Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

This novel is a fantastic look at history if you like that sort of thing. It has great depictions of historical figures, whom I have heard about but never thoroughly researched, giving them personalities that are very memorable. I also enjoyed the descriptions of art and architecture and all that went into acquiring the raw materials that made these beautiful paintings and buildings which we can still see today. Much research went into the writing of this novel; that said it can get a bit bogged down in details and a bit repetitive, it is a long read but I do not regret my time spent with it.

The Poet Prince - Kathleen McGowan

one sentence summary:
the third book in a series that follows the bloodline of Jesus to today's world with a paranormal twist.

review:
Not as good as the first book in the trilogy but better than the second. The story was a bit slow and in my opinion the best part is the historical flashes. I enjoyed the whole story, but found the parts from the perspective of the female lead to be a bit dry and frustrating because there was romantic turmoil and her character did not handle it the way her character (from the prior books) would have. I found it very frustrating how much the character changes without any actual character development.

8/10

The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco

One Sentence Summary:
In 1347 in an Italian monastery there is a murder, a monk tries to solve it. (the original DaVinci Code)

Review:
This book was on a fascinating subject, set in a wonderfully brought to life fourteenth century, and had character development out the wazoo. I read this when I was still in high school because it was considered one of the best historical novels by the owner of the used book store I frequent and he told me to. At first I found it a bit of a challenge to get into the rhythm of (knowing nothing about anything as teenagers are apt to do) but I kept going and got drawn into the story. As an impressionable youth it also made me look at the religion in my life differently and that was a good thing, other reviewers call it a nihilist classic and I have to agree. It seems odd that a novel set in an abbey with a monk as the main character would be so rife with atheism so be warned if you live in a happy naive bubble this book is not for you, for everyone else though, read it at least once in your life (I am adding it to my to-re-read list).

9/10
9/10 but only really smart, un-sheltered older teenagers would "get it" - High School

Notable Quotes:

“Books are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to inquiry. When we consider a book, we mustn't ask ourselves what it says but what it means...”

“A dream is a scripture, and many scriptures are nothing but dreams.”

“This, in fact, is the power of the imagination, which, combining the memory of gold with that of the mountain, can compose the idea of a golden mountain.”

If you enjoyed this you should read:

The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins (If this book made you question your (or other peoples) religiousness)
Pillars of the Earth / World Without End - Ken Follett (if this book made you want to read more historical fiction)
Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer (if you got so interested in the period and politics that you want to read a primary document from that time that is totally worth reading)

Pillars of the Earth / World Without End - Ken Follett

9/10

Pillars of the Earth 

This epic (I am pretty sure it is long enough to be called an epic) was so well written I found myself rereading the physical descriptions of buildings, town, spaces and people over and over to visualize it just as Ken Follett had intended it to be imagined because it just felt right. I didn't read this book until after its counterpart had been released in paperback in 2008ish. Follett did an amazing job of painting the characters in such a way that you, as a reader, get drawn into the cultural politics of the twelfth century. I also enjoyed the way he developed the characters through greed and desire to point to the hypocrisy of power and religion. It takes an amazing story teller to make you feel sympathy for the "bad guys" and Follett does this better than almost anyone (except for William I hate him, he gets no sympathy), the way he crafts his characters makes it difficult to finish the book because you feel like you have made new friends and don't want to say goodbye to them.

8.5/10 (Historical Fiction 12th century)

World Without End 

This second book takes up two hundred years after the first one and is even better in my opinion. I loved it! I was going to take a break from historical fiction after The Pillars of the Earth but then I didn't and was I ever glad I didn't - this book was amazing. The characters were great as I have come to expect from Follett but this had even more unexpected events which made it into a real page turner. It seems that Follett has done an even better job of touching on historical events to add a layer of authenticity in this novel than he did in the first one (and I was impressed with the first one as well).

9/10 (Historical Fiction 14th century)

If you enjoyed these books try:

The Cousin's Was Series - Phillipa Gregory 

Game of Thrones Series - George R R Martin

The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco