The Last Hours by Minette Walters

Having loved Minette Walters other books, I was so looking forward to reading The Last Hours, her first foray into historical fiction. Set in England in 1348, it tells the story of how one resilient and clever community, Develish in Dorseteshire, survived during the deadly outbreak of the Black Plague, a plague that wiped out nearly half the population.

Centred around two primary characters, Lady Anne Develish and a serf whom she has nurtured over many years, the maligned bastard, Thaddeus Thurkell, it also explores the complex network of familial and other relationships that make up the immediate village and manor house – from the simply villainous and narcissistic Lord of the manor, Sir Richard to his equally vile daughter, Eleanor, to the various bondmen and their families as well as the alcoholic priest. How they all respond to not only news of the spread of plague, but the various threats that are set to unravel the lives they’ve built, makes compelling reading.

The novel starts slowly, introducing the reader to these various players in what’s about to become a fight for survival against overwhelming odds – and not just the sickness kind. As the plague takes its toll and the folk of Develish retreat behind the walls and moat, it swiftly becomes clear that healthy humans, and those forced into close confinement can often pose a much greater hazard than a ravaging illness.

When a murder happens among the cloistered community, only quick and drastic action prevents a greater travesty occurring.

Left with no choice but to seek both news and vitals beyond Develish’s boundaries, and led by Thaddeus, an exiled group join the brutal, devastated wider world that’s been ravaged by the plague. In the meantime, those they’ve left behind who look to Lady Anne for leadership and so much more, are forced to deal with not only their own doubts and fears, but the murderous intentions of other survivors who see the plague as an opportunity for exploitation.

The premise of this story reminded me very much of Geraldine Brooks’ magnificent Year of Wonders (still one of my all-time favourite books), a tale based on the true story of the brave souls who voluntarily quarantined themselves in order to prevent the spread of plague in 1665. But there the comparison ends. The people of Develish don’t quarantine themselves for the sake of others, but to save their own skin – not that there is anything wrong with that.

Establishing the personalities, weaknesses and strengths of the various players early, I found myself mostly investing in them. Where I struggled was in the glaring anachronisms around Lady Anne’s approach to not only health and hygiene but religion and class structures. I’ve not doubt there were exceptions to the strict rules and governance of the day, only Lady Anne seemed to buck, resist and rise above every accepted religious, social and hygiene standard set by the culture and period. This meant that most of her approaches to people and household habits smacked of 21st Century mores and notions. Part of me quite enjoyed the justification for some of her “modern” motivations and rules, that made Develish such an exceptional place, but when set against the misogynistic attitudes of first her husband and, later, what would have been ingrained in so many people – men and women – she became a medieval superhero and the tolerance and understanding extended to her by those who looked to her for leadership, more than remarkable for the time. Again, it’s always beautifully rationalised, I just didn’t always swallow it, as much as I wanted to. Lady Anne was so good, and right and smart and bold, yet also marvellously strategic, she almost (almost) became two-dimensional – and it’s testimony to Walter’s writing that she didn’t.

Where this didn’t work quite so well was in the portrayal of Lady Anne’s husband, Sir Richard. Frankly, what an utter arse without any redeeming qualities whatsoever and who just becomes worse and worse as the novel progresses and his behaviours are uncovered. How anyone, even a Norman steward can show loyalty to such a buffoon when other options are available and commons sense dictates otherwise, is a stretch.

Likewise, the daughter, Eleanor. Once more, Walters is at pains to explain and justify her putrid behaviour. Problem is, she was so damn selfish and awful, she was more a caricature and device for showing other characters’ goodness and faults than a real person.

Still, I enjoyed many of the scenes with both these characters and learning how their utterly selfish motivations and unreasonable demands were subtly overturned.

My main beef with the book was how it ended. I wished I’d known this wasn’t a complete book in itself. No. It is part of a series. I found it fairly confusing towards the final pages, particularly those inserted to give you a taste of what’s to follow. I found they made little sense and made me cross rather than longing to learn more!

Overall, the period and the English countryside and rules and regulations governing English manors and lands and how fiefdoms were controlled is well-established and fascinating, as is the ghastly way in which the plague affected people and how its spread was managed. Religion is not treated kindly and nor are the upper classes who don’t seem to have one redeemable character among them – I struggled a bit with both of these depictions, particularly as religion was the world-view then and to dissent or hold alternate (and very contemporary views) was to be a heretic and risk the salvation of the soul. Atheism might have been around, as was alternate ways of thinking about God, but again, putting all these views and arguments in the mouth and mind of mainly one character – and one who grew up in a nunnery – was sometimes difficult to go along with.

The story, once it really starts, is suspenseful and there are times I was flipping pages to find out what was happening. It’s some of the main and subsidiary characters that caused me problems in terms of completely suspending my disbelief (which I am very happy to do). They appeared to have been invented in our century and sent back in time to educate, elucidate and rescue those deemed worthy or smart enough to understand redemption comes in other forms.

The writing is, at all times, lovely and compelling and I will keep an eye out for the next instalment in this series – presumably, the hours after these last ones!

 

 

 

 

 

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The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks

24611425Thrilled to be reviewing a net galley copy of the latest book by one of my all-time favourite authors (no relation), The Secret Chord by Geraldine BrookProfessional Readers, I waited until I cleared the decks a little to really immerse myself in this epic tale of King David, he of “David and Goliath” fame. I was not disappointed.

In this book, readers are taken back in time to ancient Israel, a beautiful, dry land of sectarian violence, cultural divisions, bloodshed and endless fighting – but also of faith, loyalty and perseverance. This period of history is shared across the global cultural unconscious as so many of the major faiths are founded upon the events and folks that rose to fame – real and imagined – during this time and within this geographical area. To read a novel set in this era, and about one of its major figures, is fascinating for a whole range of reasons, but primarily because, in David’s tale, myth and history collide.

Brooks fleshes out the man who would be king – exposes him warts and all – and allows us to follow his incredible trajectory from abused and virtually disowned grubby shepherd boy, to leader of brigands, to powerful king and wilfully ignorant tyrant.

The book opens towards the end of David’s reign and is told from the point of view of his prophet or seer, Natan who effectively guides the reader, using different characters (including himself) as mouthpieces, over David’s long life. Natan has been with David since he was a boy and his life was spared when his village was attacked and his parents brutally murdered by the man he now serves. Explaining to the grief-stricken boy his actions were necessary, Natan observes how, as David grows into power, he uses this notion of necessity to both explain and justify his often cruel decisions regarding the people he rules and those he seeks to conquer. Whereas necessity once dictated vicious actions that mostly benefited the majority, this notion slowly transforms until David’s deeds are enacted for mainly selfish purposes – regardless of the cost.

Through Natan’s eyes, we see David rise to take over the fractured kingdom and slowly, through his skills as warrior, politician, his undeniable charisma, and through timely and advantageous marriages, unite the once divided people into a force to be reckoned with.

Not one to steer away from presenting his master openly and honestly, through Natan we see David’s growing greed and the destruction it leaves in its wake. We bear witness to his selfish desires and how he will stop at nothing to have them fulfilled, even to the detriment of his reputation and the loyalty of those closest to him. We also see his blindness when it comes to the faults in his own children and how he appears to have an uncanny ability to sweep the problems he and his children create under the rug – that is, until the consequences come home to roost. And come home they do.

The journey of David’s rise, his decline into shameless hubris and dotage is intense, powerful and so very, very vivid. Brooks’ writing is sublime as she places us in every moment, allows us to understand David’s motivation for his sometimes horrendous, and usually calculated decisions – even when we’re appalled by his choices.

The attention to detail is marvellous and though meticulous, never detracts from the story telling, which, as you’d expect from Brooks is masterful.

This was a magnificent read, a visceral experience in many ways and one that presents us, in David, with an anti-hero extraordinaire. A constant contradiction, he is a great and tragic man, a cruel and generous one; a loving and yet callous individual, who nonetheless in all his shades of grey, is so very real.

Highly recommended for lovers of history, those seeking a great read and for anyone curious about one writer’s interpretation of the man behind the legend.

 

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