The Conqueror: Parts 1 - 2

[Sara W]

Please discuss Prologue, Part I: The Beardless Youth and Part II: The Rough Wooing here.

[Robin]

I LOVE the wooing of Mathilda of Flanders!!! I really did want to hit her a few times for her extremely high opinion of herself. And just picturing him throwing her down into the mud...lol.

[Sara W]

I'm still finishing up GWTW, but I hope to get to this soon! I love William and Matilda's story! :)

[Laura]

This is an era of British history that I am not familiar with so was looking forward to reading this. I'm just through the first part and am finding it a little tough to keep everyone straight. There are a lot of names mentioned! Hoping that the second part is better.

[Andrea]

I found the wooing of Matilda quite interesting. It seems that William understood that she would not be won over with simple wooing. It seems that the rough wooing was required and somewhat admired by Matilda.

[Mandy]

I'm just a little ways into the book - I just finished chapter 4.
I'm having a hard time getting into it, I'm just not drawn into the story yet.
It had a Penman-like feel to it, and I think I will like it, but for now it's a little dry and hard to follow.

[Mandy]

Well, I read all the way to page 135 - Chapter 3 of book 2 - and I just CAN'T get into it. It's so dry, the writing is so cumbersome...
I find myself reading words and not really paying attention to the story. I can't remember the last time I gave up on a book, but I can't keep reading this one. I moved on to Time and Chance and the first few pages were so wonderful (in comparisons) I almost cried from joy.

I'll keep checking in on the discussion threads to see how you all like it - maybe I'll try again, later, if your reviews are good enough :)

[Robin]

She certainly needed a strong man to match her. With her personality, she would not have been happy with a doormat of a man. And just her complete turn around on her feelings for William after he beat her just makes me laugh. Its like she said, "Oh! Here's a MANLY man who is strong and will go after what he wants and he'll stand up to me. By God I MUST have him!"

[Sara W]

I'm finally getting to this book! Anyone else still reading it? I read mixed reviews, but I figure I'll give it a shot.

[Susan]

I tried it but it didn't hold my interest. It might have just been my mood, but the characters, especially Matilda, just didn't appeal to me. It might also be that this particular historical period is one that doesn't capture my fancy as much as the later medieval period does.

[Misfit]

I'm with Susan, I tried it about a year or so ago (my first and last Heyer so far), and found it try as dirt. Gave up around page 100. I think Hollick did a good job with him in Harold the King (although the focus of the story is not on him), as well as in Anand's Gildenford series. Lol, I loved the way Anand painted Matilda. So sweet young bride there.

[Laura]

I'm still reading it. I'm in Part 4. It gets a little better but it is still pretty dry. I figure though that since I am this far I might as well finish it.

[Sara W]

It seems like this book was written in the early 1930s, so that may account for some of the dryness. I agree with Laura (message 4) that there are a lot of names being thrown around, and it's hard to keep track of them all. I'm wondering if it's even necessary to mention all these people. I'm finding the book to be okay (not great, but not terrible - at least not yet).

I would highly recommend Jean Plaidy's The Bastard King about William and the two other books in her Norman trilogy. I've read that trilogy twice and didn't find it dry at all. The Bastard King spent quite a bit of time developing William's father and mother as characters (prior to William's birth), and dealt with his childhood and years before he became Duke. I was a little surprised with how quickly this book (The Conqueror) jumped into him being a Duke. Matilda definitely sticks around in the Plaidy novel.

[Tanzanite]

Plaidy's Norman Trilogy (along with Hammer of the Scots) are my least favorite of her books. I didn't think they flowed very well - just a bunch of facts strung together (like she was in a hurry to write them). I agree with Misfit about Hollick's Harold the King. It is very good.

[KG]

Would agree with most of the posts - this book is not an easy read and is written in a style that I'm definitely not accustomed to. I also think it's strange that the jacket description doesn't seem to match really what is going on in the story - there is far more about warfare than William's relationship with Matilda. I'm also curious about the sub-protagonist, Raoul. Is the relationship between he and the Duke real or fictionalized? It has certainly renewed my interest in this time period, which I appreciate. We'll see how subsequent Parts unfold...

[Sara W]

I think the Raoul character is fiction because I've never come across him in anything else I've read about William. I suppose he may have been a real person that not much is known about so Heyer decided to craft the story around him.

I bet that jacket description was written recently trying to appeal to what modern readers want.

Oh, Tanzanite, you're breaking my heart with the Norman trilogy! Hee, just kidding! ;) I did really like them, but I think I'm a type of reader who would rather have a bunch of historically accurate facts strung together than an inaccurate exciting plot (hence my dislike of Gregory). I've come to realize that my recommendations may not appeal to everyone though! What do you think of this Heyer book as compared to the Plaidy ones? I haven't read Hollick's yet, so I'll have to give it a try.

[Tanzanite]

I actually preferred the Heyer book to Plaidy's (but that's just me...)

[Sara W]

I didn't think this book started off that badly (first chapter or two), but then it got painful! Boring battle and boring battle, and then Raoul crying about the guys getting their hands chopped off - I finally had enough. Dude, it's the 1000s - get used to violence! I skimmed through the chapters to finish Part 1, and I'm going to take a break (please, please let the Murder of a Medici Princess be interesting!).

[Misfit]

Sara W wrote: "I didn't think this book started off that badly (first chapter or two), but then it got painful! Boring battle and boring battle, and then Raoul crying about the guys getting their hands chopped o..."

You make me glad I never tried to finish this one.

[KG]

i'm trying to push myself through the endless battles and counts and kings that piss william off. i was hoping for at least a little bodice-rippage with this one but nothing juicy! i am gleaning some new funny phrases from this book, though, like "holy face!"

the battle of hastings has to be soon, i'm already in 1063.

i'm also hoping for better with the Medici Princess one.

[Sara W]

Kirsty wrote: "i'm trying to push myself through the endless battles and counts and kings that piss william off. i was hoping for at least a little bodice-rippage with this one but nothing juicy! i am gleaning ..."

Yes, there are some funny phrases in this book! I can't think of them now, but I know certain little sayings or greetings kept jumping out at me.

[Sara W]

Misfit wrote: "Sara W wrote: "I didn't think this book started off that badly (first chapter or two), but then it got painful! Boring battle and boring battle, and then Raoul crying about the guys getting their ..."

I should have heeded the book throwing going on and just skipped this read since I came in so late!