and almost every churchman had at least one mistress, and several had a ‘wheen o’ weans’ whose futures had to be paid for. It is from this ‘puddle of Papistry’, corruption and superstition that the young Knox begins to emerge and to question the practices of the Church and the role of the ‘ Anti-Christ’.
I look forward with impatience to the second book in the Knox trilogy.
Ann McMillan
