Recent Reads {Lady of the English}

Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick - The historical novels by Elizabeth Chadwick have been on my to-read list for quite some time, as she is known as an outstanding author of medieval era historical fiction. At last I managed to grab a book from the library and introduce myself to this author. I chose Lady of the English, which tells the story of Matilda, daughter of King Henry I. Matilda was a forceful and determined character, and her fight for the throne of England after her father's death is perhaps not a well-known piece of history. She is usually not presented in a very favorable light either, at least not that I've seen. The other prominent figure in the story is her stepmother, Adeliza, wife of Henry I. Adeliza was Henry's queen at the time that he died, but she was childless, which led to the upheaval as conflict as to who would inherit the throne. Henry had had his nobles swear allegiance to Matilda and to her son (who would become Henry II in due time) on three different occasions, but one of the nobles claimed that while Henry was on his deathbed he had absolved the nobles of that oath, preferring his nephew Stephen of Blois as his successor. Doubt among many of the nobles and Matilda herself led to war, and Stephen's reign was marked by the conflict.

Chadwick develops the characters of Matilda and Adeliza, with a bond of friendship between them, and brings these two women to life in the pages of the novel. She fleshes out distinct personalities and weaves together the relationships, struggles for power and love, and the highs and lows of their lives and loves in a very believable way. The Author's Note at the end reminds the reader that many of the details in the novel were from the author's imagination, spurred by research.

Although Matilda was not always a likable character, she had an admirable strength and perseverance, and this novel does a lovely job of telling her story and imagining more about what she and those around her were like. I sometimes got sidetracked and was willing to take a break from reading, but overall I enjoyed the book and I certainly will be putting more of Chadwick's work on my to-read list.

(Book #18 in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge)

 

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