Queen Anne Boleyn » Novel

Review: “The Sumerton Women” by D.L. Bogdan

Sylwia — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:40:26 +0000

The Sumerton Women

I was lucky enough to receive signed copy of D.L. Bogdan’s “Sumerton Women” before the novel’s release date (24 April 2012) and today I am going to post my review. Here is book’s description from Amazon:

“Orphaned at age eight, Lady Cecily Burkhart becomes the ward of Harold Pierce, Earl of Sumerton. Lord Hal and his wife, Lady Grace, welcome sweet-natured Cecily as one of their own. With Brey, their young son, Cecily develops an easy friendship. But their daughter, Mirabella, is consumed by her religious vocation – and by her devotion to Father Alec Cahill, the family priest and tutor. As Henry VIII’s obsession with Anne Boleyn leads to violent religious upheaval, Mirabella is robbed of her calling and the future Cecily dreamed of is ripped away in turn. Cecily struggles to hold together the fractured household while she and Father Alec grapple with a dangerous mutual attraction. Plagued with jealousy, Mirabella unleashes a tumultuous chain of events that threatens to destroy everyone around her, even as the kingdom is torn apart…”

Hm, where do I start? First of all – “The Sumerton Women” is now officially my favourite historical novel so far. It has everything – great storyline, vivid characters and historical background.

Lady Cecily Burkhart’s parents died due to Sweating Sickness that ravaged England in 1527. Orphaned as an eight-year-old girl, Cecily becomes ward to the Pierce family. Although Cecily grieves after her beloved parents, she quickly adapts to new environment and she grows to love her new family. She becomes a spark of sunshine in Pierce’s life, and although at the beginning they seem a happy family, Cecily slowly discovers their dark and painful secrets.

Lord Harold ‘Hal’ Pierce, The Earl of Sumerton, is a kind and loving man. He shares an uneasy relationship with his wife Grace, who drowns her sorrows in wine. Their marriage is strained by a painful secret, but I will not reveal what kind of secret it is – I don’t want to spoil your joy of reading the story.

Then there are Hal’s and Grace’s children; Cecily’s age-mate Brey and consumed with desire to become a nun Mirabella. Brey is a lively child who quickly develops friendship with Cecily. Mirabella from the other hand is a quick witted girl, so intensely devoted to Church, resenting all the earthly joys. And finally there is Father Alec Cahill, the children’s beloved tutor and family’s spiritual support. He is a young priest who develops an interest in so called New Learning that quickly spreads though England as the King Henry VIII’s love for Anne Boleyn increases.

As an heiress of huge fortune and lands, Cecily becomes engaged to Brey. They develop a beautiful friendship and once Cecily realizes how happy she will be as Brey’s future wife, she finds her inner peace and stability. But when the tragedy strucks, everything changes for Cecily and the whole Pierce family. Now, I would like to avoid describing the events in the book, but I am telling you – the story is so wonderful and so surprising at times, that you will easily get soaked into it!

D.L.Bogdan’s novel has so many layers – you think you know how the story will develop, but when it unfolds before your eyes many new twists and turns are leaving you astonished and craving for more! This book is a real page-turner and I must say that D.L. Bogdan created a beautiful tale about eternal love, friendship, pain, betrayal, passion and simple, human need of being loved.

The novel is very carefully researched – I loved D.L. Bogdan’s portrayal of the Tudor court. There are glimpses at Anne Boleyn, woman who stirred so many emotions – from Cecily’s admiration to Mirabella’s hatred. Later in the novel, Father Alec joins Archbishop Cranmer’s household and it was a wonderful chance to learn about Cranmer’s views through Father Alec’s eyes. What I love about this novel is the fact, that we are able to see many Tudor characters though eyes of novel characters. For example; Cecily admires Anne Boleyn’s strength while Mirabella is burning with hatred against New Learning and Anne herself.

“The Summerton Women” is a great read, and simply magnificent family saga set in a time of crucial changes in the reign of the Tudor kings. D.L. Bogdan’s style of writing is amazing – she pays such a close attention to details! The settings were described so vividly that I almost felt the smell of fresh country air, and with eyes of my imagination I was able to see the Sumerton Castle. Characters were living their own life on pages of this novel, and I literally felt part of their family. Lady Cecily matured before my eyes – from an orphaned girl she became a lady in her own right, a wife and a mother. Cecily is such a lovable character! Other characters are also very enjoyable and I must say that two of them deserve a special mention – Mirabella who hides her own desires under the façade of divine calling, and Father Alec who is an intelligent and kind man. Every single character in this book has its own story to tell.

In the end of the novel I felt quite sad because it was over. When I finished reading, I felt as if a dear friend was departing. This is how powerful impact this beautiful story had on me. I found it really fascinating that the lives of fictional characters ware intertwined with life of real historic figures. We have a glimpse on Anne Boleyn, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, Jane Seymour, Lady Mary Tudor, Robert Aske, even king Henry VIII himself, and many more.

“The Summerton Women” will be published April 24 2012. I heartily recommend you this amazing novel! Here I would like to thank D.L. Bogdan for giving me a chance to read her novel before it’s release date.

And a few words about Author…

D.L. Bogdan is an acclaimed author of historical novels. Before “The Sumerton Women” she wrote two other books: “Rivals in the Tudor Court” about Thomas Howard, the 3d Duke of Norfolk and “Secrets of the Tudor Court” about Mary Howard, Anne Boleyn’s cousin. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, four children and few pets. For those of you who are interested in getting to know D.L. Bogdan better I have a very good news – soon I will publish interview with her on my website!

Interview with author Raven A. Nuckols

Sylwia — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:53:31 +0000

Book cover

Today I am really delighted to post an exclusive interview with Raven A. Nuckols, author of a historical fiction novel ‘Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn’. This book has already been released and you can buy on Amazon. I am so excited about this book and I am looking forward to immerse myself into the world of ‘what if…’.

‘Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn’ is not a novel like any other – author uses her imagination to answer the question what if Anne Boleyn lived? What if she did not die a traitor’s death? I often wondered – had Anne Boleyn became Henry’s true love? Had she been the most celebrated of his wives? Had the history changed if she lived?

I think many of Anne Boleyn’s fans had asked themselves such questions. Now we all have a chance to read an alternative history of Anne Boleyn by Raven A. Nuckols. I am so thrilled about this book!

S : Welcome to Queen Anne Boleyn Website! I am so glad to have this opportunity and ask you few questions about your historical novel ‘Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn’. Many readers out there in cyber space may not be familiar with your work. Can you tell them a little about yourself and your background?

R: I’m Raven A. Nuckols and this is my first book out of a trilogy revolving around how different English history would be had Anne lived and give birth to a son. Two more works will be coming in this series and I’m already enjoying coming up with the storylines for those. I live with my boyfriend and our two cats in the DC area in the US. I majored in Economics in college and had no idea that professional writing would end up becoming my true passion, but it is.

S : What makes Anne Boleyn such a fascinating subject?

R : She was never meant to be a Queen and yet she ended up catching the love of a King that broke his entire country in two changing the course of English history forever, all just to be with her. The way their very intense and passionate love ended was beyond tragic, yet the legacy she left and its effects still last to this day.

S : Why do you think Anne Boleyn is so popular nowadays? Do you think that the interest in Anne Boleyn is a reflection of our obsession with celebrity culture?

R : I think because of her strength, independence, intellect and ambition most women can identify with one of those characteristics and just find her story fascinating. I don’t believe that Anne reflects our obsession with celebrity culture, but I believe it was her actions being so bold for her time, makes her one of the most incredible women of history.

S : Why do you think Anne Boleyn fell out of grace?

: Raven A. Nuckols

R : I personally believe that you cannot have that much hatred for anyone without having a profoundly deep feeling of love. Those two feelings are polar opposites along the same spectrum. I think Henry was a victim of his own feelings and as a King he was in a unique position not to appear weak and as a result, he fell vulnerable to the majority opinion to think the worst of his wife, especially in light of her multiple miscarriages. I still believe he loved her up until his last breath and regretted his actions, though proof of this has never been found.

S : How much research did you have to do for ‘Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn’? Is there anything you found when doing research for your novel that surprised you, or which you found particularly intriguing? What was your favorite resource for ‘Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn’?

R : I researched Anne and the rest of the Tudors for several years before finally deciding to put my thoughts to paper. To be honest, since I already knew Anne’s story fairly well I did not find anything in my research that stood out. However, when researching Thomas Cromwell I was intrigued to know about his background, his training, his days as a mercenary and how all of that made much more sense of how he was able to plot out Anne’s final time on the throne; the puzzle of that minister just came together.

S : What makes this book special to you?

R : This book is special particularly because I have always wondered what Anne might have been able to accomplish had she not been killed before her time. It was such an absolute joy to bring her to life and the rest of the Tudor players contemplating how these people might have ended their days in vastly different ways than how history actually went.

S : If you could visit any historical time and place associated with Anne Boleyn, when and where would it be, and why?

R : I would want to visit 1531 when Henry kicked Katherine of Aragon out of the castle and moved in Anne to the Queen’s chambers. Their courtship of seven long years slowly eased towards marriage with that first step of getting rid of his present wife and I wish I could have been around to talk with Anne about her excitement, trepidation, and overall joy about how her affair was progressing going from the »other woman« to the only woman.

S : What first got you interested in writing historical fiction?

R : I have always been interested in alternative histories and the possibilities that other authors have had when imagining their versions of differences and in a way I guess you could say that it was their fearlessness to put their vision out there is what inspired me to take the plunge and do the same with a woman I felt a real kinship to.

S : Who are your greatest writing inspirations and how do they aid you in your writing today? What recent historical novels have you been particularly impressed with?

R : Eric Ives and Allison Weir are two of my favorite Tudor historians that I enjoy reading and truly value their work. The last one I could say I read that I was enjoyed was Allison Weir’s, »The Lady in the Tower« about Anne’s final days.

S: If ‘Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn’ gained a movie deal, who would you choose to play the main characters?

R : What a great question! After seeing Natalie Dormer’s portrayal of Anne in the Showtime series »The Tudors« she instantly springs to mind to play her in a movie. Natalie brought Anne to life in such an intense, dramatic and yet wonderfully human way and I’d love to see her reserect that role and play it with an alternate ending. The rest of the casting I’d leave to the professionals.

S : You mention on your website that ‘It was a wonderful experience, so much in so I’m writing a sequel and even a third to complete this series of “Had the Queen Lived”‘. Tell us a little bit more about that.

R : The sequel is about her son and his reign. Since this is all fiction, its all new characters with new storylines.

S : And last but not least, is there anything else you would like your readers to know about you or the books you write?

R : Just that I hope they enjoy them and to have fun with it.

Thank you so much Raven for taking the time out of your day to talk to me

To find out more about Raven A. Nuckols and her upcoming novels visit her website and Facebook Page.