The First Blast of the Trumpet by Marie Macpherson

May 30, 2014 Michael Schmicker rated it really liked it

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Hallowe’en night. 500 years ago.

Superstitions rule sixteenth-century Scotland, and Macpherson opens her sumptuously-detailed novel with a sly nod to the spirit of Macbeth (though the Bard won’t be born for another half century). Elizabeth Hepburn and her two teenage sisters are tossing nuts into a blazing fire, as their witch-cum-nursemaid Betsy divines their futures by the way they sputter and pop. Then, well-primed for ghosts and ghouls, the feardie trio slip out into the dark night clutching Hallowe’en night. 500 years ago.

Superstitions rule sixteenth-century Scotland, and Macpherson opens her sumptuously-detailed novel with a sly nod to the spirit of Macbeth (though the Bard won’t be born for another half century). Elizabeth Hepburn and her two teenage sisters are tossing nuts into a blazing fire, as their witch-cum-nursemaid Betsy divines their futures by the way they sputter and pop. Then, well-primed for ghosts and ghouls, the feardie trio slip out into the dark night clutching a neep lantern and rowan twigs to ward off evil spirits and thrice circle a sheaf of dead cornstalks, determined to see the specters of the men they will someday marry – per Betsy, following the ritual carefully will grant the girls visions of their future sweethearts. As bats swoop through the sky and a pease-bogle (scarecrow) shakes in the wind, they suddenly hear voices, see shadowy black figures approaching, and flee for their lives. Elizabeth tumbles down a hill, lands in a stream, and is dragged out half-drowned by David Lindsay, come to fetch her back to the castle. She falls head over heels in love. Tapsalteerie. Whigmaleerie.

And the turbulent affair between our two star-cross’d lovers is off and running.

John Knox plays a decided second fiddle to Elizabeth and David in The First Blast of the Trumpet, the initial book of Macpherson’s ambitious, three-volume, re-imagining the life of the Scottish Reformation’s founding father. Here she focuses on the violent, brutish, superstitious world into which Knox will be born. Larger forces capriciously play with the lives and dreams of our two lovers – a destructive war between England and Scotland; the intensifying confrontation between papists and protestants; infighting between avaricious clans; plague and starvation. Fate rules people’s lives. As Betsy warns Elizabeth in the opening line of the book, “There’s no rhyme or reason to it. Your destiny is already laid doon.”

Macpherson’s award-winning novel glows with a luminous sense of time and place, the writing ripe and heady with a wantonly rich Scottish vocabulary. You not only see the 16th century – you hear it. The author holds a Ph.D. in Russian and English; has taught language and literature throughout Europe; and her affection for her native tongue is infectious. She mines a proud literary vein. Burns, Scott and Stevenson globally popularized the Scots vernacular through their poems, songs, stories and novels, and “Auld Lang Syne” is sung around the world on New Year’s Eve. Scots-Irish immigrants like my mother’s forebears brought wisps of words and phrases with them to America in the 18th century. When someone teased me in grammar school in the late 1950s, I retorted with the words my mother (of the clan Boyd) taught me: “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” Imagine my delight to discover that Scottish children were spouting the same phrase in 1511. For fun, I started keeping a list of the poetic slurs Macpherson puts in the mouths of her backbiting Scottish women who fling them against their rivals – gilpie, cow-clink, clumsy kittok, skirling shrew, cankart carlin, dowdy dunnock, brazen besom, vauntie-flauntie, and skrinkie-faced with froggy eyes. And you feared First Trumpet would be some dull, pious, religious tract? You silly gowk!

First Trumpet is closer to bawdy, vulgar Shakespeare than Sir Walter Scott’s airy-fairy world of chivalric romance. Gluttonous Dame Janet, Elizabeth’s aunt and prioress of St. Mary’s Abbey, powders her face with white lead, plucks her eyebrows, and rouges her cheeks. Sucking on a marche de pain bonbon, she sets Elizabeth straight about love and marriage. Forget Lindsay and wedlock, she advises. “When you’re not bleeding you’re breeding.” Men aren’t to be trusted. “Every man is in thrall to his pistle.” Besides, what’s so great about fyking? “...a few spurts of pleasure for them mean untold grief and agony for us.” Better to be a nun than a wife. And if postulant Elizabeth gets the itch? No problem, just be cautious. “If you fancy a tumble in the hay with the stable lad, make sure you’re not bairnt.” After all, “…a quick fyke can be over in the wink of an eye, leaving a troutie in the well.” Like the well-fed prioress in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Macpherson’s worldly Janet is a memorable literary creation. Drooling over the fare at a feast, the prioress smacks her lips at the stag testicles poached in honeyed sauce, declaring, “Just how I like them: soft, squidgy and sweet. Tastier than a strumpet’s teats.” Victorian prudery is still 350 years into the British future. We’ve got brides’ cherries being picked; crowds marching upstairs to oogle the newlyweds as they consummate their marriage; legions of bastards being born “on the other side of the blanket”; and even get a frank lesson in female pleasuring. Who says history has to be boring? Characters are nuanced. You feel a twinge of sympathy for Prioress Janet. She never wanted to become a nun, any more than her brother, Elizabeth’s uncle John, wanted to become a priest and Prior of St. Mary’s. But someone in the Hepburn clan needed to step up so the family could retain control of the abbey’s wealth, lands, granaries, mills, orchards and breweries. “You maun dree your weird,” as the Scots say – you accept your fate; you endure your destiny. Likewise, Elizabeth will eventually take her vows, and succeed Janet; David Lindsay will sacrifice Elizabeth to serve the King.

And John Knox, finally making his late bow in the tale?

Saved at birth by a puff of breath into his lungs from nun Elizabeth, he becomes her godson and gravitates towards his own fate. Raised in her protective shadow, he trains for the priesthood but, offended by whoring monks and painted Janets, by simony and religious superstition, the young Knox falls under the spell of the Lollardy heresy and embraces the Protestant cause, determined to tear down Elizabeth’s all too-human church. Tellingly, he embraces Calvin’s doctrine of predestination. No amount of prayers or papal indulgences can change your fate. Instead, an inscrutable God decides each man’s destiny – heaven or hell – before they’re born.

The First Blast of the Trumpet is rich intellectual fare, and Macpherson thoughtfully includes a handy map of Scotland, family trees, and a complete cast of characters for the history-challenged. But any reader bringing to the novel a basic familiarity with the Western canon will quickly pick up the thread.

First Trumpet is double-timely. 2014 marks the 500th anniversary of Knox’s birth. It’s also the year Scottish voters determine the fate of their country. Will she remain united with England (which she joined in 1707) or regain her sovereignty. When the next installment of Macpherson’s captivating Knox Trilogy appears in bookstores, bonnie Scotland may once again be independent.
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Jan 28, 2014 T S Harvey rated it it was amazing

The amount of work that must have gone into getting this historically correct is quite staggering. It is quite simply one of the best books of this genre I've ever read and would wholeheartedly recommend it.

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Mar 16, 2014 Linda Root rated it it was amazing

The prevailing view of John Knox is of a towering, bearded and overbearing personification of the term ‘Fire and Brimstone’ -- an image that both his disciples and his critics sought to create. In The First Blast of the Trumpet, author Marie MacPherson treats us to a different view. What makes her offering unique is that she does it in a way that is both witty and entertaining. For those who think that a story centered on Knox will of necessity lack romance, intrigue, tongue-in-cheek wit and The prevailing view of John Knox is of a towering, bearded and overbearing personification of the term ‘Fire and Brimstone’ -- an image that both his disciples and his critics sought to create. In The First Blast of the Trumpet, author Marie MacPherson treats us to a different view. What makes her offering unique is that she does it in a way that is both witty and entertaining. For those who think that a story centered on Knox will of necessity lack romance, intrigue, tongue-in-cheek wit and ribald humor, MacPherson’s book will be a revelation.
If one digs as deep as Marie MacPherson has done, one discovers some surprises about the Reformer. From them, MacPherson had arrived at a historically based but satisfying theory about the life experiences which transformed a commoner from Haddington of uncertain origin into the Voice and Spirit of the Scottish Reformation. What is especially entertaining in MacPherson’s speculative history of Knox’s origin and youth is the large role played by women. Although the novel is a work of fiction, it is fiction based on exhasutive research, not only about Knox but about the climate in which he lived. In essence, there is a wonderfully Scottish flavor to MacPherson’s story. Any history student who has bothered to read beyond the colorful accounts of his celebrated verbal jousting with the Queen of Scots and his lengthy polemic sermons cannot but wonder who Knox really was and how he unleashed a force that so quickly delivered a stubborn nation with strong ties to Catholic France into the Calvinist camp. Those who have read the blurbs about Ms. MacPherson’s l novel are promised answers to those questions. What the book jacket and the blurbs do not tell you is how much you are going to enjoy it.
I did not embark upon my review of First Blast of the Trumpet expecting to have fun. Being a fellow member of the community of historical novelists drawn to the life and times of Marie Stuart’s Scotland, I was no stranger to the author’s wit or her writing style, so I should have been forewarned.
My first surprise was discovering that MacPherson’s first book in the Knox trilogy is not a novelized biography of the early life of John Knox. It is a feasible if fictional tale of the politics and persons who produced him, especially the Sixteeenth Century persons MacPherson cleverly nominates to serve as his parents. She takesfull advantage of the fact that the details of the Reformer’s origin remain vague and picks a pair of actual characters whose histories would have made them compatable. If Knox was not their son, he certainly could have been.
Thus, this is not a story about young Knox, although he is central to the theme. It is more the tale of Elizabeth Hepburn, a sixteenth century Scottish woman who becomes a female monastic by accident, not design, and who manages to surive a long list of mishaps with little help from anyone but herself and a cluster of amazing women who stand beside her. The plot emphasizes how little control most Reformation era women and many men had over their fates.
Through the eyes of MacPherson’s characters, we acquire insight into the non-religious circumstances that brought so many men and even more women kicking and screaming into the monastic life. The same holds true of the polical consideratons that drove ambitious men into the heirarchy of the Catholic Church. In First Blast, David Beaton is an excellent example and he makes an outstanding and almost sympathetic villian. After all, he too is a victim of the times. While there are exceptions, generally, the men other than martyr Wishart do not come out looking quite as heroic as the women in MacPherson’s book.
Many readers will be surprised to find very little about Knox in the first half of the book. Instead we are treated to an excursion into pre-Reformation Scotland, getting an ample lesson in the need for clerical reform as we are introduced to the parade of mistresses and bastard children of the leading clerics of the day. This is pure, accurate and compelling Scottish historical fiction spiced with irony, wit and just enough comedy to make us wonder why we expected this to be a somber read. Even the minor characters advance the story insofar as they reveal not just who Knox was, but in the artful way they demonstrate why Knox was. One of my favorite scenes illustrates the rivalry between the king’s favorite mistress Margaret Erskine and Cardinal Beaton’s mistress and mother of his many children Marion Ogilvy. It is much more fun to explore the ecclesiastical excesses of the Sixteenth Century Catholic Church by looking into Mistress Marion’s mind and life situation than it would be to sit through one of Knox’s sermons on the topic. Whatismore, the color introduced in the pages is not limited to personalities. The rituals and celebrations of the Stewart court enliven the story with little resort to narrative. We see that not all of Sixteenth Century Scotland was somber. There were robust good times offered to those who knew where to look and how to earn a ticket.
It is also surprising to find a book with such an auspicious title with such a generous helping of romance. Trysts are not limited to just those between the protanogist and her sometimes lover, who MacPherson writes in and out of the story artfully and with a bit more empathy that he perhaps deserves. Even Cardinal Beaton’s lovelife is explored with a tad more tolerance than his assassins thought to be his due..Whatismore, MacPherson presents the romantic entanglements of the protagonist in a light that makes the reader crave a romance novel’s satisfactory ending while knowing that in the climate of Early Reformation Scotland, it is unlikely to happen. Overall, it is surprising just how entertaining a well researched historical novel can be. Even though the story involves a historical person many of us see as a stiff-necked disciplinarian with a propensity for serving up large portions of hell and damnation in long-winded sermons, it is hard to finish the last page without glimpsing a very human side to John Knox.
If there is a single feature that some readers may find troublesome in the early pages, it is the liberal use of Scottish slang iand vernacular speech in especially in the early pages. For those unfamiliar with Scots, after the first two chapters, the Scots will no longer be distracting and will add authenticity and color to the reading adventure. One might even pick up a phrase or two from the character Betsy.
It is settled fact that the historical Knox had the ability to fill a kirk to overflowing. This fine book deserves the same large audience. It is brim full of love and hate, bravery and cowardice, hope and disillusionment and a large helping of intrigue. The visual imagery is superb, from the tender though sparse love scenes between the abbess and her lover to the account of Knox’s mentor Wishart’s martyrdom or the descriptive fate of Cardinal David Beaton’s pickled corpse. I take heart that this is part one of a trilogy. There is a Reformation on the horizon and I expect Marie MacPherson to present it with the integrity of a historian and the lusty wit of a balladeer.
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Feb 20, 2017 Kelly Lacey rated it really liked it

With 'The First Blast of the Trumpet' Marie Macpherson leads us on a rollicking romp through Scottish history. The book is set in Edinburgh and the Lothians (with short excursions to France and England) between the years 1511 and 1548; a very tumultuous time for Scotland. The book is a giddy roller coaster ride with murder and mayhem, treachery and torture, infanticide and regicide galore. The descriptive passages are extremely well written; you can smell sweet new mown hay, imagine the blood of ...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Sheila rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical, relationships, spiritual, cultural

A wonderful voice characterizes this book, with a natural conversational tone and a beautifully comprehensible and convincing Scottish dialect. The words practically speak themselves in the reader’s mind, much to this reader’s delight, and I kept finding myself wondering how I was enjoying such foreign cadences without any fear of misunderstanding them. Long after I’ve forgotten the story I’ll remember reading and enjoying this book—and I don’t expect I’ll forget the story quickly either, as it’

A wonderful voice characterizes this book, with a natural conversational tone and a beautifully comprehensible and convincing Scottish dialect. The words practically speak themselves in the reader’s mind, much to this reader’s delight, and I kept finding myself wondering how I was enjoying such foreign cadences without any fear of misunderstanding them. Long after I’ve forgotten the story I’ll remember reading and enjoying this book—and I don’t expect I’ll forget the story quickly either, as it’s truly captivating, delivered with powerful conviction and a pleasingly light touch.

The historical detail is as convincing and real as the voice, from a “sheep’s head, its skull stuffed with boiled brains” offered at dinner to details of childbirth, to the well-chosen quotes from 15th and 16th century poets and writers heading each chapter. Luther has pinned his “satanic Theses” to the door; the Scots king, church and culture are inextricably intertwined; France is ever the closest ally and England the threatening foe; and nuns begin to create their “Cities of Ladies” to serve the rich or even, sometimes, the poor. Gossip governs in streets and palaces, and appealing religious debates have plenty to intrigue both believing and non-believing readers, being perfectly balanced to the characters with no sense of author intrusion.

A tale of fall and redemption, faithlessness and restoration, and Reformation too, this novel surprised and delighted me at every turn. John Knox appears as a young man learning, and eventually learning to rebel, weaving his way in and out of the tale as the author maintains her perfect balance of known fact and fiction, readability and authenticity, politics and religion, and wonderful storytelling.

The First Blast of the Trumpet is a long novel, a thoroughly enjoyable read nicely split into well-defined parts, and a satisfyingly complete tale. If it’s truly the first in a trilogy as well I can only say I’m really looking forward to the next.

Disclosure: I was given a free ecopy of this novel before publication in exchange for my honest review.
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Mar 12, 2013 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-erotic, suspense-mystery, historical

Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/bo...

A LASR BEST BOOK!!

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 ...more

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Dec 10, 2012 C.P. Lesley added it

Shelves: historical-fiction, nbhf

There’s nothing quite like sitting down to write a novel about a man who, to quote Marie Macpherson, is blamed for “banning Christmas, football on Sundays,” and the like. What is one to do with such a subject, never mind making him interesting and sympathetic? Yet this is exactly what The First Blast of the Trumpet (Knox Robinson Publishing, 2012) does for John Knox—best known as the dour misogynist who spearheaded the Scottish Reformation.

Macpherson approaches Knox sideways through the ...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Marie Macpherson added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: historical-fiction

This review is by Tom Murray
Creative Writer in Residence for Tyne & Esk Writers:

On reading Marie Macpherson's excellent novel two words sprang to mind-- page turner. I was gripped from the first page by this fast moving, endlessly fascinating story set in 16th Century Scotland, one of the most interesting periods in Scottish History. The reason for this was that the story was told by placing the characters at the centre of their own stories, by delving deep into their lives, loves and ...more

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Jun 25, 2017 Samantha rated it really liked it

Shelves: british-history, tudors, kindle-own-it

I was eager to read this book, the Reformation one of my favorite eras of history and having written about Mary I of England myself. This novel promised to offer another point of view by featuring reformer, John Knox. For those who enjoy Scottish historical fiction set in the 16th century, this is a must-read.

The first thing that struck me, and I imagine most readers, is the heavy use of Scottish vernacular. For the most part, it is easy enough to determine what is intended and it adds to the ...more

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Sep 07, 2013 Jo Barton rated it it was amazing

It’s often said that truth is stranger than fiction, and in this fictionalised account of the early life of the Scottish religious reformer John Knox, supposed truths are revealed and opened up to scrutiny. The story begins in 1511 at Hailes Castle in Scotland, where on the night of Hallowe'en, three girls contemplate their future, and even as they hurl their tokens into the crackling flames of the fire, there is a sense that fortune favours the brave, and there is none more destined to be It’s often said that truth is stranger than fiction, and in this fictionalised account of the early life of the Scottish religious reformer John Knox, supposed truths are revealed and opened up to scrutiny. The story begins in 1511 at Hailes Castle in Scotland, where on the night of Hallowe'en, three girls contemplate their future, and even as they hurl their tokens into the crackling flames of the fire, there is a sense that fortune favours the brave, and there is none more destined to be daring than Elisabeth Hepburn, daughter of the late Patrick, 1st Earl of Bothwell. Elisabeth is a wee jaggy thistle, with scratchy edges and a nippy tongue, and her destiny, as the Roman Catholic Prioress of St Mary’s Abbey, in East Lothian, will be rife with ecclesiastical skulduggery and religious mania.
The early years of the Scottish reformation forms the basis for much of the story, and names which have lingered in the dusty alcoves of your mind suddenly spring to life. From the sumptuous palaces of the Stewart kings, to the corpulent deity of power hungry religious houses, there is a rich array of authentic Scottish voices which echo and linger. And even as the whisper of Davie Lindsay’s poetry flutters in dark and dangerous corners, there is an overwhelming need to witness for oneself the immorality which led Knox into becoming such a fervent ecclesiastical reformer.
The rich Scottish vernacular runs like a Celtic ripple throughout the narrative, and what could have been a hindrance, to this Sassenach, soon became a unique dialogue that reverberated with the life and soul of a story that grew rich in the telling. There is no doubt that the author has a unique way with words, and dark though the story is, there is also a lightness which, at times, belies its strength, and what could so easily have become a religious diatribe soon becomes a riveting portrayal of the birth of Scottish religious reform. The clever interweaving of characters both real and imagined adds an authenticity which I found to be quite compelling, and in whose company you feel strangely complete.

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Oct 13, 2013 Richard Devlin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: richard-devlin-reviews

Let me begin by saying that I can’t think of a novel that evokes the feeling of an historical era more richly and convincingly than The First Blast of the Trumpet, Marie Macpherson’s debut novel of sixteenth-century Scotland. Treating us to a colorful sampling of the Scottish language of the time, the book creates a world in which love, hate, passion, and ambition take place in the a vivid everyday world of bawdiness, vulgarity, and superstition.

From its first scene on a harrowing Halloween ...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Debra Martin rated it really liked it

THE FIRST BLAST OF THE TRUMPET is an energetic mix of Scottish history and an intriguing story of a young girl's life gone awry. Elisabeth Hepburn, the daughter of the Earl of Bothwell, falls in love with the poet David Lindsay and imagines a life of love and family, but she soon finds her dream shattered when she is forced into a life as a nun at St. Mary's Abbey. She's a pawn in a man's world.

If you thought a life as a nun was one of peaceful contemplation, you'd be wrong. There is nothing ...more

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Feb 05, 2015 Marsha Lambert rated it it was amazing

I just finished The First Blast of the Trumpet late last night. While this book is set in a time period of the Scottish reformation that I was not very familiar with, I greatly enjoyed this book. Marie Macpherson writes a tale with well rounded characters, solid research, and being Scottish, a flair for the Scots people.

Detailing the beginning of the reformation from differing points of view while highlighting John Knox's journey from birth to becoming a key spokesman for the reformation this ...more

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Jun 28, 2014 Lexie Conyngham rated it it was amazing

Historically convincing, full of action and excitement. This book hypothesises in fictional form about the background and birth of John Knox, weaving historical figures with fictional ones to create a dramatic narrative against a background of Scotland in political and religious turmoil.

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Feb 14, 2013 Alison rated it really liked it

Shelves: challenge-2013

very good.....can't wait to read the next one

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Aug 10, 2018 Steven Veerapen rated it it was amazing

A haunting and evocative glimpse into sixteenth-century Scotland, The First Blast of the Trumpet opens as the shoots of reform are still being planted.

Torn from her own dreams, Elizabeth Hepburn is forced into a corrupt church, and must watch as her godson, John Knox, becomes enamoured of the new craze sweeping Europe: religious reformation.

Marie MacPherson is to be congratulated on painting a lush, vibrant world, inhabited by colourful characters. The language is rich, the landscape sensory, ...more

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May 29, 2019 Helen Hollick rated it it was amazing

This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
"A good, solid, old-fashioned historical novel. By which I mean that the settings, the characterisation, and the interaction between characters are all wonderfully and skillfully depicted."

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Jul 11, 2019 Elena Douglas rated it really liked it

I just read First Blast of the Trumpet, and it was a hell of a ride, a magnificent saga peopled with complex and (mostly) sympathetic individuals. I did love the main characters. I also loved the dialect. Not knowing the meaning of every word did not detract from the story. In fact it enhanced the voice, and I always got the meaning and sense of it. I won't say, though, that this was an easy read. Times were tough back then, and sometimes I had to take a break, especially when there was a ...more

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Sep 11, 2014 Glen Craney rated it it was amazing

Invoke the warriors and battles of Scotland past, and most will toast the memories of Wallace and Bruce and Stirling Bridge, Bannockburn, and Culloden. Yet there was another centuries-old war fought across that contentious land, one just as fierce and bloody. Its battlefields were the nation's pulpits and confessionals, and its combatants wore vestments.

Marie Macpherson takes her title for this, her first volume in a trilogy about the turbulent times of John Knox, from the theologian's famous Invoke the warriors and battles of Scotland past, and most will toast the memories of Wallace and Bruce and Stirling Bridge, Bannockburn, and Culloden. Yet there was another centuries-old war fought across that contentious land, one just as fierce and bloody. Its battlefields were the nation's pulpits and confessionals, and its combatants wore vestments.

Marie Macpherson takes her title for this, her first volume in a trilogy about the turbulent times of John Knox, from the theologian's famous polemic published in 1558. But she chose not to adopt the last half of Knox's title: against the monstruous regiment of women. Early on, I suspected in that elision lay a hint of her intent: Could the women of Knox's formative years have shaped his psyche (which some have called misogynistic) and so fated his emerging rebellion and denunciation of the royal Marys? If so, such irony would be too tantalizing for a historical novelist to pass up.

From the first paragraphs, I smiled, reassured that I was in company of an author impressively grounded in the auld language and culture. Novelists who tackle Scottish history must make a fundamental decision: Try for linguistic authenticity and thus risk alienating the reader with dialects, archaic words, and accents; or rely instead on subtle mimetic devices to evoke the sense of the time period while hoping not to come off sounding too modern or anachronistic.

Happily, Macpherson belongs to what I call the Gabaldon school--those talented few who can weave a Brigid's Cross of archaic broguery and idioms without causing a stumble. She grew up on the battlefield of Pinkie, a cannon's shot from Fa’side Castle, and I suspect the ghosts haunting those sites have been whispering the story to her for years. Many pages here offer up Scot word paintings, seducing us with a bard's glamourie into a time slip. At times, I found myself wistfully wondering what Macpherson's lush prose would sound like read by a sassy Fife lass on an audible edition.

Macpherson has taken on a daunting challenge; some of the arcane theological debates that inflamed 16th-century hearts can seem quaint and irrelevant to modern readers. Nor is this a heavily-plotted novel. The author has chosen, wisely I think, to pace the story for the long haul, building relationships stone by stone to undergird the volumes to follow, when Knox will emerge into his destiny. So, be forewarned: this is not a quick beach read, but rather a throwback to the golden age of novels. One almost wishes First Blast could be hidden inside a missal and secretly read during boring Sunday sermons--a subversive act that Knox himself might well have approved.

The book was provided to me by the author without obligation, and this is my honest review. ...more

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Dec 09, 2013 Stuart Laing rated it it was amazing

Set in the turbulent midst of 16th C. Scotland the books takes you deep inside the daily lives and loves of three young women who as childhood friends and rivals will face wildly different fates as they grow older. From unwanted marriage, to being mistress to the king or being chosen to be Prioress of an abbey, their struggles and triumphs are recorded in a growing tapestry of emotion and colour conveyed through a masterful use of Scots and English language which perfectly captures the Set in the turbulent midst of 16th C. Scotland the books takes you deep inside the daily lives and loves of three young women who as childhood friends and rivals will face wildly different fates as they grow older. From unwanted marriage, to being mistress to the king or being chosen to be Prioress of an abbey, their struggles and triumphs are recorded in a growing tapestry of emotion and colour conveyed through a masterful use of Scots and English language which perfectly captures the atmosphere of the time.
What I particularly enjoyed about this tale is that the author has not attempted to create a rose-tinted version of this historical Scotland but rather portrays a warts and all depiction where the poor can be trampled into the mud by the wealth of church potentates with as little thought as standing on a snail. Life is cheap!
A recurring theme throughout the book is just how little control any of the characters have over their lives. One girl will be married, one will become Prioress of Haddington's St Mary's Abbey, on orders from her uncle! Family duty must come before all else!
It is only with the introduction of John Knox as he grows from infancy to teenage years that this predetermined, unchangeable fate is challenged. Appalled by the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church, where salvation can be purchased wholesale from priests, which he has been chosen to serve (again, choices made by others forcing people to follow a pre-ordained route in life) young Knox starts to be drawn towards the 'heretical' ideas of the Protestant Reformers. When the Church responds to the challenge of reform by becoming ever more entrenched in blind dogma and lashes out in a frenzy of show trials and public burning of heretics, Knox, along with more and more of the common folk is drawn further and further from the control of Rome until Knox turns from the church completely.
Having rejected his assigned fate of being a priest, he is reluctantly at first persuaded into preaching the reformed Word of God with a fiery passion which dismays those who love him. His public defying of Church authority cannot go unpunished and so it will prove to be. For Knox, who has rejected all notion that he must follow a course laid out for him by others, and wishes to spread the truth of the Reformed Religion, he know he must 'dree his weird'!
Marie Macpherson has produced one of those books which once you start reading, sinks its hooks deep in you and won't let go until you reach the end. I look forward with anticipation to reading the next instalment of this fine tale. This book is but the first blast of the trumpet for what looks sure to become a triumph. ...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Margaret Skea rated it liked it

Recommends it for: those who enjoy Scottish historical fiction and can cope with significant amounts of dialect.

There is lots to commend in this book - the sense of place and period, the pace and the flow of the writing. I was interested to see how much dialect was used and while this wasn't a problem for me I suspect it might make it a less than easy read for readers unfamiliar with lowland Scots vocabulary.

I think I should also say that despite the title this isn't really a book primarily about John Knox, but rather about Elizabeth Hepburn, reluctant Prioress of a nunnery and her fictional relationship ...more

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Apr 08, 2015 Susan O rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction

If you enjoy well-written and well-researched historical fiction, "The First Blast of the Trumpet" is an excellent choice. If you also love Scottish history or the history of the reformation, then this book is a must read.

While Elisabeth Hepburn longs for marriage and a family and her sister Meg dreams of a life of contemplation, they both find themselves forced into lives they didn't want. Daughters of the Earl of Bothwell, their attempts to control their own destinies make for complicated ...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Hilda Reilly rated it it was amazing

Marie Macpherson has brought to life events of a place and a time which probably few other than historians know much about. And yet they are events, and particularly people, who have had a profound effect on the religious and cultural life not only of the Scots but worldwide. It is interesting to compare the religious fanaticism of the 16th century with what is going on today in the Middle East. This is the beauty of this kind of historical fiction. It gives us an insight into the minds of ...more

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Mar 27, 2017 Paul Bennett rated it it was amazing

I attended Knox Presbyterian Church in Detroit, MI when I was a young; indeed it was the church in which I was married, so, reading about the life of John Knox seemed like an interesting thing to do. What I found, in The First Blast of the Trumpet, was far more than just a historical fiction biography. Scotland in the mid-16th century was filled with religious and political turmoil. It was an era of burgeoning church reform; building on the Lutheran reformation in Germany. It was also a time I attended Knox Presbyterian Church in Detroit, MI when I was a young; indeed it was the church in which I was married, so, reading about the life of John Knox seemed like an interesting thing to do. What I found, in The First Blast of the Trumpet, was far more than just a historical fiction biography. Scotland in the mid-16th century was filled with religious and political turmoil. It was an era of burgeoning church reform; building on the Lutheran reformation in Germany. It was also a time when Henry VIII of England wanted Scotland for his own. In this turbulent atmosphere the author has produced a wonderfully crafted tale; one that propels the reader into a world where the Church is beginning to lose it's grip on the populace; a world where Scotland is struggling to maintain its independence; a world where the reader experiences life in a Cicstercian Abbey. While this is the story of John Knox, the main character in the first book of this trilogy, is Elizabeth Hepburn, Prioress of St. Mary's Abbey. I fell in love with Lisbeth right from the start, a jaggy thistle with romantic dreams but whose future was not hers to control. As the story progresses and the jaggy thistle grows up, Elizabeth becomes what was a rarity in a male dominated society; a strong woman able to defy and even defeat her male counterparts and overlords. Yet, she is also a woman troubled by that romantic streak she maintains in memory and even in hope. The story is also full of the dramatic tension between the corrupt officials of the Church and the reformers. John Knox was destined for a life in the Church but doubts about the teachings of the Church and the influence of others leads him to turn his back on the Church and by extension his Godmother, Elizabeth. Naturally, the Church responds viscerally as heretics are now burning for their sins. This emotion packed look into the early life of Knox; this tale filled with unexpected turns; this work replete with characters who draw you into their world, comes with Hoover Book Reviews highest recommendation. 4.8 stars

P.S. I would be remiss if I didn't mention? forewarn? my peeps and fellow travelers of the enchanting use of archaic Scottish throughout the book. I jalouse you may want to keep Google nearby if you want to ken the meanings. :-)
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Jan 26, 2019 Ethyl Smith rated it it was amazing

‘The First Blast Of The Trumpet’ is a good read; a well- written and in-depth story which successfully blends real history with fiction to give an intriguing picture of John Knox’s early life.
The Reformation looms ever closer and we learn of this difficult road through characters who speak, behave, and live their lives in a convincing way. This is achieved by using extensive research with a light, deft touch.
The main characters struggle with their flaws around the central theme of ‘Keep Tryst’ ...more

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Nov 27, 2019 Nancy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction

This novel was an engrossing read, set in time period that I only vaguely know about. Many of the characters are names I've read about in historical non-fiction so it was interesting how the author wove these people into the narrative of the novel. I read the poetry and other writing of David Lindsay many years ago but it's all too easy to do that without knowing any personal details.
I particularly enjoyed the dialect used throughout the novel, the author surprising me with a few words and ...more

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Apr 09, 2017 N.A. Granger rated it really liked it

Four and a half stars!
The book is the first of a trilogy about John Knox, a Scottish minister, theologian, and writer who was a leader of the Reformation and the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, marking the 500th anniversary of his birth. In this first book, Knox plays a minor role to the two main characters: Elizabeth Hepburn, a feisty woman who becomes the Prioress of a convent, and David Lindsey, her one-time lover, who is the long-time tutor and confidant of King James V of Four and a half stars!
The book is the first of a trilogy about John Knox, a Scottish minister, theologian, and writer who was a leader of the Reformation and the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, marking the 500th anniversary of his birth. In this first book, Knox plays a minor role to the two main characters: Elizabeth Hepburn, a feisty woman who becomes the Prioress of a convent, and David Lindsey, her one-time lover, who is the long-time tutor and confidant of King James V of Scotland.
The story opens with a charming scene that reminded me of Little Women, where Betsy, the nanny to the three Hepburn daughter, herbalist and possible witch, divines the girls’ fates from the tossing of nuts into a blazing fire. The three girls are completely different in character and although the book traces the fate of little Meg and the voluptuous and fiery Kate, it is the strong-willed Elizabeth who drives the story.
This is a meticulously researched historical novel, right down to the immediate inclusion of a Scots dialect with the English. I must admit this put me off at first, because there were many words I didn’t know and I hardly wanted to take time to look them up. However, as the chapters passed it became clear what the words meant, much like reading English with words represented by only a few letters.
The amount of detail, intertwined plots, religious conflicts, monarchical rivalries, and interpersonal connections are too much for this reviewer to detail, but if a sense of time and place drive your interest in history, and especially Scottish history, you will be in pig heaven.
Ms. Macpherson’s main characters shine with description like bright pennies – the gluttonous and painted Dame Janet, Prioress before Elizabeth; Maryoth, the nun covetous of being prioress, evil and conniving against Elizabeth; John, Elizabeth’s uncle and Prior of St. Mary’s, greedy and eager to have Elizabeth replace Janet, his sister, to keep the rich convent in the family; and Davie Lindsey, Elizabeth’s young lover, who proves feckless and sacrifices Elizabeth more than once to serve his king. If there was any downside to the many characters, it was the number of them, but the author includes family trees and a complete cast of characters for the challenged!
There are no lusty love scenes, although rape and sex abound, so this is not a romantic barn-burner. The author, however, does a great job educating the reader about the social mores of sex, courtship, marriage and child-bearing.
John Knox comes into the tale rather late, as the apparent son of a poor woman, into whose lungs Elizabeth breathes life, then adopts as her godson. He will be a major character in the next two books. This volume lays down the considerable history of the time from Margaret Tudor, sister to Henry VIII and wife of James IV, to the birth and early years of Mary, Queen of Scots, and sets the stage for Mary’s contentious relationship with Knox.
All in all, a challenging and intellectual but satisfying read, which I recommend – but not to the casual reader. ...more

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Sep 06, 2013 Anna Belfrage rated it really liked it

Starting off in 1511, a couple of years before the fateful year of the battle of Flodden, Ms Macpherson gives us a vivid description of the first half of the 16th century in Scotland – a time of much upheaval. The old religious order is being challenged, heretics such as Hamilton and Wishart are condemned to burn, and in the wings a young John Knox grows into manhood and convictions.

Ms Macpherson is obviously very well acquainted with the historical background to her book. Facts are reeled off Starting off in 1511, a couple of years before the fateful year of the battle of Flodden, Ms Macpherson gives us a vivid description of the first half of the 16th century in Scotland – a time of much upheaval. The old religious order is being challenged, heretics such as Hamilton and Wishart are condemned to burn, and in the wings a young John Knox grows into manhood and convictions.

Ms Macpherson is obviously very well acquainted with the historical background to her book. Facts are reeled off at an impressive pace, famous names (and unknown ones) are dropped throughout the text. This is of course an asset to the book, but at times the asset becomes something of a liability, as there is too much to take in, too many names to try and place. As a novel, The First Blast of the Trumpet would have benefited from some pruning, ridding the text of the side-stories not absolutely necessary to the central theme.

The main plot centres round Elisabeth Hepburn, sister to one Earl of Bothwell, aunt to the rather awful next earl Patrick Hepburn, for some inexplicable reason nicknamed The Fair Earl. Elisabeth is forced into religious orders so as to ensure the Hepburn family remains in control of St Mary’s Abbey, a convent in Haddington. Ms Macpherson does a great job in depicting Elisabeth, a spirited young woman who grows into a formidable Prioress.

Elisabeth’s great love is David Lindsay, poet and the king’s most loyal herald. Throughout their lives, these two will now and then run into each other, but their plans to elope are always thwarted. The first time, it’s the battle of Flodden that has David riding off, leaving Elisabeth pining (this is prior to her becoming a nun). Several years later, David seeks refuge in Elisabeth’s convent, but just before they can flee together, David is recalled to court. Besides, David is married – a teensy little detail he has omitted telling Elisabeth… I found the description of David very contradictory. On one hand, the man treasures the ribbon with the lover’s knot he tied with Elisabeth back in 1513, on the other he chooses not to divulge he’s married, and he is also quite cruel in how he depicts Elisabeth in his writing.

Both David and Elisabeth invest time and effort in John Knox, who due to the circumstances of his birth is Elisabeth’s godson. Ms Macpherson presents an intriguing and quite plausible backstory for John Knox, going some way to explain how this impoverished young man succeeded in becoming an educated cleric. I liked this depiction of John Knox: fiery and intelligent, afflicted by doubt and anguish, quaking with fear at taking on the Holy Church, he comes across as entirely human – and very charismatic. I look forward to reading the next instalment, hoping Ms Macpherson will provide even more insight into a man who must have been a formidable combination of convictions and courage.

Ms Macpherson has chosen to spice her narrative with a lot of Scots words. While this lends certain authenticity to the text, it also makes it very difficult for a non Scots reader to fully savour the book. Yes, I can guess when an adjective is pejorative, but the fact that I so often have to stop and ponder what the person is saying detracts from the reading experience. Phrases such as “There’s aye something to gar your grue in this life, and at the door, a shoogly stone waiting to stammle you” distract my attention from the story as such.

Likewise, it was at times somewhat confusing how Ms Macpherson leapt back and forth in time. I understand this is done for dramatic effect, with the author choosing not to reveal certain facts when they occur, but once again, this made the reading difficult – and, even more importantly, this means that the reader participates second hand (in a hindsight version) rather than first hand, in some very significant events in Elisabeth’s life.

All in all, The First Blast of the Trumpet is a powerful story, populated by an engaging cast of characters, foremost among them Elisabeth Hepburn and John Knox. There are some excellent cameos, such as Marie de Guise and David Beaton, and the historical context is vividly described. I am already looking forward to the next book, hoping to expand my knowledge about this particular period even further.
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May 07, 2015 Stephen Bishop rated it it was amazing

“The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women” is the famous polemic published in 1558 by the man whose name adorns countless Presbyterian churches, John Knox. The mere title of the book grates on those with a dislike of anti-feminist rhetoric, although Knox’s chief target was one particular woman, Mary Queen of Scots. And her failing was not simply to be a woman ruling over men, but a Roman Catholic woman ruling over men.

Still, I carried that lurking prejudice against
“The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women” is the famous polemic published in 1558 by the man whose name adorns countless Presbyterian churches, John Knox. The mere title of the book grates on those with a dislike of anti-feminist rhetoric, although Knox’s chief target was one particular woman, Mary Queen of Scots. And her failing was not simply to be a woman ruling over men, but a Roman Catholic woman ruling over men.

Still, I carried that lurking prejudice against Knox into the first volume of Marie Macpherson’s John Knox Trilogy, The First Blast of the Trumpet. To a surprising degree, the novel disarms that prejudice in a fascinating narrative that unfolds the story of young Knox in a contentious, changing and dangerous Scotland.

In fact, it’s a while before you meet John Knox. He doesn’t appear until page 67, when he is born. Until then, the story has followed the woman who witnesses his birth and becomes his godmother, Elizabeth Hepburn. The first volume really is the story of Hepburn, and Knox’s story flows out of it. Her family, with its seat at Hailes Castle, has a firm hold on several lucrative ecclesiastical positions: her overbearing uncle is Prior of St. Andrews, her flabby and self-indulgent aunt is Prioress of St. Mary’s Abbey in Haddington, and Elizabeth is destined to be the next prioress, whether she likes it or not (at first, she emphatically does not).

Yes, this is the same Hepburn family that produced James, 4th Earl of Bothwell, lover and eventual husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. But that is anticipating events. While both are born before the first volume runs its course, they are still just footnotes.

The novel gathers momentum quickly and powerfully (I was surprised to discover this is Marie Macpherson’s first novel, her narrative sense is so well developed). From a clash of wills over the election of the prioress through the dawning of Knox’s reforming consciousness to the treacherous political struggles of the age, the narrative is thoughtful and completely absorbing. And the author captures the shock as the new religious divide begins to cut across the old fault lines of colliding clans and border conflicts. The language rings true, carries the narrative easily and is peppered with Scottish terms that are occasionally mysterious to the non-Caledonian reader, but make the book that much richer. A few phrases seemed a bit too contemporary to me, but that’s a very wee quibble.

Historical notables come to life: the poet David Lindsay, whom Elizabeth has loved from girlhood; the heretic-hunting David (Cardinal) Beaton; the early Protestant martyr George Wishart; the scheming, aggressive Douglas clan; and James IV and V, two kings who seem to have done their best to bring the Stuart, or Stewart, monarchy to an ignoble end. These are not simply historical miniatures caught in a moment of a time. Our view of them evolves: with Lindsay and Beaton, in particular, the novelist does not anticipate the figures they became in history, but lets them develop. There are a few characters the author has invented, most memorably the Hepburn family nurse and healer, Betsy, and they slip comfortably into the time and place.

Perhaps the most telling point is this: my spouse’s family is Mennonite. For Mennonites—who suffered sustained and brutal repression in the 16th century—the Reformation is not just a powerful memory, but a living thing. The chasm that opened up between warring beliefs and the growing conviction among Reformers (and later Catholic recusants) that they would have to sustain their faith in the face of death made this one of the great revolutions of western history.

Marie Macpherson understands that living thing; it permeates this excellent book. As the first volume ends, Knox is suffering heavy travails as a result of his beliefs. Can’t wait for the next installment.

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Feb 25, 2013 Patty rated it really liked it

The First Blast of the Trumpet takes on the life of John Knox, the Protestant reformer from Scotland (it is book one of a trilogy). The author's note clearly indicates that very little is known of Knox's early life and that this book is very much a depiction of the author's "what could have beens."

Each chapter opens with a quote from either the Bible or David Lindsay's writings or some other relevant source. The quote gives a hint of what is to come in the writings below. This first book starts The First Blast of the Trumpet takes on the life of John Knox, the Protestant reformer from Scotland (it is book one of a trilogy). The author's note clearly indicates that very little is known of Knox's early life and that this book is very much a depiction of the author's "what could have beens."

Each chapter opens with a quote from either the Bible or David Lindsay's writings or some other relevant source. The quote gives a hint of what is to come in the writings below. This first book starts with the history of the Hepburns of Hailes castle - the lords Bothwell - and a basic discussion of the politics of the time. Scottish history is always interesting and often challenging and I think if one had no idea of its clannish complications this would not be a good first book to read. The addition of common Scottish words was also a tad confusing. I had an e-copy. I don't know if there was a glossary included with the book or not. I've read a LOT of Scottish historical fiction so I was able to muddle through but heaven help a new reader.

The tale moves along as we get to know Elizabeth Hepburn and her sister and cousin. Her sister is forced to wed one of the more powerful lords despite wanting to enter the nunnery. Her cousin heads off to court to become the mistress of the king. Elizabeth is forced into the nunnery despite wanting to marry. Gotta love the way they treated women back in the day.

Elizabeth ultimately becomes Prioress of St. Mary's - apparently a Hepburn holding for ages. (This is fact.) She learns to accept the role and the freedoms and power it brings her but does she still long for her love, David Lindsay? While visiting with her former nurse she helps with the birth of a child. He is almost dead when born and she does not want to give up on him so she breathes into his mouth and he survives. She stands as his godmother as he is named - John Knox.

The book was very interesting in the beginning and I found myself truly enthralled but then something happened about 2/3rds of the way through. It was as if the author had to get a lot of story in under a certain amount of pages and the chapters started reading like diary entries instead of a complete story line. There were timing issues as well as issues discussed in one chapter weren't introduced until the next. It was frustrating. I don't know if it is because books can't be long any more or what but it took away from the reading experience for me. I don't mind a big, long book. I miss them as a matter of fact.

If this had continued the way it began it would have been a 5 star read in spite of the Scottish words thrown in and in spite of the glossing over on the political stuff. It might be different for a less well read reviewer but I truly enjoyed the book until it started changing.
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