Brenda Honeyman

I wanted to read this, I really did - but first lines should grab the reader's attention by the scruff of the neck and not let it go. So when I saw this as the first line: The two young men were closely related, the father of the younger boy being first-cousin to the elder, and their mothers having been sisters I juddered to a halt, and haven't been able to face ploughing on through the chapter or indeed the book.

Skimming it, I've seen a lot of exposition, and a startling description of Henry's injury at Shrewsbury as making the blood run down his face. Surely the author knew that the arrow lodged in the base of his brain and took days to extract? It doesn't augur well for the rest of the book.

Certainly the historical Henry is a difficult character to write about sympathetically, and the times were hard, but the author didn't seem to want to engage with either her subject or her readers. Perhaps it gets better later on? If so, I'm prepared to admit that I made an over-hasty judgement.… (mehr)