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The Fool's Tale
Wales, 1198. A time of treachery, passion, and uncertainty. King Maelgwyn ap Cadwallon, known as Noble, struggles to protect his small kingdom from foes outside and inside his borders. Pressured into a marriage of political convenience, he takes as his bride the young, headstrong Isabel Mortimer, niece of his powerful English nemesis.
Through strength of character, Isabel wins her husband's grudging respect, but finds the Welsh court backward and barbaric, and is soon engaged in a battle of wills against Gwirion, the king's oldest, oddest, and most trusted friend. Before long, however, Gwirion and Isabel's mutual animosity is abruptly transformed, and the king finds himself as threatened by loved ones as by the enemies who menace his crown.
A masterful novel by a gifted storyteller, The Fool's Tale combines vivid historical fiction, compelling political intrigue, and passionate romance to create an intimate drama of three individuals bound -- and undone -- by love and loyalty.
Through strength of character, Isabel wins her husband's grudging respect, but finds the Welsh court backward and barbaric, and is soon engaged in a battle of wills against Gwirion, the king's oldest, oddest, and most trusted friend. Before long, however, Gwirion and Isabel's mutual animosity is abruptly transformed, and the king finds himself as threatened by loved ones as by the enemies who menace his crown.
A masterful novel by a gifted storyteller, The Fool's Tale combines vivid historical fiction, compelling political intrigue, and passionate romance to create an intimate drama of three individuals bound -- and undone -- by love and loyalty.
526 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
134 people are currently reading
2254 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Galland
16 books457 followersNicole Galland writes critically-acclaimed novels in several different genres. She is mostly know for historical fiction, but recently teamed up with Neal Stephenson to write the New York Times bestselling, time-travel-themed The Rise And Fall of D.O.D.O. (HarperCollins, 2017). She'll be releasing its sequel, Master of the Revels, in February of 2021.
Her historical novels (all published by HarperCollins or imprints) include: The Fool's Tale; I, Iago; Revenge of the Rose; Godiva; and Crossed: A Tale of the Fourth Crusade. Her debut, The Fool's Tale, was a "Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers" selection.
Nicole has written two contemporary comic novels, Stepdog, and On The Same Page.
With a collective of six other authors (including Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear) Nicole co-authored the Mongoliad Trilogy (published by 47N), and under the pen name E. D. deBirmingham, also wrote the Siege Perilous, a Mongoliad sequel.
Galland is a "Shakespeare nerd" at heart. With actress/director Chelsea McCarthy she is the co-creator of Shakespeare for the Masses at the Martha's Vineyard Playhouse, and writes a tongue-in-cheek column for the Martha's Vineyard Times.
Her historical novels (all published by HarperCollins or imprints) include: The Fool's Tale; I, Iago; Revenge of the Rose; Godiva; and Crossed: A Tale of the Fourth Crusade. Her debut, The Fool's Tale, was a "Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers" selection.
Nicole has written two contemporary comic novels, Stepdog, and On The Same Page.
With a collective of six other authors (including Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear) Nicole co-authored the Mongoliad Trilogy (published by 47N), and under the pen name E. D. deBirmingham, also wrote the Siege Perilous, a Mongoliad sequel.
Galland is a "Shakespeare nerd" at heart. With actress/director Chelsea McCarthy she is the co-creator of Shakespeare for the Masses at the Martha's Vineyard Playhouse, and writes a tongue-in-cheek column for the Martha's Vineyard Times.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
October 22, 2013
I am happy to admit that I am a history nerd. I love reading about it, seeing it, learning about it, and if I spot something that is set in Wales, I'll happily pounce on it. Especially if it is about the medieval (c. 500-1500 BCE) period of Welsh history.
The Fool's Tale is set in the late twelfth century, when Wales was still independent of English rule, but was divided into a collection of small realms. And all of them are squabbling with each other, ready to murder each other instead of trying to resolve their differences and present a united front. One of those rulers is Maelgwn ap Cadwallon, ruler of the tiny realm of Maelienydd.
Maelgwn -- nicknamed Noble for his attitude and bearing -- is getting married, to a young woman, Isabel Mortimer. Unfortunately for Isabel she's the daughter of a powerful Norman family that were responsible for the murder of Noble's father in an ambush. Noble's closest friend -- if he can be called that -- is Gwirion, who risked his own life to save Noble's when his father was murdered. Gwirion, an orphan without family or fortune of his own, has made his living at Noble's court by being a jester of sorts. His jokes are bawdy, and frankly, obscene for the most part.
Isabel, accompanied by her servant, Adele, comes into this very alien world. She is not just very pretty, but also clever, and unknown to the people around her is quite fluent in Welsh. Indeed her education is for the most part better than the king's (Noble, surpassing all understanding why, is referred to as a king in this book; more on this later). Regarded as a nonentity by her husband's courtiers and advisors, Isabel quietly fumes; Gwirion for his part, starts off his relationship with Isabel by insulting her at every turn.
As for Noble, well, we discover quickly that he's anything but. In one fit of temper he kicks Isabel's companion to death. He plays a ghastly trick on Gwirion that is about as funny as dropping an anvil on your foot. And in one very repellent scene, he forces Isabel and a would be lover into a sado-masochistic display.
And Gwirion and Isabel fall in love, setting up a love triangle that is not just ludicrous, but silly. Of course, in grand Tristan-und-Isolde fashion, it plays out as a big tragic finish...
I had such high hopes for this one. There's some actual history of the times in here, a few historical characters, and even a Welsh custom or two. But the bad points overwhelm what is good about this one.
I know I am being nitpicky here, but if the author makes a grand show of how much research she's done in her book, then she had better get it right. Why? Well, out there in the book world, you''re bound to find someone who does know the details, and you can bet that they'll be vocal about it.
Finally, the writing isn't that good. The author constantly tells us all about what is going on, but doesn't do much to show us. Just as cringe-worthy is the character of Isabel -- our heroine is not much more than a wish-fulfillment on the part of the author. And another thing that bothered me was that the author made both Isabel and Gwirion fictional -- they never existed, and while Maelgwn/Noble did live, she has him dying childless, while the real one sired quite a few heirs to succeed him.
Ooops.
It took me a real effort to wade through this mass of treacle, and I fully intend to never buy another book by this author. She is evidently a screenwriter, but if this is an example of her work, I have to wonder about her future. As for myself, I intend to stay with the writing of Elizabeth Chadwick and Sharon Kay Penman for any historicals set in the medieval period -- at least they do know what they're talking about.
For the long review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/the_fo...
The Fool's Tale is set in the late twelfth century, when Wales was still independent of English rule, but was divided into a collection of small realms. And all of them are squabbling with each other, ready to murder each other instead of trying to resolve their differences and present a united front. One of those rulers is Maelgwn ap Cadwallon, ruler of the tiny realm of Maelienydd.
Maelgwn -- nicknamed Noble for his attitude and bearing -- is getting married, to a young woman, Isabel Mortimer. Unfortunately for Isabel she's the daughter of a powerful Norman family that were responsible for the murder of Noble's father in an ambush. Noble's closest friend -- if he can be called that -- is Gwirion, who risked his own life to save Noble's when his father was murdered. Gwirion, an orphan without family or fortune of his own, has made his living at Noble's court by being a jester of sorts. His jokes are bawdy, and frankly, obscene for the most part.
Isabel, accompanied by her servant, Adele, comes into this very alien world. She is not just very pretty, but also clever, and unknown to the people around her is quite fluent in Welsh. Indeed her education is for the most part better than the king's (Noble, surpassing all understanding why, is referred to as a king in this book; more on this later). Regarded as a nonentity by her husband's courtiers and advisors, Isabel quietly fumes; Gwirion for his part, starts off his relationship with Isabel by insulting her at every turn.
As for Noble, well, we discover quickly that he's anything but. In one fit of temper he kicks Isabel's companion to death. He plays a ghastly trick on Gwirion that is about as funny as dropping an anvil on your foot. And in one very repellent scene, he forces Isabel and a would be lover into a sado-masochistic display.
And Gwirion and Isabel fall in love, setting up a love triangle that is not just ludicrous, but silly. Of course, in grand Tristan-und-Isolde fashion, it plays out as a big tragic finish...
I had such high hopes for this one. There's some actual history of the times in here, a few historical characters, and even a Welsh custom or two. But the bad points overwhelm what is good about this one.
I know I am being nitpicky here, but if the author makes a grand show of how much research she's done in her book, then she had better get it right. Why? Well, out there in the book world, you''re bound to find someone who does know the details, and you can bet that they'll be vocal about it.
Finally, the writing isn't that good. The author constantly tells us all about what is going on, but doesn't do much to show us. Just as cringe-worthy is the character of Isabel -- our heroine is not much more than a wish-fulfillment on the part of the author. And another thing that bothered me was that the author made both Isabel and Gwirion fictional -- they never existed, and while Maelgwn/Noble did live, she has him dying childless, while the real one sired quite a few heirs to succeed him.
Ooops.
It took me a real effort to wade through this mass of treacle, and I fully intend to never buy another book by this author. She is evidently a screenwriter, but if this is an example of her work, I have to wonder about her future. As for myself, I intend to stay with the writing of Elizabeth Chadwick and Sharon Kay Penman for any historicals set in the medieval period -- at least they do know what they're talking about.
For the long review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/the_fo...
June 21, 2025
2.5 stars. I'm not sure what to say about this book. I so looked forward to an interesting historical fiction novel. It's starts out okay but veers off in a way that was annoying for me and wasted too many pages. additionally, there are some scenes that are cringeworthy in their cruelty. I do note that this was Galland's first novel. The ending was a stunner and completely unexpected and not in a good way.
This one is set in the late 12thC in one of the kingdoms in what would eventually become Wales. Starts out pretty typical mapping out the tensions between the various Welsh provinces as well as the feuding between the English Mortimers and the titular Welsh King. In a diplomatic contract, King Maelgwyn ap Cadwallon, nicknamed Noble, is to marry Isabel Mortimer. No one is happy about this and thus begins the story of a despised Mortimer trying to fit into the Welsh culture, but it is not just the people she must win over, but Noble's best friend since childhood, the witty amusement for the court as well as a talented harpist. This trio's dynamics are the focus for the next year as the story unfolds.
The biggest plus: this has been sitting in my physical TBR file for many years and now I'm happy to be done with it and send it on its way by way of donation.
This one is set in the late 12thC in one of the kingdoms in what would eventually become Wales. Starts out pretty typical mapping out the tensions between the various Welsh provinces as well as the feuding between the English Mortimers and the titular Welsh King. In a diplomatic contract, King Maelgwyn ap Cadwallon, nicknamed Noble, is to marry Isabel Mortimer. No one is happy about this and thus begins the story of a despised Mortimer trying to fit into the Welsh culture, but it is not just the people she must win over, but Noble's best friend since childhood, the witty amusement for the court as well as a talented harpist. This trio's dynamics are the focus for the next year as the story unfolds.
The biggest plus: this has been sitting in my physical TBR file for many years and now I'm happy to be done with it and send it on its way by way of donation.
April 13, 2008
Okay, I seriously have a new favorite author! Nicole Galland has a fun, witty, elegant, descriptive, and flowing way of writing that grabs you at the first page and doesn't let you go until the final word on the last page. Something that was refreshing in my current favorite genre of historical fiction. I know there's a lot of us out there who have become addicted after those Philippa Gregory novels and we're constantly searching for another gem of an author, I've found her for you!
What really made the story was Galland's writing combined with her characters. She's got a really nice flow to her writing that has an underlying (or in the case of Gwirion, outlying) humor to it and that just engages you and carries the story. Then, every character that even just passed by in the background seemed to have a story behind them, a life they were living and that helped give the novel a full and real feeling. Of course if that's how a background character seems, you can't even imagine how our three main characters are.
Gwirion, Noble, and Isabel all are imperfect and that's what makes them real. It's what makes them well-rounded. And, to me, it's what makes a well-rounded character. If you've read a lot of my reviews you'll realize that I'm typically drawn to books that have real characters who are flawed. Each of our three characters all have stories behind them as well. It helps you understand them, sympathize with them, and see what motivates them. You also will become drawn more to one character than another, but that's not due to how Galland writes it. It's not because she wants you to like one more than another, it's because you will choose who you like. You're always drawn to one character in any book, even if they're all the "good guys." Galland doesn't force one on you, which is another reason I fell in love with the book.
Of course the book isn't without a flaw or two, the only really major one being that it did end up feeling a little cliched at times, but that's about it. It gets remedied though by the surprising ending, which if I hadn't already thought the book worth the read, would have made it so. Seriously, if you want any reason to read the book, it's the ending. Unique and surprising, I was floored. I'm not giving anything more than that away.
Really, if you've been looking for another good historical fiction (historical romance) author, I've found her for you. Nicole Galland! If you've read her, or once you finally do, please tell me what you think.
What really made the story was Galland's writing combined with her characters. She's got a really nice flow to her writing that has an underlying (or in the case of Gwirion, outlying) humor to it and that just engages you and carries the story. Then, every character that even just passed by in the background seemed to have a story behind them, a life they were living and that helped give the novel a full and real feeling. Of course if that's how a background character seems, you can't even imagine how our three main characters are.
Gwirion, Noble, and Isabel all are imperfect and that's what makes them real. It's what makes them well-rounded. And, to me, it's what makes a well-rounded character. If you've read a lot of my reviews you'll realize that I'm typically drawn to books that have real characters who are flawed. Each of our three characters all have stories behind them as well. It helps you understand them, sympathize with them, and see what motivates them. You also will become drawn more to one character than another, but that's not due to how Galland writes it. It's not because she wants you to like one more than another, it's because you will choose who you like. You're always drawn to one character in any book, even if they're all the "good guys." Galland doesn't force one on you, which is another reason I fell in love with the book.
Of course the book isn't without a flaw or two, the only really major one being that it did end up feeling a little cliched at times, but that's about it. It gets remedied though by the surprising ending, which if I hadn't already thought the book worth the read, would have made it so. Seriously, if you want any reason to read the book, it's the ending. Unique and surprising, I was floored. I'm not giving anything more than that away.
Really, if you've been looking for another good historical fiction (historical romance) author, I've found her for you. Nicole Galland! If you've read her, or once you finally do, please tell me what you think.
July 17, 2009
Very slooow and drawn out; I was rooting for the characters, but they all made such poor, predictable decisions, obviously for the sake of a love triangle. This book had great potential, but the story didn't take advantage of the set-up the beginning of the book provided.
I wanted to love the book; it kept me reading all the way to the end (a testament to the writers ability), but the story and especially the ending, made me feel disappointed that I spent so much time with the book.
I wanted to love the book; it kept me reading all the way to the end (a testament to the writers ability), but the story and especially the ending, made me feel disappointed that I spent so much time with the book.
July 20, 2025
"I don't want honor, I want life."
Nicole you DID NOT- 😭
The narration is interesting, very clear (but not boring) and simultaneous- I do wish it was more descriptive, though.
It was a good historical fiction novel, it reminded me why I love them so much.
About the romance, However, I must say it was entertaining, and kept me on my toes a couple of times.
3.3 stars ✨
"I would be willing to lose you if only I could really have you first."
Nicole you DID NOT- 😭
The narration is interesting, very clear (but not boring) and simultaneous- I do wish it was more descriptive, though.
It was a good historical fiction novel, it reminded me why I love them so much.
About the romance, However, I must say it was entertaining, and kept me on my toes a couple of times.
3.3 stars ✨
"I would be willing to lose you if only I could really have you first."
January 15, 2008
I read few books that make me think "wow, that would be a great movie!" I think I must read the wrong sort of books. Fool's Tale, however, would make a GREAT movie, and if the author hangs out on Goodreads, I hope she sees this and takes it to heart.
The story of a strange love triangle between a bride of political convenience, a Welsh king of good character, and his Fool--his best friend who lives in limbo, neither belonging nor an outsider to court, neither respected nor scorned, not wealthy nor allowed to own anything, well loved but not allowed to hope for anything of his own.
In the hands of another writer, this story could have been either very introspective or plot driven, but Galland (a screenwriter) draws the three characters compellingly, giving each his/her story, and giving each character's internal struggle the weight of action. And, as a free bonus, there's a nice dose of medieval Welsh history.
The story of a strange love triangle between a bride of political convenience, a Welsh king of good character, and his Fool--his best friend who lives in limbo, neither belonging nor an outsider to court, neither respected nor scorned, not wealthy nor allowed to own anything, well loved but not allowed to hope for anything of his own.
In the hands of another writer, this story could have been either very introspective or plot driven, but Galland (a screenwriter) draws the three characters compellingly, giving each his/her story, and giving each character's internal struggle the weight of action. And, as a free bonus, there's a nice dose of medieval Welsh history.
April 4, 2017
A fairly lengthy read but entertaining! I've had this one for a while but have been putting off reading it because I'm a fan of shorter books, but I'm glad I finally got to it. After finishing it and looking back, there really wasn't a lot of action - not all that much happened- but it's a great character study of the three main characters (Noble, Isabel, and Gwirion). A solid historical fiction novel.
3.5-4 stars!
3.5-4 stars!
June 26, 2018
I love, I LOVE this story. I read it first in July 2008, so now it's over 2 years later and I just read it again. And I love it even more. ETA: Reread almost 10 years later.
It's set oh, Robin Hoodish times. Late 1190s Wales. King Richard is on his Crusades and Prince John is on the English throne. He's only mentioned in this book, he doesn't actually have any speaking parts.
The novel centers around "Noble", the nickname of the King of a little Welsh "reeve" and his castle, Cymaron. Noble is everything you think you'd want your King to be...young, athletic, healthy, beautiful, royal. He's also the most arrogant creature EVER, but hey he's the KING so he can afford to be. However, he has the biggest problem in the history of all kings, and that is he has no heir.
He marries Isabel Mortimer, an Englishwoman, whose uncle Roger tried to kill Noble twenty years earlier, but only succeeded in killing his father. The marriage is entirely political. His thinking is...if he and Isabel can have an heir, Roger won't take over their little Welsh kingdom, and his little Welsh kingdome can continue it's glory days.
All in all, Roger isn't so much the enemy here. He's just a baron or something. Noble just has this 20-year hatred of the guy for killing his father. And a 20-year hatred of himself for not rescuing his best friend, Gwirion, at the hands of Roger's henchmen.
Gwirion is one of my favorite characters ever. Like Scarlett O'Hara, you LOVE to hate this guy. He's obnoxious, rude, inappropriate, but he's a "fool", so he's pretty much allowed to say and do as he pleases. He's the King's best friend, and that's not really a deep enough term for what he is to the King. He saved Noble's life when they were 9 years old, so Noble feels somewhat indebted to him.
For most of the book, readers are given everyday life at Cymaron with these 3 incredibly odd, still three-dimensional characters and try to sort out exactly what is going on.
You want to hate Noble because he's arrogant. But he's got a kingdom to run, wars to plan, an heir to create, a wife to control (she's English, not Welsh), and a Fool to answer for. Among other things. I realize that sounds like Prince Humperdinck, but Noble is a bit more...suave. A Ken Doll to Humperdinck's Mr. Bill doll, if you will. He's not a tyrant until he feels his control slipping away. He's compassionate to dwarves and his childhood playmate, but not to old women or young boys. Noble's actually pretty contradictory, but I can't outright say that he's horrible and awful and we should all hate him.
You want to pity Isabel for being a stranger in a strange land. So, go ahead. There's not much she can do about the entire situation because she's a female and nothing but a political pawn to her uncle and brother. She was also born about 900 years too early. She pretty much has no choice in anything, because she has to obey HER king, who also is her husband, so being a Queen is only good when it's convenient for Noble. (Noble plays mind games with her nonstop. Everything is a trap, everything she says is used against her, there really are no correct answers she can give.)Her entire purpose is to have an heir. And since no one in 1199 Wales understands biology, of course it's HER fault. Isabel pretty much has the worst situation. She isn't allowed to contradict Noble when he's fallen over with laughter over Gwirion's pranks against her. She has one friend, a Welsh servant girl named Enid, who gets removed from the castle (and who also happens to be Noble's favorite "friend"). She has one English servant, an old woman named Adele who gets removed from this world. So Isabel is lonely the majority of the book.
You want Gwirion punished for his awful pranks, but they're pretty funny. Because they're not at the reader's expense, just at Isabel's. He's so rude, he needs some kind of retribution, RIGHT? He can't possibly get away with that stuff.
The book is really about Noble and Gwirion, and their complicated ties with each other, social class, what's acceptable to do and say and be around a king, what exactly a Royal Fool is (and Wales had no concept of this, it's an English role. No one is quite sure WHAT Gwirion is).
By the end of the book, you will feel differently about Gwirion. Probably Noble and Isabel too, but definitely him. All the characters change by the end of the book, one definitely for the worst, one for the better, and one truly a victim of place and time.
I think this will remain one of my top...twenty favorite books. I love the characters, even the secondary ones like Enid. I love how there really are no definite answers, just guesses. Some people, that drives them crazy, so if you like stories that leave you guessing, this is a doozy. You'll probably think about it long after you've finished. There are plenty of clues to let you make your own conclusions with out Nicole Galland coming right out and spelling it all out for you.
It's set oh, Robin Hoodish times. Late 1190s Wales. King Richard is on his Crusades and Prince John is on the English throne. He's only mentioned in this book, he doesn't actually have any speaking parts.
The novel centers around "Noble", the nickname of the King of a little Welsh "reeve" and his castle, Cymaron. Noble is everything you think you'd want your King to be...young, athletic, healthy, beautiful, royal. He's also the most arrogant creature EVER, but hey he's the KING so he can afford to be. However, he has the biggest problem in the history of all kings, and that is he has no heir.
He marries Isabel Mortimer, an Englishwoman, whose uncle Roger tried to kill Noble twenty years earlier, but only succeeded in killing his father. The marriage is entirely political. His thinking is...if he and Isabel can have an heir, Roger won't take over their little Welsh kingdom, and his little Welsh kingdome can continue it's glory days.
All in all, Roger isn't so much the enemy here. He's just a baron or something. Noble just has this 20-year hatred of the guy for killing his father. And a 20-year hatred of himself for not rescuing his best friend, Gwirion, at the hands of Roger's henchmen.
Gwirion is one of my favorite characters ever. Like Scarlett O'Hara, you LOVE to hate this guy. He's obnoxious, rude, inappropriate, but he's a "fool", so he's pretty much allowed to say and do as he pleases. He's the King's best friend, and that's not really a deep enough term for what he is to the King. He saved Noble's life when they were 9 years old, so Noble feels somewhat indebted to him.
For most of the book, readers are given everyday life at Cymaron with these 3 incredibly odd, still three-dimensional characters and try to sort out exactly what is going on.
You want to hate Noble because he's arrogant. But he's got a kingdom to run, wars to plan, an heir to create, a wife to control (she's English, not Welsh), and a Fool to answer for. Among other things. I realize that sounds like Prince Humperdinck, but Noble is a bit more...suave. A Ken Doll to Humperdinck's Mr. Bill doll, if you will. He's not a tyrant until he feels his control slipping away. He's compassionate to dwarves and his childhood playmate, but not to old women or young boys. Noble's actually pretty contradictory, but I can't outright say that he's horrible and awful and we should all hate him.
You want to pity Isabel for being a stranger in a strange land. So, go ahead. There's not much she can do about the entire situation because she's a female and nothing but a political pawn to her uncle and brother. She was also born about 900 years too early. She pretty much has no choice in anything, because she has to obey HER king, who also is her husband, so being a Queen is only good when it's convenient for Noble. (Noble plays mind games with her nonstop. Everything is a trap, everything she says is used against her, there really are no correct answers she can give.)Her entire purpose is to have an heir. And since no one in 1199 Wales understands biology, of course it's HER fault. Isabel pretty much has the worst situation. She isn't allowed to contradict Noble when he's fallen over with laughter over Gwirion's pranks against her. She has one friend, a Welsh servant girl named Enid, who gets removed from the castle (and who also happens to be Noble's favorite "friend"). She has one English servant, an old woman named Adele who gets removed from this world. So Isabel is lonely the majority of the book.
You want Gwirion punished for his awful pranks, but they're pretty funny. Because they're not at the reader's expense, just at Isabel's. He's so rude, he needs some kind of retribution, RIGHT? He can't possibly get away with that stuff.
The book is really about Noble and Gwirion, and their complicated ties with each other, social class, what's acceptable to do and say and be around a king, what exactly a Royal Fool is (and Wales had no concept of this, it's an English role. No one is quite sure WHAT Gwirion is).
By the end of the book, you will feel differently about Gwirion. Probably Noble and Isabel too, but definitely him. All the characters change by the end of the book, one definitely for the worst, one for the better, and one truly a victim of place and time.
I think this will remain one of my top...twenty favorite books. I love the characters, even the secondary ones like Enid. I love how there really are no definite answers, just guesses. Some people, that drives them crazy, so if you like stories that leave you guessing, this is a doozy. You'll probably think about it long after you've finished. There are plenty of clues to let you make your own conclusions with out Nicole Galland coming right out and spelling it all out for you.
November 17, 2008
Much as I love big, fat historical novels (hysterical novels?), I couldn't quite get into this one.
It's set in Wales at the end of the 16th century, and I got very distracted by the Welsh names. There's a pronunciation list of people and places in the front of the book, and I found myself spending too much time looking up correct pronunciations rather than focusing on the story.
This was during a period when kings and other rulers frequently kept a "fool" to keep them entertained. It was interesting to get to know this particular "fool" as a real person and not just a clown, but I found it hard to care much about him or any of the other characters in the novel. I also found it hard to believe that any ruler would put up with some of the pranks he pulled.
From this novel you'd think that the only things people did were fight to keep their territory and have sex every night (literally every night) in order to get an heir to the throne. Frankly, I got bored quickly.
I wanted to find out more about how these people actually lived. What they did... How they thought...What their homes and surroundings were like... How they were educated... What their religious beliefs were...
But, no. The entire 500 and something pages were about the king, his young, politically-chosen wife, and his childhood friend, the fool. And I just couldn't come to care about any of them.
It's set in Wales at the end of the 16th century, and I got very distracted by the Welsh names. There's a pronunciation list of people and places in the front of the book, and I found myself spending too much time looking up correct pronunciations rather than focusing on the story.
This was during a period when kings and other rulers frequently kept a "fool" to keep them entertained. It was interesting to get to know this particular "fool" as a real person and not just a clown, but I found it hard to care much about him or any of the other characters in the novel. I also found it hard to believe that any ruler would put up with some of the pranks he pulled.
From this novel you'd think that the only things people did were fight to keep their territory and have sex every night (literally every night) in order to get an heir to the throne. Frankly, I got bored quickly.
I wanted to find out more about how these people actually lived. What they did... How they thought...What their homes and surroundings were like... How they were educated... What their religious beliefs were...
But, no. The entire 500 and something pages were about the king, his young, politically-chosen wife, and his childhood friend, the fool. And I just couldn't come to care about any of them.
May 1, 2010
At the beginning, this book seems dense and intimidating. I was so tripped up about the pronunciation key on the first page that I almost didn't even read it.
But all that goes away fairly quickly. Truthfully, the hardest part to read was the Prologue. Getting through that was all it took for me to get sucked in.
I read this book in a week. No, read isn't the right word. I inhaled this book. It completely overtook me. I stayed up until 3 a.m. several nights in a row because I could NOT put it down. Even when I gave up and tried to lay down, I was too revved up to go to sleep.
Every. single. word!! of this book was fascinating, heart-breaking, beautiful, and just plain amazing. The characters were so real I could hear them speaking. At one point, I was so enraptured that I didn't even see or hear my husband walking right up to me and standing next to me. He scared me so bad I jumped a mile in the air! There was literally no outside world, I was completely engulfed. THAT, my friends is a GOOD BOOK.
But all that goes away fairly quickly. Truthfully, the hardest part to read was the Prologue. Getting through that was all it took for me to get sucked in.
I read this book in a week. No, read isn't the right word. I inhaled this book. It completely overtook me. I stayed up until 3 a.m. several nights in a row because I could NOT put it down. Even when I gave up and tried to lay down, I was too revved up to go to sleep.
Every. single. word!! of this book was fascinating, heart-breaking, beautiful, and just plain amazing. The characters were so real I could hear them speaking. At one point, I was so enraptured that I didn't even see or hear my husband walking right up to me and standing next to me. He scared me so bad I jumped a mile in the air! There was literally no outside world, I was completely engulfed. THAT, my friends is a GOOD BOOK.
November 2, 2023
4.5* - So you’re telling me Noble isn’t in love with his best friend, despite always putting him before his wife? Blaming Isabel for ‘stealing’ him, then calling Gwirion a ‘traitor’ for falling in love, not specifically with his wife (which is understandable) but with anyone? Not to mention the description of his ‘perfect woman’ sounding almost identical to Gwirion?
Yeah, OKAY.
Yeah, OKAY.
September 10, 2023
I would describe this as vulgar, weird, cynical but definitely not boring.
The story centers on Maelgwyn ap Cadwallon, known as Noble, who is King of a very small part of Wales, when it was still an independent kingdom in the 12th century, by a political arrangement he marries Isabel niece of his English enemy Roger Mortimer, but the story does not focus only on him but on the strange "friendship / brotherhood" he has with Gwirion the fool (jester) but this story is not about honor, war or politics, I confess that for some reason I thought it would tell from a serious point of view, the fall of his kingdom, the betrayals, the customs of Wales and stuff like that, maybe because I come from reading magisterial novels about it, I also had the idea (I don't know where I got it from) that The king's political marriage would become a story of affection and struggle, a marriage between enemies who manage to break the barriers of culture and their past, but NO...
King Maelgwyn, whom everyone calls Noble supposedly because of his honorable character, has nothing at all of noble in him, and although I found it hard to sympathize with him, rather almost hated him, I believe that many kings of his time must have been exactly like that, Noble has a lifelong friendship with Gwirion, who as children saved his life, the bond between them is so close that they are possessive and obsessive with each other, but not in a romantic sense, but in a sense of belonging, Gwirion has the freedom to make inappropriate political comments, and insult everyone, he does not have to follow the protocol or obey, but at the same time he depends 100 percent on Noble , since he has no land, money or titles, the role of Gwirion is making pranks, playing the harp and making funny comments, personally I didn't find these episodes funny, in fact they are always sexually vulgar, hurtful to other people and absurd, but I guess it's the kind of humor that men would enjoy, and what certainly Noble loves, when Isabel arrives, Gwirion get jealous thinking that she gets all the king's attention and hating her because she is English, so he makes a very stupid and unappropriated prank to her, causing her to silently despise him, Noble and Isabel start their marriage without problems, she feels hopeful to live a romance and be an efficient queen, Noble is a good lover and she feels sexually delighted with him, but Gwirion is cruel to her and does all kinds of bad things to her specially comments and jokes about her , which sadly Isabel has to endure, also soon realizes that she will not have political power even at her household, she is just an accessory who everyone sees as a foreigner, she knows nothing about customs of her new country, so she ends marginalized, besides, her marriage is nothing like she dreamed, Noble is unfaithful to her with all the servants and ladies available, which Gwirion rubs in her face in front of everyone, humiliating her, she tries to speak up but that only upsets Noble, who although has intentions of being good to Isabel in few moments in general he has no the slightest consideration for her feelings and never stops cheating on her, he also makes it clear that for him, Gwirion he is 1000 times more important than Isabel. Isabel feels so frustrated and humiliated that she tries to get a divorce by appealing to the Welsh law that allowed a woman to leave to her unfaithful husband, but in the end she gives up the idea (it's not very clear why) and resigns herself, doing her small role as best as she can until people end up loving her, Noble deals with external threats mainly from Llewellyn the great, and soon after an abortion, it becomes clear that Isabel will not give him children, so Noble realizes that his marriage with Isabel was useless, and although he has moments of wanting to be a good husband, he comes to beat her and mistreat her in all possible ways, including forcing her to let herself be touched by one of Noble's barons, Noble really does not love anyone more than Gwirion for whom he is even capable of killing, also as his kingdom seems to have no future Noble becomes more apprehensive almost tyrant, and everyone fears him, Gwirion is a servant who has no family and is a complete cynic, he is vulgar, ignorant, rude and daring, but he has certain few values that he clings to, he does not allow sexual abuses and he is not afraid to defend servants of it (because he himself suffered from the English) he helps the servants to do their duties, and does not judge the employees for their sexual past, nor does he harass women. Although he loves Noble, he is not blind to the bad things that Noble does and little by little he becomes disenchanted with him until he reaches the point of wanting to seek an independent life for which he would have to flee, with time and traumatic events, Gwirion has no choice but to accept that Isabel is a good person but is still unpleasant for him and even wishes her death, however little by little they end up cooperating and hating each other less, the first half of the book this is what is read and honestly it collided with the idea that I had, it really was a mix between disappointment, disliking, funny, but also addictive, I couldn't stop reading, and reaching halfway through the book is when things take a turn, Noble goes to war, Llewellyn sends his soldiers to kidnap Isabel to threaten Noble, but Gwirion ends up saving her, although in the process the two end up locked in a room for days, it is then that Gwirion realizes that Isabel is not only a good person, she is funny, kind, and beautiful extremely beautiful, the attraction arises, for her it is more a matter of curiosity and revenge, Gwirion tries to resist but realizes that he cannot and swears to himself that it will only is a temptation and once he has Isabel, everything will be behind, and he will be able to flee from the kingdom, but once they make love, the two end up too pleased, Gwirion doesn't run away and then Noble arrives so they have to fake that nothing happened, at first both Gwirion and Isabel swear that it's just lust and he continues to be rude to her, but he feels bad, so eventually he loses his funny spark, they have sex again, and although they continue convincing that it's just that, they end up accepting that they love each other, he doesn't accept being with other women and is consumed by jealousy, because just then Noble decides that Isabel will have all his attention and that he will get her pregnant, so they spend every night together and Noble plays to be faithful (although he is not ) Isabel no longer cares about Noble, but she pretends to be an obedient wife, still she and Gwirion look for a way to continue with their nocturnal encounters what they do but it is not easy, living together becomes complicated, lovers are clumsy as their love grows and well in the end everything ends in tragedy, obviously Noble doesn't care if Isabel sleeps with someone but he can't forgive Gwirion falling in love with her, and that she made a better person of him, and only 1 survives.
As far as I know Noble, is a real character but his story has nothing to do with what the novel tells, neither politically nor personally, the political characters do not have a real basis for what is told either and the author accepts it at the end, so If you are looking for a historical novel serious and trustworthy, this is not it, it does recreate the medieval court well, except that it puts a "fool" in a court where historically there were none, and the behavior of the characters makes sense with the context but it is a story that really has nothing to do with history or politics, I'm not surprised that the author says at the end that she put the protagonists in the Middle Ages almost as if at the last minute, that's why I think a lot of people didn't like it but I find it entertaining and addictive, the writing is decent and although the book is vulgar at many times it is not grotesque.
Certainly the story has some WTF moments, many things do not make sense or logic, for example that Noble sleeps with all the women but none of them gets pregnant only Isabel, (?) It is extremely unlikely, as is the fact that being still likely she will get pregnant Noble lets her have sex with another man (?) She is very miserable but it's not clear why she doesn't leave when she can (?) Noble beats to death a woman loved by Isabel (as her second mother) and that after two days Isabel is as if nothing (?)
Now the romance is awkward, infrequent, superficial, but it's realistic considering the circumstances, and really the love between them is believable and has some "Aww" moments like when they secretly leave gifts, when after he refuses to take a lover they spend all night holding each other, or when he offers to do servant duties just to see her. ... And I loved seeing how Gwirion, who wished Isabel death at the beginning, ended up doing everything to protect of her... Even if is not very successful....
I think so at some point it tells a lot and shows little but for me it works.
In the end, just because of the weird and illogical moments, I give it 4 stars because in general I enjoy it.
The story centers on Maelgwyn ap Cadwallon, known as Noble, who is King of a very small part of Wales, when it was still an independent kingdom in the 12th century, by a political arrangement he marries Isabel niece of his English enemy Roger Mortimer, but the story does not focus only on him but on the strange "friendship / brotherhood" he has with Gwirion the fool (jester) but this story is not about honor, war or politics, I confess that for some reason I thought it would tell from a serious point of view, the fall of his kingdom, the betrayals, the customs of Wales and stuff like that, maybe because I come from reading magisterial novels about it, I also had the idea (I don't know where I got it from) that The king's political marriage would become a story of affection and struggle, a marriage between enemies who manage to break the barriers of culture and their past, but NO...
King Maelgwyn, whom everyone calls Noble supposedly because of his honorable character, has nothing at all of noble in him, and although I found it hard to sympathize with him, rather almost hated him, I believe that many kings of his time must have been exactly like that, Noble has a lifelong friendship with Gwirion, who as children saved his life, the bond between them is so close that they are possessive and obsessive with each other, but not in a romantic sense, but in a sense of belonging, Gwirion has the freedom to make inappropriate political comments, and insult everyone, he does not have to follow the protocol or obey, but at the same time he depends 100 percent on Noble , since he has no land, money or titles, the role of Gwirion is making pranks, playing the harp and making funny comments, personally I didn't find these episodes funny, in fact they are always sexually vulgar, hurtful to other people and absurd, but I guess it's the kind of humor that men would enjoy, and what certainly Noble loves, when Isabel arrives, Gwirion get jealous thinking that she gets all the king's attention and hating her because she is English, so he makes a very stupid and unappropriated prank to her, causing her to silently despise him, Noble and Isabel start their marriage without problems, she feels hopeful to live a romance and be an efficient queen, Noble is a good lover and she feels sexually delighted with him, but Gwirion is cruel to her and does all kinds of bad things to her specially comments and jokes about her , which sadly Isabel has to endure, also soon realizes that she will not have political power even at her household, she is just an accessory who everyone sees as a foreigner, she knows nothing about customs of her new country, so she ends marginalized, besides, her marriage is nothing like she dreamed, Noble is unfaithful to her with all the servants and ladies available, which Gwirion rubs in her face in front of everyone, humiliating her, she tries to speak up but that only upsets Noble, who although has intentions of being good to Isabel in few moments in general he has no the slightest consideration for her feelings and never stops cheating on her, he also makes it clear that for him, Gwirion he is 1000 times more important than Isabel. Isabel feels so frustrated and humiliated that she tries to get a divorce by appealing to the Welsh law that allowed a woman to leave to her unfaithful husband, but in the end she gives up the idea (it's not very clear why) and resigns herself, doing her small role as best as she can until people end up loving her, Noble deals with external threats mainly from Llewellyn the great, and soon after an abortion, it becomes clear that Isabel will not give him children, so Noble realizes that his marriage with Isabel was useless, and although he has moments of wanting to be a good husband, he comes to beat her and mistreat her in all possible ways, including forcing her to let herself be touched by one of Noble's barons, Noble really does not love anyone more than Gwirion for whom he is even capable of killing, also as his kingdom seems to have no future Noble becomes more apprehensive almost tyrant, and everyone fears him, Gwirion is a servant who has no family and is a complete cynic, he is vulgar, ignorant, rude and daring, but he has certain few values that he clings to, he does not allow sexual abuses and he is not afraid to defend servants of it (because he himself suffered from the English) he helps the servants to do their duties, and does not judge the employees for their sexual past, nor does he harass women. Although he loves Noble, he is not blind to the bad things that Noble does and little by little he becomes disenchanted with him until he reaches the point of wanting to seek an independent life for which he would have to flee, with time and traumatic events, Gwirion has no choice but to accept that Isabel is a good person but is still unpleasant for him and even wishes her death, however little by little they end up cooperating and hating each other less, the first half of the book this is what is read and honestly it collided with the idea that I had, it really was a mix between disappointment, disliking, funny, but also addictive, I couldn't stop reading, and reaching halfway through the book is when things take a turn, Noble goes to war, Llewellyn sends his soldiers to kidnap Isabel to threaten Noble, but Gwirion ends up saving her, although in the process the two end up locked in a room for days, it is then that Gwirion realizes that Isabel is not only a good person, she is funny, kind, and beautiful extremely beautiful, the attraction arises, for her it is more a matter of curiosity and revenge, Gwirion tries to resist but realizes that he cannot and swears to himself that it will only is a temptation and once he has Isabel, everything will be behind, and he will be able to flee from the kingdom, but once they make love, the two end up too pleased, Gwirion doesn't run away and then Noble arrives so they have to fake that nothing happened, at first both Gwirion and Isabel swear that it's just lust and he continues to be rude to her, but he feels bad, so eventually he loses his funny spark, they have sex again, and although they continue convincing that it's just that, they end up accepting that they love each other, he doesn't accept being with other women and is consumed by jealousy, because just then Noble decides that Isabel will have all his attention and that he will get her pregnant, so they spend every night together and Noble plays to be faithful (although he is not ) Isabel no longer cares about Noble, but she pretends to be an obedient wife, still she and Gwirion look for a way to continue with their nocturnal encounters what they do but it is not easy, living together becomes complicated, lovers are clumsy as their love grows and well in the end everything ends in tragedy, obviously Noble doesn't care if Isabel sleeps with someone but he can't forgive Gwirion falling in love with her, and that she made a better person of him, and only 1 survives.
As far as I know Noble, is a real character but his story has nothing to do with what the novel tells, neither politically nor personally, the political characters do not have a real basis for what is told either and the author accepts it at the end, so If you are looking for a historical novel serious and trustworthy, this is not it, it does recreate the medieval court well, except that it puts a "fool" in a court where historically there were none, and the behavior of the characters makes sense with the context but it is a story that really has nothing to do with history or politics, I'm not surprised that the author says at the end that she put the protagonists in the Middle Ages almost as if at the last minute, that's why I think a lot of people didn't like it but I find it entertaining and addictive, the writing is decent and although the book is vulgar at many times it is not grotesque.
Certainly the story has some WTF moments, many things do not make sense or logic, for example that Noble sleeps with all the women but none of them gets pregnant only Isabel, (?) It is extremely unlikely, as is the fact that being still likely she will get pregnant Noble lets her have sex with another man (?) She is very miserable but it's not clear why she doesn't leave when she can (?) Noble beats to death a woman loved by Isabel (as her second mother) and that after two days Isabel is as if nothing (?)
Now the romance is awkward, infrequent, superficial, but it's realistic considering the circumstances, and really the love between them is believable and has some "Aww" moments like when they secretly leave gifts, when after he refuses to take a lover they spend all night holding each other, or when he offers to do servant duties just to see her. ... And I loved seeing how Gwirion, who wished Isabel death at the beginning, ended up doing everything to protect of her... Even if is not very successful....
I think so at some point it tells a lot and shows little but for me it works.
In the end, just because of the weird and illogical moments, I give it 4 stars because in general I enjoy it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2019
This book was compellingly written and the characters were complex and interesting. However, just like with The Girl on the Train, I felt manipulated into turning the pages. But this time it wasn't because the plot was driving the story and the characters were weak...this time it was the other way around.
To put it concisely, this story got me emotionally invested in the characters and then left me with an ending that was melodramatic, tragic and so unsatisfying that I was angry about putting so much time into reading the book. I felt tricked, much like the two main male characters were always emotionally manipulating and tricking each other. There was no payoff. The ending felt grafted on and the horrific tragedy of it was a sleight-of-hand distraction from the fact that a number of subplots were not resolved, in addition to being depressing.
I also was once again annoyed by the lack of historical accuracy in a novel purporting to be about Welsh history. I know precisely why I want to read novels set in medieval Wales but I have no idea why this author wanted to write one.
The story could have taken place in any setting--2019 New York, some exoplanet or L-5 colony in space, 1880s California during the Gold Rush, Japan in the samurai era...the setting was not integral to the story.
And the story itself was a chimaera. The first half was juicy court intrigue and the second half was a tragic love triangle. There was no theme that tied the story together from start to finish. This led to a structurally unsound novel with the glue of character the only thing holding it together. But only up to a point.
Gwirion was, to me, a very sympathetic character, and Isabel was also. Noble, the king, was not. As far as a portrait of a powerful man abusing that power with two dependents that have Stockholm Syndrome, this novel was grimly accurate. But Noble went from being a pragmatic, hard-headed young king to a melodramatic sort of King Lear figure at the end. And I didn't believe it. If as he indicated for 90% of the book, all he cared about was keeping his kingdom from the clutches of his cousin or King Llewelyn or the Mortimers, he would not have handled the affair between Gwirion and Isabel as he did--which would inevitably lead to the kingdom falling into other hands.
So did he care more about keeping Gwirion dependent on him than he cared about his kingdom? It's not clear. His character devolves into madness. He ends up angry at the lovers for "getting sloppy" because that puts the kingdom at risk. So he kills Isabel, and ends up dead himself...which puts the kingdom at risk. To say the least. So we're supposed to believe he lets the affair go on for his own amusement, risking its exposure, and then allows himself to be killed? Even the queen and Gwirion's characters became a bit shaky at the end. The love of Gwirion's life was killed, and he's making jokes, when at other times he's too tongue-tied to say a word, for far lesser reasons? He wails over the king's dead body, after the king kills the queen, Gwirion's lover? It seemed like he mourned Noble more than he did Isabel. It all just fell apart at the end for me, and seemed gratuitously tragic. The ending really was an unpleasant shock.
Parts of the story were beautifully written and quite memorable, though. Unfortunately the book's structural flaws ensured that the beauty of the prose was a veneer over a house of cards. Style over substance.
To put it concisely, this story got me emotionally invested in the characters and then left me with an ending that was melodramatic, tragic and so unsatisfying that I was angry about putting so much time into reading the book. I felt tricked, much like the two main male characters were always emotionally manipulating and tricking each other. There was no payoff. The ending felt grafted on and the horrific tragedy of it was a sleight-of-hand distraction from the fact that a number of subplots were not resolved, in addition to being depressing.
I also was once again annoyed by the lack of historical accuracy in a novel purporting to be about Welsh history. I know precisely why I want to read novels set in medieval Wales but I have no idea why this author wanted to write one.
The story could have taken place in any setting--2019 New York, some exoplanet or L-5 colony in space, 1880s California during the Gold Rush, Japan in the samurai era...the setting was not integral to the story.
And the story itself was a chimaera. The first half was juicy court intrigue and the second half was a tragic love triangle. There was no theme that tied the story together from start to finish. This led to a structurally unsound novel with the glue of character the only thing holding it together. But only up to a point.
Gwirion was, to me, a very sympathetic character, and Isabel was also. Noble, the king, was not. As far as a portrait of a powerful man abusing that power with two dependents that have Stockholm Syndrome, this novel was grimly accurate. But Noble went from being a pragmatic, hard-headed young king to a melodramatic sort of King Lear figure at the end. And I didn't believe it. If as he indicated for 90% of the book, all he cared about was keeping his kingdom from the clutches of his cousin or King Llewelyn or the Mortimers, he would not have handled the affair between Gwirion and Isabel as he did--which would inevitably lead to the kingdom falling into other hands.
So did he care more about keeping Gwirion dependent on him than he cared about his kingdom? It's not clear. His character devolves into madness. He ends up angry at the lovers for "getting sloppy" because that puts the kingdom at risk. So he kills Isabel, and ends up dead himself...which puts the kingdom at risk. To say the least. So we're supposed to believe he lets the affair go on for his own amusement, risking its exposure, and then allows himself to be killed? Even the queen and Gwirion's characters became a bit shaky at the end. The love of Gwirion's life was killed, and he's making jokes, when at other times he's too tongue-tied to say a word, for far lesser reasons? He wails over the king's dead body, after the king kills the queen, Gwirion's lover? It seemed like he mourned Noble more than he did Isabel. It all just fell apart at the end for me, and seemed gratuitously tragic. The ending really was an unpleasant shock.
Parts of the story were beautifully written and quite memorable, though. Unfortunately the book's structural flaws ensured that the beauty of the prose was a veneer over a house of cards. Style over substance.
July 11, 2008
"Wales, 1198: a time of treachery, passion and uncertainty. King Maelgwyn ap Cadwallon, familiarly known as Noble, struggles to protect his small kingdom from foes both outside and inside his borders. Pressured into a marriage of political convenience, he takes as his bride the young, headstrong Isabel Mortimer, niece of his powerful English nemesis.
Through strength of character, Isabel wins her husband's grudging respect, but finds the Welsh court backward and barbaric -- especially Noble's oldest friend and confidant, the rascally Gwirion, a charismatic prankster who delights in making the foreign-born queen feel unwelcome. Before long, however, Gwirion and Isabel's mutual animosity is abruptly transformed, and the king finds himself as threatened by his loved ones as by the enemies who menace his crown."
The books opens up with the party of the Welsh king returning home. They are attacked by their enemy Roger Mortimer and the king is killed while his heir escapes thanks in part to strength of will of his friend who refuses to reveal his whereabouts even under torture. Thus is cemented the friendship between the future king and the friend who would be his fool.
A few years later in an attempt to gain peace the king weds Isabel Mortimer, a young lady of Roger Mortimer's family thus expecting to solve his problems on the border. From the beginning is clear that the king, Noble, and his fool, Guirion, share an unusual and absorbing friendship in which Isabel will not be able to interfere. When asked to choose between the two Noble always chooses Guirion and the latter delights in telling crude jokes to embarrass and humiliate Isabel. At the same time Noble refuses to stop having lovers and engaging in extra marital affair, he finds Isabel not to his taste and she can't accept that for him she is merely a convenience, so she spends a big part of her time making scenes and screaming at him and hating Guirion who helps him set up his trysts.
When the castle is invaded in Noble's absence and Isabel and Guirion have to spend time together they realise that they are in fact attracted to each other and become lovers thus leading a tense situation and ultimately a confrontation of sorts.
I found it very interesting the tidbits we learn of welsh culture and law. They are mainly due to Isabel's desire to know more about the place she lives in and she discovers things are very different from the Norman society she is used to.
However I found the story depended too much of the physical relationships of the main characters and I would have preferred a more psychological approach. Isabel is always mad at Noble for his affairs, her relationship with him is based solely on sex, her relationship with Guirion is once again physical, I couldn't decide what attracted them to each other and they seemed incapable of keeping their hands of each other. The most complex one seemed to be between Noble and Guirion, their bond forged the day the fool saved the future king, however Guirion is unable to control his impulses to be with Isabel and Noble is unable to share. In the end there could be no other solution I suppose but I felt it fell short of my expectations.
Grade: C+
Through strength of character, Isabel wins her husband's grudging respect, but finds the Welsh court backward and barbaric -- especially Noble's oldest friend and confidant, the rascally Gwirion, a charismatic prankster who delights in making the foreign-born queen feel unwelcome. Before long, however, Gwirion and Isabel's mutual animosity is abruptly transformed, and the king finds himself as threatened by his loved ones as by the enemies who menace his crown."
The books opens up with the party of the Welsh king returning home. They are attacked by their enemy Roger Mortimer and the king is killed while his heir escapes thanks in part to strength of will of his friend who refuses to reveal his whereabouts even under torture. Thus is cemented the friendship between the future king and the friend who would be his fool.
A few years later in an attempt to gain peace the king weds Isabel Mortimer, a young lady of Roger Mortimer's family thus expecting to solve his problems on the border. From the beginning is clear that the king, Noble, and his fool, Guirion, share an unusual and absorbing friendship in which Isabel will not be able to interfere. When asked to choose between the two Noble always chooses Guirion and the latter delights in telling crude jokes to embarrass and humiliate Isabel. At the same time Noble refuses to stop having lovers and engaging in extra marital affair, he finds Isabel not to his taste and she can't accept that for him she is merely a convenience, so she spends a big part of her time making scenes and screaming at him and hating Guirion who helps him set up his trysts.
When the castle is invaded in Noble's absence and Isabel and Guirion have to spend time together they realise that they are in fact attracted to each other and become lovers thus leading a tense situation and ultimately a confrontation of sorts.
I found it very interesting the tidbits we learn of welsh culture and law. They are mainly due to Isabel's desire to know more about the place she lives in and she discovers things are very different from the Norman society she is used to.
However I found the story depended too much of the physical relationships of the main characters and I would have preferred a more psychological approach. Isabel is always mad at Noble for his affairs, her relationship with him is based solely on sex, her relationship with Guirion is once again physical, I couldn't decide what attracted them to each other and they seemed incapable of keeping their hands of each other. The most complex one seemed to be between Noble and Guirion, their bond forged the day the fool saved the future king, however Guirion is unable to control his impulses to be with Isabel and Noble is unable to share. In the end there could be no other solution I suppose but I felt it fell short of my expectations.
Grade: C+
February 3, 2011
“The second arrow hit the king in the chest. He slumped in the saddle with a grunt, groped toward the shrieking children on the palfrey beside him; ignoring his son, he grabbed Gwirion from his precarious perch to haul him closer. They slid to the ground between the two mounts and landed in a heap on the hard dirt road as shouts and horses’ screams broke out around them. For one moment in the midst of panic and confusion, Gwirion thought he was being singled out to help the wounded monarch. Then he realized he was a decoy.”
I enjoyed this first novel by Nicole Galland because 1) I enjoy historical fiction and 2) because it is of story of a Welsh king in the twelfth century. I’m a big fan of Sharon Kay Penman (who also writes historical novels about the Welsh princes) and I found much to like with Galland’s effort. It is the story of a friendship between a King and his childhood playmate, the “fool” in this story. In exchange for saving his life, the King allows Gwirion, the fool, far more leeway than would be accorded a servant in that era. The story that ensues is the classic love triangle between the King, Queen and Gwirion.
The author admits that she fudged a lot of the truth in this novel. The King is real, the fool is not. The story came to her first and she decided to place it in the medieval Welsh setting. While it’s disappointing that she doesn’t stick to history in the book, I can hardly fault her, for she admits:
“But what I wrote, in the end, was really a story about three people. And despite the cornucopia of historical detail I was able to put into the book, these three people are not inherently Welsh, nor inherently medieval – mostly because neither am I.”
There were times when the story got a bit stale for me. It reminded me of a cheap summer read set in a genre that I love. It was readable, actually enjoyable through most of it, but not the real history that I enjoy the most.
I enjoyed this first novel by Nicole Galland because 1) I enjoy historical fiction and 2) because it is of story of a Welsh king in the twelfth century. I’m a big fan of Sharon Kay Penman (who also writes historical novels about the Welsh princes) and I found much to like with Galland’s effort. It is the story of a friendship between a King and his childhood playmate, the “fool” in this story. In exchange for saving his life, the King allows Gwirion, the fool, far more leeway than would be accorded a servant in that era. The story that ensues is the classic love triangle between the King, Queen and Gwirion.
The author admits that she fudged a lot of the truth in this novel. The King is real, the fool is not. The story came to her first and she decided to place it in the medieval Welsh setting. While it’s disappointing that she doesn’t stick to history in the book, I can hardly fault her, for she admits:
“But what I wrote, in the end, was really a story about three people. And despite the cornucopia of historical detail I was able to put into the book, these three people are not inherently Welsh, nor inherently medieval – mostly because neither am I.”
There were times when the story got a bit stale for me. It reminded me of a cheap summer read set in a genre that I love. It was readable, actually enjoyable through most of it, but not the real history that I enjoy the most.
August 19, 2012
There were things I liked quite a bit about this book, and things I disliked quite a bit. Overall, it was an entertaining and often interesting read, with some sizable drawbacks. Set in late 12th century Wales, it mainly concerns the complex relationships between a minor king, his English bride, and his best friend, and the persoanl and political repercussions thereof.
Dislikes:
It's on the lighter side of historical fiction, by which I mean that I strongly suspect Galland did not go far enough or deep enough with her research. Only one of the three main characters was a real person, and the author takes an awful lot of liberties with historical events. Furthermore, while I didn't notice any horrible errors, I think that the characters were sometimes all too modern in their thinking.
Galland more than once dragged out a tense situation for far too long, such that, rather than building anticipation, she started boring me.
Likes:
The characters and situations were interesting, and Galland did an excellent job of creating and developing the complex relationships among the three main characters.
The novel is set in medieval Wales, one of my favorite historical settings. There are some very nice descriptions of the Welsh landscape and Welsh culture.
She manages a truly surprising ending.
Dislikes:
It's on the lighter side of historical fiction, by which I mean that I strongly suspect Galland did not go far enough or deep enough with her research. Only one of the three main characters was a real person, and the author takes an awful lot of liberties with historical events. Furthermore, while I didn't notice any horrible errors, I think that the characters were sometimes all too modern in their thinking.
Galland more than once dragged out a tense situation for far too long, such that, rather than building anticipation, she started boring me.
Likes:
The characters and situations were interesting, and Galland did an excellent job of creating and developing the complex relationships among the three main characters.
The novel is set in medieval Wales, one of my favorite historical settings. There are some very nice descriptions of the Welsh landscape and Welsh culture.
She manages a truly surprising ending.
December 18, 2009
It took me awhile to really 'get into' this book (at least 1/3 of the way through!), but I stuck with it and am really glad I did. Towards the end, I couldn't put it down. My one complaint is that it was about 100 pages too long.
I loved the historical aspect (my favorite type of novel) but this book had a little bit of everything - mystery, romance, pathos *and* history. It's about a medieval Welsh queen's love affair with the king's best friend—his profane, hyperactive royal fool.Not a romance novel, as I said - it's a little bit of everything. Just way too long.
I'd recommend this, but with the caveat that it requires patience to finish.
I loved the historical aspect (my favorite type of novel) but this book had a little bit of everything - mystery, romance, pathos *and* history. It's about a medieval Welsh queen's love affair with the king's best friend—his profane, hyperactive royal fool.Not a romance novel, as I said - it's a little bit of everything. Just way too long.
I'd recommend this, but with the caveat that it requires patience to finish.
January 28, 2023
No es una la clase de libro que suela leer, pero me ha sorprendido gratamente.
Uno se los inconvenientes que le veo es que el comienzo me resultó algo lento, es verdad que tiene algunos puntos fuertes, pero ya se pone mejor en la mitad del libro 😶🌫️
Y uno de los personajes que ame fue Gwirion, pasamos desde enternecernos en su etapa infantil, hasta sacarte de quisio y luego amarlo. Es un personaje que ves su evolución y como cambia en cada hoja.
También la ambientación esta muy bien diseñada, me recordaba un poco a las series medievales pero con algo más de realimos cosa que me gusto.
Las escenas de sexo, se tratan elociazmente ya que se describen de una forma que le da peso y realizó, pero sin ser explícito. 🤔
Uno se los inconvenientes que le veo es que el comienzo me resultó algo lento, es verdad que tiene algunos puntos fuertes, pero ya se pone mejor en la mitad del libro 😶🌫️
Y uno de los personajes que ame fue Gwirion, pasamos desde enternecernos en su etapa infantil, hasta sacarte de quisio y luego amarlo. Es un personaje que ves su evolución y como cambia en cada hoja.
También la ambientación esta muy bien diseñada, me recordaba un poco a las series medievales pero con algo más de realimos cosa que me gusto.
Las escenas de sexo, se tratan elociazmente ya que se describen de una forma que le da peso y realizó, pero sin ser explícito. 🤔
April 22, 2013
Whoa. The rest of the book pales in comparison to the not-totally-unexpected but shocking ending. I can't get it out of my mind. Having read Sarah Woodbury's time traveler series which takes place during this same era, some of the historical figures were familiar, even though the author admits that this is just a story set during the 12th century and not a historical novel. Some of the situations were so outlandish that my interest flagged at times, but even though I normally do not read books with adultery as a main theme I could not stop reading until I found out how the situation was resolved. And was it ever resolved. Because so much of the book centered around intrigue and subterfuge and downright foolishness, the full force of the tragedy for all involved did not hit me until the last short chapter, but when it hit...wow. The character that I had liked least suddenly became the most tragic. It will take me a while to get over this book. That said, the book was longer than it needed to be, with a lot of the same situations (sexual encounters) happening over and over and over, but the author had a blockbuster of an idea and presented it fairly well.
January 13, 2016
This is the first book I recommend to anyone looking for historical fiction. Set in 12th century Wales, a mercurial king is wed to a young English woman. Then their already rocky marriage is threatened by the king's bosom friend and "fool" Gwirion. The queen, Isabel, must decide whether her loyalties lie in her increasingly unstable husband and his kingdom, or to Gwirion and her own heart. This sounds more romance-y than it really is, and it's chock-full of interesting history, violence, and character studies. The relationship between King Noble and Gwirion is just as fascinating as the romantic relationships.
April 23, 2013
This was recommended to me by a Facebook friend, and I am so glad! This is readable, interesting historical fiction, without jarring modern notes (nothing that felt too modern to my tastes, anyway). I got frustrated with Noble and Gwirion's insistence on turning *everything* into a game or a prank (although that was kind of the point), but the manipulations in those games (and outside the games too) kept things interesting. And there was a shocking twist at the end, which I did not see coming! I will definitely seek out more books by this author.
January 26, 2018
Why do “literary” writers torture their readers?
Because writing is therapy, and writers write to appease their rage. You, dear reader, are the sacrifice. Oddly enough, the writer persona is a psychopath to make Hitler proud. This is NOT to diagnose N.G! It is only to protest the character of the King.His character wobbles off center because it is not credible for stress to change his character. A psychopath is someone with a character disorder. I am quite upset about these ending.. It turns out readers can be equally predatory.
Because writing is therapy, and writers write to appease their rage. You, dear reader, are the sacrifice. Oddly enough, the writer persona is a psychopath to make Hitler proud. This is NOT to diagnose N.G! It is only to protest the character of the King.His character wobbles off center because it is not credible for stress to change his character. A psychopath is someone with a character disorder. I am quite upset about these ending.. It turns out readers can be equally predatory.
November 10, 2008
This was an enjoyable read. It sometimes bordered too much on romance for my taste, but it managed to save itself with the intriguing relationship between the three main characters. Not that I don't enjoy a romance now and then, but I detest romance novels masquerading as historical fiction. The ending is really what bumped it up from three to four stars for me, I was worried it was all going to be tied up into a nice little bow and was pleasantly surprised.
January 19, 2018
“The king was valuable and the king was dead. He didn’t want to be valuable.”
“Awkward or socially shy occasionally, high strung infrequently, but submissive never.”
“'He keeps me completely dependent on him for everything. I live in a state of permanent humiliation. Liberty? You have no idea what you’re talking about.'”
“To them one’s exclusion from the populace, not one’s adoration by it, defined rulership.”
“Awkward or socially shy occasionally, high strung infrequently, but submissive never.”
“'He keeps me completely dependent on him for everything. I live in a state of permanent humiliation. Liberty? You have no idea what you’re talking about.'”
“To them one’s exclusion from the populace, not one’s adoration by it, defined rulership.”
May 5, 2009
I didn't care for this book. I had been wondering whether it was because the author had accurately portrayed the attitudes of the time and I was simply uncomfortable with them because I'm a modern kind of person... but after reading a couple reviews here that specifically mention its historical inaccuracy, I think I just didn't like it. Yay! I feel better about that.
September 22, 2010
Once I got into it, I devoured this book especially during the romance between Isabel and Gwirion. I loved their playful banter and the love/hate relationship that developed. However, the end left me disappointed and I felt cheated that main characters had to die. I like happier endings and this was definetely not a happy ending. Even the freedom that Gwirion gained, wasn't worth the deaths.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2010
This book aggravated me greatly. I loved it in the beginning, it is so wonderfully historically accurate and I reveled in the time period. But as the book progressed I felt so drawn to the characters that I was not prepared for the upheaval in the final few pages. Perhaps that is the sign of a good book, but I literally mourned for these characters for weeks after I finished it.
April 22, 2015
If I were feeling charitable, I'd give this one and a half stars, but I was so tired of the unrelenting and unnecessary cruelty and sloppy history, I stopped at one. If I wasn't stuck on an airplane with this book, I would have given up.
September 21, 2018
I guess 3.5 stars? I am having a really hard time deciding whether or not I liked this book. It follows the high medieval border wars between England and Wales and also between bits of Wales, with some of it being historically accurate-ish and most of it being fiction. Maelgwin, the king called Noble, marries Isabel in order to end the fights with her English family over the border. She is at first disgusted and later fascinated by Gwirion, the king's sort-of court jester (only not really because that wasn't a thing in Wales). And also there's a lot about politics and fighting and backstabbing lords going back on treaties.
On reflection, I think my central problem is that the two big issues of the book - namely the political infighting and the love triangle - have basically nothing to do with each other. The former never even gets resolved, which is I guess vaguely more historically accurate but also unsatisfactory fiction. Similarly, the resolution to the love triangle is pretty darn unsatisfying (but you can take that with a grain of salt because I generally hate love triangles and think they should be solved by polyamory THEN AGAIN that would have been an ideal and elegant solution in this case). It just kind of ends abruptly with a lot of character motivation left unexplored. In my opinion, you could probably cut out a good half of the political whatnot and thus shorten the first half of the book, which drags, and then lengthen the resolution to be less...Shakespeare-y? Galland herself clearly states that her writing focus was always on the relationship between the three characters and the history stuff came in later, and honestly it really shows.
Pacing is in general a problem, because while this book being about a love triangle is announced on the back cover, the book doesn't get there for about 300 pages, and they're kind of slow pages. For another thing, while Isabel's relationship with both male characters is pretty extensively demonstrated, I really can't put my finger on why Gwirion and Maelgwin still tolerate each other. I've seen this a lot in fiction - the sort of "we-hate-each-other-but-we've-been-friends-forever-and-now-we're-codependent" relationship, but it almost always struggles for me to show that codependence. I didn't see much more than Maelgwin being amused by Gwirion and sort of using him a little escape from responsibility, nothing of the affection and codependence I would have expected. And Gwirion seems kind of over the whole thing already at the beginning, but can't/won't leave? It's hinted that this has something to do with the Childhood Trauma in the prologue, but not very clearly. Like, I could have done with an episode of Gwirion trying to leave and then panicking and giving up to demonstrate any internal conflict besides wanting to bone Isabel.
The other issue is that Maelgwin is a straight up psychopath. This is demonstrated and even explicitly stated (well ok they use the word "tyrant" but like in an era where you still paid cash for virginity in Wales and that was a-ok, that's pretty much the same thing) multiple times in the book, starting pretty early, so I don't think I'm really spoiling anything here. And that also doesn't really get resolved. Honestly I found the ending kind of baffling, because I had kind of read Maelgwin as ultimately coldly self-interested with flashes of startling brutality, but I didn't really see his actions towards the end lining up with that. I mean he even spins wanting to have consensual sex as like a kink that helps out his self-interest and ego. Thus there's kind of a confused aspect to his character because on the one hand, he's legit nuts, and on the other, he apparently loves Gwirion like a brother, or at least needs him, and he also treats Isabel pretty well about half the time and the other half then...not so much. I guess typical abuser tactics? Like, for about half the book you're left thinking they should just have a threesome already and for the other half you want to punch this guy in the face.
Final note: Gwirion's character is also kind of interesting. Gwirion and Maelgwin reminded me of that bit in Pride and Prejudice where Lizzy says something like "there's only enough goodness between them to make one really good man, and I'm afraid one got all the goodness and the other all the appearance of it", which I think is kind of what Galland was going for here? There's certainly enough pride and prejudice going on between Isabel and Gwirion. Gwirion has these occasional flights of being a good dude, like being anti-rape and anti-kidnapping (way to set a low bar). He's also pretty much a coward, kind of flighty, and doesn't really know what he wants. Which honestly I think is great characterization. Isabel too, while I'm at it. The book is really unflinching with her faults - childishness, pettiness, some amount of prudery, certainly excessive pride, as well as with her positive traits, like her sense of justice and duty, and also in some ways her understanding of passion. This could have honestly been just such a good love story with a solid base in character and it was kind of wasted on the two plot threads that wouldn't really go together and Maelgwin.
On reflection, I think my central problem is that the two big issues of the book - namely the political infighting and the love triangle - have basically nothing to do with each other. The former never even gets resolved, which is I guess vaguely more historically accurate but also unsatisfactory fiction. Similarly, the resolution to the love triangle is pretty darn unsatisfying (but you can take that with a grain of salt because I generally hate love triangles and think they should be solved by polyamory THEN AGAIN that would have been an ideal and elegant solution in this case). It just kind of ends abruptly with a lot of character motivation left unexplored. In my opinion, you could probably cut out a good half of the political whatnot and thus shorten the first half of the book, which drags, and then lengthen the resolution to be less...Shakespeare-y? Galland herself clearly states that her writing focus was always on the relationship between the three characters and the history stuff came in later, and honestly it really shows.
Pacing is in general a problem, because while this book being about a love triangle is announced on the back cover, the book doesn't get there for about 300 pages, and they're kind of slow pages. For another thing, while Isabel's relationship with both male characters is pretty extensively demonstrated, I really can't put my finger on why Gwirion and Maelgwin still tolerate each other. I've seen this a lot in fiction - the sort of "we-hate-each-other-but-we've-been-friends-forever-and-now-we're-codependent" relationship, but it almost always struggles for me to show that codependence. I didn't see much more than Maelgwin being amused by Gwirion and sort of using him a little escape from responsibility, nothing of the affection and codependence I would have expected. And Gwirion seems kind of over the whole thing already at the beginning, but can't/won't leave? It's hinted that this has something to do with the Childhood Trauma in the prologue, but not very clearly. Like, I could have done with an episode of Gwirion trying to leave and then panicking and giving up to demonstrate any internal conflict besides wanting to bone Isabel.
The other issue is that Maelgwin is a straight up psychopath. This is demonstrated and even explicitly stated (well ok they use the word "tyrant" but like in an era where you still paid cash for virginity in Wales and that was a-ok, that's pretty much the same thing) multiple times in the book, starting pretty early, so I don't think I'm really spoiling anything here. And that also doesn't really get resolved. Honestly I found the ending kind of baffling, because I had kind of read Maelgwin as ultimately coldly self-interested with flashes of startling brutality, but I didn't really see his actions towards the end lining up with that. I mean he even spins wanting to have consensual sex as like a kink that helps out his self-interest and ego. Thus there's kind of a confused aspect to his character because on the one hand, he's legit nuts, and on the other, he apparently loves Gwirion like a brother, or at least needs him, and he also treats Isabel pretty well about half the time and the other half then...not so much. I guess typical abuser tactics? Like, for about half the book you're left thinking they should just have a threesome already and for the other half you want to punch this guy in the face.
Final note: Gwirion's character is also kind of interesting. Gwirion and Maelgwin reminded me of that bit in Pride and Prejudice where Lizzy says something like "there's only enough goodness between them to make one really good man, and I'm afraid one got all the goodness and the other all the appearance of it", which I think is kind of what Galland was going for here? There's certainly enough pride and prejudice going on between Isabel and Gwirion. Gwirion has these occasional flights of being a good dude, like being anti-rape and anti-kidnapping (way to set a low bar). He's also pretty much a coward, kind of flighty, and doesn't really know what he wants. Which honestly I think is great characterization. Isabel too, while I'm at it. The book is really unflinching with her faults - childishness, pettiness, some amount of prudery, certainly excessive pride, as well as with her positive traits, like her sense of justice and duty, and also in some ways her understanding of passion. This could have honestly been just such a good love story with a solid base in character and it was kind of wasted on the two plot threads that wouldn't really go together and Maelgwin.
April 3, 2010
After 4 years of trying to finish the book, I finally did! I don't know where to beging...
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