Satin Cinnabar
Book Review: Satin Cinnabar
Barbara Gaskell Denvil, Satin Cinnabar. ISBN 978-1-61842-424-2. It is available online for all formats, Amazon Kindle, ipad Barnes & Noble etc.
I just finished this novel by our new branch member Barbara Gaskell Denvil and was absolutely delighted.
Satin Cinnabar starts with the protagonist, Alex, regaining consciousness at the end of the Battle of Bosworth, where he and his family and household fought for their King Richard against “the Tudor bastard”, and follow him through the first months of the reign of Henry Tudor.
With him we experience the upheaval the regime change brought to the upper classes, but the novel’s best feature is its description of the lives of ordinary people. The lives of the servants in the great houses and the working class Londoners are so often missing in historical fiction, but not here. Barbara’s description is excellent and through it the reader can feel and smell what life would have been like. Her characterisation is equally strong and we emphasise with her characters.
Thrown in is a murder mystery (yes, the reader gets all the important clues) and a love story. Love stories in historical fiction can sometimes be a bit cloying, but this one is refreshingly different.
It is a gripping and engrossing story, a real page turner, while maintaining a high level of historical accuracy. I thought I was a bit over historical fiction, but then this novel came along and I can’t wait to read more by this writer. A thoroughly enjoyable read, highly recommended!
Read here more about Barbara and the background behind this wonderful story.
Tags: Books, NSW Branch, Richard III
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