tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post4683013305849990430..comments2023-11-29T07:39:34.401+00:00Comments on Carla Nayland Historical Fiction: The Greatest Knight, by Elizabeth Chadwick. Book reviewCarlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-89752877284483877432007-08-20T19:53:00.000+01:002007-08-20T19:53:00.000+01:00Elizabeth - many thanks for the information! So t...Elizabeth - many thanks for the information! So the elder brothers who died were only half-brothers? I hadn't realised that. Would John have had any say in his fate? I'm just wondering if he felt gofering for his brothers and having his mother's modest roof over his head was a more attractive prospect than possibly getting killed as someone's hearth knight - less exciting, perhaps, but also a lot less risky.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-67913847764374058922007-08-17T13:04:00.000+01:002007-08-17T13:04:00.000+01:00Carla, I think he may well have ended up a local '...Carla, I think he may well have ended up a local 'hearth knight'. If the older sons hadn't died, one would have inherited the title of King's Marshal and his father's lands. The second, with any luck, might have got something from his mother, Aline, to live on. I suppose John might have hoped to claim Ludgershall plus its castle because it looks as if it came to the family with John the elder's marriage to his second wife Sybilla, John jnr's mother. Certainly John jnr could have tried to wangle the maternal lands to live on. So William, 4th in line would be the first son with absolutely no prospects other than working for someone else. Henry was destined for the church and Ancel was another superfluous son who had to go the hearth knight route.<BR/>Bottom line: John jnr would probably have had a small amount of land to call his own, but would probably have also been a gofer for his older bros.Elizabeth Chadwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-45844141779896419062007-08-17T11:14:00.000+01:002007-08-17T11:14:00.000+01:00Elizabeth - John's troubled relationship with Will...Elizabeth - John's troubled relationship with William comes over very clearly. If the family didn't send John away to train, what sort of thing would they have intended to do with him? Would he have been intended as a sort of assistant to his elder brother(s)?<BR/><BR/>Constance - hope you enjoy it!Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-37980120645013984962007-08-17T01:19:00.000+01:002007-08-17T01:19:00.000+01:00This sounds like one I'll have to read for the his...This sounds like one I'll have to read for the historical details- even if its not my time period. :)<BR/>Great review as always.Constance Brewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964121072645959593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-13727545353551318812007-08-17T00:07:00.000+01:002007-08-17T00:07:00.000+01:00I suspect John Marshal, William's brother, struggl...I suspect John Marshal, William's brother, struggled with inadequacy against William's charisma and skills for much of his lifetime. I am sure there was plenty of sibling rivalry, sometimes quite cutting. Actually John was the third son and only got to inherit the family lands because his two older half brothers died in young manhood, so while growing up he must have wondered about his lot in life. William was the one who got sent away to train in a magnificent household. Then again, I suppose to be fair, John might have trained elsewhere too, but the records don't show it.<BR/>Gabriele, I laughed at your comment about Big Mess - loved it and from my own experience I know what you mean!Elizabeth Chadwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-46985011460474943242007-08-16T17:07:00.000+01:002007-08-16T17:07:00.000+01:00Ah yes, can't have a secondary character stealing ...Ah yes, can't have a secondary character stealing the limelight from the hero :-) I could really sympathise with poor John Marshal in <I>The Greatest Knight</I>, it must have been very galling to be always in younger brother William's shadow.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-34926874313674472852007-08-16T15:16:00.000+01:002007-08-16T15:16:00.000+01:00I had come across William Marshal while doing what...I had come across William Marshal while doing what little research I did for my first novel aka the Big Mess, but decided not to have him as character, because he'd have outshone my MC Roderic. *grin*<BR/><BR/>I read THE GREATEST KNIGHT and have the sequel on my TBR pile - pretty high up, in fact. :)Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-35738879793868558052007-08-16T09:06:00.000+01:002007-08-16T09:06:00.000+01:00I enjoy Bernard Cornwell's novels too and have rea...I enjoy Bernard Cornwell's novels too and have read most of them. I think I like the first Sharpe series the best.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-61494360421582981372007-08-15T19:26:00.000+01:002007-08-15T19:26:00.000+01:00Good stuff. Thanks for the recommendations. I've r...Good stuff. Thanks for the recommendations. I've read all of the Grail Quest. Loved it. Bernard Cornwell is my favorite among historical fiction authors. I'm currently reading his Saxon Series. Other novels I've read in that period include: The Pillars of the Earth, The Name of the Rose, Eaters of the Dead, Timeline, The Iron Lance to name a few.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-36774903777427373182007-08-15T18:35:00.000+01:002007-08-15T18:35:00.000+01:00Bernita - He seems to have been an impressive man,...Bernita - He seems to have been an impressive man, doesn't he? I knew relatively little about him.<BR/><BR/>Steven - Well, medieval history is one of my areas of interest, so reviews will turn up here from time to time. You might like to have a look at the <A HREF="http://www.carlanayland.org/reviews/index.htm" REL="nofollow">reviews page</A> on my website, where there are several reviews of books set in the medieval period. <A HREF="http://www.carlanayland.org/reviews/english_resistance.htm" REL="nofollow">The English Resistance</A> is a non-fiction account of the immediate post-Conquest period in England, and <A HREF="http://www.carlanayland.org/reviews/winter_mantle.htm" REL="nofollow">The Winter Mantle</A> (by the same author as <I>The Greatest Knight</I>) covers a similar period but in fiction. <A HREF="http://www.carlanayland.org/reviews/winter_mantle.htm" REL="nofollow">Odinn's Child</A> is set in the 11th-century Norse world and <A HREF="http://www.carlanayland.org/reviews/warriors_dragon_gold.htm" REL="nofollow">Warriors ofthe Dragon Gold</A> is the run-up to the Conquest from the English side. <A HREF="http://www.carlanayland.org/reviews/heaven_tree.htm" REL="nofollow">The Heaven Tree</A> and its sequels are set in 13th-century England and Wales.<BR/><BR/>If you like military action-adventure, Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest series is set during the Hundred Years War (<I>The Archer's Tale/Harlequin</I>, <I>Vagabond</I> and <I>Heretic</I>). If medieval mysteries are your thing, the Brother Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters are good fun, mostly set on the English-Welsh border in the time of the civil war between Stephen and Matilda/Maud. Sharon Kay Penman's <I>Here be Dragons</I>, <I>Falls the Shadow</I> and <I>The Reckoning</I> cover the English and Welsh wars of the 12th/13th century, and <I>When Christ and His Saints Slept</I> and <I>Time and Chance</I> cover the Stephen/Maud civil war and the early years of Henry II. How's that to be going on with?Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-88374046105638968342007-08-15T16:34:00.000+01:002007-08-15T16:34:00.000+01:00Also, I'm adding your blog to my blogroll. Take ca...Also, I'm adding your blog to my blogroll. Take care.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-73186385358704044772007-08-15T16:30:00.000+01:002007-08-15T16:30:00.000+01:00Carla, I tend to focus on medieval England and Fra...Carla, I tend to focus on medieval England and France, mostly from the time of the conquest by William up through the mid 1300s. I have a small collection of books, a dozen or so, right now. Any recommended readings?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-72365434299912598382007-08-15T13:00:00.000+01:002007-08-15T13:00:00.000+01:00I have always liked William Marshal.Thank you Carl...I have always liked William Marshal.<BR/>Thank you Carla and Elizabeth.Bernitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05264585685253812090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-16245359943036460162007-08-15T09:36:00.000+01:002007-08-15T09:36:00.000+01:00Marg - so am I!Elizabeth - you're welcome! I real...Marg - so am I!<BR/><BR/>Elizabeth - you're welcome! I really enjoyed the novel - I do like to read about men as well as women.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-12131280595806662752007-08-15T01:10:00.000+01:002007-08-15T01:10:00.000+01:00Many thanks for the lovely review Carla. William ...Many thanks for the lovely review Carla. William Marshal has left an indelible impression on my life and I feel privileged to have shared his while writing the book.Elizabeth Chadwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-22066863923039962352007-08-14T21:38:00.000+01:002007-08-14T21:38:00.000+01:00I loved this and the sequel when I read it. I am l...I loved this and the sequel when I read it. I am looking forward to her next book!Marghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13508430635744720721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-23199069721119487892007-08-14T17:52:00.000+01:002007-08-14T17:52:00.000+01:00Daphne - thanks. It's a good read, isn't it? I'm...Daphne - thanks. It's a good read, isn't it? I'm looking forward to the John Marshal book too.<BR/><BR/>Steven - hello and welcome, and I hope you enjoy the novel. Elizabeth Chadwick has written many others in the medieval setting and you can find details on her <A HREF="http://www.elizabethchadwick.com/" REL="nofollow">website</A>. Are there particular aspects of medieval history you're especially interested in?Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-4933418446565809232007-08-14T15:23:00.000+01:002007-08-14T15:23:00.000+01:00I hadn't heard of this book until I read your revi...I hadn't heard of this book until I read your review. I'm an avid student of medieval history as well, and I try to read all the historical fiction I can find set in this period. Thanks for the review and recommendation. I'll have to check it out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-64949976692059849482007-08-14T14:15:00.000+01:002007-08-14T14:15:00.000+01:00I read this earlier in the year and loved it. I t...I read this earlier in the year and loved it. I think it's one of my favorite HF books and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. Great review!Daphnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12838072651419264066noreply@blogger.com