Hello Fellow Historical Fictionettes,
I decided to start this blog off with my review of one of my favorite books thus far.
Book Title: The Flower Reader
Author: Elizabeth Loupas
Genre: Historical Fiction
Year Published: 2012
Rating: 5 Crowns - This book was an example to all authors. This is how books should be written.
Synopsis: "In the sweeping new novel from the author of The Second Duchess, dangerous secrets lead a passionate young woman into a maze of murder and conspiracy as Mary, Queen of Scots, comes home to reign in a treacherously divided Scotland….
With her dying breath, Mary of Guise entrusts a silver casket to Rinette Leslie of Granmuir, who possesses the ancient gift of floromancy. Inside the casket, and meant only for the young Mary, Queen of Scots, are papers the old queen has painstakingly collected—the darkest secrets of every Scottish lord and explosive private prophecies prepared by Nostradamus. Rinette risks her life to keep the casket safe, but she makes a fatal mistake: she shows it to her beloved young husband. On the very day the young queen comes home, Rinette’s husband is brutally assassinated.
Devastated, Rinette demands justice from the queen before she will surrender the casket. Amid glittering masques and opulent weddings, courtly intrigues and Highland rebellions, the queen’s agents and Rinette herself search for the shadowy assassin. They are surrounded by ruthless men from all over Europe who will do anything to force Rinette to give up the casket—threatening her life, stripping her of her beloved castle by the sea, forcing her to marry a man she hates, and driving her from the man she has reluctantly grown to love. In the end, the flowers are all she can trust—and only the flowers will lead her safely home to Granmuir."
Review:
Set in the mid-sixteenth century, The Flower Reader will take you back to the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, and introduce a new character by the name of Rinette Leslie.
This book is one of those rare books that successfully blends both history and fiction. Most authors struggle with adding fictional characters to history, while keeping the story believable. Ms. Loupas however, seems to be an exception.
Though Rinette may not be a real historical figure, once you begin reading this enthralling story you'll wish she was.
She is not your typical damsel in distress. She lives in a court full of secrets, surrounded by enemies. Each and every person in the court wants to know where the casket is and how to get to it. Rinette is threatened, coerced, kidnapped, has her daughter taken away from her, and is torn away from everyone she loves. Yet, she does not give in. She knows what is right and fights for it until the end.
Rinette also possesses the gift of floromancy or flower-reading and thus associates most of the people she meets with a certain flower that she believes has the same traits. This is yet another fun part of the story and a great way to add more description to a character without overdoing it.
Each and every character in this book is very well described. By the end you'll feel as if you know them all and lived this story.
A very interesting part of the book is Loupas characterization of the young Mary, Queen of Scots. Seemingly selfish and spoiled, she also carries a trait not seen in many books about her later life: lightheartedness. She is more concerned about enjoying life and creating masques and plays than ruling a country. It is a welcome change because it makes her seem more human. Young and carefree.
If you enjoy books that whisk you away into another time add The Flower Reader to your book list.
I rated this book Five Crowns because:
It was well written. Each character was described in a way that made you feel as if they were standing in front of you. Every place was easily conjured up in your minds eye after reading the words.
How well fiction was seamlessly bound to fact. As mentioned before, Rinette Leslie is a work of fiction. But Loupas did an excellent job making Rinette a believable character.
For using a different view and perspective. Also as I mentioned above, Mary, Queen of Scots was given a completely different characterization than we're used to reading about. I found Loupas idea of Mary's young, more human side entirely refreshing.
For Rinette's character. In a world where females were dumbed down and considered to be good for nothing except for marrying and having children, someone like Rinette would have been a rare thing indeed. Even though she is a work of fiction, I think she is still a character that many should aspire to be like.
