"The Last Daughter" by Nicola Cornick

It is something of a clichee that it is easier to write a scathing review than a glowing one. 

If so, I would be in trouble, because "The Last Daughter" by Nicola Cornick, which will be published on 8 July, is a great book, about which I can only gush. 

Like Cornick`s other books, this novel is a timeslip novel, with dual story lines - one taking place in the 15th century and following the life of Anne Lovell, wife of Francis, and the other taking place in modern day England, following the original character Serena. 

Serena`s story is somewhat more complicated than Anne`s. While Anne`s story starts with her, age just five in 1465, being told her uncle has decided she is to marry the king`s ward, 8-year-old Francis Lovell, and then follows her through several important events of her life as baroness, as Francis`s wife, as a 15th century noblewoman, Serena`s story starts more tragically: a young woman at the end of her twenties, who, in her own words, runs "a bespoke historical tours company", she has lost her twin Caitlin when Caitlin vanished as a teenager. As the story begins, Caitlin`s body has just been found near Minster Lovell Hall, close to where she disappeared ten years before the story starts. Serena, who has often spent time in her grandparents` house near the manor as a teen, returns to the village to find out what happened to her sister. As she does so, she not only finds out that there are some very strange circumstances surrounding her sister`s death and burial, she also reconnects with old friends, in particular her old crush Jack, and finds out more about her own background than she bargained for when returning to Minster Lovell.

The thread tying the stories of Anne and Serena together - apart from a spoiler, which I will not give away in this review - is, in fact, the Legend of Mistletoe Bough, which is given a rather unexpected twist in this book, a twist that affects the lives of both Anne and Serena. For most of the book, the effect of this legend and this storyline on Serena seems more significant than on Anne, though at the end, it becomes clear that Anne is just as affected by it. 

Since giving away more would be giving away key elements of the plot, I will instead simply say that it is a quite interesting storyline, and that the modern story surrounding Serena and the dashing Jack was an interesting one, and the characters sympathetic and relatable - no mean feat, seeing as how they had to vie for my attention with the storyline surrounding Anne and Francis. 

This storyline is, of course, what attracted me most to this book, what was my main interest. Without beating around the bush: it was the very best portrayal of Anne Lovell I have ever seen anywhere. Respectful, engaging and relatable without giving her any 21st century traits to make her more attractive to the reader, this Anne shines, and she shines in a way close to what evidence suggests. 

Anne`s story, narrated by her as an adult but starting in her childhood, was naturally familiar to me, but even so, the twists Cornick wove into it managed to surprise me. Her Anne is a curious child, who retains her curiosity into adulthood. She`s very loving and adores her husband, who loves her too, but she is also very stubborn. This combination of characteristics drives one twist in Anne`s story - and it is used to explain why Anne, unlike her mother and sister Elizabeth, did not choose to become Queen Anne Neville`s lady-in-waiting. Personally, I think that the most likely explanation is that she simply did not like Queen Anne, but Cornick chooses a more dramatic explanation - one that works very well in the story. I`m mentioning this to point out that even in instances when the narrative chooses a different conclusion to the one I come to, it worked well to engage me, and I do not simply praise this book because it echoed all my views. 

The side characters are equally well-drawn as Anne is. Of particular note is Alice FitzHugh, Anne`s mother, who is a powerful if somewhat stern woman, who is all too aware of her important ancestry and struggles to bond with her headstrong daughter, though their relationship thaws somewhat when Anne realises her own similarity in many ways to her mother, particularly their shared stubbornness. It never becomes quite as warm as Anne`s relationship to her adored father, though, whose role in this book, as indeed in Anne`s real life, is sadly short. 

Joan Lovell, whose part is equally regrettably short, is described, even as a child, as having "a brisk air of organisation" as well as a "slightly protective way she spoke about her brother" with, both touches I loved. Frideswide is intelligent and self-confident, which also seems very close to what evidence suggests.

And then, of course, there is my leading man himself. Francis. Anne`s adored husband. I will admit, I was slightly afraid that as the obvious love interest of one of the novel`s protagonists, he might be suffering a bit from what I call the Male Hero Protagonist syndrome - being too streamlined, too heroic, too flawless. I need not have worried; Cornick is too good a writer for this. Though he is the best of men in Anne`s eyes, he does have flaws, and he does have weaknesses. One touch about his characterisation I especially liked was that for all his dealing with the highest and mightiest of the realm, he was essentially an extremely private person, keeping his emotions close to his chest, and even Anne does not always know them. From what we know, this seems extremely realistic. 

It was easy to tell that this novel was immaculately researched, and there were only very minor mistakes; that really I only noticed because I can recite the facts about Anne and her family in my sleep. I don`t think anyone but me would care, or even notice, that Anne`s sister Alice is said in passing to have been younger than her sister Elizabeth - and even I can`t say that it bothered me much. The great research of the book was noticable and made the book even more enjoyable for me. 

Some of the things I enjoyed most about this book were 

(1) that in her part of the story, it was Anne`s story. It was not her story but busy comparing her to another woman. She was the heroine. (Worth of note, looking at pretty much all other portrayals of Anne Lovell, ever, was that her cousin Anne Neville did not even really turn up. She was mentioned once or twice, as naturally she would be, but that was it. For once, she did not steal all of Anne`s storyline and thunder.) 

(2) that Anne did not showcast any 21st century values, describing herself as a pawn who wants to marry for love, or any of these clichees. She knows what life is like, and she doesn`t think it very strange. 

(3) the ending with Anne and Francis. No spoilers, but that was very touching, and makes me wish that it would/could have ended like that. 

(4) though Anne does not have any children, there is no huge fuss made about that. She would love to have children, and this becomes a plotpoint, but there is no huge row made about it, it does not serve as a "but" to her and Francis`s marital happiness, and is not used to make her lesser. 

Finally, mostly to be utterly honest and complete, here are some tiny points of criticism: 

(1) The book is not long enough! I need more information on everyone - the dashing Jack in the modern part of the story, the tactless and understandably frustrated Inspector Litton (who I don`t think was meant to become an Ensemble Darkhorse but for me, absolutely did - I could understand her!), and Rebecca Shaw and Mr Anstruther. In the 15th century storyline, I would have loved to see more of Joan and Frideswide Lovell, to meet Richard FitzHugh, Anne`s brother to whom she was very close, her sister Elizabeth - everyone. I`d also have liked if the one miscarriage we have evidence Anne suffered had been mentioned, as surely it affected her. 

(2) Francis was, in my opinion, somewhat too political before Richard III`s accession. It works very well in the context of the story, but ... well. I did say I would bring up some tiny points of criticism, and this is one. Francis was, even as Lord Chamberlain, pretty unpolitical. 

And finally, the only thing I would say actually did slightly bother me, more than just me taking a note because I noticed something. It was nowhere near enough to spoil my enjoyment, but it is my only actual serious point of criticism:

(3) Edward Franke`s actions in 1488, concerning Anne Lovell, are ignored. 

However, all in all, I can only say I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It is the only book featuring Anne and Francis Lovell prominently which I can absolutely, unreservedly recommend, and I do hope it does fabulously well and everyone buys it and meets the amazing Anne Lovell. 

Upcoming books

 Hello everyone!

This blog has lain dormant for nearly one and a half years, but finally, I am starting it up again. 

Things have happened since my last post on here, but it has taken me until now to finally re-activate this blog. I`m apologising to everyone who likes reading it, if indeed anyone does. 

Though a lot has been going on in the world, and in my life, I am focusing on the positive here, and this will be the centre of this first post after a long time:

New books I have written, shall write, or am currently writing.

(1) A book on John de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, and his son, the ever-so-creatively named John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln. Brother-in-law and nephew respectively of Edward IV and Richard III, and guardian and foster brother (again, respectively) of Francis Lovell`s for some five years. The book has been provisionally titled "De la Pole, Father and Son: The Duke, the Earl and the Struggle for Power", and is going to be published by Amberley Publishing. There is no publication date yet, but I finished the manuscript in the summer of 2020, and Covid-19 allowing, it is meant to be published early next year.

(2) A book on Alice Chaucer, Countess of Salisbury and Duchess of Suffolk, mother and grandmother of John, Duke of Suffolk and John, Earl of Salisbury. A powerhouse in the early and mid-fifteenth century, a woman who was born a commoner and died a dowager duchess, who was close to a king and queen, who held political power and managed to come through the Wars of the Roses unscathed. A truly fascinating woman, living in a truly fascinating time. The provisional title for this book is "What is Better than a Good Woman? Alice Chaucer, Commoner and Yorkist Matriarch", and it, too, is going to be published by Amberley Publishing. I sent the finished manuscript to the publisher earlier this week, and presumably, the book will be published next year. 

(3) A book on mental health in late medieval England and France, and the many myths that have grown up around famous cases of men and women afflicted with mental illnesses at that time, their treatment and how such illnesses were viewed by their contemporaries. It is also going to explore the societal and religious implications of mental illnesses, and how these changed during the fourteenth and fifteenth century. Provisionally titled "Medieval Mental Health: Uncovering the Myths", this is the manuscript I finished in later September this year. It will probably be published in around a year, by Pen&Sword Books. 

(4) A book on the wardship system in medieval England, and the treatment of orphaned underaged heirs and heiresses. Though a fact of life for sadly very many rich and famous figures through the Middle Ages, it is a subject that has not really been examined in its own right. It will detail the advantages, but also the many pitfalls of the system, and use examples for the many weird, sad, odd and interesting things that could happen to an orphaned heir or heiress, whose wardship had fallen to the king or one of the king`s men - or women, for that matter. In fact, the part woman played in this system, of which they are often assumed to have been victims but not active players, will be a significant part of this book. Its title has provisionally been announced as "A History of Medieval Wardship: The Trials of Orphaned Noble Children", and the deadline for handing in the finished manuscript is 1 October 2022. Therefore, it will not be published before autumn 2023, also by Pen&Sword Books.

(5) A book on fertility, childbirth and all the many problems, theories and difficulties surrounding it during medieval times. This book is going to focus on the many, often conflicting, ideas of what caused infertility, how it was treated, how women who could not have children (be it because of any illness or problem they suffered from themselves, or due to some illness or problem their husband had) were treated, and how such (supposed) infertility could even have an effect on political issues. However, this is not going to be the only focus of the book. It will also discuss pregnancy, how it was regarded in medieval England, what remedies were suggested for any ailments or difficulties experienced during it, as well as childbirth and all the troubles that could arise during it, how they were anticipated, dealt with and often faced when they could not be avoided. Though the focus of it is going to be royal women such as Anne of Bohemia, for whom we naturally have much more evidence than for commoner women, there will be information about such less recorded women as well. Provisionally titled "Fertility, Pregnancy and Childbirth for Royal Women in the Middle Ages", the headline for handing in the finished manuscript is also 1 October 2022, and it will mostly likely be published around a year later by Pen&Sword Books. 

(6) A book on the FitzHugh family, their position in English medieval noble society and going into the careers and lives of the many interesting members of this family. It`ll lay a special focus on how this family could navigate the many pitfalls and difficulties of public life in the 14th and 15th century and manage to come out on top. The connections this family made by marriage will be examined, as well as their religious life and how this shaped society around them. Its provisional title is "The FitzHughs: The Barons of the North 1321-1513" and it is due on 1 November 2022, and will therefore most likely be published in the winter of 2023/4, by Amberley Publishing. 

(7) A book on medieval royal households, and how they were structured in England during the high and late Middle Ages. This book will examine the many interesting people who were involved in such an intimate way with various kings, what positions they were and how they could be used for political gain, as well as a tool to influence royal reputations. For this, a special focus will be laid on the households of Richard II and Henry IV, though others would naturally also be examined. Provisionally titled "Medieval Royal Households: Between Ambition and Service", it is due to be handed in on 2nd October 2023 and will probably be published around a year later, by Pen&Sword Books. 

(8) A book on William Stanley, the man widely known to have swung the Battle of Bosworth in Henry Tudor`s favour, and to have later been executed by him for treason. A man, for obvious reasons, better known to me as Francis Lovell`s stepfather. This book will examine all the political parts of his life he is famous for, and try to understand why he chose to take the actions he took. It will, however, also look at the less famous parts of his life, his quiet service under Edward IV, the support he initially gave Richard III and equally the relationship to his family, especially with his brother Thomas, with whom he is so often confused or lumped together. The book will also look at his private life, at the side of the man who married for love and was a doting father of three children. Its provisional title is "Medieval Kingmaker and Traitor", and the finished manuscript is due to be handed in by 1 March 2024. It will, therefore, not be published before 2025.