The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry

In London, 1876, the bones of three females were discovered under the chapel in the Tower of London.  They were said to be the remains of two of Henry VIII's wives, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard and those of Lady Jane Grey.  The painter, Amos Roselli was summoned there to do sketches of the remains.

Amos didn't want to be left in the tower alone and asked for someone to be there with him.  In a short while, a yeoman warder, came in and they had a friendly chat.  When Amos finished the sketches, the warder was gone and the man who gave him the commission showed up with his wife.  He knew nothing about the yeoman warder.  When Amos made inquiries about the warder he was told the man had been dead for many year.  This started the strange sightings and creepy feeling which plagued Amos throughout the novel.

Amos recently hired a new maid, Beth for his humble home.  He didn't pay her much as he was a struggling artist.  However, Beth took to her work and master and did the best she could. 

Things were looking starting to look up for Amos.  Amos's inspiration/muse and childhood  friend, Daphne had married a very wealthy man, Oliver Ramsey, one year ago and Amos had just been commissioned to do a portrait of Oliver.  Amos knew that if Ramsey liked the portrait he would most likely gain more commissions.

Amos was happy that he was finally going to see Daphne again and once he arrived, their friendship continued like it was never interrupted.  Daphne confides in Amos that her marriage wasn't what she expected and the Oliver was very disappointed that she hadn't produced an heir yet.  Poor Daphne was stuck in a loveless marriage and it soon became apparent that Ramsey had his sights on another woman.  He wanted to get rid of Daphne one way or another.

During his visit with the Ramseys' many strange things happened.  He keeps seeing a woman from a distance that appears to be Daphne but couldn't be.  Later, Beth said that Daphne had dropped off some flowers while he was gone however, Daphne had been with him that entire day.  To add fuel to this strangeness, Daphne like to hold séances with her guests after dinner and there were some cryptic messages from the dead.

Robert parry's poetic prose painted a haunting portrait of Victorian England and his characters.  He deftly weaved the story in with the story of Anne Boleyn .  It felt very authentic.  The characters were so well developed that I felt as if I was transported to Victorian England every time I picked up the book.  I felt like I was one of the characters.  There were a couple slow places in the book but those were minimal and then the book picked up again.   I loved The Arrow Chest and did not want it to end. 

4.5/5

 

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Why I Love the Pre-Raphaelites Robert Parry

There is a perception in England, not by any means unique to this country, that if a work of art is foreign or old - or, even better, if it is a combination of both of these, then it must be superior to anything we can ever produce ourselves. This was certainly the case in the middle of the 19th century when the British art establishment was frozen in time, ruled by the rather staid and predictable rigours of classical painting –works which arose either from the European continent or else from the many imitators closer to home. Then suddenly there emerged a group of young men with the glint of revolution in their eyes and who resolved to light a fire beneath it all. The thaw began, and the admiration for remote classical paintings that had really not altered much since the Renaissance was eventually replaced in England by an exciting new style and a radically new subject matter that we know today as the Pre-Raphaelite movement.

As the term suggests, the Pre-Raphaelites sought to re-connect with a form of painting that pre-dated the classical formality of Raphael – so returning to the simplicity and innocence, as they saw it, of the Medieval world. They did not wish to adhere any longer to the formal rules and strictures laid down by the art schools. They embraced, instead, a new freedom of style, and they seized upon the rich heritage of English art, English poetry and literature as sources for their inspiration - including the newly interpreted vision of antiquity described by the poet Alfred Tennyson, a contemporary of many of the young painters themselves. The result was a fabulous, extravagant and sensual genre of painting that features Arthurian knights and beautiful, elegant heroines; sirens and nymphs, and handsome Homeric heroes or noble seekers of the grail. There are also Shakespearian characters such as the tragic Ophelia or Lady Macbeth. And there is also the mysterious Lady of Shalott – drawn from Tennyson’s iconic poem and which was illustrated over and over again by the Pre-Raphaelites and others. This was a new style of painting rich in symbolism and allegory but with a natural realism and attention to detail not seen for centuries - nourishment for the brain as well as a feast for the eyes.

What has any of this got to do with my novel ‘The Arrow Chest?’ Well, the hero of the story is almost – but not quite – one of those very same fiery young revolutionaries mentioned above. He is in all but name a Pre-Raphaelite. He has enormous admiration for the history of old England and is compelled to become involved with the past in a very direct sense as the story unfolds. The title, by the way, ‘The Arrow Chest’ comes from the object in which the body (and head) of Anne Boleyn was buried after her execution in 1536 - a long time before the Pre-Raphaelite movement in 19th century England. How this strange alchemy of events from two different centuries happen to sit together side by side in the story is something that can only be revealed within the pages of the book itself. Most writers ultimately write either about what they love or what they hate. I love the Pre-Raphaelites. I love the Tudors and Elizabethans, as well. These were pioneers and revolutionaries who proudly celebrated the golden ages of English culture in which they lived. Why not take a look inside the Arrow Chest sometime - and see if you agree? It’s rather exciting, too, in parts – and nowhere near as dark and scary as it sounds.

About the Author: Robert Parry is an independent UK writer of historical fiction with special interests in Tudor and Elizabethan history, Victorian Gothic and Pre-Raphaelite art.

His debut novel, 'VIRGIN AND THE CRAB' first appeared in 2009, and his 2nd novel 'THE ARROW CHEST' was published in January 2011. Both are available in Paperback and on Kindle.