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berenikeasteria's review against another edition
4.0
For those Norman Conquest afficianados, enjoy this prelude to my review (not made by me but some other excellent, talented people!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtGoBZ4D4_E
What on earth is it about Sarah Bower’s books that I find so enjoyable and yet so frustrating?! This is the second book of Bower’s that I’ve felt this way about, and whilst with Sins of the House of Borgia I loved the thoughtful writing style, the richly detailed setting, and the complex secondary characters, but found the pacing to be off, the choice of story odd and not as compelling as it could have been, and the main character unsympathetic, with The Needle in the Blood I’m having a much harder time explaining what I loved and what I loathed, mainly because in almost every aspect of the book – characterisations, writing style, plot, etc. – I found bits that I loved and equally bits that I loathed.
Take the writing style in The Needle in the Blood. There’s no denying that Bower is a knowledgeable, skilled writer of language. The descriptions are rich, evocative, thoughtful and intelligent. The worlds that Bower creates are fleshed out and full, imaginative yet plausible. You feel like you could be right there. That’s the mark of a good writer. Not only does Bower display a genuinely good knowledge of language but she uses it and applies it creatively. However, I felt that there were a few issues. I just didn’t get along with the third person present tense format that the book was written in. It sounded awkward to my ears, it was sometimes difficult to read and make sense of and take in, and at times it was confusing when a character began a scene in the present tense and then went off on a reminiscent tangent of events that had happened earlier that day, also written in the present tense, before returning to their current situation and this meant it wasn’t immediately clear what order events happened in and where we currently were. Occasionally it also obfuscated who was doing or saying what to whom when. This just made reading The Needle in the Blood more of a slog than it needed to be. Also, the book is sporadically peppered with some pretty coarse lines, for example. Now, let me clarify. It’s not the bad language or the subject matter that I objected to when such lines came up, and yes, as an historian I am absolutely sure that rapine and pillage was a fact of the Norman Conquest. But the lines felt like they were trying too hard to be earthy and that they were just put in for the sake of being shocking. It’s just unnecessary. And for that reason they came off as just rather crude, to me.
Then there are the characters. My reaction to Gytha varied throughout the book, ranging from real like to genuine frustration with her. Unlike Violante of Sins of the House of Borgia, Gytha’s an adult, she knows her way around the world, and she wasn’t hampered by Violante’s adolescent mix of utter gullibility, wild delusion and desperate fantasy. Gytha is practical, sensible, and intelligent. For example,. I like that. This is a character with sense and a good head on her shoulders, and the maturity of an adult. I can identify with that, I can connect with that. But then at various points in the book Gytha would do something inexplicable that had me mentally yelling at her "Why?!" For example, ARGH! I wanted to take Gytha by the shoulders and shake her! The other characters are done reasonably well, and there’s a scene between Archbishop Lanfranc of Canterbury, King William, and William’s half-brother Count Robert of Mortain, which felt reminiscent of Sharon Penman’s scenes of characters plotting together. But as pretty well done as they were, it could have been better, the characters just don’t reach the heights of subtlety and complexity that they could have – though they do feel three-dimensional, and human, and nicely fleshed out.
The plot. I loved the premise. The Norman Conquest of 1066 is one of the most significant, important, and interesting events in English history, but it’s rare for me to find any historical fiction set around this time (and Sharon Penman seems determined not to go there, which seems a very great pity). Moreover, the Bayeux Tapestry is, in my opinion, one of the most unique and precious artefacts of English history. In principle, the plot of The Needle in the Blood was just the ticket. The interaction of Norman and Anglo-Saxon, the adjustments and sometimes compromises under the new regime, the Tapestry coming together and its wonderful idiosyncrasies and authentic hidden messages of the little things of everyday life… these were all terribly interesting, though to be honest all this is just the background to the plot of Odo and Gytha’s love story. This was another aspect which both delighted and annoyed me at the same time. On the one hand, I felt that the sexual tension between these characters crackled, I believed in their relationship and its deepening from that tension to real, passionate, devoted love. However, I felt that Also, what was with the ending? It wasn’t a bad ending, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t exactly satisfying either. After everything
A brief word on the historicity. For the most part, it was good. I highlighted a few inaccuracies whilst I was reading – a character referring to the Catherine wheel firework, anachronistic fruit, comments on Byzantium instead of the Empire of the Greeks – but I guess you could let them go. They were throwaway lines, not integral to the plot, not major, noticeable alterations of history… I’ve just developed an internal anachronism radar, as an aspiring historical fiction author, that keeps me watchful when it comes to technologies, fruits and plants, idioms and sayings, and other cultural items that would be unique to a particular time. One of the more annoying niggles was that Bower uses inauthentic names for many of the Anglo-Saxon characters. Probably the two biggest historical alterations were the invention of Agatha – Odo had no such sister, but her character doesn’t affect or warp the timeline and fits neatly into the post-Conquest world, so I’ll let that one go – and the creation of a love story between Odo and Gytha, but even this is based on a mysterious and unexplained scene in the Bayeux Tapestry of a couple potentially being affectionate or fighting, labelled as a cleric and Aelfgytha, and I could imagine such a tale fitting in plausibly into the gaps of history.
Final words? There’s good stuff here, there definitely is. I wouldn’t have enjoyed the book as much as I did – or been so annoyed with the ending – if there hadn’t been. Great premise, well-crafted setting, for the most part well-written, generally speaking good characterisations… But a few key things grated on me too – I just didn’t get on with the use of present tense, the crude lines were unnecessary shock value, and sometimes Gytha and the plot could be frustrating or else didn’t make the most logical sense to me. Also, whilst the characterisations and plot were for the most part, pretty good, when they weren’t being annoying, I can’t help but feel that it could have been better. Of Sarah Bower’s two books, I’d definitely say I enjoyed The Needle in the Blood more – the heroine is much more identifiable and relatable, and this time round we actually get the real story as centre stage. Mixed bag, all in all, but more good than bad, and better than Sins of the House of Borgia.
7 out of 10
What on earth is it about Sarah Bower’s books that I find so enjoyable and yet so frustrating?! This is the second book of Bower’s that I’ve felt this way about, and whilst with Sins of the House of Borgia I loved the thoughtful writing style, the richly detailed setting, and the complex secondary characters, but found the pacing to be off, the choice of story odd and not as compelling as it could have been, and the main character unsympathetic, with The Needle in the Blood I’m having a much harder time explaining what I loved and what I loathed, mainly because in almost every aspect of the book – characterisations, writing style, plot, etc. – I found bits that I loved and equally bits that I loathed.
Take the writing style in The Needle in the Blood. There’s no denying that Bower is a knowledgeable, skilled writer of language. The descriptions are rich, evocative, thoughtful and intelligent. The worlds that Bower creates are fleshed out and full, imaginative yet plausible. You feel like you could be right there. That’s the mark of a good writer. Not only does Bower display a genuinely good knowledge of language but she uses it and applies it creatively. However, I felt that there were a few issues. I just didn’t get along with the third person present tense format that the book was written in. It sounded awkward to my ears, it was sometimes difficult to read and make sense of and take in, and at times it was confusing when a character began a scene in the present tense and then went off on a reminiscent tangent of events that had happened earlier that day, also written in the present tense, before returning to their current situation and this meant it wasn’t immediately clear what order events happened in and where we currently were. Occasionally it also obfuscated who was doing or saying what to whom when. This just made reading The Needle in the Blood more of a slog than it needed to be. Also, the book is sporadically peppered with some pretty coarse lines, for example
Spoiler
Gytha’s very graphic remembrance of bad sex with her late husbandThen there are the characters. My reaction to Gytha varied throughout the book, ranging from real like to genuine frustration with her. Unlike Violante of Sins of the House of Borgia, Gytha’s an adult, she knows her way around the world, and she wasn’t hampered by Violante’s adolescent mix of utter gullibility, wild delusion and desperate fantasy. Gytha is practical, sensible, and intelligent. For example,
Spoiler
she logically deconstructs the fears of the local English people that she’s a witch, and finds a practical solution to helping the unfortunately pregnant MargaretSpoiler
I didn’t understand why Gytha fixates on Odo for revenge. Even from the start it’s made clear that Odo is no callous brute, despite what he has to do, and the story explicitly tells us that Gytha sees and recognises this. Surely William the Conqueror would be a more obvious choice for Gytha to hold accountable? Later in the story, Gytha engages in several arguments with her lover, over matters that seemed trivial in comparison with their love for each other. Bower creates a really deep relationship between Gytha and Odo, something that seems to matter a great deal to them both, but then Gytha seems to start arguments over matters that aren’t exactly trivial but, if she truly feels this deeply for Odo, just aren’t worth damaging or jeopardising the relationship over. For example, Odo and Gytha’s relationship is creating a bit of a stir because he’s a Norman and she’s a Saxon, and King William is a bit dubious about it. However, William offers Gytha the opportunity to come to court as Odo’s acknowledged mistress, just be seen together as a picture of unity and integration between the native populace and the new regime, and then William will be fine and dandy with it and Odo and Gytha won’t be getting trouble from anyone anymore. Odo wants Gytha to do this, for obvious reasons, but Gytha initiates a huge argument over it, and eventually ends up running away – this despite them having been together now for quite some time, Gytha having received multiple proofs of Odo’s love and utter devotion to her, and the couple enjoying a very close and deeply loving relationship. Why? Because Gytha feels that it would be some sort of vague betrayal, because she used to be a lady in waiting to Edith Swan-neck, the late King Harold’s mistress. This despite several years having passed, Gytha pretty much having given up the fight when her plan to kill Odo turned to love, and, when she runs away to Edith, Edith basically telling her move with the times and that she’s a fool to throw away the love she has.The plot. I loved the premise. The Norman Conquest of 1066 is one of the most significant, important, and interesting events in English history, but it’s rare for me to find any historical fiction set around this time (and Sharon Penman seems determined not to go there, which seems a very great pity). Moreover, the Bayeux Tapestry is, in my opinion, one of the most unique and precious artefacts of English history. In principle, the plot of The Needle in the Blood was just the ticket. The interaction of Norman and Anglo-Saxon, the adjustments and sometimes compromises under the new regime, the Tapestry coming together and its wonderful idiosyncrasies and authentic hidden messages of the little things of everyday life… these were all terribly interesting, though to be honest all this is just the background to the plot of Odo and Gytha’s love story. This was another aspect which both delighted and annoyed me at the same time. On the one hand, I felt that the sexual tension between these characters crackled, I believed in their relationship and its deepening from that tension to real, passionate, devoted love. However, I felt that
Spoiler
Gytha made the jump from wanting to kill Odo to the sexual tension between them all too quickly. She harbours what I felt was a fairly irrational focus on wreaking vengeance specifically against Odo, but steadfast nonetheless, for a good 150 pages and what is a couple of years in the book, and then in one single scene she totally abandons her anger and desire for vengeance, and her plan to kill him, and the vibe between them instantly switches to sexual tension. After that, Gytha utterly gives up the fight against the Normans and never again contemplates it… except, annoyingly, when she’s asked to go to William’s court and resists the idea… and within 15 pages of this one scene Gytha and Odo are soon enjoying secret lovers’ trysts! I could buy into their relationship, their love and tension – but Gytha just switches from hate to love SO quickly! I felt that there needed to be a longer transition stage where Gytha readjusts her perspective and mind set on everything, where she’d go through all the confusion and weighing up of possibilities that I would expect someone in that situation to.Spoiler
Odo and Gytha have been through, after bonding so close and steadfastly, after vowing to always be together, it seems odd that they didn’t fight for any way to remain together – neither of them seem to have been particularly happy with their decision to part; not miserable exactly but becoming trapped in longing and the trials of separation – and the book implies that they never find each other again. Not that I believe every story has to have a happy ending, but for goodness’ sakes, after everything this couple goes through in this book I wanted at least a little bit of pay-off, as a reader. And I’m not one hundred percent convinced that William really would have cared enough to take against Gytha so badly that he’d try to get rid of her at any cost. I think he had more important concerns, to be honest, than some Saxon mistress of his half-brother. Same goes for Lanfranc, and in the book Lanfranc doesn’t really care – it’s just politics against Odo – which annoyed me because the couple gets destroyed not even by opposing forces with genuine conviction but the relationship is sacrificed on the altar of political back-stabbing and shady dealings. Besides, the book also makes it clear that Gytha is innocent and Odo knows it and can prove it with evidence… well, with that fact in mind, why not do that?! Why not fight for love and truth?! I know, I know, this is Norman England and, supposing somehow the king really was set on removing Gytha, any trial would have a foregone conclusion… but still, having the evidence and the knowledge right there, and the couple choosing not to fight, despite all their devotions and vows of staying together… that seriously annoyed me!A brief word on the historicity. For the most part, it was good. I highlighted a few inaccuracies whilst I was reading – a character referring to the Catherine wheel firework, anachronistic fruit, comments on Byzantium instead of the Empire of the Greeks – but I guess you could let them go. They were throwaway lines, not integral to the plot, not major, noticeable alterations of history… I’ve just developed an internal anachronism radar, as an aspiring historical fiction author, that keeps me watchful when it comes to technologies, fruits and plants, idioms and sayings, and other cultural items that would be unique to a particular time. One of the more annoying niggles was that Bower uses inauthentic names for many of the Anglo-Saxon characters. Probably the two biggest historical alterations were the invention of Agatha – Odo had no such sister, but her character doesn’t affect or warp the timeline and fits neatly into the post-Conquest world, so I’ll let that one go – and the creation of a love story between Odo and Gytha, but even this is based on a mysterious and unexplained scene in the Bayeux Tapestry of a couple potentially being affectionate or fighting, labelled as a cleric and Aelfgytha, and I could imagine such a tale fitting in plausibly into the gaps of history.
Final words? There’s good stuff here, there definitely is. I wouldn’t have enjoyed the book as much as I did – or been so annoyed with the ending – if there hadn’t been. Great premise, well-crafted setting, for the most part well-written, generally speaking good characterisations… But a few key things grated on me too – I just didn’t get on with the use of present tense, the crude lines were unnecessary shock value, and sometimes Gytha and the plot could be frustrating or else didn’t make the most logical sense to me. Also, whilst the characterisations and plot were for the most part, pretty good, when they weren’t being annoying, I can’t help but feel that it could have been better. Of Sarah Bower’s two books, I’d definitely say I enjoyed The Needle in the Blood more – the heroine is much more identifiable and relatable, and this time round we actually get the real story as centre stage. Mixed bag, all in all, but more good than bad, and better than Sins of the House of Borgia.
7 out of 10
reebeee's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
knod78's review against another edition
1.0
DNF'd. if it's taken me this long to go back to it and I don't even really care, then meh, I'm out. The book has a great premise and I wished they stuck with the story of the tapestry. But it went too much and too quickly into the romance.
arachnophobia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
algae429's review against another edition
3.0
I though I would like this more than I did, but I really felt it dragged a lot and I just kept waiting for things to happen. They eventually did happen, but the waiting while everyone dithered got frustrating.
akenny614's review against another edition
2.0
One of those books that starts off strong and fizzles out. The end was very disappointing. I also feel that the story could have taken place anywhere, at anytime. The Bayeux Tapestry was hardly important.
richardpierce's review against another edition
4.0
This is a difficult read on many levels. I think it could be one of the greatest love stories of historical fiction. The writing is beautiful in places and challenging in others, as are the emotions drawn from the reader by that writing. As the book says "love doesn't die, love endures; it merely changes shape."
lgiegerich's review against another edition
3.0
Who doesn't enjoy a historical novel about the making of the Bayeux tapestry?
i_hype_romance's review against another edition
4.0
I found this novel curiously engrossing. Although the love story had a lot of strange nuances, I think it is probably a pretty accurate depiction of the relationship between a member of the Norman royal family and a Welsh/Saxon widowed seamstress.
abbythompson's review against another edition
Insane head-hopping and characters I had a hard time caring about. Bought it as an ebook so maybe I'll go back to it someday. In the meantime, there are other books to read that don't switch points of view multiples times in a single paragraph. POV-whiplash!