blublack

At 700+ pages, this novel is daunting to pick up, but one of my favorites. I don't think any telling of the epic story of the Empress Matilda (Maude) and Stephen of Blois could be told in fewer pages, while still doing justice to the complexity of their history, as well as the equally noteworthy and conflicted history of their respective supporters. I particularly appreciated SKP's treatment of the Empress Matilda -- men suspected that she was too weak to be effective, and when she exercised her authority, she was judged and disliked for being harsh and un-womanly. While the reader is given a sense of how unfairly she was treated based on gender, the book does justice to some of her grave mistakes, as well. The fictional characters remain bystanders -- something I have always appreciated about SKP's meticulous research. She is always the first to acknowledge which parts are not true, and they are never facts that would change or materially alter history for the sake of the story. The same is true for her fictional characters -- they exist, but they do not become battle commanders who change the tide or anything dramatic. They exist to breathe life into other characters and to help the reader understand the context of how the actions of main characters affected ordinary people. In the end, I loved what essentially began as a story of betrayal and ended as a story of loyalty throughout 20 years of civil war and strife.

2022-11-14 16:08