'If the reading of the stars is correct, His Majesty has only a short time to live. And he will die through violence'1642: Laurence Beaumont has just returned to England after six long years in the European Wars. Fleeing home to escape the responsibilities of his noble birthright, he served as both mercenary and spy, and ended up a cardsharp in a Dutch brothel. The atrocities he witnessed abroad have utterly destroyed his faith in any cause, and shattered his self-respect.As the clashes between King Charles I and his mutinous Parliament escalate towards full civil war, Beaumont is sucked back into violence and intrigue when he discovers coded letters outlining a plot to assassinate the king. Hounded by the conspirators and pressed into service by the Secretary of State's ruthless spymaster, Beaumont finds himself threatened on all sides, in peril of his life if he makes a single slip. The ravishing Isabella Savage, a practised seductress, offers to help him, but he must beware of her charms.And all the while, Beaumont is haunted by a strange prophecy, and the memory of a love betrayed...
Claire Letemendia was born and raised in Oxford, England, and lives in Toronto. After completing a doctorate in Political Theory and lecturing for some years, she chose to pursue a career as a writer and editor. Since childhood, she has been fascinated by the English Civil War. The Best of Men, ten years in the making, is her first novel.
A very good read about political conspiracies, friendships, and love interests taking place in England during the 17th century. The characters are well developed and noteworthy individuals. As the plot unfolds you are whisked along on a first-class journey.
This could have been an outstanding history book, but as fiction it doesn't work. The going is too slow, and the characters not real enough. The writing is bland and flat, and there is too much talking and too little action taking place. The background and period are fascinating, and I love historical fiction, so I was convinced I was going to love this book, but I couldn't.
This was a reasonable read that had the potential to be far stronger than it actually ended up being. The political plot was really very interesting and had enough twists and turns to keep you engaged, but the lead characters insistence on sleeping with anything that moves was a distraction from the main and slowed things down ridiculously.
I received this book as a giveaway through Goodreads first reads. Laurence Beaumont is a man who no longer wishes to live. He was betrayed by a woman, this sort of thing frequently happens to heroes they really should do something about it. In return for saving a fellow traveller he is told a prophecy about his love life and exhorted to go home. Upon returning home he meets up with a friend Ingram and through disastrous consequences an acquaintance turns out to be the man who Juana (the treacherous woman) stole from and whose treasonous letters he now carries. Having never met this man and being unaware of how and who was informed of the letters Beaumont is plunged into a plot, and thrown back into a world of intrigue that he wanted no part of. Throughout his present struggles it is revealed to us what happen to Beaumont in the past to make him despair at life. The story is told from multiple view points, which under normal circumstance I would find quite confusing, but hearing the view points of Beaumont, Ingram, Thomas (Beaumont's brother), the traitors and Seward (the man who helps Beaumont decipher the coded letter), made the whole situation clearer to me as I could see what both sides of the plot were plotting. That said I lost track of who Robert was and what exactly he was supposed to be doing very early on, probably because I only have space in my head for a certain number of characters.
642 pages. Historial fiction. Usually, that means a hard slog, but Letemendia has a good hand when it comes to dialogue with the result being that it reads like a much lighter tome.
The eldest son of the Beaumont family returns home from fighting in the Lowlands and Spain, carrying some emotional baggage, a sort of prophecy from a Nubian slave, and some secret papers. His return is at the beginning of the English Civil War during the reign of King Charles I. I liked that Beaumont is reluctant, not over-the-top romantic hero, but he's intelligent and courageous when he needs to be.
Hi, just started this a few days ago after a Twitter recommendation.
It's set in 1642 and is about an adventurer who returns to England at the start of the war between Charles I and the English parlimantarians and puritans, which culminated in the English Civil War and Charles' execution.
So far the war hasn't started and the protagonist, Laurence, has returned to his family near Oxford with a blighted past.
I like losing myself in a good story and I look forward to reading more.
I really enjoyed this book. A period piece with an excellent story line which showed clearly how allegiances and loyalties are divided during civil war. Nothing is what it seems initially. This one would be worth re-reading after a while.
This is based in the 17th century England so just a reminder that there aren’t the most progressive attitudes in this book concerning race or women. Bit hard for me to keep up with the politics in this book around the civil war, but could’ve possibly been easier if I’d had a bit of background knowledge on parliament and monarchy relations in the 1600s. In saying that, if you enjoy political books especially in a historical setting you may enjoy this one. What drew me to this book was the incorporation of astrology and divination in a 1600s story. Some characters felt a bit flat and their stories quite fleeting, for example Juana or even the main character’s mother and his biological father. The book hints at various things that left me wondering. What happened between Seward and Beaumont during his studying years? Was Seward sleeping with multiple students throughout the years? What happened with Lady Beaumont and Antonio? Tom and Laurence? Isabella’s infertility? Because it’s based around real people and real events I did learn a few things such as one of the past monarchs fear of witchcraft! I did like the structure of the book; switching between various characters in the chapters kept it interesting. Time-leaps and flashbacks are incorporated throughout which I personally don’t mind but some may. Flashbacks to Beaumont’s life prior to his return to England were also interesting to read, but I do wish there had been much more details about it. I think the book itself had a lot of potential but in a few areas it fell short. Overall an interesting read but felt a bit dry at a few points and quickly went from slow-paced to fast-paced, the ending actually felt quite abrupt. I’m glad I read for the historical info, though!
This wasn't what I expected and I didn't learn much about the English Civil War . As an adventure story set in the 17th Century , it was fine. The hero is a mix of Roger Brook , Sir Percy Blakeney and James Bond with the 3 Musketeers thrown in . Obsessed with wine ,women and cards , he tries to avoid commitment to everything but duty forces him to save the life of the king from an assassination plot . At nearly 700 pages , the book is a longish read but never dragged with lots of dialogue and action . I'll try another sometime.
Fantastic book. Fast moving, intricate and full of twists and turns I wasn't expecting. The main character is lovable but doesn't fall into the 'superman' trap of being perfect at everything. I love the political intrigue and the voices of strong but underprivileged women. Can't wait to read the next book.
I really wanted to enjoy this book. I’d read the author review in the Historical Novel Society’s journal. I knew she’d spent 10 years researching and writing the novel. The size - nearly 700 pages - didn’t put me off. The cover information said that in 1642 one man had to unravel a coded plot to kill the King. Great I thought this would be a 17thC C.J. Sansom style, political intrigue plot which I really enjoy. Everything should have added up to a good read. So why did I not enjoy the book.
I think because there are really two novels here. There’s a genre romance with the dark and brooding hero, Laurence Beaumont, son and heir to a fortune, on his black stallion. He spends his time screwing any female he finds, preferably other men’s wives, drinks himself drunk nearly every night, vomits, smokes hash, but is really a poor misunderstood nice kind gentleman. The female lead in this romance is an upper crust whore, Isabella, who rides as if moulded to her horse, but is intelligent and resourceful. This plot has all the usual ‘she loves me, she loves me not’ byplay, pages of detailed sex, and sexual tension as found in genre romance. There’s even the back story of Laurence’s lover, the gypsy Juana. All very unrealistic, clichéd and bodice ripping, with not an STD or unwanted pregnancy in sight
I am not a fan of genre historical romance and having been told in the blurb the novel was a thriller about decoding a plot to kill the King, I found all this rather gross and graphic sex a bore. Perhaps the author’s agent had told her ‘sex sells’. As a sub plot, halved in quantity, it might have been tolerable but there was too much and it threatened to take over.
The political plot had enough strength to stand on its own. I wish an editor had told the author this and made her concentrate on it, cutting the romance back to a subplot and not a competing parallel plot. What the reader gets is intrigue continually interrupted by lengthy chunks of the romance and also long wedges of Laurence’s back story, carrying information which could have been introduced in other ways. The tension, which should have been building up to an exciting climax, is continually weakened by these interruptions. Sexual climaxes we had in plenty, the political one fizzled out.
Because we learn very early on what the plot is and who the plotters are we needed pacey writing, a clever build up of tension, and those irritating dithering delays by King Charles used to tease the reader into wondering if Laurence is ever going to succeed. Instead the reader gets a flabby and frustrating read. Such a pity.
How I Came To Read This Book: I believe Random House sent me a galley copy awhile back.
The Plot: Laurence Beaumont is a noble-born Englishman returned to his home country after six years spent abroad. A ruffian of sorts known as everything from a military turncoat to a conniving cardsharp, Beaumont's family is delighted at his return and the prospect of him taking on his title and family estate. However before he can worry about such things, Beaumont is thrust into matters of state as he uncovers a plan of regicide (murdering the King) in the midst of the emerging English civil war between the royalists and the parliamentary rebels. A sweeping tale of trust, betrayal, lust, family, and truth continues.
The Good & The Bad: Relatively speaking, if you're into historical fiction, this book is entertaining enough. Although it took me a long time to get into it, I found myself at least interested to push forward and figure out what was going to happen. The story is quick-paced (with decent-sized leaps in time and plot) and the language is relatively modernized for a tale set in the 1600s. I appreciated the interweaving of non-fictional historical players with the fictional characters, which earned this book its 'story retellings' tag for taking a real event and making it extra dramatic.
The bad news is, aside from the slow opening, the book can also be quite confusing and almost confounding - there are many subplots (including the constant flashbacks to Beaumont's life for the last six years) that don't really go anywhere. It's also a bit disappointing that virtually all of the characters continue to be exactly as they are on face value - the evil are evil, the good are good, the sinister are questionable, etc. The book could have used a few more moles, turncoats, and twists in the mix - even the scenes where a character questions how such & such person uncovered such & such issue are readily resolved.
The Bottom Line: A bit dry and not really my cup of tea, but not bad for a sweeping 700 page historical epic.
Anything Memorable?: I can't say anything from 17th century England has popped into my life in the last few weeks, but I do recall studying the civil war briefly in high school.
In the year 1642, Laurence Beaumont returns to England after six years on the continent just as his homeland is on the verge of civil war. During his time away, he fought in various European wars, eventually deserting because he'd had enough of war. Back home, he wants nothing more than to leave all thought of war behind him, but he is inevitably drawn into political intrigues through his discovery of coded messages that reveal a plot to kill the king.
The author deftly handles multiple subplots and several points of view, which makes for a rich, nuanced story. The characters are well drawn, and the time period feels authentic. I especially loved the weaving together of the rational and the mystic - horoscopes and prophecy play a big part in the book. This adds to the authentic feel (whether it is actually authentic, I can't say, but the author certainly succeeded in building a consistently foreign world).
I did feel that the story was rather slow to start. There was a great deal of information that had to be imparted to the reader right away, and while it never felt like an information dump, it was nevertheless overwhelming. It was necessary in order for readers who are not familiar with the English Civil War (such as myself) to get up to speed. Still, I had trouble keeping it all straight for the first little while, and as a result I was always reluctant to pick up the book and continue reading.
However, once the terrain started to feel familiar, I found myself getting more and more absorbed in the story. By the end, I couldn't put the book down. I was so involved with the characters that I started into the sequel right away.
A great book for lovers of history, and a welcome break from stories about the Tudor Era. Not that there's anything wrong with Tudors.
Our “hero”, Laurence Beaumont, is back in England in 1642 after a period of fighting in the European Wars. However, keeping a low profile is not on the agenda, as Beaumont has accidentally come into possession of coded letters which include a plot to assasinate King Charles I. What ensues is an historical romp taking in the lives of peasants and noblemen, action on the battlefield and in the bedroom.
Beaumont is an exciting, vibrant character and he has an excellent supporting cast although I feel there are too many characters and I ended up confused as to who was who. It's an epic tale with plenty of twists and turns and our protagonist is a dashing, loveable rogue who will appeal to a wide readership. Letemendia showcases her excellent storytelling skills but at the expense of characterisation as most of the characters including Beaumont appear rather two dimensional – the goodies are clearly whiter than white and the baddies are bad to the bone. Another niggle for me is the overly-modern voice given to the characters – I realise that this makes historical fiction more accessible for the modern reader but I found it jarring.
The sights and sounds of 17th century England are brought to life in this quick paced narrative. With this clearly well researched, entertaining tale which will appeal to fans of Flashman, Letemendia has made a strong start to a proposed trilogy.
Personal Read – 3 stars Reading Group Read 2 stars
- if you have nothing else to read and just want something long and involved, with history, romance (sex), action, then sure, it's okay.
Reasons I didn't like this book:
- the writing was perfectly adequate but bland.
- the protagonist is so 'perfect'. Like, he displays twenty-first century attitudes towards sexuality, race and religion, and everyone else is a product of their time.
- supposedly, he's 'the best of men' but to me he seems like a bit of a prick. I mean, one subplot, Also, I find it hard to reconcile this subplot with his so-called higher moral code.
- Why does no one have siphilus yet? They have so much sex and no mention of protection.
There’s a civil war being fought in and while Laurence Beaumont is fighting in it, he’s also deciphered a coded plot with the help of his old tutor Seward. They discover that it’s a plot to kill the King but who’s written it and who was written too? Set in England in 1642, it’s told in the third person narrative. This book was ok, I especially liked the character of Beaumont who stands to gain a lot with his noble birthright but being a bit of a cad he just doesn’t find it appealing. The other characters were good, however there was a downside to this book for me, too many characters, I lost sight of who was siding with the King and who was siding with Parliament. It did slightly spoil my pleasure in reading this book. In fact I got too about page 200 and started it again as I had lost sight of who was who. I wasn’t much wiser the second time around but wanted to finish it to see what happened with certain characters. I would recommend this book but while the plot was accessible, too many characters made it distracting.
Overall the novel was good. On a scale from 1 to 10 I would give it a 6. I liked the characters Laurence Beaumont and Mistress Isabella Savage. I thought that they were meant to be together.
Throughout the novel I was often confused if the novel was during the present time or just a memory from the past. As well, I wasn't sure who was speaking to whom several times through the novel.
I would have prefered more description of each character. When I read a novel, I like to picture it in my head. (It's my way of better understanding the novel). In the case of this novel, it was very hard to do.
I thought there would have been more talk about the civil war; Things like why it started and that sort of thing.
Only just started this, this morning. Its a bit of a house brick becuase it is hard back, but got to page 32, and its got me gripped already so looking hopefull. The main charecter seems to be Laurence Beaumont and I can already see how his path has passed with other charector just coming in to it. this story is set just as the Civil war is about to start, in 1642, so its a bit later than my favourite period but I won't hold that against it.
**I received it via First Reads** Wow. What a book. Seriously, do not get afraid by the fact that it's historical fiction or that it has a couple hundred pages. It is superb - and a page-turner. You get captured by the story and cannot stop reading it. It does feel like a movie, the writing is wonderful and the storyline is intriguing. You won't regret reading it, it is worth it until the very end. A beautiful surprise overall.
No more or less than I expected, a book you pretty much can judge by it's cover. A well-researched historical novel with all the usual sub-plots of conspiracy and romance. I quite enjoyed it and would have finished it much more quickly if it hadn't been for the lure of playing angry birds, which has seriously eaten into my reading time.
It is a great historical fictional. The work is well researched and presented making it easy for the reader to believe that they are there. The characters work well together and the dialogue carries you along keeping you flipping the pages... it has all the elements of history, romance, allegiance, war and deceit all a making of a great story.
If you are into intrigue, suspense and action then this book is for you. The historical detail is overwhelmingly and it is used to further draw the reader into the story. The characters work well together. The aristocrats, the politicians, the betrayal and the betrayed. It is one of those books that are hard to put down.
I won the book on Goodreads. I loved the book. The historical detail and intrigue, romance and twists and turns of the events of the time were capturing. The presentation is well researched making you feel as though you are really there. For me the story worked very well and I recommend the book to anyone who is into historical fiction and enjoys a story with many angles and facets.
This is a truly delicious historical novel, beautifully written, with a wonderful cast of character, led by the fascinating Laurence Beaumont. It's one of those very rare and totally unputdownable books where one is constantly thinking, "Oh no! There's only six hundred pages to go!" Thank heavens it's the first of a series!
Interesting and engaging characters, a view of a time in history I knew very little about, which made it more interesting as I truly did not know how it would all play out. The details of everyday life certainly made the tale come alive, and I certainly enjoyed the book.
Interesting historical fiction taking place during the English civil war/wars, 1642-1651. It preceded Oliver Cromwell's "rule"--the subject of Hilary Mantell's books. I'll look forward to Letemendia's next book, as I'm sure there will be, although let's hope it doesn't take another 10 years.