Mitch McCrimmon
asked:
I wonder how authentic the voice can be when historical novels are in the first person? Extremely hard to be convincing I would think to use relatively close period language without sounding archaic. On the other hand, I have put first person historical novels aside without getting past the first few pages for this very reason, the tone of voice is generally too modern for my taste.
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The Constant Princess,
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Bethany Jane
I think this is something Gregory does really well. I've read her Cousin's War series and was amazed at how the voice came across, much better than some other historical fictions I've read in the past.
Laura
I agree. Far too modern and overly sentimental. That's why I hate this novel. 3/4 is lousy modern dialog. She tries to cover this by her prince asking"Tell me a story" for 100 pages. Then she feigns history by the princess describing her parents. If I have to read one more page with "Tell me a story" followed by a cliche history and more Italics. This is not Arabian Nights, Terrible.
Joni Okun
Mitch, First person in HF can be tough. In my book, To Hold the Throne: A Novel of the Last Maccabee Princess and King Herod the Great, I tried both first and third person for the protagonist, Miriamne. I found it easier to find her voice in first person. But you are right: there are special considerations in HF. I had to do lots of research on the era about life in Roman Era Jerusalem, and the political and social matters impacting their lives. Lucky for me, my book was set in the time of Jesus, and so there was plenty written.
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