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Saturday, September 18, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Book Review: THE COUNTESS AND THE KING...Plus Giveaway!!!
What is it about Susan Holloway Scott that makes her one of my top three FAVOURITE authors? Well, all you have to do is get out there and pick up her latest historical novel: The Countess and The King
- and you'll understand exactly what I mean.
Want to read a book that reveals 17th c history set in Charles II's English Court, filled with illustrious details of court life filled with historical precision along with love and the times (not to mention the glorious descriptions of setting and costume)- then RUN to get this!
By now most of you know how much I adore reading anything that has to do with Charles II, so imagine my thrill when I began reading the story of Katherine Sedley, James II' mistress. I never really heard much about her until now and I'm glad to say that this novel added another dimension to what I already knew about this grand court.
Katherine Sedley was no regular lady (especially by 17th c standards!) Not only did she not fit in in terms of beauty (too thin and rather homely for the times), she also spoke what was on her (witty) mind- and what came out was usually accompanied by swearing! Yet, she was of the nobility and her father (a politically involved playwright) was in Charles II's immediate circle...making Katherine by no means an ordinary or invisible lady.
Against her father's will, she refused to be bound in marriage and had no real aspirations for love (having been disillusioned and often mocked for her meager looks). How could she ever expect The Duke of York- future King James II to fall madly in love with her? Impossible- yet true! The poor Catholic King-to-be was completely mesmerized by this Protestant temptress. The powerful counsel of Catholic priests strongly advised James against this temptation; all the while making Katherine all the more seductive to his eyes...The King could in no way abstain from Katherine's lure.
Yet, Katherine Sedley was not the type to make demands on James- nor did she ever assume to be granted any favouritism by others- nor did she allude to the sort of grandiosity that other Grand mistresses (such as Louise de Keroualle- King Charles' favourite)...with Katherine it was always 'what you see is what you get'. Her love for James was real and she stood tall in her convictions and loyalty to England. A doting mother, a loving companion (lusty too- but written in such good taste!), Katherine remained steadfast to her English pride and would not be swayed from her own religion. Convinced that James was being brain-washed by his priests (her own mother's experience could not shake Katherine's conviction or disdain about this)-despite this, she never attempted to convert him to her own beliefs (but neither he, to his).
A tempestuous political time where Catholics and Protestants fought for idealism and restoration in England- the Countess and The King is a delicious read for anyone interested not only in the love story itself, but also in the politics and religious conflicts of the times.
I must say that this is a superb novel which will leave you completely satisfied in terms of history, historical figures in accurate detail, love story, entertainment (you've never met such an outspoken character as Katherine Sedley!) splendour of the court, perceptions and deceptions and- ultimately, the sadness that eventually befalls this type of love that is never quite meant to be.
- and you'll understand exactly what I mean.
By now most of you know how much I adore reading anything that has to do with Charles II, so imagine my thrill when I began reading the story of Katherine Sedley, James II' mistress. I never really heard much about her until now and I'm glad to say that this novel added another dimension to what I already knew about this grand court.
Katherine Sedley was no regular lady (especially by 17th c standards!) Not only did she not fit in in terms of beauty (too thin and rather homely for the times), she also spoke what was on her (witty) mind- and what came out was usually accompanied by swearing! Yet, she was of the nobility and her father (a politically involved playwright) was in Charles II's immediate circle...making Katherine by no means an ordinary or invisible lady.
Against her father's will, she refused to be bound in marriage and had no real aspirations for love (having been disillusioned and often mocked for her meager looks). How could she ever expect The Duke of York- future King James II to fall madly in love with her? Impossible- yet true! The poor Catholic King-to-be was completely mesmerized by this Protestant temptress. The powerful counsel of Catholic priests strongly advised James against this temptation; all the while making Katherine all the more seductive to his eyes...The King could in no way abstain from Katherine's lure.
Yet, Katherine Sedley was not the type to make demands on James- nor did she ever assume to be granted any favouritism by others- nor did she allude to the sort of grandiosity that other Grand mistresses (such as Louise de Keroualle- King Charles' favourite)...with Katherine it was always 'what you see is what you get'. Her love for James was real and she stood tall in her convictions and loyalty to England. A doting mother, a loving companion (lusty too- but written in such good taste!), Katherine remained steadfast to her English pride and would not be swayed from her own religion. Convinced that James was being brain-washed by his priests (her own mother's experience could not shake Katherine's conviction or disdain about this)-despite this, she never attempted to convert him to her own beliefs (but neither he, to his).
A tempestuous political time where Catholics and Protestants fought for idealism and restoration in England- the Countess and The King is a delicious read for anyone interested not only in the love story itself, but also in the politics and religious conflicts of the times.
I must say that this is a superb novel which will leave you completely satisfied in terms of history, historical figures in accurate detail, love story, entertainment (you've never met such an outspoken character as Katherine Sedley!) splendour of the court, perceptions and deceptions and- ultimately, the sadness that eventually befalls this type of love that is never quite meant to be.
I LOVED this book.
Note: You should also read French Mistress by Susan Holloway Scott
; which is the story of Charles II's last mistress- I LOVED that one too. You can read my review here.
; which is the story of Charles II's last mistress- I LOVED that one too. You can read my review here.Next one up for me is: Duchess: A Novel of Sarah Churchill
- Can't wait!
- Can't wait! To read more of what is happening for this Grand Susan Holloway Scott Event go to: HFBRT Calendar here.
GIVEAWAY
To Win a copy of The Countess and The King you must be a FOLLOWER of my blog.
- Please leave a comment with your email address
- EXTRA CHANCE, everytime you tweet, FB, or Blog about this. (come back and leave the link so that I can count your extra chance)
OPEN TO CANADA AND US ONLY- Ends September 18th
Good Luck!!!
Friday, September 3, 2010
HFBRT The Countess and The King Event with Susan Holloway Scott's GUEST POST!!!
The Great Susan Holloway Scott Event is on at HFBRT for the launch of the exquisite historical novel: The Countess and The King!!!
I am extremely pleased to have Susan Guest Post here at EBJ. Without further ado, here is her amazing piece- Thank you so much Susan:)
One of the most pleasurable aspects of writing historical fiction is getting to describing the clothing of the characters. It’s not just being able to indulge in imaginary excess, though who doesn’t like to picture themselves in full court dress, appearing before an awestruck crowd in rustling silk and exuberant lace, hair piled high with jewels glittering, well, everywhere?
But clothing can also reveal a great deal about a character, about whether he or she likes to make a splashy entrance in the latest French fashion, or prefers more subdued dress. I’ve always been fascinated by how Charles II (1630-1685), the English king who has featured prominently in many of my books, chose to dress. For grand state occasions, he could work the ermine, velvet, and crown with the best of them, but for everyday he preferred to be comfortable rather than stylish, and dressed in dark colors with a minimum of the lace and ribbon that was the latest French fashion. Everything was the best quality, of course, because he was the king, but often the only ornament that set him apart as the monarch was the Garter Star beautifully embroidered on the breast of his coats.
The other gentlemen and ladies of Charles’s court were much more interested in displaying their finery, and spent outrageous amounts on jewels and clothes. Wrote one courtier after a ball in 1666: “Never saw greater bravery…a hundred vests that at the least cost a hundred pounds. Some adorned with jewels worth above a thousand…and the ladies much richer than the men….the gloriousest assembly.” And this in a time when an average English tradesman and his family could live well on forty-five pounds a year –– not to mention that all of this “gloriousest” display took place less than three months after a large part of London had been destroyed in the Great Fire!
But reading these descriptions can be frustrating since there are surprisingly few pictures to back them up. Gentlemen tended to pose for portraits in their formal dress for solemn court events rather than their newest party-clothes from Paris, while the ladies sat in draped “costumes” provided by the artist, loose-fitting robes of bright silk clasped in strategic places that were supposed to feel vaguely antique and romantic. Seductive, yes, but not at all indicative of what these same great ladies wore to impress on a daily basis. There are even fewer examples of actual gowns from the late 17th c. in museum collections.
Katherine Sedley, the heroine of my new historical novel, The Countess and the King, was a wealthy heiress who liked extravagant, showy gowns with plenty of costly jewels, partly to distract attention from her unfashionable thinness, and partly just because she liked being the center of attention. But though there are plenty of references to her gaudy taste, there are no surviving examples of it. Instead the most famous portrait by Godrey Kneller from her heyday as a royal mistress shows her in admirable, if uncharacteristic, restraint in artist’s “undress.” And so,with Katherine, I had to combine my own imagination with contemporary accounts and fashion plates, and hope I captured her “personal style.”
But with James, I was amazingly lucky. The embroidered suit that James wore to his second wedding miraculously still exists, and is on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Only the waistcoat is missing. Here it is on the V&A website: http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/29558-popup.html.
This suit has its own story to tell. James had it made for his wedding to his second wife in the winter of 1673, and like all royal weddings of the time, it was a political alliance, not a love match. The bride was a fifteen-year-old Italian princess, Mary Beatrice (her name already anglicized) of Modena. She was also Roman Catholic, and because James himself had recently converted to that faith as well, the wedding was wildly unpopular in Protestant England. In protest the princess was burned in straw effigies in London, as was James. A proxy wedding had already taken place in Modena, but the first time the couple were to meet would be when Mary Beatrice landed in Dover. Given England’s hostility, it was decided that the two should be wed in Dover, as quickly and quietly as possible.
Thus James’s suit was made of grey wool broadcloth to keep him warm as he stood on the winter beach. But the lining was a festive, bright coral ribbed silk, and nearly every inch of the grey wool is covered with (now faded) gold and silver embroidery, including the Garter Star on the left breast. The embroidery design features intertwining lilies and honeysuckles, signifying purity and devoted love, both theoretically appropriate for a bridegroom, if not for James. The suit’s cut is the latest French fashion, and the style of the flopping oversized cuffs on the coat was called “hound’s-ears.” There are dozens of tiny decorative buttons, each wrapped in more gold thread; James’s wardrobe records show that he required 228 buttons for a complete suit of coat, waistcoat, and breeches!
Alas, there is no surviving portrait of James in this suit, but it is easy to imagine him standing on the beach wearing it to greet his bride, the winter sun glinting on all that metallic embroidery. He wore the suit to their hasty marriage by the Bishop of Oxford in a private house in Dover, and again several days later when the newlyweds arrived at the palace in London, and James presented Mary Beatrice to his brother the king.
What was the Mary Beatrice’s reaction to her well-dressed bridegroom? Exhausted from sea-sickness and her long journey, she reportedly took one look at James and burst into tears. But what did Katherine Sedley make of the beautiful suit and the man wearing it when she stood among the curious courtiers at Whitehall Palace later that week? Ah, you’ll have to read The Countess and the King to find out.
Here(http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/conservation/journal/consjournal26/ethics_in_action/index.html) is more information about James’s wedding suit, plus another photo.
Here’s a link (http://www.susanhollowayscott.com/books/countesspreview.htm) to an excerpt from The Countess and the King on my website (www.susanhollowayscott.com).
I hope you’ll also stop by my blog with fellow author Loretta Chase, where we discuss history, writing, and yes, even the occasional pair of great shoes: http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/
Many thanks to Lucy for having me here today!
I am extremely pleased to have Susan Guest Post here at EBJ. Without further ado, here is her amazing piece- Thank you so much Susan:)
Dressing a Royal Bridegroom
By Susan Holloway Scott
One of the most pleasurable aspects of writing historical fiction is getting to describing the clothing of the characters. It’s not just being able to indulge in imaginary excess, though who doesn’t like to picture themselves in full court dress, appearing before an awestruck crowd in rustling silk and exuberant lace, hair piled high with jewels glittering, well, everywhere?
But clothing can also reveal a great deal about a character, about whether he or she likes to make a splashy entrance in the latest French fashion, or prefers more subdued dress. I’ve always been fascinated by how Charles II (1630-1685), the English king who has featured prominently in many of my books, chose to dress. For grand state occasions, he could work the ermine, velvet, and crown with the best of them, but for everyday he preferred to be comfortable rather than stylish, and dressed in dark colors with a minimum of the lace and ribbon that was the latest French fashion. Everything was the best quality, of course, because he was the king, but often the only ornament that set him apart as the monarch was the Garter Star beautifully embroidered on the breast of his coats.
The other gentlemen and ladies of Charles’s court were much more interested in displaying their finery, and spent outrageous amounts on jewels and clothes. Wrote one courtier after a ball in 1666: “Never saw greater bravery…a hundred vests that at the least cost a hundred pounds. Some adorned with jewels worth above a thousand…and the ladies much richer than the men….the gloriousest assembly.” And this in a time when an average English tradesman and his family could live well on forty-five pounds a year –– not to mention that all of this “gloriousest” display took place less than three months after a large part of London had been destroyed in the Great Fire!
But reading these descriptions can be frustrating since there are surprisingly few pictures to back them up. Gentlemen tended to pose for portraits in their formal dress for solemn court events rather than their newest party-clothes from Paris, while the ladies sat in draped “costumes” provided by the artist, loose-fitting robes of bright silk clasped in strategic places that were supposed to feel vaguely antique and romantic. Seductive, yes, but not at all indicative of what these same great ladies wore to impress on a daily basis. There are even fewer examples of actual gowns from the late 17th c. in museum collections.
Katherine Sedley, the heroine of my new historical novel, The Countess and the King, was a wealthy heiress who liked extravagant, showy gowns with plenty of costly jewels, partly to distract attention from her unfashionable thinness, and partly just because she liked being the center of attention. But though there are plenty of references to her gaudy taste, there are no surviving examples of it. Instead the most famous portrait by Godrey Kneller from her heyday as a royal mistress shows her in admirable, if uncharacteristic, restraint in artist’s “undress.” And so,with Katherine, I had to combine my own imagination with contemporary accounts and fashion plates, and hope I captured her “personal style.”
But with James, I was amazingly lucky. The embroidered suit that James wore to his second wedding miraculously still exists, and is on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Only the waistcoat is missing. Here it is on the V&A website: http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/29558-popup.html.
This suit has its own story to tell. James had it made for his wedding to his second wife in the winter of 1673, and like all royal weddings of the time, it was a political alliance, not a love match. The bride was a fifteen-year-old Italian princess, Mary Beatrice (her name already anglicized) of Modena. She was also Roman Catholic, and because James himself had recently converted to that faith as well, the wedding was wildly unpopular in Protestant England. In protest the princess was burned in straw effigies in London, as was James. A proxy wedding had already taken place in Modena, but the first time the couple were to meet would be when Mary Beatrice landed in Dover. Given England’s hostility, it was decided that the two should be wed in Dover, as quickly and quietly as possible.
Thus James’s suit was made of grey wool broadcloth to keep him warm as he stood on the winter beach. But the lining was a festive, bright coral ribbed silk, and nearly every inch of the grey wool is covered with (now faded) gold and silver embroidery, including the Garter Star on the left breast. The embroidery design features intertwining lilies and honeysuckles, signifying purity and devoted love, both theoretically appropriate for a bridegroom, if not for James. The suit’s cut is the latest French fashion, and the style of the flopping oversized cuffs on the coat was called “hound’s-ears.” There are dozens of tiny decorative buttons, each wrapped in more gold thread; James’s wardrobe records show that he required 228 buttons for a complete suit of coat, waistcoat, and breeches!
Alas, there is no surviving portrait of James in this suit, but it is easy to imagine him standing on the beach wearing it to greet his bride, the winter sun glinting on all that metallic embroidery. He wore the suit to their hasty marriage by the Bishop of Oxford in a private house in Dover, and again several days later when the newlyweds arrived at the palace in London, and James presented Mary Beatrice to his brother the king.
What was the Mary Beatrice’s reaction to her well-dressed bridegroom? Exhausted from sea-sickness and her long journey, she reportedly took one look at James and burst into tears. But what did Katherine Sedley make of the beautiful suit and the man wearing it when she stood among the curious courtiers at Whitehall Palace later that week? Ah, you’ll have to read The Countess and the King to find out.
Here(http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/conservation/journal/consjournal26/ethics_in_action/index.html) is more information about James’s wedding suit, plus another photo.
Here’s a link (http://www.susanhollowayscott.com/books/countesspreview.htm) to an excerpt from The Countess and the King on my website (www.susanhollowayscott.com).
I hope you’ll also stop by my blog with fellow author Loretta Chase, where we discuss history, writing, and yes, even the occasional pair of great shoes: http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/
Many thanks to Lucy for having me here today!
For more on what is happening this week, please see Historical Fiction Bloggers Round Table here.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Interviewing Jean Plaidy for her B-Day!!!
Did you know that today is Jean Plaidy's B-Day?
In honor of our all-time favourite author, Arleigh and I have a fun post over at our Jean Plaidy's Royal Intrigue Site. We have a fun 'Mock Interview' that we think you might enjoy.
PLUS there's a GIVEAWAY too!
Head on over to the celebration and tell us what you think of Jean Plaidy's answers to our questions.
Jean Plaidy's Royal Intrigue site where the author's spirit lives on through her wonderful historical books and more:)
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