Avalon by Anya Seton

Merewyn lives in Cornwall with her dying mother when Rumon, nephew to King Alfred walks by asking for directions to England. He got more than he bargained for because Merewyn's mother's dying wish is for him to take Merewyn with him to England and hand her off to her aunt at a nunnery.

Rumon feels sorry for Merewyn, especially when he learns a secret about her, so he does decide to grant her mother's dying wish. They are quite the pair on the road. He is all dressed in the clothing of royalty while she is wearing what looks like a burlap sack.

Merewyn's mother told her that she is a descendant of King Arthur and has no reason not to believe this. When her and Rumon arrive in England, she is introduce to King Alfred and Queen , Alfrida as a descendant of the great king Author. The queen immediately takes her under her wing and gives her a dress more fitting to her station and makes her one of her ladies. Merewyn is very gentle at combing out the queen's hair and giving her a massage. The queen decides to offer her a permanent position among her ladies.

At the same time Merewyn is a lady for the queen, Rumon falls for Queen Alfrida. After King Alfred dyes suddenly, Rumon unknowingly gets raped up in the queen's evil plot. Merewyn tried to warn Rumon but he wouldn't listen. He was in love. Merewyn resigns her position with the queen because she doesn't want to be a part of the plot and goes to her aunt at the nunnery.  However, another dying wish makes her go back to Cornwall and it is there where her fate makes another turn.

This story takes place across continents and travels all the way to Iceland and back to England. It takes place in the 10th century during the turbulent time with the Vikings. It is packed full with secrets and deceptions.

Seton wrote a story vivid in imagery and well throughout characters. She wrote about a time that doesn't seem to be explored by other writers much and she did it with great historical detail.  I thought she could have done an easier transition through time.  Time changes we quite abrupt.

Anya Seton has been on my list to read for a very long time and I decided that it was finally time to read one of her books since the Spotlight is on her all month long. I enjoyed this book and have heard even better things about her other books, so I plan to read more by her.

Grade: 3.5/5

Katherine by Anya Seton

It's impossible to be an historical fiction fan without hearing about Anya Seton's Katherine. For years I only read good things about it and several of my friends couldn't stop recommending it. Like many of those great books you intend to read for ages, but the right occasion never seems to show up, Katherine waited quite a while in my dusty TBR pile. When the Historical Tapestry team decided to organize a season about Anya Seton I jumped of joy. I couldn't ask for a better excuse!

The story begins with young Katherine de Rouet leaving the nunnery where she lived for several years after her father's death. She is to join her sister, Philippa, at court. Beautiful and shy, the young woman soon attracts the attention of two men, the creepy Hugh Swynford and the mysterious John de Gaunt. The first one is completely obsessed with her and does everything in his power to marry her, to Katherine's great despair. The marriage is unsurprisingly unhappy and soon Katherine and John meet again under other circumstances.

John of Gaunt is a man of his time. Duke of Lancaster, the third son of the King Edward III, he is ambitious, arrogant and surprisingly fragile. When he meets Katherine, it's clear he doesn't know what to do about her. He is attracted and repulsed at the same time to that breathtaking beautiful and earthly young woman who looks so different from his ethereal blond wife, Blanche.

After spending years in an unhappy marriage with Swynford, Katherine find herself free to be with John, who meanwhile also lost his spouse to the Black Death. With the passing of years and four children later - the Beaufort - the couple seems to have created a perfect harmony between them. But Katherine starts to doubt about her lover's affections and his constant absences seem to confirm her fears...

Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt are very human and that's what makes them so interesting. There were some moments where I wasn't very fond of John and his excessive ambition. He was so intense that I kept waiting for Katherine to get burned. Same for the young woman's overzealous religiousness but those are my modern opinions getting in the way, and I didn't have any troubles setting them aside for a while.

While this book is about John and Katherine relationship, I never felt that Anya Seton used any love story cliches. If some scenes between them are very romantic, others are painstakingly real. John marries for power and political alliances, like most of the men of his station. Katherine knows that her low birth makes it impossible for her to be a suitable spouse for the King's son. The only way they could be together was as lovers and, at first, they seem both content with the situation. The fact that many years later, John defies all social conventions and marries his long ago mistress makes me love even more this man who was always ready to fight for what he wanted.

Once again, the historical research is done carefully which will immediately seduce all history lovers. Seton will make you travel back in time gracefully never failing to hold your interest, showing you how remarkably talented she is. Her portrayal of the English 14th century is masterfully weaved with its court intrigues and machinations, giving us glimpses of crucial events as The Hundred Years War, the Peasant's Revolt or even the impact of the merciless Black Death. For several hours I truly felt I was living in Medieval England.

Katherine is definitely a book who deserves a special place among my keepers. I'm off to search for Anya Seton's entire back list.

Grade: 5/5

Dragonwyck by Anya Seton

I always had a soft spot for Gothic novels like Rebecca and Jane Eyre, so Dragonwyck seemed like a must read to me, especially when a brooding and mysterious character like Nicholas Van Ryn is involved. Nothing could be more perfect!

Honestly, in the beginning, I had some troubles warming up to Miranda Wells. In the movie adaptation, she's more sympathetic and we easily relate to her wish to see the world, where in the book I found her a tad unpleasant and extremely snob. I wasn't very sure I was going to like her, but slowly she became a much stronger woman, someone definitely more interesting.

Nicholas Van Ryn seduced me as easily as Miranda. After reading the final page of Dragonwyck, I couldn't stop thinking about him, the last of a long line of patroons, and also the last of a long line of cruel men. His heavy heritage combined with a dark past (both always hinted, never really explained) create a very intriguing character. He is charming and generous, but his attitude towards his first wife, Johanna, and later, Miranda, reveal how deeply disturbing he could be. His final scenes came up as a surprise... Somehow, I was expecting a different end.

The captivating historical background researched by Anya Seton is undoubtedly one of the strong assets of Dragonwyck. I knew next to nothing about the middle 19th century New York and the Dutch community. I did remember reading about the strong Dutch presence in the state in the short story The Legend of Sleepy Hallow by Washington Irving, which was set about 60 years before Seton's novel. But other than a reference here and there, I never had the opportunity to read any other stories who fully explored this interesting part of American history.

Dragonwyck can sometimes be a little predictable but the author's delicious writing style, the historical research and the wonderful characterization make this book special. This is definitely a keeper!

Grade: 4/5 stars

Dragonwyck by Anya Seton

Originally published in 1941, this book is classified as a gothic romance. It reminded me of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier in tone in several ways. Having read and loved Seton's classic Katherine, I am hoping to read a few more of her books.

Among the easy correlations to make between Rebecca and Dragonwyck are the darkness and Gothic nature of both homes where the majority of the action is set, the aloofness of both main male characters, the hint of murder and tragedy. I suppose that these are characteristics of gothic romance as a whole, however it is a genre that I have not personally read a lot of so these were quite striking to me.

Miranda Wells, an 18-year-old farmer's daughter, is, one afternoon in 1844, suddenly invited to live at Dragonwyck, the Hudson Valley estate of her distant relative, the great Nicholas Van Ryn. Falling under the strange and passionate spell of both the mansion and its owner, she becomes part of Dragonwyck, with its gothic towers, flowering gardens, acres of tenant farms, and dark, terrible secrets.


In this exquisite and compelling novel, Anya Seton, with her customary attention to detail paints a marvelous portrait of an America torn between ideals of freedom and feudal traditions. We meet not only the poor tenant farmers at Dragonwyck and the European royalty that visits there, but in finely crafted New York City scenes, Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville, and the Astors. Above all, Seton masterfully tells the heart-stopping story of a remarkable woman, her remarkable passions and the mystery and terror that await her in the magnificent hallways of Dragonwyck.

I wasn't really quite sure what to expect from this novel when I started it, but almost from the beginning I was drawn into the story, in fact surprisingly so, given the broad generalisations that are given to our main characters. When we first meet our heroine, the very naive and innocent Miranda Wells, she is reading a romance novel instead of completing her farm chores. Our first glimpse of our villain, Nicholas Van Ryn, is of a very charismatic, dashing, darkly handsome man, whose wife, the unfortunate Johanna is a gluttonous, extremely overweight woman. Our first glimpse of her is as she asks Nicholas if he remembered to bring her pastries for her from New York.

Miranda has just received an invitation to act as the governess to the Van Ryn's child. The Van Ryns are distant relatives on her mother's side. Her father, the dour Ephraim, is not keen for this to happen, but through a tricky manipulation of The Test, where the family bible is opened at a random page, to pick a verse and see what light it adds to the matter under consideration, the decision is made that Miranda is to go. She therefore sets out for the brightness that is New York City in the 1840's, where Miranda feels completely inept and out of fashion in what she had felt were her smartest and most fashionable clothes.

After meeting the dashing Nicholas, she is literally swept up river on a paddlesteamer, fearing greatly as the paddlesteamer races against another steamer during the trip. Here we get our first real glimpse of Nicholas, a man who appears to be extremely passionate about things like paddlesteamer racing, but who also vacillates between tremendous charisma and terrible internal darkness.

As we progress through the novel we are introduced to the big issues of the day. The rights of tenant farmers to own their own land for example, the looming war with Mexico, issues of which Miranda is completely in ignorance about. Miranda is introduced into a world where she doesn't belong, feeling completely out of depth, and not being accepted by any, it seems, except Nicholas, despite her ethereal beauty and her lovely new wardrobe.

Eventually, Nicholas' wife dies, and Miranda is sent back to her home, but she goes with a secret. She is betrothed to Nicholas, and once the obligatory year of mourning is over, he will be coming to claim her, which he does, much to Ephraim Well's consternation.

So Miranda returns to New York, and during this time we see short glimpses into New York's social scenes with visits to Edgar Allan Poe, who Nicholas greatly esteems. However it seems that part of the reason that Nicholas wanted Miranda is that he can mould her into his perfect wife, a woman without her own social networks (Nicholas actively discourages her from making any friendships with anyone), her own opinions, existing only to appear to be perfect to all around her, a sign of his own power and control.

Of course, if there is a heroine and a villain, then there must be a hero, and in Dragonwyck, our hero is Doctor Jefferson Turner, the doctor from the nearby town of Hudson. Dr Turner is a man of many faces. Not only is he a doctor, he is also very involved in the movement to allow tenant farmers to own their own land, and in due course he also goes off to fight in the Mexican war. If there is a shortcoming in any of the major characters, then Jeff is probably it. Whilst he is likeable, and integral to the plot, his growing attraction to Miranda is not given a terrible lot of page time, maybe because the fact that an attraction to a married woman was something that wouldn't have really been talked about openly when the book was first written.

Another thing that is not talked about much compared to if this novel had been written today is that of the marital relations between Miranda and Nicholas. There are hints of violence at various points in the novel, particularly as we begin to see the disintegration of Nicholas Van Ryn the man as he descends into his own personal darkness with chilling results.


Overall this is an entertaining read that kept me engrossed from beginning to end, giving glimpses into both people and events from New York and America in the 1840's. I look forward to tracking down more of Anya Seton's books. Some of her more popular books are currently being rereleased with forewords by popular historical fiction author, Philippa Gregory.

Rating 4/5

This review originally appeared at Reading Adventures in March 2006

The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton

This bestselling novel - Anya Seton's follow-up to Katherine - concerns Elizabeth Winthrop (nee Fones), a real historical figure who married into the family of Governor John Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and moved to the wild New World in 1631. This perceptive, authoritative, and thoroughly documented account portrays the fortitude, humiliation, and ultimate triumph of a Puritan woman who dared to live and love as her heart commanded.

I know I am not the only one who buys books and doesn't read them. I also know that I am not the only person who then reads one of those books, and then wonders why on earth I hadn't read it before. I initially bought this book back in 2007 when it was chosen as book of them month at the forerunner to Historical Fiction Online, and now here I am nearly 3 years later finally reading it for Anya Seton season here at Historical Tapestry.

If I was going to be brutally honest with you all, I didn't have particularly high hopes for this book. I thought I would read it, and move on. I am not sure why I thought that because I loved Katherine when I read it years ago, and I really liked Dragonwyck too. Maybe it was the pretty uninspiring synopsis? Whatever it was, it was a really pleasant discovery for me to find that when I opened the book I actually was very interested!

Another reason why I didn't really anticipate this read all that much is that I have a kind of overview understanding of American history. I know that about the Mayflower, and there were Puritans, and then there were witch trials, and about the American Revolution and the Civil War. That is probably an oversimplification, but key to this book is the fact that I didn't realise how there came to be different Puritan colonies, and certainly don't recall hearing about John Winthrop before.

So if the synopsis above is a little dry then what is The Winthrop Woman about? The main female character is Elizabeth Fones, member of the prominent Puritan Winthrop family.  From a very young age, Elizabeth displays tendencies towards rebellion against the strict religious rules imposed by her family, and particularly find her relationship with her uncle John very difficult.

With the family's fortune waining due to religious persecution, John Winthrop is looking towards America for a new start, freedom in a new land. Elizabeth's impulsiveness has led her into marriage with one of her cousin, despite the fact that her heart belongs to another. In a very short period of time she is widowed and a young mother on her way to the Massachusetts Bay Colony along with her Winthrop relations.

Through the eyes of Elizabeth we get to see the difficulties enveloping the young colony including political turmoil, religious divisions between different Puritan sections, relationships with the Siwanot . Elizabeth herself is an engaging main character who we get to see for all her faults and her strengths. She is a woman who could be seen to have been dealt a difficult hand in life - a settler working hard, some times pariah of her community, unlucky in love and marriage for most of her life, but whose inner core of strength ensures that she does what it takes to survive and to rise above the challenges facing her.

This was a fascinating character study of a very interesting woman. I will also endeavour to read more Seton without expecting to be unengaged.

Rating 4.5/5

Green Darkness by Anya Seton

I've had this book in my TBR pile for more than a year. I had picked it up because I loved Katherine and I wanted to read more books by Seton. Also this book has a theme that fascinates me - reincarnation, karma, good and evil... - even if I'm not sure if I believe it or not. Maybe it was my feelings toward it that kept me from picking it up for so long but now I'm really happy that I did.

The book starts in the sixties of the XX century. Celia Marsdon, a young american girl, married Richard a british gentleman and his fascinated by british history. They are having some problems as Richard's behaviour becomes strange. During a weekend house party Celia plans a visit to a nearby estate and feels strangely disturbed especially after hearing mention of a young woman being walled up alive 400 years previously. It's soon obvious that unknown forces are affecting both Celia and Richard who both display uncharacteristic behaviour who will lead them to a brutal scene that leaves Celia in a coma and Richard with a death wish.

A interested and active participant in all this is Dr Akananda, a hindu medical doctor, friend of Celia's mother, who believes in reincarnation and how past lifes may affect your present one. He starts an unconventional healing treatment trying to save Celia by making her relieve her past.

So a big part of this book, I should actually say the bigger part, is set in Tudor times during the reign of Henry VIII's children. As the drama unfolds we soon identify most of the present day characters in the historical ones.

I think one of Seton's strong points is how well she makes characters come to life both by good characterisation and vivid settings' descriptions. After we jump to the past I was totally immersed in the reading and didn't want to have to interrupt it when real life called. I have only one thing to mention regarding the story in the past, I think we had a lot of build up and then the actuall tragic event happened too quickly and with little detail, I also realise though that to deal with it differently would probably evoke too much anguish in the reader so maybe that was a good thing. After the action returns to the XX century Celia is already recovering and it's ultimately her who takes Richard through the final steps of the healing process.

Although we could consider this book an historical romance because there is a love story that takes centre stage, this is much more complex than just the love story. According to the Author's note in the beginning: The theme of this book is reincarnation, an attempt to show the interplay - the law of cause and effect, good and evil - for certain individual souls in two english periods.

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Originally posted on July 07

My Theodosia by Anya Seton

THEODOSIA


HER FATHER bound her to him with a love transcending the ordinary.

HER HUSBAND could claim her, but he could never have her for his own.

THE OTHER MAN rich and ambitious, demanded that she betray her loyalty as a daughter and her vows as a wife.

Theodosia - a bewitching woman caught in a fierce drama of love and loyalty, with the fate of a young nation hanging perilously in the balance.

Although I have read some of Anya Seton's novels before it was only now that I had the opportunity to read My Theodosia, her first published work. Reading about Theodosia Burr Alston made me realise that I seldom read books about American history and that my knowledge is indeed lacking in that department. Something I started working on as soon as I finished the book because I had to look up every real people mentioned and that I intend to continue by looking for more books with that setting.

Theodosia is the beloved daughter of Aaron Burr, America's Vice President from 1801 to 1805 under President Jefferson. The story starts on her seventeenth birthday and ends with what Seton believed was the event that led to her death.

Theodosia had an uncommon love for her father. Her mother died when she was still a child and she was raised by her father alone who took great care in her education. Her relationship with him shaped her whole life, she is at first hostess to his house parties and used to charm his friends and then married to cement his power in the south. She never ceases to support and accompany him in his various projects. I thought it interesting that Seton doesn't show Burr in a very good light, he manipulates his daughter, and everyone else around him, to his own ends and in doing so gives a great contribution to her tragic life. Theodosia goes from a happy girl in the beginning of this biography to an unhappy married woman who sees her love for another man crushed under her father's will. His convoluted life and especially the duel with Alexander Hamilton and the project for the Kingdom of Mexico also take their toll on Theodosia's life and health as do her private losses.

I must confess that what I loved more about the story was the glimpse I had of all these extraordinary people and how they lived. Since Theodosia goes to live in the South after her wedding there are many references to slavery and live in the plantations. Theodosia, while starting out as an engaging character ends up being too blind for too long to what her father really was - a charming scoundrel - and so set herself for much heartache.

Seton does a good job of grabbing historical figures and known facts and weaving them into fictional novels. The objects of her biographies are usually less known characters of history and that leaves her more freedom to fictionalise and romanticise their lives. Besides Theodosia there's Katherine Swynford (Katherine) and Elizabeth Fones (The Winthrop Woman). Her concern with historical accuracy and research was known but My Theodosia seems to be a highly fictional account of Theodosia's life, instead of being the final work about her it whetted my appetite for more. I was only sorry not to see more pages devoted to Theodosia's unusual education and the use she made of it. In all the references I found about her that is one of the things mentioned that set her apart from the other women of her time.

An interesting novel that should appeal to everyone interested in American history in general and Aaron Burr and his daughter in particular!

Grade: 4/5