I Will Maintain

William and Mary #1

by Marjorie Bowen

For one to succeed, another must fall…

William of Orange became king of England, defeated the French and restored the protestant faith.

But as a young man he was both pupil and prisoner of John de Witt, the leader of the Dutch Republic.

Although they spent much of their lives as enemies, the two men could never bring themselves to hate each other.

Both were proud leaders, but the rise of one would always mean the fall of the other.

And unlike de Witt, the prince had the support of the people.

William is an enigma.

To the French he is a potential ally, a cousin of Louis XIV. To the people he is hope and a chance for change.

And for de Witt, William of Orange is the most dangerous man alive.

With the people against him, and the French storming the borders, de Witt soon becomes a desperate man.

The prince, meanwhile, must make his choice – side with the French, end the war and become a king, or side with the people and continue a desperate war full of nothing but uncertainty…

In I Will Maintain, Marjorie Bowen brings the tale of William of Orange to life in a new and exciting way, exposing the infamous rivalry that dominated 17th century England.

Marjorie Bowen was born in 1885 and is one of many pseudonyms the writer Margaret Gabrielle Vere Campbell Long used. She was one of Britain’s most prolific authors of the twentieth century. Writing was more than just a hobby: her works were the primary source of financial support for her family. Between 1906 and her death in 1952, Bowen wrote over 150 books, garnering much acclaim for her popular histories and historical and Gothic romances. Alongside masterful descriptions and concise, efficient prose, she deftly rendered larger-than-life subjects in the minds of her readers. To this day, aficionados of the genres covet Bowen’s work. Her other titles include The Sword Decided, Mary Queen of Scots, The Queen’s Caprice, The Governor of England, Mistress Nell Gwynn and Dickon.

Genres: Historical Fiction

598 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1910

About the author

Marjorie Bowen (pseudonym of Mrs Gabrielle Margaret V[ere] Long née Campbell), was a British author who wrote historical romances, supernatural horror stories, popular history and biography. Her total output numbers over 150 volumes with the bulk of her work under the 'Bowen' pseudonym. She also wrote under the names Joseph Shearing, George R. Preedy, John Winch, Robert Paye, and Margaret Campbell. As Joseph Shearing, she wrote several sinister gothic romances full of terror and mystery. Many of these stories were published as Berkley Medallion Books. Several of her books were adapted as films. Her books are much sought after by aficionados of gothic horror and received praise from critics.

Bowen's alcoholic father left the family at an early age and was eventually found dead on a London street. After this, Bowen's prolific writings were the chief financial support for her family. She was married twice: first, from 1912-16, to a Sicilian named Zefferino Emilio Constanza, who died of tuberculosis, and then to one Arthur L. Long. Her first novel was The Viper of Milan (1906), after which she produced a steady stream of writings until the day of her death on 23rd December 1952. Her last, posthumous, novel was The Man with the Scales (1954).

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not well written. However, from an historical standpoint, it's interesting to see how God can use a man, in spite of his own pride and sinfulness, to protect his own people.

The book is an account of the education of William III of Orange, his accession to lead the Dutch armies, and later his promotion to Stadtholder of the Dutch counties.

The book ends rather abruptly with the murders of John and Cornelius de Witt, who had formerly led and ruled the republic, but when William III was gone from the Hague, a mob turned on them and brutally murdered them.

It would have been a better book if the author had included an index to some Dutch terms at the end for readers unfamiliar with that terms.

[Roelof · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best Historical Novel I ever read! It is 90% history and 10% fiction. Because of this book I became a publisher!

[Richard Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I get into why I rated this 5 stars I want to make some things very clear. There were a lot of words in this book and at times it was hard to read. Bowens described things a lot. But with that being said this book has to be a 5 because of the way it was written. It was so moving and motivating. The bravery and courage that William has was really well displayed by Bowens. Even when all seemed at a lost, William of Orange never gave up. He believed that his country was worth fighting for. He believed that God could use it to save the Netherlands and he did. The story even gets better when we see the calm demeanour of John de Witt before he dies. His trust and hope in God. "John de Witt continued, in an uplifted voice, "But as it is written, no eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those that love him." John de Witt of all the characters had the real character arch. He was no longer fearful as he once was but was trusting in God. In the beginning of the book, he was a character you didn't really like but towards the end, he was an admirable person. And Bowen did a really good job displaying that. This book was extremely well written I felt part of the story. I would highly recommend reading this.

[Walford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was amazed that, as a lover of historical fiction, I had never heard of Marjorie Bowen. She seems to be completely forgotten, except for her novels of horror and the supernatural.
This is not one of those, being purely historical. And it is very dated and very long, moving mostly at a (by our standards) glacial pace, and dipping into melodrama at regular intervals.
But it is so beautifully written that it held me enthralled even though I knew nothing about the subject and, until now, cared less. The observations of people and settings are very fine, and the portrayal of William of Orange, eventually King of England, is fascinating.
This was published in 1910, when the author was 25, which adds to this reader's amazement and deep appreciation. If you love Norah Lofts please give this a try.

[Lucy · Rating 1 out of 5]

for the first half of this, I thought it would be a 4 star read, then the wars started, there was far too much relish in the bloodshed, and it just went from bad to worse with the end of the De Witt brothers. Even though I skimmed the last few chapters I read too much.

[Winnie Thornton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bowen way over describes. But there's still a good story left when she's done.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

It does complete off the challenge, Book older than 100 years, and Book set in a place you want to visit.