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Jenny Barden

Autor de The Lost Duchess

2 Obras 60 Miembros 11 Reseñas

Series

Obras de Jenny Barden

The Lost Duchess (2013) 33 copias
Mistress of the Sea (2012) 27 copias

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Conocimiento común

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Jenny Barden's debut novel, Mistress of the Sea, is a tale of high-seas and New World adventure set during the Age of Exploration. When Ellyn Cooksley's merchant father decides to accompany Francis Drake on a voyage for which he is providing financial backing, she worries he isn't strong enough to handle such an excursion. Faced with the possibility of marrying one of her father's unappealing business associates, and knowing her sweetheart Will Doonan will also be travelling with Drake, Ellyn's feels her future to be bleak. On the day Drake's ship is set to sail, Ellyn makes a fateful decision that will change the course of her future - she disguises herself as a boy and stows away on Drake's ship. What follows is the adventure of a lifetime.

Mistress of the Sea moves at a steady pace, has sympathetic characters and an engaging plot. The novel's heroine, Ellyn, is characterized as a smart, resourceful and determined young woman who will do whatever is necessary to protect her father and ensure her own survival. One of the novel's greatest strengths is that Barden is practical about her fictional characters, particularly Ellyn, who are rarely placed in improbable situations. As an example, although Ellyn stows away by disguising herself as a boy, once she is discovered both her true gender and identify are almost immediately revealed. Given Ellyn's disguise is described as lackluster, it would have been unrealistic to expect her to hide her gender for any great length of time, especially given the close confines of a ship.

While Ellyn and Will are fictional characters, much of the foundation for this novel is based on actual historical events involving Francis Drake, a figure who rarely features prominently in historical fiction. I enjoyed Barden's depiction of Drake, whose strong desire to wrestle New World riches from the Spanish is clearly conveyed. As a fan of nautical fiction, much of which is set during the Napoleonic Wars, it is refreshing to read a novel set partly on the high-seas before England was a global maritime power. My only issue with the novel, and it isn't a big one, is that I wish more pages had been devoted to Ellyn's experiences on board ship.

Overall, Mistress of the Seas is an enjoyable read and should appeal to fans of historical fiction interested in seafaring tales and the Age of Discovery. I'm looking forward to reading more from Jenny Barden.
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Denunciada
Melissa_J | otra reseña | Jan 16, 2016 |
Jenny Barden's latest release, The Lost Duchess, is not your typical work of Elizabethan-era historical fiction. While the novel opens at Queen Elizabeth I's court and includes a familiar cast of aristocrats (Edward Seymour, Earl of Surrey), adventurers (Sir Walter Raleigh) and political advisors (Francis Walsingham), it is the Roanoke Colony and the people who sought to establish it that are at the heart of this novel.

Young Emme Fifield is a lady in waiting to the Queen, one with the world seemingly at her feet. But when a brief encounter with an unscrupulous man jeopardizes her position at court, Emme is forced to reconsider her future. Faced with few options, Emme pins her hopes on an upcoming expedition to the Americas financed by Sir Walter Raleigh and led by John White that seeks to establish a colony on the Island of Roanoke. Unfazed by the dangers associated with an ocean crossing and the hardships involved with settling in the New World, Emme convinces the Queen to let her go. Accompanying the expedition is Kit Doonan, a sailor who was once held captive in the Spanish Main and escaped to lead a band of Cimaroons. While Kit and Emme have instant chemistry, the secrets they harbour threaten their chances for happiness; a situation made more pronounced by the harsh realities of living in a colony that is surrounded by enemies intent upon its destruction. The Lost Duchess explores not only the fate of Emme and Kit, but also that of the Roanoke colony itself.

Having enjoyed Jenny Barden's debut novel, Mistress of the Sea, I was eager to read The Lost Duchess. I wasn't disappointed. Jenny Barden has once again crafted a beautifully written and well-researched historical novel, one that features a memorable cast of characters, and an entertaining and informative narrative. My favourite aspect of this novel is its New World setting. I've read many works of historical fiction set in the Elizabethan era, but The Lost Duchess is the first that features the Roanoke colony at its core. While little is known about the fate of the colony and its inhabitants, Barden's interpretation is a plausible one. While the political and strategic considerations that impacted on the future of the colony receive only minimal attention in the book, Barden includes just enough detail to ensure that the reader understands the key issues. This detail has also left me wanting to read more about England's first attempts at colonization and the strategic considerations behind them.

While Kit Doonan's character is first introduced in Mistress of the Sea, enough of Kit's back story has been included in The Lost Duchess to ensure that the novel stands well on its own, and that reading the books in publication order is not necessary.

Recommended to readers who enjoy historical fiction set during the Age of Discovery, as well as to readers interested in a fictional account of the lost colony of Roanoke.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Source: I was provided with a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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Melissa_J | 8 reseñas más. | Jan 16, 2016 |
I have to commend the author on the research she did on the subject of the Roanoke Colony and all the latest information on it. I literally lived and breathed with the colonists as they made the long journey to America and struggled for survival in a world inhabited by those that hated them (for the most part). From the Tudor court of Queen Elizabeth to the dangerous paradise of the Caribbean islands to the wilds of Virginia, each scene is lush and vivid with life. The author even brought in some of the latest to come out of archeology and research on the colony like the gold ring and the patch on the map. It all made for a novel that will transport you to another time and place.

I enjoyed the depth of the characters and sweetness of romance in this novel. Everyone was distinct and stood out all on their own. Possessive Elizabeth, dreamy Governor White, determined Emme, and knowledgeable Kit drew me into the story right along with the dramatic surroundings. I felt that Emme and Kit fit each other extremely well. He seemed to be the calm grounding for a floundering Emme. And she provided someone for him to focus on and build a life around besides his son. I'm finding it a bit hard to put into words, but bottom line is the romance was beautiful and the characters breathed with life.

Then there came the ending... The narrative seems to suddenly go from blood-thumping showdown to everything being hunky dory in story land. There are huge questions (at least for me) left unanswered in the end, and I'm not even talking about the fate of the Lost Colonists. And some of the characters get to safety way too easily. There's at least another 50-60 pages of story, I felt, that could have been told. Did all this destroy the book for me? No. It's still a pretty strong novel, but be prepared for a bit of disappointment along the way.

I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a good historical fiction, as long as you go in knowing that it's not perfect. The historical details, the characters, and the relationships carry it through any disappointment that may arise.
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Denunciada
Sarah_Gruwell | 8 reseñas más. | Jan 12, 2016 |
Jenny Bardon sets a fictional tale around well researched and detailed facts of the lost Colony of Roanoke.

It is 1587, and bound for Virginia in the New World Emme Fifield, Duchess of Somerset is escaping from a scandal that threatens to ruin her. Once a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I, she joins Kit Doonan and a ‘rag-tag band of idealists, desperados, and misfits’ along with men, women, and children to set up a colony (planters) in Virginia under Governor John White. The trip is far from easy and Emme finds her attraction to Kit inconvenient to say the least.

Living as an outlaw with a band of escaped slaves, Kit is a handsome mariner who was imprisoned for years by the Spanish and has his own demons and dark secrets to keep..

What I like about this book

I have read and enjoyed lots of historical novels by various authors, and this book goes right to the top of my list. I found this is a most enjoyable history lesson with fast paced action and a thrilling account of what could have happened to the lost Colony of Roanoke. Using excerpts from actual accounts written at the time, Bardon embellishes what is known with exciting imagination.

I love how the book teaches political histories and events tied up into an account I found myself wishing to know more about. Our history with other nations is so important to know and should never be a chore but a pleasure to learn and Jenny Bardon has a unique way of making it important to understand.

Upon being taken to Roanoke Island instead of closer to Cheasapeke by their Spanish Pilot, Master Fernando the planters landed and set out to find the earlier abandoned fort. They had no knowledge of what to expect save a very brief account of the demise of the first settlers to the island and a set of maps.
‘The 22- We came to anchor at an Isle, called Santa Cruz, where all the planters were set on land…At our first landing on this Island, some of our women, and men, by eating a small fruit, like green apples, were fearfully troubled with a sudden burning in their mouths…

- The entry describing the first landfall after crossing the Atlantic, from John White’s Narrative of his 1587 Voyage to Virginia to which Richard Hakluyt the younger added a marginal note: ‘Circumspection to be used in strange places.’

I like the way each chapter begins with an actual account of events during that time. It reminds us of the effects of the arrogance shown by rulers and the church in history. However, there is no arrogance in the writing and description, which appears to stay close to the custom of the Elizabethan period. This can be seen in Chapter 12, Dead Men Returned, which I particularly enjoyed because it conveys so much in so few words. The chapter begins with the quote:
‘ …We had taken Menatonon prisoner, and brought his son that he best love to Roanoke..it make Ensenor’s opinion to be received again with greater respect. For he had often before told them…that we were the servants of God, and that …they amongst them that sought our destruction should find their own, and not be able to work ours, and we being dead men were able to do them more hurt … and many of them hold opinion, that we be dead men returned…’

-From Ralph Lane’s Narrative of the Settlement of Roanoke Island 1585 -6

Travelling by boat through the Weapemeocs territory Emme’s thoughts about the sounds she hears of the ‘savages’ is stunning to read:
‘How could voices travel so far? Perhaps all she was hearing was some trick of memory, a singularity filling the quietness with noise from inside her head: singing and chanting, prayer and laughter; voices from the past, some recent, some long gone; sounds of all kinds that formed part of her history…’

It continues conveying so much about the peoples of the land and their customs.

The accounts of savagery are cruel and vivid, but told with objectivity that gives the reader a chance to explore the reasoning behind the hostility to a peaceful alliance that was needed.

At the end the epilogue furnishes the answers to the known historical accounts of the events in a way that is every bit as interesting as the book itself.

There is nothing I dislike about this book.

My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review
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Denunciada
greatbookescapes | 8 reseñas más. | Nov 20, 2014 |

Premios

Estadísticas

Obras
2
Miembros
60
Popularidad
#277,520
Valoración
4.0
Reseñas
11
ISBNs
8

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