The Memory Palace

Lady Tree Trilogy #3

by Christie Dickason

An epic love story set in the period of Music and Silence, for readers of Rose Tremain and Philippa Gregory. 1639. Zeal Beester, mistress of the rolling Hampshire estate of Hawkridge, is pregnant, unwed, and the King has banished her lover to the New World. The Puritan Praise-God Gifford will have her burnt at the stake for depravity. To save herself and the child, Zeal becomes the wife of Philip Wentworth, an ageing soldier and adventurer. But Philip's extraordinary tales of El Dorado only remind her of her exiled lover. As the chaos of Civil War approaches, Zeal begins to rebuild Hawkridge House as the Memory Palace and the secret map of her heart. Part maze, part theatre, part great country house, it enrages the Puritans and inspires in one twisted soul a hatred and envy that only death will satisfy. Should the King be killed, Zeal's lover may return only to find Zeal and the child in their graves...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction

499 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2003

About the author

I started to write at the age of three, long before I could spell. Understandably, I hid my poems and (very) short stories from my English professor father, who could spell words like ‘desiccate’ and also insisted on correct grammar. All the same, he passed on to me his delight in books and words as well as his joy in pursuing intellectual curiosity. Under his influence, I learned to relish research and value accuracy. (He also kick-started my interest in mountain climbing by putting his uncensored edition of Lady Chatterley’s Lover on the highest shelf of his study.)

While living abroad with my family for most of my teens, in Thailand, Mexico and Switzerland, I studied anywhere I could, from the International Children’s Centre in Bangkok, through home-tutoring, to an old-fasioned Swiss convent school. I went on to read English at Harvard University (BA, Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa), then earned an MFA in Theatre at the Yale University Drama School (winning a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship and the Shubert Memorial Fellowship for Best Director).

From the age of eleven, I also studied dance (and performed): ballet at the Lichine School in Lausanne, modern dance with a former member of Martha Graham’s company, Robert Cohan, and Thai classical dance with a retired member of the King of Thailand’s troupe. At the age of fifteen, I once found myself teaching Thai folk dance to the Thai Women’s Culture club in Bangkok. At the age of 23, I thought writing was far too much fun to be a serious way to earn a living, so I became a director and choreographer.

After fourteen years in the theatre (with the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Rocky Horror Show, Oh! Calcutta!, and at Ronnie Scott’s, among others) illness forced me to stop . While convalescing, I read a particularly dire paperback and decided in exasperation to see if I could do any better. Bed-bound and with L-plates on, I returned to my secret passion for writing and hand-wrote my first novel. This book was never published, but it brought me a commission for my ‘official’ first novel (THE DRAGON RIDERS, published by Century), which astonished me by reaching number twelve on the best-seller list. What had seemed at first like a health disaster led me ‘home’ into a new career that not only allows time to eat and sleep but also lets me do what I love most. (My illness also, when I was ready to deal with it, fuelled my historical novel, QUICKSILVER, about a supposed 17th c. 'werewolf'.)

As well as seven internationally-published novels (most recently THE PRINCIPESSA, I also write poetry, short stories, newspaper articles and works for the theatre. I particularly enjoy collaborating with the award-winning composer Cecilia McDowall on musical works ranging from conventional songs and cantatas to the huge and indescribable, all of which have been performed.

Our most recent project was a 'green cantata', FIVE SEASONS, commissioned ‘to celebrate the organic landscape in the 21st century’ by the Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir. And we are currently (2007) setting up a follow-on community music project in Cumbria.

As a change from my computer, I enjoy extreme trekking and scrambling in Bolivia and the Western Highlands of Scotland, organic gardening, cooking, eating and recreational talking with friends and family. I don’t think writers take holidays.

Reviews

[Judy Tolley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 1639 this was an unusual story of love, mystery and I was mesmerized. The writing is different but I was totally drawn to the story and all the twists. Very good.

[Rachael Hewison · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was actually somewhat of a surprise. The blurb on the back of the book is very different to the summary on goodreads. The surmise I got was the Zeal was in love with a man called John who was exiled and she married an old man in the meantime to save the life of her unborn child, whilst rebuilding her estate that has burned down. Instead I discovered that the novel was in fact more about events around Hawkridge than about her romance with John. Whilst there were snippets of her sighing and wishing John were around, the books follows her life with those living on the estate and the dramas that unfold there, the two men that become hugely important figures in her life and the group of people who become convinced she is a witch and murderer and are determined to bring about her downfall.
I did enjoy the surprising content and for the vast majority of the book, there wasn’t the typical cliché. The author’s chapters flowed very smoothly and it was easy to get carried away on her excellent descriptions and she actually reminded me a bit of Diana Gabaldon. I think the only part that disappointed me somewhat was the end few chapters. She built it up to such a peak of drama and then wasted the last few chapters on the exploration of Zeal’s secret part of the new house. I felt like that bit dragged a bit, and think it could have ended better. Nevertheless still a worthwhile read.

[Tandy Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I had left too big a gap between reading the previous two books in the sequel and this one. However it is evocative of the tumultuous times of the English Civil War and the twists kept me guessing until the end.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story begins in 1639. John Nightingale’s estates have been confiscated by the King, and he has departed for the Indies, to work for seven years as an indentured servant. Zeal is alone at Hawkridge, the manor she owns since her marriage to John’s cousin Harry was annulled. The house at Hawkridge was burnt, but there is not much money to rebuild it. Now Zeal is pregnant, and with no husband, and intends to kill herself. But then unexpectedly she is offered an alternative.
This is the final volume in a trilogy, following on from The Lady Tree and Quicksilver. Many things happen to Zeal during John’s absence, and there are some interesting characters, though there were some things I would have liked to turn out differently. Zeal herself is an attractive heroine, obstinate and quirky and imaginative. It was quite pleasant to spend time with her at Hawkridge.

[Lillian Francis]

DNF.
I got bored really quickly with this one.

[Sherry Chiger · Rating 1 out of 5]

So much of The Memory Palace is compelling: the secondary and most of the primary characters, the depiction of life on a working estate at the time of the English civil war, and the vivid picture of the plight of a single woman at that time. But the central conceit, the Memory Palace of the title, is a metaphor that becomes increasingly strained, leading to one of the more far-fetched denouements I've read, not to mention some laughably stilted dialogue. Oh dear...

[Beth (bibliobeth)]

An okay book, better than Quicksilver and The Lady Tree which are part of the series but can be read as stand-alones. Problem was, it didn't have enough pace and excitement for me.