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Fitzempress' Law
Three modern young people who commit a crime against an old woman who sends them back through time to the time of King Henry II (known as Fitzempress because he was the son of Empress Matilda) where they must solve serious personal problems by making use of the legal system.
284 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
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212 people want to read
About the author
Diana Norman
32 books146 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
British journalist Diana Norman also writes as Ariana Franklin.
Born Mary Diana Narracott, she grew up first in London and then in Devon, where her mother took her to escape the blitz. At the age of 15, she left school, but with journalism in her background (her father had been a Times correspondent)and her hardy intelligence, the lack of formal education proved no barrier and by 17 she was n London, working on a local newspaper in the East End.
Headhunted at 20 by the Daily Herald, Norman became the youngest reporter on Fleet Street, covering royal visits, donning camouflage to go on exercise with the Royal Marines, and missing her 21st birthday party because she was covering a murder on the south coast. When she protested about this to the news editor, she was told: "Many happy returns. Now get down to Southampton." Diana Norman became, at twenty years of age, the youngest reporter on what used to be Fleet Street.
She married the film critic Barry Norman in 1957, and they settled in Hertfordshire with their two daughters. She began writing fiction shortly after her second daughter was born. Her first book of fiction, Fitzempress's Law, was chosen by Frank Delaney of BBC Radio 4's Bookshelf as the best example of a historical novel of its year. She is now a freelance journalist, as well as a writer of biographies and historical novels.
She died at the age of 77 on January 27, 2011. She was best known for her historical crime series featuring the 12th-century medical examiner Adelia Aguilar, written under the pen name of Ariana Franklin. The first book in the series, Mistress of the Art of Death, was published to critical acclaim in 2007 and won the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award in the UK, as well as prizes in the US and Sweden.
Norman is survived by her husband, their daughters, Samantha and Emma, and three grandsons. Mr. Norman wrote a wonderful tribute to his wife.
• Diana Norman, writer, born 25 August 1933; died 27 January 2011
British journalist Diana Norman also writes as Ariana Franklin.
Born Mary Diana Narracott, she grew up first in London and then in Devon, where her mother took her to escape the blitz. At the age of 15, she left school, but with journalism in her background (her father had been a Times correspondent)and her hardy intelligence, the lack of formal education proved no barrier and by 17 she was n London, working on a local newspaper in the East End.
Headhunted at 20 by the Daily Herald, Norman became the youngest reporter on Fleet Street, covering royal visits, donning camouflage to go on exercise with the Royal Marines, and missing her 21st birthday party because she was covering a murder on the south coast. When she protested about this to the news editor, she was told: "Many happy returns. Now get down to Southampton." Diana Norman became, at twenty years of age, the youngest reporter on what used to be Fleet Street.
She married the film critic Barry Norman in 1957, and they settled in Hertfordshire with their two daughters. She began writing fiction shortly after her second daughter was born. Her first book of fiction, Fitzempress's Law, was chosen by Frank Delaney of BBC Radio 4's Bookshelf as the best example of a historical novel of its year. She is now a freelance journalist, as well as a writer of biographies and historical novels.
She died at the age of 77 on January 27, 2011. She was best known for her historical crime series featuring the 12th-century medical examiner Adelia Aguilar, written under the pen name of Ariana Franklin. The first book in the series, Mistress of the Art of Death, was published to critical acclaim in 2007 and won the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award in the UK, as well as prizes in the US and Sweden.
Norman is survived by her husband, their daughters, Samantha and Emma, and three grandsons. Mr. Norman wrote a wonderful tribute to his wife.
• Diana Norman, writer, born 25 August 1933; died 27 January 2011
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 2, 2025
I found this book in a public library in a city I was staying in for a couple of months. I read it a couple of times, and never ran into it again, but have always remembered it. Recently I found it in the local public library system -- and found that the author has written many more books, and even more under another name, oh joy!
I finished Fitzempress's Law today. I've always loved history, and good historical fiction has been my gateway to many of my favorite periods.
Len, Sally, and Pete break in to an old lady's house, tie her up and leave her there. She tells them she'll have the law on them! Shortly after, the three are involved in a road accident and they all end up in comas.
Len wakes up in Henry II's England, where the local lord is denying that he is a freeman, and says he owes bondsman's labor, and he has to appeal to the law for his freedom.
Pete wakes up as a knight in France who's been done out of his land. Sal finds herself in a cart on her way to a convent where she's being shut up because the father of the man she was contracted to marry has bribed the king to break the contract, so his son can marry a wealthier heiress.
The adventures of these three young people, who become deeply involved in the communities where they find themselves, both in the problems and in finding the remedies, is wonderful story telling.
The book begins well, from the initial action to the results. Then it follows the story of each of them as they cope with their situations and try to solve their problems. Then, Henry II comes into the story, and from that point, I couldn't put the book down.
This is the best kind of historical fiction. Impecably researched, and a complete immersion experience. I've had great respect for Henry II for a long time. Now I remember where I learned it.
If you enjoy historical fiction, this book is terrific.
I finished Fitzempress's Law today. I've always loved history, and good historical fiction has been my gateway to many of my favorite periods.
Len, Sally, and Pete break in to an old lady's house, tie her up and leave her there. She tells them she'll have the law on them! Shortly after, the three are involved in a road accident and they all end up in comas.
Len wakes up in Henry II's England, where the local lord is denying that he is a freeman, and says he owes bondsman's labor, and he has to appeal to the law for his freedom.
Pete wakes up as a knight in France who's been done out of his land. Sal finds herself in a cart on her way to a convent where she's being shut up because the father of the man she was contracted to marry has bribed the king to break the contract, so his son can marry a wealthier heiress.
The adventures of these three young people, who become deeply involved in the communities where they find themselves, both in the problems and in finding the remedies, is wonderful story telling.
The book begins well, from the initial action to the results. Then it follows the story of each of them as they cope with their situations and try to solve their problems. Then, Henry II comes into the story, and from that point, I couldn't put the book down.
This is the best kind of historical fiction. Impecably researched, and a complete immersion experience. I've had great respect for Henry II for a long time. Now I remember where I learned it.
If you enjoy historical fiction, this book is terrific.
October 8, 2008
FITZEMPRESS’ LAW (Hist/Mys/TT-Len, Pete, Sal-England-Cont/1100s) – G+
Norman, Diana (aka Ariana Franklin) – 1st novel
St. Martin’s Press, 1980, US Hardcover – ISBN: 0312294190
First Sentence: “Whassat?”
Three contemporary teens set upon an elderly woman who curses them that they must use the law to save their souls. An accident results with their bodies lying in a coma in hospital while their souls have been transported back to the time of Henry II (Fitzempress).
Len, an orphan, is now Aluric, a peasant with an eccentric mother, finds himself drawn to education and wanting to become a monk. Pete, always the follower, is now Sr. Roger of Mardleybury, a knight who has been cheated out of his father’s land. Sal, forgotten in her divorced parents moving on with their lives, is Hawise, whose betrothal broken and is being forced, against her will, to take the vows of a nun.
While this book involves both time travel and a mystery, it is primarily a novel about the challenges of living during the 12th Century during the time of Henry II. At that aspect of the story, Norman/Franklin excels.
The author’s descriptions are vivid and real. This is a time when superstition, paganism and the Church rule the lives of the people and murder of Beckett is laid at Henry’s feet as the reason for anything going wrong. The injustices against the poor, the Jews and, in fact, anyone who has less power and/or money than someone else are starkly depicted, but not without humor and humanity.
The characters, in their past lives, are fully-dimensional with the backstories of those characters. We learn more about Len and Pete than we do Sal, but each is interesting and involving.
What does not work as well, for me, is the time-travel from the aspect that the characters have no transitional issues acclimating to the medieval time or language or that they give very little thought to their past. The biggest issue I have, however, is with the very end of the book, which is abrupt and, in some ways, makes no sense with the rest of the story.
I enjoyed the book; I loved the realism, the history and that Henry is shown for all the innovations he made in law that have impacted our lives today. This was her first book and she certainly has come a long way from here to “Mistress of the Art of Death,” and “The Serpent’s Tale” so perhaps I shouldn’t be too harsh. If you can overlook the weaknesses, it is well worth reading.
Norman, Diana (aka Ariana Franklin) – 1st novel
St. Martin’s Press, 1980, US Hardcover – ISBN: 0312294190
First Sentence: “Whassat?”
Three contemporary teens set upon an elderly woman who curses them that they must use the law to save their souls. An accident results with their bodies lying in a coma in hospital while their souls have been transported back to the time of Henry II (Fitzempress).
Len, an orphan, is now Aluric, a peasant with an eccentric mother, finds himself drawn to education and wanting to become a monk. Pete, always the follower, is now Sr. Roger of Mardleybury, a knight who has been cheated out of his father’s land. Sal, forgotten in her divorced parents moving on with their lives, is Hawise, whose betrothal broken and is being forced, against her will, to take the vows of a nun.
While this book involves both time travel and a mystery, it is primarily a novel about the challenges of living during the 12th Century during the time of Henry II. At that aspect of the story, Norman/Franklin excels.
The author’s descriptions are vivid and real. This is a time when superstition, paganism and the Church rule the lives of the people and murder of Beckett is laid at Henry’s feet as the reason for anything going wrong. The injustices against the poor, the Jews and, in fact, anyone who has less power and/or money than someone else are starkly depicted, but not without humor and humanity.
The characters, in their past lives, are fully-dimensional with the backstories of those characters. We learn more about Len and Pete than we do Sal, but each is interesting and involving.
What does not work as well, for me, is the time-travel from the aspect that the characters have no transitional issues acclimating to the medieval time or language or that they give very little thought to their past. The biggest issue I have, however, is with the very end of the book, which is abrupt and, in some ways, makes no sense with the rest of the story.
I enjoyed the book; I loved the realism, the history and that Henry is shown for all the innovations he made in law that have impacted our lives today. This was her first book and she certainly has come a long way from here to “Mistress of the Art of Death,” and “The Serpent’s Tale” so perhaps I shouldn’t be too harsh. If you can overlook the weaknesses, it is well worth reading.
March 2, 2010
This book is mainly historical fiction--about life in the medieval world and about the changes and outright reforms that King Henry II of England instituted in the 1200s--with only the teeniest possible bit of fantasy thrown in to get three modern teenagers sent back to the thirteenth century. They each end up in very different situations which teach them something about themselves and the world, one an impoverished peasant, one a wealthy knight, and one a young lady struggling to have some control over her own future, but eventually they find each other again and try to figure out how to get back to their own time.
As readers we learn along with these characters about the difficulties of life in the thirteenth century, and we learn it in some fascinating detail. We see daily life and society in a poor farming village, a royal court, the Jewish quarter of Cambridge, and an abbey, we see medieval warfare, we see the workings of the judicial assizes that Henry II created.
This book has many themes that will continue to show up in the author's future books under the name Ariana Franklin, such as medieval Cambridge, the hostility towards the Jews, and most notably, Henry II. He actually has a larger role in this book than in her later books, as the three protagonists get to know and admire him.
The writing is excellent, the story is interesting and touching, the characters are real, well-rounded and sympathetic, and the historical backdrop is detailed. I dearly wish this book would be reprinted, because there's only one copy in any library in the Bay Area, and used copies online cost a bundle. Her new books are so popular that I'm sure reprints of her older ones would do well. Please, publishers?
A quote that I noted: p. 82 "The main cause of delay was the medieval inability to hurry. De Choisilles...was so perfect a flower of chivalry that he was almost creepy."
As readers we learn along with these characters about the difficulties of life in the thirteenth century, and we learn it in some fascinating detail. We see daily life and society in a poor farming village, a royal court, the Jewish quarter of Cambridge, and an abbey, we see medieval warfare, we see the workings of the judicial assizes that Henry II created.
This book has many themes that will continue to show up in the author's future books under the name Ariana Franklin, such as medieval Cambridge, the hostility towards the Jews, and most notably, Henry II. He actually has a larger role in this book than in her later books, as the three protagonists get to know and admire him.
The writing is excellent, the story is interesting and touching, the characters are real, well-rounded and sympathetic, and the historical backdrop is detailed. I dearly wish this book would be reprinted, because there's only one copy in any library in the Bay Area, and used copies online cost a bundle. Her new books are so popular that I'm sure reprints of her older ones would do well. Please, publishers?
A quote that I noted: p. 82 "The main cause of delay was the medieval inability to hurry. De Choisilles...was so perfect a flower of chivalry that he was almost creepy."
August 18, 2014
A historical fantasy, the story is a good one. The souls of three modern-day thugs get thrown back into the time of Henry II (he of Becket fame), where each must make amends by bringing justice to those whose bodies they're wearing. The history is incredibly rich, tho at times a bit too much so with all the unfamiliar Saxon terms that were then in use. But it makes it that much more immersive and impressive.
This was her first novel (1980), and has been on my to-be-read list for ages. She only wrote a handful of boox but I will be looking for them all.
This was her first novel (1980), and has been on my to-be-read list for ages. She only wrote a handful of boox but I will be looking for them all.
June 2, 2010
i'm currently watching Simon Schama's History of Britain, and funnily enough he says exactly the same as Norman does in this novel. only she's a lot more entertaining. some of her later novels are bigger in scope, but i still come back to this one and its companion piece, King of the Last Days, as shining examples of the fact that you don't have to be deadly serious to get across the essential raison d'etre of a historical period.
February 24, 2011
I really enjoyed this! Will have to find more of her books.
One of the things that I thought was quietly funny was how the knights when talking together sounded like Bertie Wooster or Lord Peter Wimsey.
One of the things that I thought was quietly funny was how the knights when talking together sounded like Bertie Wooster or Lord Peter Wimsey.
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February 24, 2022Diana Norman does it again! Bouncy, impressionistic prose, lively characters, EXCELLENT grasp of history -- truly my happy place. It breaks my heart that someday soon I will have worked through her bibliography. Desolation, here I come.
October 28, 2016
A book that transports 3 young reprobates back to the time of Henry II in order to make amends using his law.
An unusual book that I very much enjoyed. I like a bit of time travel and so this book didn't disappoint. The detail in the book about living in the 12th century was excellent, and although it was detailed it wasn't too much. It covered from living as a lowly serf right up to the day to day life of a king. This book makes history come alive.
I will add that this book is very difficult to get hold of, and I feel fortunate that I managed to obtain a copy.
An unusual book that I very much enjoyed. I like a bit of time travel and so this book didn't disappoint. The detail in the book about living in the 12th century was excellent, and although it was detailed it wasn't too much. It covered from living as a lowly serf right up to the day to day life of a king. This book makes history come alive.
I will add that this book is very difficult to get hold of, and I feel fortunate that I managed to obtain a copy.
April 13, 2011
I spent so much time trying to get through this. It should have been an indicator for me. Once finished, I was rather disappointed. I had such high hopes for it but I really felt like the ending fell way, way short. It wasn't altogether a waste of time though. I feel like I'm becoming a real expert on Henry II!
December 27, 2025
If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would. I've read it many times. It's wonderful. I like the detail of the 12th century lives in England during the time of King Henry II. She focuses on three different situations, the poor villager, the royal ward in a nunnery and the knight.
Reread it...again. I find it to be charming when I'm not well.
Reread it...again. I find it to be charming when I'm not well.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews