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Sisters of the Bruce, 1292-1314
Set against the wild and perilous background of Scotland in the late 13th century, the adventurous lives of Robert the Bruce's five sisters come to life through their own words in a series of letters. Courage and tenacity are often associated with Scotland's great hero, but few appreciate the enormous challenges experienced by these remarkable sisters. Their intimate account of family life resonates still with love, loss and hope.
Isa leaves home to sail to the land of the Vikings to become Queen of Norway whilst her sister, Kirsty, finds herself Countess of Mar and chatelaine of the great Kildrummy Castle in Scotland's far northeast. Danger looms and the younger sisters, Mathilda and Margaret, escape to Orkney with Kirsty's children. As Scotland spirals into war, Robert's sisters face the wrath of King Edward of England, whose vengeance wrought the brutal death of William Wallace. Kirsty is incarcerated alone in an English nunnery, whilst Mary endures years of misery within a cage hanging from the walls of Roxburgh Castle. Under Robert's kingship, old wounds heal and Scotland's fighting force achieves a resounding victory at the Battle of Bannockburn. Only then are the fragile, traumatised women released, through the ransoming of English nobles, to return home to rebuild their shattered lives... Sisters of The Bruce is a captivating work of fiction that weaves family history with a gripping narrative through the social and political landscape of medieval Scotland, Norway and Orkney. J. M. Harvey has been inspired by Sharon Penman, Elizabeth Chadwick and Sigrud Undset.
Isa leaves home to sail to the land of the Vikings to become Queen of Norway whilst her sister, Kirsty, finds herself Countess of Mar and chatelaine of the great Kildrummy Castle in Scotland's far northeast. Danger looms and the younger sisters, Mathilda and Margaret, escape to Orkney with Kirsty's children. As Scotland spirals into war, Robert's sisters face the wrath of King Edward of England, whose vengeance wrought the brutal death of William Wallace. Kirsty is incarcerated alone in an English nunnery, whilst Mary endures years of misery within a cage hanging from the walls of Roxburgh Castle. Under Robert's kingship, old wounds heal and Scotland's fighting force achieves a resounding victory at the Battle of Bannockburn. Only then are the fragile, traumatised women released, through the ransoming of English nobles, to return home to rebuild their shattered lives... Sisters of The Bruce is a captivating work of fiction that weaves family history with a gripping narrative through the social and political landscape of medieval Scotland, Norway and Orkney. J. M. Harvey has been inspired by Sharon Penman, Elizabeth Chadwick and Sigrud Undset.
397 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2014
Sisters of the Bruce recounts history through the eyes of Robert the Bruce's sisters as told through letters they sent among each other recounting their own personal experiences. It is evident the author has done a great deal of research into the era and working hard at getting the timeline of events as accurately as possible. The story is powerful and gave me a very strong feel for the desperation and perils of war as experienced by the people. It was an era of hardship and misery and this was clearly portrayed throughout the book.
The fact that this was an expository novel, really appealed to me. And when the sisters wrote history through their own personal experiences and surroundings, I truly enjoyed the story. Sometimes, however, the novel turned dry when the character's point of view diminished into a textbook-like prose, and I struggled to keep interested. I think this novel would be better classified as "creative non-fiction" rather than "historical fiction". Nevertheless, this work is a very worthy read if only to understand the horrible treatment the women suffered as a result of the political climate and the harsh period in which they lived.
The fact that this was an expository novel, really appealed to me. And when the sisters wrote history through their own personal experiences and surroundings, I truly enjoyed the story. Sometimes, however, the novel turned dry when the character's point of view diminished into a textbook-like prose, and I struggled to keep interested. I think this novel would be better classified as "creative non-fiction" rather than "historical fiction". Nevertheless, this work is a very worthy read if only to understand the horrible treatment the women suffered as a result of the political climate and the harsh period in which they lived.
November 14, 2013
I move between history and historical fiction frequently in my reading, which leads me to think about the difference between the two. Obviously, history is history and fiction is fiction—but the two aren’t so neatly separate. Good writers of history (at least of history for popular audiences) work to achieve the flow and engagement we associate with novels, and good historical novelists research carefully to get their facts straight.
Reading history can be like pondering a map: we see the outline of a land, its topography, the most prominent structures and features. Reading historical fiction is, at its best, like time travel: we don’t necessarily get the big picture, but we perceive one small part of that picture vividly and even, at the best of times, feel that we’re experiencing it for ourselves.
I’ve just finished with Sisters of the Bruce, 1292-1314, by the Australian author of Scots descent J. M. Harvey. My knowledge of Scots history is very limited, so I pretty much had to approach this book in isolation; I didn’t have a preexisting understanding of the tumultuous time period in which it’s set. I’ve read a bit about the two English kings Edward, who fought the Scots around the turn of the 14th Century, but that’s left me able to recognize the occasional name and little else.
In the preface, Harvey tells us “In this fictional narrative, the five sisters of Robert the Bruce speak to us from the past. Their remarkable story deserves to be told, so that they might no longer be ‘unwept, unhonour’d and unsung’—to borrow a line from Sir Walter Scott. The Bruce, Robert the Bruce, was a legendary king of Scotland, devoted to uniting the warring clans and ridding the country of the English. His five sisters (and their sisters-in-law, children, and nieces) are, indeed a remarkable bunch. Isabel (Isa), the eldest, marries the King of Norway and watches the lives of her siblings—when information is available—from afar. The next two sisters, Christina (Kirsty) and Mary are captured by the English, along with a sister-in-law and a niece. Christina is “caged” within a convent; Mary is literally caged, hanging in a wood and metal pen in the open air above an English castle. The younger two sisters, Mathilde and Margaret, evade capture; filling in a gap in the historical record, Harvey imagines them as fugitives in Orkney.
One can understand why Harvey was eager to write this book. And, having read the jacket synopsis, I was certainly eager to read it. My feelings now, as I’ve finished it, are mixed—contradictory enough that I want to deal with them as individual bullet points, rather than trying to sort through them all at once.
• These are interesting women. I’m delighted to have had them brought to my attention and expect they’ll continue to live in my imagination for some time.
• Harvey is scrupulous constructing and maintaining her timeline so, as long as you read the afterward and sort fact from fiction, you can leave with a fairly clear outline of this period of history as seen from the Bruce perspective.
• The novel reminds us—we seem always to need reminding—of what a barbarous, messy business war is and of the brunt of the suffering borne by civilians: the Scots peasants face misery regardless of who has the nominally stronger hold on the land. English invaders murder, rape, and pillage; Scots defenders burn crops and destroy villages to keep them out of the hands of the English.
• The book has occasional moments of real beauty. For example, in her first letter to Kirsty, Isa writes of her leave-taking and journey to Norway: “For an unusually long time, sea creatures followed our vessel and I could not keep my eyes from their sleek forms and gentle eyes. I hoped they might travel back to you and whisper in their strange tongues that all was well; that these things shall indeed pass.”
• Unfortunately the prose style here is—I was going to say “uneven,” but actually the problem is that the prose style is too even. The above sample is a rarity. Most of the parts of the book written as correspondence among the sisters, sound dully identical. Isa’s letters to Kirsty and Kirsty’s letters to Isa are interchangeable, except for the geographic references.
• The omniscient narrator who directs other sections of the book has a voice like a history textbook—dry and all-seeing, taking the life out of what should be vivid events. Early on in the novel, the narrator tells us “It is as well that foresight is denied mere mortals. Had they [the books' characters] known what terrible price they would have to pay to achieve their goal [of a united, independent Scotland], their steps may have faltered and turned from such a perilous path; their actions would ultimately fracture their beloved family and the country they so revered.” This doesn’t build suspense, as perhaps it was intended. It flattens the narrative.
• At times, the writer seems to abandon sense in order to ride the flow of a phrase she’s begun. As Mary festers both figuratively and literally in her cage, we’re told, “When some of the older folk no longer wandered by, [Mary] presumed illness or death had overtaken them. Such benign thoughts helped to fill the long hours.” Illness and death, benign? I don’t think so, not even in comparison with Mary’s miserable state.
I found the historical thread running through this novel fascinating, but as a reader I was less than fascinated. Harvey writes fiction as though it were textbook history, drying it out and rendering its varied terrain to a single level of flatness. I appreciate Harvey introducing me to these remarkable women, but I’m still waiting for a novel that will capture their lives vividly.
Reading history can be like pondering a map: we see the outline of a land, its topography, the most prominent structures and features. Reading historical fiction is, at its best, like time travel: we don’t necessarily get the big picture, but we perceive one small part of that picture vividly and even, at the best of times, feel that we’re experiencing it for ourselves.
I’ve just finished with Sisters of the Bruce, 1292-1314, by the Australian author of Scots descent J. M. Harvey. My knowledge of Scots history is very limited, so I pretty much had to approach this book in isolation; I didn’t have a preexisting understanding of the tumultuous time period in which it’s set. I’ve read a bit about the two English kings Edward, who fought the Scots around the turn of the 14th Century, but that’s left me able to recognize the occasional name and little else.
In the preface, Harvey tells us “In this fictional narrative, the five sisters of Robert the Bruce speak to us from the past. Their remarkable story deserves to be told, so that they might no longer be ‘unwept, unhonour’d and unsung’—to borrow a line from Sir Walter Scott. The Bruce, Robert the Bruce, was a legendary king of Scotland, devoted to uniting the warring clans and ridding the country of the English. His five sisters (and their sisters-in-law, children, and nieces) are, indeed a remarkable bunch. Isabel (Isa), the eldest, marries the King of Norway and watches the lives of her siblings—when information is available—from afar. The next two sisters, Christina (Kirsty) and Mary are captured by the English, along with a sister-in-law and a niece. Christina is “caged” within a convent; Mary is literally caged, hanging in a wood and metal pen in the open air above an English castle. The younger two sisters, Mathilde and Margaret, evade capture; filling in a gap in the historical record, Harvey imagines them as fugitives in Orkney.
One can understand why Harvey was eager to write this book. And, having read the jacket synopsis, I was certainly eager to read it. My feelings now, as I’ve finished it, are mixed—contradictory enough that I want to deal with them as individual bullet points, rather than trying to sort through them all at once.
• These are interesting women. I’m delighted to have had them brought to my attention and expect they’ll continue to live in my imagination for some time.
• Harvey is scrupulous constructing and maintaining her timeline so, as long as you read the afterward and sort fact from fiction, you can leave with a fairly clear outline of this period of history as seen from the Bruce perspective.
• The novel reminds us—we seem always to need reminding—of what a barbarous, messy business war is and of the brunt of the suffering borne by civilians: the Scots peasants face misery regardless of who has the nominally stronger hold on the land. English invaders murder, rape, and pillage; Scots defenders burn crops and destroy villages to keep them out of the hands of the English.
• The book has occasional moments of real beauty. For example, in her first letter to Kirsty, Isa writes of her leave-taking and journey to Norway: “For an unusually long time, sea creatures followed our vessel and I could not keep my eyes from their sleek forms and gentle eyes. I hoped they might travel back to you and whisper in their strange tongues that all was well; that these things shall indeed pass.”
• Unfortunately the prose style here is—I was going to say “uneven,” but actually the problem is that the prose style is too even. The above sample is a rarity. Most of the parts of the book written as correspondence among the sisters, sound dully identical. Isa’s letters to Kirsty and Kirsty’s letters to Isa are interchangeable, except for the geographic references.
• The omniscient narrator who directs other sections of the book has a voice like a history textbook—dry and all-seeing, taking the life out of what should be vivid events. Early on in the novel, the narrator tells us “It is as well that foresight is denied mere mortals. Had they [the books' characters] known what terrible price they would have to pay to achieve their goal [of a united, independent Scotland], their steps may have faltered and turned from such a perilous path; their actions would ultimately fracture their beloved family and the country they so revered.” This doesn’t build suspense, as perhaps it was intended. It flattens the narrative.
• At times, the writer seems to abandon sense in order to ride the flow of a phrase she’s begun. As Mary festers both figuratively and literally in her cage, we’re told, “When some of the older folk no longer wandered by, [Mary] presumed illness or death had overtaken them. Such benign thoughts helped to fill the long hours.” Illness and death, benign? I don’t think so, not even in comparison with Mary’s miserable state.
I found the historical thread running through this novel fascinating, but as a reader I was less than fascinated. Harvey writes fiction as though it were textbook history, drying it out and rendering its varied terrain to a single level of flatness. I appreciate Harvey introducing me to these remarkable women, but I’m still waiting for a novel that will capture their lives vividly.
February 19, 2020
It has been over five years since I read this book and the particulars are not in my mind. What I do remember is that I was mad for this book. "Emotionally inert", "dry" and other creative terms used by reviewers, who might have wanted to compare it to historical non-fiction, are not words that could enter my mind because I was simply giddy to have the opportunity to get this rich historical information. The content of the book was my interest, not possible fiction or fertile imaginings--I am capable of that and did well on my own--in fact, I was entranced. I applaud J.M. Harvey for the work she has presented and though I had to return "Sisters of the Bruce" to a friend, when I land in Scotland again, I will make a point of buying it for my bookshelves.
August 19, 2014
I love good historical fiction, and I love this book! I tremendously enjoyed that most of the story was told through the correspondence of the sisters of Robert the Bruce. Although my grandfather was genealogist of the family, and now his namesake and a cousin have taken on the mantle, I know little of the history of Scotland. One would think with all I've been privy to growing up, that I would have absorbed at least some of it. I did not even know that I am a distant relation to Robert the Bruce until my cousin told me, and showed me. I sort of knew who he (Robert) was, but only sort of. My historical interests lie elsewhere.
However, this book intrigued me, and I bought it (Kindle edition), and was reading it as my bedtime read. Today, I succumbed, and spent the better part of the afternoon on the sofa, and finished it. All of it. I read the Glossary, the notes--I read everything!
Scotland of the early 1300s is probably not a place I'd choose to live, but those who were there (by choice or by birth) were a hardy lot. The Bruce men were, for the most part, warriors, though one was also a scholar. The women were feisty and strong. This is not a novel about the sisters, per se; it is a novel about Robert as seen through the eyes of his sisters. It is about difficult times and hard survival. It is about family and loyalty. It is a mighty fine read!
When the oldest, Isa was taken to Norway to marry King Eric, she and her next younger sister, Kirsty began a correspondence that tells much of the story. It tells of their hardships, and it tells of the beauty they find in their marriages and situations. It tells of war and the hardships endured by the women who are unwilling witnesses. Did the sisters actually correspond? I haven't a clue; however, it was not only possible, but plausible.
When the English, with the help of duplicitous Scots, capture Kirsty and Mary, two of the sisters, and Marjorie, Robert's young daughter, and Elizabeth, his wife, the letters obviously take a turn. Those not captured escape to Orkney, under protection of Norway.
How those women survived is beyond my ken! Obviously they had the choice to survive or to die, but they survived some of the most brutal hardships imaginable, much of which comes out in the letters. Survival in medieval Scotland and England was, at best, difficult. Imagine being placed in a cage and exposed to the elements year round. Even those not subjected to the elements did not have it easy.
The author took a difficult subject, did her homework, and put together a book I had a hard time putting down! She wove a believable story using people from history and fictional characters. This is a novel; it is not a scholarly work of history, though it is obvious Ms. Harvey has read several such tomes in order to write this story.
However, this book intrigued me, and I bought it (Kindle edition), and was reading it as my bedtime read. Today, I succumbed, and spent the better part of the afternoon on the sofa, and finished it. All of it. I read the Glossary, the notes--I read everything!
Scotland of the early 1300s is probably not a place I'd choose to live, but those who were there (by choice or by birth) were a hardy lot. The Bruce men were, for the most part, warriors, though one was also a scholar. The women were feisty and strong. This is not a novel about the sisters, per se; it is a novel about Robert as seen through the eyes of his sisters. It is about difficult times and hard survival. It is about family and loyalty. It is a mighty fine read!
When the oldest, Isa was taken to Norway to marry King Eric, she and her next younger sister, Kirsty began a correspondence that tells much of the story. It tells of their hardships, and it tells of the beauty they find in their marriages and situations. It tells of war and the hardships endured by the women who are unwilling witnesses. Did the sisters actually correspond? I haven't a clue; however, it was not only possible, but plausible.
When the English, with the help of duplicitous Scots, capture Kirsty and Mary, two of the sisters, and Marjorie, Robert's young daughter, and Elizabeth, his wife, the letters obviously take a turn. Those not captured escape to Orkney, under protection of Norway.
How those women survived is beyond my ken! Obviously they had the choice to survive or to die, but they survived some of the most brutal hardships imaginable, much of which comes out in the letters. Survival in medieval Scotland and England was, at best, difficult. Imagine being placed in a cage and exposed to the elements year round. Even those not subjected to the elements did not have it easy.
The author took a difficult subject, did her homework, and put together a book I had a hard time putting down! She wove a believable story using people from history and fictional characters. This is a novel; it is not a scholarly work of history, though it is obvious Ms. Harvey has read several such tomes in order to write this story.
November 12, 2013
http://historicalreadings.blogspot.co...
Received free review copy from publisher via NetGalley.
Robert the Bruce was King of Scots and a key figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence against the English and as such, he plays a major role in several novels. This book attracted my attention because it’s the first novel I've seen devoted to the women of the Bruce family, initially the two eldest sisters of Robert, Isabel and Christina - or Isa and Kirsty as they are called in this novel. A large portion of it is told through letters between the two of them (and occasionally Robert the Bruce himself), and later letters include Matilda, so there is a lot more “telling” than “showing”, not my preferred method of storytelling. When events are described in the letters, however detailed they may be, they still felt as though they were merely glimpses of what should have been so much more, and I kept wishing I could read a scene of the event taking place, hear the dialogue, etc. It meant I never really formed an emotional attachment to what should have been important characters in the sisters lives.
It’s obviously very well researched and portrays the medieval world accurately. However, even once the letters cease being the primary storytelling method, the book continues to tell the story often more as like an overview of events. For example, there is rarely any dialogue, which I found very strange. Though there was internal dialogue, it was too little too late. I couldn't get into it and spent the second half of the book skimming it. There could have been a great story here and I really wanted to like it but the method of storytelling let it down.
Received free review copy from publisher via NetGalley.
Robert the Bruce was King of Scots and a key figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence against the English and as such, he plays a major role in several novels. This book attracted my attention because it’s the first novel I've seen devoted to the women of the Bruce family, initially the two eldest sisters of Robert, Isabel and Christina - or Isa and Kirsty as they are called in this novel. A large portion of it is told through letters between the two of them (and occasionally Robert the Bruce himself), and later letters include Matilda, so there is a lot more “telling” than “showing”, not my preferred method of storytelling. When events are described in the letters, however detailed they may be, they still felt as though they were merely glimpses of what should have been so much more, and I kept wishing I could read a scene of the event taking place, hear the dialogue, etc. It meant I never really formed an emotional attachment to what should have been important characters in the sisters lives.
It’s obviously very well researched and portrays the medieval world accurately. However, even once the letters cease being the primary storytelling method, the book continues to tell the story often more as like an overview of events. For example, there is rarely any dialogue, which I found very strange. Though there was internal dialogue, it was too little too late. I couldn't get into it and spent the second half of the book skimming it. There could have been a great story here and I really wanted to like it but the method of storytelling let it down.
December 16, 2013
Historical fiction or History with fictionalized human perspectives?
I had just finished watching the episode of A History of Scotland that referenced Robert the Bruce and the hardships his family suffered at the hand of the British host. When I had an opportunity to read the ARC of this novel, I couldn't resist. As a result of The Bruce and his men killing John Comyn (1306), Edward I, called for the 'Raising of the Dragon'. Which meant that no quarter would be given to The Bruce supporters, including his family. This work follows the effect of war and this edict upon the men and more particularly, the womenfolk of The Bruce.
The story is mostly expressed as a series of letters penned between the sisters, which adds to the sense of the personal. However this is more a history book than the fictionalized story of the sisters. This unfortunately renders it a dense and lengthy work. I found myself having to put it down and take it up over a longer period of time than I normally would. Should this have been two books, or a book from each sister's perspective? For better readability something along those lines would be more accessible. Certainly the atrocity of the women's treatment and their subsequent physical, emotional and mental state is well presented by Harvey. A history of Scotland that persuades one to reflect on the human cost of war no matter the times.
A NetGalley ARC
I had just finished watching the episode of A History of Scotland that referenced Robert the Bruce and the hardships his family suffered at the hand of the British host. When I had an opportunity to read the ARC of this novel, I couldn't resist. As a result of The Bruce and his men killing John Comyn (1306), Edward I, called for the 'Raising of the Dragon'. Which meant that no quarter would be given to The Bruce supporters, including his family. This work follows the effect of war and this edict upon the men and more particularly, the womenfolk of The Bruce.
The story is mostly expressed as a series of letters penned between the sisters, which adds to the sense of the personal. However this is more a history book than the fictionalized story of the sisters. This unfortunately renders it a dense and lengthy work. I found myself having to put it down and take it up over a longer period of time than I normally would. Should this have been two books, or a book from each sister's perspective? For better readability something along those lines would be more accessible. Certainly the atrocity of the women's treatment and their subsequent physical, emotional and mental state is well presented by Harvey. A history of Scotland that persuades one to reflect on the human cost of war no matter the times.
A NetGalley ARC
May 9, 2014
Ok, I have finished the book and revised my earlier in progress rating of it! I have given it 4 stars because I did find the first half of the book extremely difficult to get through. The book is presented in such a way that much of it is in the form of letters written back and forth between the family, especially true for the first half of the book. To me, those letters in the first half felt forced and did not flow so well as in the second half of the book. It's my thought that too much factual information and details were forced into those first letters. I didn't feel as connected or involved with the characters initially because of wading through those details. I know they were important to the overall story but I just didn't feel like they fit into the letter writings between sisters so well.
I decided to stick with it and am so glad that I did! The second half of the book was so much better and I became thoroughly involved with the characters, the story and the actual history! By the end, it more than met my standard for rating. It made me want to know more, it made me cry, and it gave me pause to think about some things I didn't know previous to the book!
I decided to stick with it and am so glad that I did! The second half of the book was so much better and I became thoroughly involved with the characters, the story and the actual history! By the end, it more than met my standard for rating. It made me want to know more, it made me cry, and it gave me pause to think about some things I didn't know previous to the book!
December 5, 2013
The author told the tale of the Bruce women and Robert Bruce's fight to be king of Scotland by using various writing devices (letters, narration) with mixed results. There was much information covered in the book and the author told the story from several points of view, but predominantly from that of Isa and Kristy. This became more difficult when Kristy was imprisoned and the author then included fictional letters from other family members. Much of the daily life experiences of the time were included in the tale and provided a backdrop for the story of the sufferings of these amazingly strong women. I would have preferred more of narrative style than the jumping around between writing devices, but do admit that I did learn a bit about the treatment of these women, though I still wonder at how they survived. A different writing style would have resulted in a higher rating. I have not been compensated in any way (other than being given a copy of this book to review) and my opinion on the book is entirely my own.
November 30, 2013
Set in late thirteenth century Scotland, during the tumultuous time in history when the charismatic Bruce family played an important role in the rich tapestry of Scottish history, this story had so much potential. However, it was altogether lacking in political punch and I felt that the story meandered too much around inconsequential chit chat, in the form of correspondence, between the sisters. In effect, what was needed was a livelier rendition of this troubled historical period, which never actually materialised within the main body of the story. The writing mainly appears quite ‘flat’ and at times seems as though the author merely added everything she knew about the period without considering how this information would be perceived within the story itself.
It’s been a long time since I opened a book which I so wanted to like, but which in the end, I'm sad to say, left me feeling as uninspired as the narration.
It’s been a long time since I opened a book which I so wanted to like, but which in the end, I'm sad to say, left me feeling as uninspired as the narration.
January 4, 2014
This historical fiction novel is told through letters between siblings Isa and Kirsty with an occasional letter from brother Robert thrown in for the first part of the book. The latter part is third person narrative. Although the author obviously did great research and all the details are there it just didn't pop for me. Written as a historical fiction, it read more like a historical non-fiction as it just didn't have the 'novel' feel about. I couldn't get invested in the characters or the storyline. It was a little flat. Actually by the second half I was skimming just to get done. It's a lengthy book at 496 pages.
We do get a glimpse of the history of Norway as well as Scotland through letters from Isa Bruce who became Queen of Norway. The medieval world was describe quite well. I would say if you like history this is a good book if you go into it not looking for a 'novel' you will connect with the characters in, but more as a well researched historical record.
We do get a glimpse of the history of Norway as well as Scotland through letters from Isa Bruce who became Queen of Norway. The medieval world was describe quite well. I would say if you like history this is a good book if you go into it not looking for a 'novel' you will connect with the characters in, but more as a well researched historical record.
December 2, 2013
Over and over and over again in my reviews over the last several years I've found myself having to talk about using a gimmick to sell a book. That gimmick could be anything from touching on curiosity that a reader might have on seeing things from a villains point of view to exploiting some sort of disability in an effort to sell the book. J.M. Harvey has added yet another gimmick to my list of things to dislike: that of putting a story where there isn't a story in order to tell a completely different story. Sisters of the Bruce was not a book about the sisters, it was a book telling the history of Scotland in the 13th century through the medium of women's letters and, to a lesser extent, their lives.
Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on Dec. 8, 2013.
Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on Dec. 8, 2013.
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January 9, 2014Sisters of the Bruce recounts history through the eyes of Robert the Bruce's sisters as told through letters they sent among each other recounting their own personal experiences. It is evident the author has done a great deal of research into the era and working hard at getting the timeline of events as accurately as possible. The story is powerful and gave me a very strong feel for the desperation and perils of war as experienced by the people. It was an era of hardship and misery and this was clearly portrayed throughout the book.
abandoned-dnf
September 9, 2017DNF.
I so wanted to like this.
Terrific idea, but the writing style...ooph. I could barely make it through 40 pages; no way am I willing to slog through 400. There's too many characters on the canvas for none of them to have a unique voice. They all sound exactly the same.
I so wanted to like this.
Terrific idea, but the writing style...ooph. I could barely make it through 40 pages; no way am I willing to slog through 400. There's too many characters on the canvas for none of them to have a unique voice. They all sound exactly the same.
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