tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post116102281370797046..comments2023-11-29T07:39:34.401+00:00Comments on Carla Nayland Historical Fiction: Nigel Tranter's historical novelsCarlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-27194656699209116342011-12-15T02:38:24.842+00:002011-12-15T02:38:24.842+00:00Wow! What a fantastic post! Thank you for making...Wow! What a fantastic post! Thank you for making it. I love historical fiction and have run my way through my favorite authors. I need to find a new one to read but everything I pick up just doesn't jell for me. I am considering Nigel Tranter and now I feel informed about what to consider rather than just a shot in the dark. Awesome. Thank you!Lorinda Maehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11831199167558853125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1161249075216487462006-10-19T10:11:00.000+01:002006-10-19T10:11:00.000+01:00That's interesting, Elizabeth, thank you. I wonde...That's interesting, Elizabeth, thank you. I wonder if it might be something to do with Tranter's pro-Scottish outlook; maybe he felt that a proper Scottish king couldn't be on too friendly terms with England?Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1161212368334550332006-10-18T23:59:00.000+01:002006-10-18T23:59:00.000+01:00Carla,Yes, David the Prince is about the David who...Carla,<BR/>Yes, David the Prince is about the David who married Waltheof's daughter Matilda, and who was Henry I's brother in law. It's many years since I attempted David The Prince, so the specifics have gone from my mind. However, as far as I recall, the costume detail was wrong (but that's just nit-picky me and wouldn't bother most folks),there was at least one character who was completely the wrong age i.e. a young sprog when in fact he should have been an old fogey or vice versa, but the main problem I had was with the character of David. In the primary sources he is nothing like the character Tranter makes him out to be. I seem to recall that Tranter made him pretty much uptight and against Henry, when in fact David and Henry were on good terms and were up for mutual back scratching. Tranter's character, basically, just did not gel with the known history of his traits and attitudes. I know novelists can interpret history with many different slants and ways, but I felt Tranter could have done a more convincing job in this case.Elizabeth Chadwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1161159661797671572006-10-18T09:21:00.000+01:002006-10-18T09:21:00.000+01:00Elizabeth - was David the Prince about the David w...Elizabeth - was <I>David the Prince</I> about the David who married Waltheof's daughter Matilda? You probably know more about the history than I do - what were the inaccuracies?<BR/><BR/>Ali - I like the Bruce trilogy best, too. I've read the second part of the MacGregor trilogy, <I>Clansman</I>, which I'd rate as OK, but I don't think I've read <I>Children of the Mist</I>.<BR/><BR/>Sarah - Interesting comment about the clipped dialogue. It's very much part of his style. I find it doesn't bother me, in fact I quite like it. People often do talk in sentence fragments, especially in highly-charged situations, so it seems to fit quite well.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1161125030169723312006-10-17T23:43:00.000+01:002006-10-17T23:43:00.000+01:00I've never read the Montrose novels. Altogether I...I've never read the Montrose novels. Altogether I've probably read half a dozen, excluding Master of Gray. <BR/><BR/>His novels are hard to get into at first, I've found, especially because of his clipped, awkward dialogue. His characters don't seem to like speaking in complete sentences.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1161123968520713682006-10-17T23:26:00.000+01:002006-10-17T23:26:00.000+01:00I love the Bruce trilogy. First ones of his I read...I love the Bruce trilogy. First ones of his I read, and I still think they're the best.<BR/><BR/>Children of the Mist is another good one - about the MacGregors being outlawed. <BR/><BR/>But I read Mary and Marie a while ago, and that was just awful. I can see why some people have been put off.alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14504115799419501859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1161113164365248812006-10-17T20:26:00.000+01:002006-10-17T20:26:00.000+01:00I have never been able to get into Nigel Tranter. ...I have never been able to get into Nigel Tranter. I can't recall which novel it was of his I tried - couldn't even remember the title from the website - but several verbose repetitive sentences of over 100 words in length put me off. I tried David The Prince, but it was so full of historical inaccuracies both of detail and politics that I gave up with that one too. A friend challenged me to read Master of Grey and still say I disliked Tranter's works. I have to say it was much better than the other two efforts, but having been spoiled by Dunnett (of which Grey is a weak echo IMO) I decided to leave Tranter to those who appreciate him - my mum included. When we lived in Scotland, she must have read most of his oevre from the library.Elizabeth Chadwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1161095788460102372006-10-17T15:36:00.000+01:002006-10-17T15:36:00.000+01:00Glad that you found it helpful! Susan - I'm sure ...Glad that you found it helpful! <BR/><BR/>Susan - I'm sure I read one of the Montrose novels among the twenty or thirty, but I can't remember any details, either good or bad. If you're interested in the period and/or the character I would expect you'd find it worthwhile.<BR/><BR/>Alianore - I read <I>Macbeth the King</I> when I was doing Macbeth for 'O'-level English, and found it fascinating that Tranter and Shakespeare could tell such different stories about the same individual. Then, much later, I came across Dorothy Dunnett's <I>King Hereafter</I> and got yet a third completely different take. That's one of the things I love about historical fiction!<BR/><BR/>Marg - hopefully you now have an idea where you might like to start!<BR/><BR/>Gabriele - the romantic Prince Charlie legend appeals to me, but the two Charlie novels I read were both disappointing - not Tranter's strongest works by a long shot, I would say. Possibly because the actual history isn't as romantic as the legend.<BR/><BR/>Sarah - The Master of Gray trilogy is one I haven't read. I don't know why. I've heard other people recommend them, so I will give them a try some time. I hadn't noticed the decline in female viewpoint that you mentioned, but you may very well be right. Most of the time the viewpoint is male (which I like anyway), so Tranter may have always been more comfortable with the male point of view. Have you read the Montrose novels and can you give Susan any information about them?Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1161084695999114612006-10-17T12:31:00.000+01:002006-10-17T12:31:00.000+01:00Very helpful, very fair. Thank you.Very helpful, very fair. Thank you.Bernitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05264585685253812090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1161043113463519612006-10-17T00:58:00.000+01:002006-10-17T00:58:00.000+01:00Nice post!It's interesting, I don't think any of t...Nice post!<BR/><BR/>It's interesting, I don't think any of the Tranter novels I've read are on either of your lists. My personal favorite is the Master of Gray trilogy. Has anyone reaad it?<BR/><BR/>I've noticed that in his later novels especially, Tranter got less adept at writing from a female point of view. Mary Stewart in <I>Price of a Princess</I> is a good (or bad, as the case may be) example of this.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1161037149828414932006-10-16T23:19:00.000+01:002006-10-16T23:19:00.000+01:00Thank you, that's very helpful indeed. I have vagu...Thank you, that's very helpful indeed. I have vague memories of one of the Bonnie Prince Charlie novels I came across in Scotland and wasn't enthused - but then, I'm not that big a Charlie fan anyway. :)<BR/><BR/>So, besides the Bruce trilogy I'll give Wallace and Macbeth a shot, too.Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1161031476082522882006-10-16T21:44:00.000+01:002006-10-16T21:44:00.000+01:00Thanks Carla. I have looked at Nigel Tranters book...Thanks Carla. I have looked at Nigel Tranters books more than once but haven't yet got around to any of them.Marghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13508430635744720721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1161026129796257442006-10-16T20:15:00.000+01:002006-10-16T20:15:00.000+01:00Thanks a lot, Carla! That's really helpful. I'm ...Thanks a lot, Carla! That's really helpful. I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into <I>The Bruce Trilogy</I>, and I'll probably give <I>The Wallace</I> a try. The ones about Macbeth and Queen Margaret look fascinating, too.Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1161023953343583442006-10-16T19:39:00.000+01:002006-10-16T19:39:00.000+01:00What a helpful post (and a very useful link to tha...What a helpful post (and a very useful link to that Tranter website). I have a copy of his Bruce trilogy but have yet to get started on it. I think I may try one of his Montrose novels as I'm reading in that period at the moment--have you read them?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com