The Lady of the Ravens (Queens of the Tower, Book 1)

This was the first book we read during the COVID crisis, we discussed it using the GoodReads private group we have set up. Unfortunately this didn't work as well as hoped so this review might be a little shorter than normal.

We had a little discussion about the style of language which some people felt was a little too modern so felt slightly odd. Others found that because the style was a little more modern than other historical novels it was actually easier to get into.

There was also some discussion about how there are a lot of books about this time period which makes it easier in some ways to learn and keep track of the people involved. However, as this was from a different point of view there were some names we weren't familiar with which did cause some confusion. We would also be interested in hearing more from people who were living a more normal life, rather than the higher classes all the time. In this specific example we would like to have had more from the point of view of Sim as he rose from such a poor position to living with royals.

As this is a historical novel but from the point of view of someone we'd not heard of before we wondered how historically accurate this book was. It's hard enough to find information and records about women in this time who were well known, but this person might have had very little written about her. We wondered why she was chosen to be the focus of the book.

Overall we gave this book 8 out of 10.

In the author's note at the conclusion of the book, Hickson describes how she came up with the idea for the novel-- it was supposed to be set in the Tower, and act as a biography of Joan Vaux. The one thing Hickson didn't immediately have, she says, was a plot.

And, frustratingly, despite 450 pages and 16 years of narrative, no plot materialises. There are a few vague through-lines, such as Joan's bizarre love of the ravens, or the general unrest during the early years of Henry VII's reign, but nothing that actually counts as a plot. If fiction is about a character wanting something while something stands in their way, in this case it's entirely unclear what Joan wants and what's in her way. Rather, the book meanders through a series of events, both historical and personal, all of which seem briefly exciting, only to be all too easily solved and dismissed within a few sentences.

Other than plot, my biggest frustration with this novel was its use of anachronisms. Characters constantly use modern slang, such as "super intelligent" or "doing a recce." Perhaps this was intended to make the characters sound relatable, but considering how they adopt more Renaissance-speak elsewhere (with plenty of "my lady" and "break your fast") the slang simply pulled me out of the novel.

More serious than the language, however, is the attitudes of the characters, particularly Joan. For no real reason at all, she has a fear of childbearing that leads her to resist marriage. This sort of attitude, while it's one that I can definitely understand today, seems totally out of place in the period. Perhaps it could have worked if Hickson had given Joan more of a reason for feeling how she does, but, as it stands, it just reads like a modern mindset has been transplanted into a historical woman's brain. (Also, while Joan seems so concerned about childbirth that she's willing to forgo the advanced status that would come with marriage, as soon as she gets past the "traumatic" birth of her first child, she's eager to have another one, making all her previous fears seem trivial.)

Despite these significant issues, there are aspects of the novel that are commendable. Hickson certainly does know her history, and, despite how the novel is frustratingly full of info-dumps, there's a lot here to delight the lover of historical fiction. Joan is a fascinating character, and it's enjoyable to learn more about such a little-known historical figure. I didn't enjoy this book as a novel, but as a fictionalised biography, it's worth a read.

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3199348414

Maybe it wasn't fair to read this book, a book club pick, when the Tudor novel I wanted was The Mirror and the Light. It isn't a bad book, clearly Joanna Hickson has done a lot of research, but it's dull and lacks a proper story to grab your attention and make you care about the characters. There is so much factual detail at times you'd think you were reading a history book. I persevered with it but it was a chore and I can't honestly recommend the book unless you are Tudor completist. I do like historical fiction, and my favourite author of all time is Dorothy Dunnett.

Joan Guildford is an interesting person, for sure, a gentlewoman with access to royalty at a pivotal time in English history, but she fails to come to life in the pages of the book. To be positive, at least she isn't one of those annoying 21st C girls in period costume so prevalent in contemporary historical fiction.

The stuff about ravens and the Tower of London also is interesting but not enough to hang an entire novel upon. There's a cast of supporting characters, largely historical people, and a villain, of course, but the story lacks any real tension or narrative drive.

Disappointing, and if there's a sequel, which surely there will be given where the novel ends, I'm sorry but I won't bother.

Historical novel set in the Tudor period following the War of the Roses and the Reign of Henry VII.

Positives
- I hadn't read an historical novel before, so my horizons have been broadened!
- Joan Vaux, who is the narrator throughout the book is an engaging character giving insight into the Royal Court at that time

Negatives
- I found the premise of the basing the book around the ravens to be a bit of a push - given all that was going on at that time, this seemed quite trivial and uninteresting
- some of the phrasing didn't relate to the period at all
- a lot of the prose is explanation based, like someone writing their research notes on the page.

I'm sure it will appeal to some (this is the first of three novels), but I shall sit the next two out. Sorry !

Thank you to The Reading Agency and Harper Collins for providing Macclesfield Library Reading Group with copies of The Lady of the Ravens by Joanna Hickson for us to read and review. The book was a very gentle, not too demanding read. Some of our members are avid readers of historical fiction and so were familiar with the period depicted which helped enormously. Overall, we enjoyed the novel’s setting but felt the narrative lacked drive.

Thoughts from some of our members:

“I felt the author was cashing in on the whole Hillary Mantel obsession that is current”

“I thoroughly enjoyed this book”

“I had not heard of Joan Vaux, but she seemed to be a very capable, intelligent and interesting lady, unusual for the times”

“The author brought to life the atmosphere and danger of the early 15th century”

“The author’s choice of heroine is very compatible with our current views on women”

“In general I was comfortable in the world created by Joanna Hickson”

“The setting feels vibrant but the characters don’t feel particularly engaging or well-drawn”

“Sometimes the way the author would always bring back everything to the ravens felt a bit forced”