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Margaret of Ashbury #2

by Judith Merkle Riley

The unforgettable Margaret of Ashbury returns in the second book of the trilogy that began with A Vision of Light.

Margaret, a resourceful midwife, is living with the insufferable relatives of her third husband, Gilbert de Vilers, known as Gregory. She is carving out a life for herself and her daughters despite the hostility and greed of her in-laws. But when Gregory is captured in France and held for ransom, Margaret knows she must take action—her in-laws are too tight with money to be of any use—so she teams up with her old friends Mother Hilde, the herbalist, and Brother Malachi, an alchemist on a quest for the secret of changing base metals into gold. Together, the trio plan to rescue Gregory and bring him back to London, where he and Margaret can start a new life away from his meddling family. And thus begins a wild romp across fourteenth-century Europe. Murderous noblemen, scheming ladies, truculent ghosts, and a steady stream of challenges plague the journey. Margaret will need not only her special gift of healing, her quick mind, and her independent spirit but the loyalty of her friends and the love of her new husband to carry them all safely home.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Fantasy, Medieval, Romance, British Literature

434 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Judith Astria Merkle was born on January 14, 1942 in Brunswick, Maine and grew up in Livermore, California, U.S.A. Her great-grandfather was a Swiss emigrant, who moved to the United States in 1860. Her uncle-abue was the famous player of baseball Fred Merkle. Her father, Theodore Charles Merkle was contralador of the Project Pluto and her brother Ralph C. Merkle is technological professor in a Computer science School.

Judith Astria Merkle holds a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley and teaches in the Department of Government at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California. Married with Mr. Riley, she wrote as Judith Merkle Riley six historical and romance novels.

Reviews

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Book #2 for Margaret of Ashbury the beginning puts Margaret at age 23, the wife of our good merchant Kendall, exactly at the point of ending for Book #1. But a sudden death from natural causes makes Margaret a widow and changes everything. She has inherited. Roger has also dowered the future of his daughters. This leaves her a wealthy widow with property. And in a void of masculine power for lawful governance of such which is impossible to sustain within 1356 London.

No synopsis. Just reaction. It's long- her story. This is not erudite historical fiction, but personality placed within a culture and a history. Margaret is to the period of the English/French 100 year clash for continental domain and coming enlightenments of print and science, as Lucy Ricardo is to 1950's American housewife and NYC culture. That may be too broad of a comparison for some of you. But in joy and in heart over head- not at all. Picture Lucy with some helpful ghosts on top of it- and you will approach even closer to this picture. Especially the Weeping Woman (her Lady mother-in-law long dead from 11 pregnancies but who has will of steel and opinion).

The first book I enjoyed for 100% of the tale, this one for at least 90%. There were tedious points of alchemist deductions and manipulative trading that seemed to put a drag into the progressions just past the midpoint. But considering the breadth and secrecies of the travels to rescue Gilbert? No. In fact it is an epic in manners and form over knowledge and fear warring within Margaret and Hilde at numerous points. And all when she is pregnant, at that. No scarcity in physical stamina fortitude either.

Of course, the psychic and celestial needs to be completely swallowed for belief and context understanding. This was a delight in my case and just made Margaret more of her time, rather than less. She is a saint. Even before her growing and shrinking glow and healing skills of application, I understand that is the key.

There are bigger evils here to face than in the former book and much more noble exchanges of power, law and fashion or class to parse on the way. But most of her past household follows and advances to the foreign connections and the ultimate reveals for future. Future not just for Margaret, but for all the people and lodgings of her Kendall marriage (London)inheritance. Which is more than even she realizes!

But what was beyond the humor and the pathos both, was the skillful treatment of so many under characters here. I found Sim and Cis, for instance, their originals and their ultimate transmutations (that's a word that you will read too much perhaps)absolutely 5 star delightful. Sim was a London starveling and Cis was a laundress drudge. Remember?
Oh what surprises! And Hugo too, the brother-in-law from hell- is he actually going to be "changed" by Margaret?

Her literal answers of pure truth, joyful love and total acceptance on the stages of manipulative power mongering evil lies and worse deeds are as enthralling as in her teen-age years.

Is a husband #3 in the picture? Or a convent? Or a patronage for some poet or artist? And will she continue to brew the best ale in England? Are her red-headed daughters learning to stitch evenly and sitting in proper pose with feet tucked under in the alcove seats? LOL! Is Hilde completely "in love" at her age?

Can't wait for book #3, The Water Devil. Margaret is absolutely the best personality for me in fiction since the cracking of the first page of Flavia de Luce. Margaret's complete lack of guile and good intent under the most averse persecutions are sublime.

[Kate Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second of Riley's books about Margaret of Ashbury, medieval woman and part-time saint. When we left Margaret, she unexpectedly lost her beloved husband, and was immediately forced into another marriage with the equally reluctant Gregory, a scathing over-educated scholar. It takes Gregory and Margaret a while to find happiness in one another, and the antics of Gregory's blockhead older brother and autocratic warrior father don't help. When Gregory disappears in the French wars, Margaret sets off to find him, accompanied by a resourceful alchemist and a snobbish ghost. This is a lighter and less contemplative read than "A Vision of Light," but equally good. Riley's strong point, as always, is the humor: her villain is the apotheosis of evil who raises demons, keeps an active torture chamber, and kills small children, but he is also an exceptionally bad poet - when he interrupts his evil-doing to recite crude odes to spring, his victims are usually pleading for the rack again within two verses. Touches like this make "In Pursuit of the Green Lion" an enchanting read.

[Emily M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly one of the only books I like where God/Jesus gets a speaking role! This is the middle book in a series but can be read alone. I love Margaret as a protagonist. She's a consistently good person but not cloyingly so because she does get short-tempered, overwhelmed, teary, etc....which is understandable given that her healing gifts constantly put her at risk of being accused of witchcraft and, in this book, she's just been forced to marry someone who she actually was already friends with but whose family is horrible. They're starting to make it work well* when he gets sent off to war in France and then kidnapped by an evil nobleman. A pregnant Margaret sets out to rescue him along with her midwife friend, her friend's indulgence-selling relic-forging alchemist boyfriend, and two ghosts.
*This is one of my all-time favorite straight romances, actually!
Full review: https://ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2...

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was terrible. The first in the series was magnificent, and I have since finished the third. What they should have done was take the first bit of this book (about being at Brokesfield) and move it to the beginning of the 3rd book, and just skip everything that happened while they were abroad during the Green Lion. it was so tedious and boring; I only slogged my way through it to read the third which was MUCH better. I am also not really convinced about Margaret and her new husband's "love". It seemed just one night of wild passion and they "loved" each other. I liked her new husband much better in the 3rd book. Either way, you should definitely read the 1st in the series (A vision of light), and I guess you should slog your way through this one just to be able to get to the third book (The water devil). But don't expect to enjoy it.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

High-style trash, an amusing dollop, a ripping yarn. OK, a guilty pleasure, to be sure. But the writing is elegant and the story moves swiftly, with loads of period detail for this 14th Century tale of a woman who abandons hearth and home to search for her missing husband - accompanied by ghosts, alchemists, knights, evil counts, and more.

It's the medieval history version of a beach read.

[Rachel Neumeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where has this author been all my life? The instant I finished this book, which was published back in 1990, I ordered the first and third books of the trilogy. Wish I'd known it was the second book when I started it, but it stood by itself just fine, in fact.

This an outstanding historical fantasy. So far this year, I haven’t encountered all that many real standouts. And I’ve read 72 books this year so far (I just counted), so it’s disappointing that I’d have trouble coming up with ten that were really fabulous.

Well, this one is indeed really fabulous. Let me quote most of the prologue for you, and don’t tell me you don’t like prologues, neither do I, but sometimes there are exceptions. This prologue is great:

——–

It was in the Year of Our Lord 1358, in the summertime, just two days before the Feast of Saint Barnabas, that a Voice spoke out of heaven into the ear of my understanding.

“Margaret,” said the Voice, “just what are you doing there?” My pen stopped, and I looked up.

“Surely, You know already,” I said to the still air.

“Of course I do, but I want you to tell Me, and that is entirely different,” the Voice answered.

But to begin in the right place, I must begin with God’s gift of daughters, which is made to mothers as a test and a trial. For on the Day of Judgment when we must answer for all things, what shall we answer if our daughters be too stubborn and impatient for the needle? Thus does God try our souls, and likewise cast out vanity, for the mothers of ungovernable children must always be humble.

Now the day on which the Voice spoke was all fair and warm, and everything was blooming and growing. We had removed our household from London for the summer once again; the disorder in the kitchens at Whitehill Manor had at last been put right, . . . . The air was so fresh, and the green fields so inviting, only a fool would imagine that two little girls as willful as Cecily and Alison would remember their duty. . . . . Still, as I climbed the long outside stairs to peep into the bower up under the eaves, I did not foresee what I would find. Empty! It was clear enough what had happened – two little pairs of shoes tumbled underneath the embroidery frame, a few dozen halfhearted stitches added to the work of months, and on the windowsill, Mother Sarah’s abandoned distaff.

“And she’s no better than they are! How could they?” I called out the window, “Cecily! Alison!” and thought I could hear the answering shriek of children’s laughter from a far-off place. Oh, failed again, I brooded. However will I make them into ladies? And then God will say at the end of the world, “Margaret, you allowed your daughters to become hoydens. Their French knots unravel. And those daisies. Ugh. Exactly like toadstools. Pass on my left, unworthy woman.”

But the silence of the abandoned bower was so inviting. I could feel the wonderful possibilities rising from the floor like mist. Mine, all mind, rejoiced my careless heart. Space, room, and quiet! And before I knew it, I had my paper and ink from the chest, and my writings about housewifery spread about me.

Now you must know that long ago I made a plan to write down all the wisdom Mother Hilde taught me, so that it would not all be lost. And my girls shall have it after me, and so become celebrated for their mastery of the arts of healing and cookery and housewifery. And it is very well that it all be written, even though these are all true secrets, for suppose some grief should come to me – how would they manage then? And this I must say of them, though they are slow at the needle, they are swift at the art of reading, which is most rare among females.

I set the pen at the place I had left off. “To keep the moth from woolens . . .” I had written, all those months ago, in London. How much had happened since then! Their father dead, so much changed. A bright shaft of sunshine from the little window above made a warm puddle of light on the page. Moths. How can keeping the moths off make my girls happy?

“Oh, bother moths! What do I care about moths? What ever possessed me to write about moths anyway?”

“Certainly not Me, Margaret.” The Voice sounded warm and comfortable, as if it were somehow inside the sunlight. I looked up from the paper and inspected the sunbeam carefully. The only thing I could see were thousands of dancing dust motes, all shimmering golden.

“It seemed like such a good idea at the time,” I addressed the sunbeam. “But now it’s all turned into moths and recipes for fish. And I don’t even like fish.”

“Why write about them, then?”

“I thought it was proper.”

“What is proper is what you understand best, Margaret.”

So, of course it was all clear. It wasn’t fish and moths I needed to write about after all. It was about something much more important. And certainly something my girls should know about, for the world tells them nothing but lies, leaving them entirely deluded on the subject.

“Why so busy, and so inky?” asked my lord husband that very evening. “Have you take up that recipe book again? Write about those tasty little fruit things in pastry – they would definitely be a loss to posterity. My future sons-in-law will bless me.”

“I’m writing a love story.”

“Another tale of courtly love to add to the world’s stock of lies? Surely you lead mankind astray. Pastries would be far better.”

“No, I’m not writing about that false, flowery stuff. Jousts, and favors, and lute playing in rose-covered bowers. I’m writing about the happily-ever-after part. I’m writing about true love.”

“Real love? Oh, worse and worse, Margaret. Nobody writes about that. For one thing, it’s not decent. For another, it’s impossibly dull. Now, if you wish to write about love, you must respect the conventions. What interests people is the trying to get, not the getting. Look at Tristan! Look at Lancelot! What kind of romance would it be if they could have had what they wanted? Tristan marries Yseult, and they produce a dozen moon-faced brats! . . . You must face facts, Margaret. You don’t understand anything about writing love stories. Stick to recipes.”

So of course I set to work right away. After all, my lord husband considers himself a great expert on the topic of love, because he has written a number of poems on the subject. But I, I have loved greatly.”

—————

That’s not the whole thing, the prologue goes on a bit more, it’s three pages total, but that line’s a good stopping point, isn’t it?

I fell in love with this book at the “Pass on my left, unworthy woman,” line and wasn’t disappointed. Beautiful writing, wonderful characters, excellent plotting, splendid world-building – you get the feel of the real Middle Ages, which were of course totally dreadful in so many ways, and yet even though she shows you the filth and poverty and casual violence and horrible treatment of women, Riley somehow avoids the dark, gritty feel that can make current fantasies so unpleasant to read. I think it’s the protagonist’s pov, which . . . I don’t know. It’s not like Margaret looks at the world through rose-colored glasses, exactly. And I wouldn’t say she’s an innocent. But there’s an optimism and sweetness to her – well, there’s a reason God talks to her – she’s just a very nice person, but without being saccharine or simplistic. I really enjoyed her. All the characters are wonderful, really. The villain’s a bit of a stock villain, but actually I don’t mind that. He’s certainly evil enough you cheer on his downfall with enthusiasm.

And the writing! Obviously it’s fabulous, but it’s also interesting. Look at that prologue: it’s in the first person. Then in the first chapter, the first page is also in the first person. Then there’s a line break and the perspective switches to third person. Four pages later, there’s another line break and we switch back to first person. The rest of the chapter, about 18 pages, is all first person. The first five pages of the second chapter? Still first person. But then there’s a line break and we switch not only to third, but to the pov of Margaret’s new father-in-law! Now, he’s a very interesting character in his own right, but he’s definitely a secondary character, and yet here we are in his pov!

Actually the narrator through this section is omniscient; you don’t really notice when you’re reading it, you’re too caught up in the story, or at least I was. But we are told what the father-in-law thinks and remembers and also what Margaret hears and also what one of Margaret’s daughters is thinking. Looking carefully through this section, I see we are also told what Margaret’s husband is thinking. So it’s definitely an omniscient narrator, even though it’s mostly focused on the father-in-law and Margaret and plenty is left unsaid.

And then, after twelve pages, we switch back to Margaret’s first-person POV for the rest of the chapter. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like it. It definitely works, but it leaves me wondering, did Riley think about what she was doing when she wrote this? Or did she do it by feel? I think the omniscient narrator is so hard to do well. By far the hardest way to tell the story. I bet she did it by feel. I bet it’s impossible to do by reasoning your way through it.

A fascinating and wonderful book. I can’t wait to read the other two.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this second of the Margaret of Ashbury trilogy, the majority of the action takes place in France. Margaret’s new husband, along with his father and brother, has been forced to go to war for his Duke. Father – mortally wounded- and brother return, but Gregory does not. When no message asking for ransom arrives, he is assumed to be dead. But Margaret knows he is not, and that she must rescue him. She sets out with her dear friends Hilde and Brother Malachi. Malachi has his own reasons for accompanying her- he is an alchemist and has come into possession of a text written in Hebrew, which he cannot read. He is convinced it contains the last secret he needs- the Green Lion- to create the Philosopher’s Stone. Disguised as religious pilgrims, they set out.

Alchemy figures large in the tale. Not only does it provide a second impetus for Malachi, but it is one of the obsessions of mad Sieur d’Aigremont, who shows the pilgrims his, er, hospitality. One of the evilest characters I’ve read, the Sieur also seeks both the gold and the eternal life the Philosopher’s Stone can provide. Multiple threads weave together in his keep as many of them face death. But those events aren’t the end of their troubles- they still have to get back to England.

I think this is my favorite of the three. It has alchemy, ghosts, supernatural healing, noblemen good, evil and stupid, sham ladies and possibly Jesus. What’s not to like?

[Katharine Ott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In Pursuit of the Green Lion" - written by Judith Merkle Riley and published in 1990 by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House. Margaret of Ashbury (the second in this series) has been kidnapped and finds herself and her two young daughters in the run-down castle of the de Vilers family where she is forced to marry Gregory/Gilbert, the younger son. I enjoyed "A Vision of Light," the introduction to Margaret and Gregory, very much, but this continuation, although full of perilous adventures, seemed uneven, and I didn't appreciate how the characters of both Margaret and Gregory were developed. This 440 page visit to the 1300s of England and France had some interesting historical moments, but overall the story was not especially compelling.

[LOL_BOOKS]

WIDOW MARRIES MONK BUT THEY ARE SEPARATED

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book of the Margaret of Ashbury series, in which we follow her adventures with her third husband, an aesthetic and former monk, Gilbert, or as we have known him, Brother Gregory.
As in the first book, this is a droll look at life as it was supposedly lived in the mid 14th century, but it should be read with tongue firmly in cheek, because although many of the words used are authentic to the time period, many of the attitudes and abilities of the characters within the scope of the tale are too wildly anachronistic to be taken seriously! And to be fair, I think the author expects readers to take it that way, realizing that just as alchemists didn't ever really find the elixir of life or turn base metals into gold, most people, including men in the Middle Ages, didn't have access to reading, writing or even books of any kind.
While I found this story to be an homage to Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES with a distinctly modern vibe, I wish the author had followed Chaucer's pattern of brevity as well! The book is double in length what it needs to be in order to convey the plot. In fact, it meandered around for the first 200+ pages before getting down to the pilgrimage part. It is written engagingly so it was bearable, but I would have appreciated a lot less dilly-dallying!
I may read the third and final part of the trilogy, but if I do, it won't be for quite a while as I have a surfeit of medievalisms to digest just now.

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

When you choose to read a sequel, or the second book in a trilogy, of a book that you really really liked, there's always the concern that that next book will be a disappointment. I just loved the first book in this trilogy, A Vision of Light. Outstanding historical fiction, & with a touch of religious mystery that couldn't be "explained" but was just part of the story.

What a disappointment this second book is then. I've read almost half the book, with increasing dismay, until finally deciding to stop.

Spoiler alert: more-detailed comments below.
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. The "touch of religious mystery" has become a chatty, wisecracking voice.

. Ghosts have entered the story, with their own petty concerns. They also serve as deus ex machina, providing useful information to Margaret when otherwise the plot would be stuck.

. The action has become increasingly far-fetched, while simultaneously less interesting than the action in the first book.

. Overall the tone is just wrong.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Margaret is haunted by two spirits and the fear that her husband does not love her. She on the other hand has grown to love him deeply and grieves when he sets off to war in France. When her father-in-law and his eldest son return, it is with hearts for they believe that Gilbert is dead. Margaret doesn't believe he is dead so when opportunity presents itself she runs away. She searches the dock in London and is taken care of by many unseemly characters from Gilbert's past. Learning that Gilbert is being held for ransom she journeys to France to ransom her husband. When she arrives, she finds that all is not as it should be. However, Margaret and company will find a way of making all things right.

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was harder for me to get through. I nearly gave up in the middle because of the depths of the darkness and evil to which the story descended. It is a romance in the true literary definition. One thing I liked about the first book was how Margaret grew as a person. She certainly faced hard times in this volume, but I didn’t see any real changes. She was strong in the beginning, and she was strong in the end. I suppose Gregory developed a little, but I don’t think it was enough to keep the progression going. This one just felt less impactful.

I actually didn’t mind the mystical aspects of the story, as others have mentioned not liking. I like some magical realism once in awhile.

[Gail Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is no 2 in the Margaret of Ashbury series and takes up right where the first novel left off. Riley seems to have the happy facility for combining the true state of women in the middle ages with a modern sensibility. Her heroine always manages to get around the male dominated society in which she lives, and I found some of the characters done with such a sly tongue in cheek that I laughed out loud! FYI I strongly suggest reading the first book before tackling this one, although it isn’t strictly necessary.

Series: A Vision of Light
In Pursuit of the Green Lion
The Water Devil

[Nightwitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason I didn't find this book as engaging as the first; I think there was too much alchemy, too much mysticism, and too much of the book was spent on dramatic road trips while everyone was sad. The first novel had much more dramatic momentum, plot-wise, and felt more believable than this one did. Additionally, some of the characterizations were very back-and-forth - on the one hand we got looks at Hugo's POV that were pretty creepy, but by the end of the book we were back to having him play comic relief.

[📚 Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Completely boring. Far worse than the first book in the series. Bad enough that I don't think I'll read the third book. The entire structure of the novel was different. The way the first book was told, through "flashbacks" as Margaret was writing her book was much more interesting than her just walking around living a boring life. I don't see at all how this book has a rating over 4. Did those people even read the whole book? I wonder how they struggled through the whole boring thing, let alone how anyone could give it a high rating.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second half of the story begun with “A Vision of Light”. I don’t want to give too much away but I absolutely loved this. The character growth is phenomenal. I didn’t care overly for the alchemy aspect which admittedly was a large part but the rest was so satisfying and it didn’t lessen my overall enjoyment one bit.

[Sadie McCarley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of timeless and amusing observations about life and humankind.

[Kariss · Rating 4 out of 5]

the first one was so fun that I had to run out and read the next one -

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another solid entry in a 3 book series. Continues the pattern of METICULOUS historical detail and ludicrous plot twists. Includes a thinly disguised Gilles de Rais.

[superawesomekt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some mature content, but very original books.

[Peregrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow even better than the first one. The characters are dynamic and lovable, and the threats of life as a woman at that time are present without being exploitative or painful.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020: I'd forgotten most of this. While the fantasy elements are very medieval, in a modern book they seem a bit too much. Still like the first book better.