On the Curve

Tag Archive: “historical fiction”

Sunday Salon: The history in historical novels

Hello Saloners!

I’m afraid I must start off with a SPOILER WARNING: this post does contain a big one. So if you are planning to read Watery Grave, the third book in Bruce Alexander’s Sir John Fielding mystery series, don’t read this. However, I’ll tell ya right now, the book was pretty annoying and I don’t recommend it.

waterygrave

In Watery Grave, an officer of the Royal Navy has been charged with the murder of his captain. There is no question that the captain drowned — the only issue is whether the lieutenant actually pushed him overboard, or is he being framed. In fact, it becomes obvious early on in the book that he is being framed, and we even know why: to prevent him from testifying that the successor captain is a pederast. Furthermore, the admiral, who is the lieutenant’s own uncle, not only withholds material evidence and otherwise interferes with the carriage of justice, but actually allows his nephew to be hanged as a murderer rather than let the name of the Royal Navy be so sullied. Yes, that’s how the book ends: the lieutenant is hanged for a crime he didn’t commit.

Ok, that just doesn’t feel real to me. No, I am not an expert on the Royal Navy of the 1760s, but I just can’t believe that one pederast captain would ruin the reputation of the world’s most powerful fighting force. Based on my total immersion in the world of Patrick O’Brian (granted, those books are fiction also, and take place about fifty years later, but oh! they feel so authentic) I think it’s much more likely that the acting captain would have been quietly court-martialed and dishonourably discharged — or not! If Patrick O’Brian is correct (of course he is!) homosexuality and even pederasty would probably have been tolerated in an otherwise-competent officer. All for the good of the service.

My thoughts on this book were influenced not only by my love of Patrick O’Brian, but also by this terrific post from Jessica of Both Eyes Book Blog, where she rips apart historical fiction about Vikings after doing some actual research. So, for all you lovers of historical fiction, I am curious: do you have certain periods that you are drawn to? Do you feel like you know something about the “real” history of that time because you’ve read novels that take place in it? Have you ever done research to check?

Sunday Salon

Sunday Salon: The pleasure of reading a series

Murder in Grub Street, by Bruce AlexanderHello, Saloners!

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the book Blind Justice, by Bruce Alexander. It had been quite a while since I read a murder mystery. I don’t know why; I used to read mysteries all the time. But after a while I guess I got bored with solving the mystery, and now I only read them if there’s something else intriguing about them besides the whodunit aspect — such as, in the case of Blind Justice, the historical setting and the real-life characters. I was so intrigued, in fact, that I went on to read the second in the series, Murder in Grub Street.

Well! If it’s been a long time since I read a mystery, it’s been even longer since I read a series! I forgot how fun it can be to have that mix of old and new: characters you already know, but in a new situation. The one big drawback to continuing in a series is when authors feel the need to give a recap of everything, to provide too much exposition and explanation and background. Murder in Grub Street did have a fair amount of recapping, which I pretty much skipped. But that was its only flaw. The highlights were:

  • Lots more about the publishing industry — the 13yo orphan narrator’s typesetting ability was actually important to the plot
  • A colorful character, a little too-obviously inspired by the Artful Dodger, who speaks in Thieves’ Cant
  • A very gory murder
  • A weird religious cult
  • An orthodox rabbi who tells parables
  • A possible love interest for Sir John
  • A glimpse inside Bethlem Royal Hospital, aka Bedlam

Yes indeed! The next book in the series is called Watery Grave, and I have it on hold already.

How do you feel about reading a series? Do you get bored with the same old characters after a while? Do you have a favorite series?

Sunday Salon

Sunday Salon: Two genres for the price of one

Good morning, Saloners! It’s been quite a while since I posted one of these. I’m very happy to be back and I’m looking forward to reading your posts.

My recent interest in Sir John Fielding is the result of a book I just read, Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander. I saw a brief review of the series on the Ann Arbor District Library blog and was immediately intrigued. I’m not generally a fan of mysteries as a genre, but I will read them if there is some value added, e.g. an interesting setting or a heartthrob of a detective. What piqued my curiosity about this one is, of course, the historical context. I may not be a huge fan of mysteries but I am always in the mood for a good historical novel!

Blind Justice, by Bruce Alexander

There are two things I look for in a good historical novel in addition to the usual stuff. First, exposition. How does the author clue me in to the background, customs, culture, etc., of a historical period I’m not familiar with? I want it to be done imperceptibly, if at all. Please don’t give me big long paragraphs of explanation. Give me instead, say, a wide-eyed innocent narrator who’s new in town. As the character learns, so do I, and the author doesn’t have to be pedantic. Blind Justice accomplishes this very nicely with a first person narrator who happens to be a charming thirteen-year-old orphan newly arrived in London Town. A charming thirteen-year-old orphan, moreover, who knows how to set type. Dude!

And second, the language. Does the writing feel authentic for the period? Does it give a good flavor? I am no expert on Georgian England. I’ve never read Tom Jones or Pamela and I have no idea if the writing style is accurate. All I can say is, it felt pretty good. Flowery and ornate enough to be believable, but still quite easy to read. I found a couple of solecisms (e.g. hung instead of hanged) but I suppose they could have been deliberate.

As a historical novel, this book succeeds quite well. As a mystery… well, it wasn’t bad. The final solution was a possibility I’d considered, and I suspect it would have been even more obvious to someone who reads a lot of mysteries. But it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book at all. In fact I am very eager to continue following the fortunes of Sir John Fielding and his thirteen-year-old orphan typesetter assistant. The second book is called Murder in Grub Street and I’ve got it on hold already.

Sunday Salon

About this blog

On the Curve is the personal blog of Julie Hathaway, a mother of three, book lover, and graphic designer who is always ready for a new challenge. The steeper the learning curve, the happier she is. Foolhardy? You bet.

Hire me!

My design portfolio includes e-commerce and informational websites; WordPress themes; ads, brochures and flyers; and books. Visit Pilcrow Text & Design for details.

Categories

Follow me on Twitter