Lords of the White Castle -- Sassenach Musings

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Date Posted: 16:51:14 02/09/07 Fri
Author: Syl
Subject: Lords of the White Castle

TITLE: Lords of the White Castle

AUTHOR: Elizabeth Chadwick

GENRE: Historical fiction

Fifteen year old Fulke Fitzwarin is a squire at the court of the teenage Prince John � spoiled youngest legitimate son of King Henry ll and Eleanor of Aquitaine. John plays a game of chess with Fulke and loses, but accuses him of cheating. Following events lead to Prince John and Fulke becoming bitter enemies.

To avoid further confrontation, Fulke leaves the royal court, and serves as squire to Lord Theobald Walter, Master at Arms to the court. They travel to Ireland, with Fulke hoping to keep out of John�s way.

Through the years, though, John�s petty jealousies and temper result in further strife for Fulke and his family. Once they owned lands on the Welsh Border Marches � mainly Whittington Castle - and Fulke petitions the return of the lands to his family, only to have John vindictively deny him and give Whittington instead to Morys FitzRoger for the sum of fifty marks. As a result, Fulke turns outlaw.

Fulke with his band of rebels, including his five brothers and his wife, raid lands, abbeys and castles up and down the country, becoming a thorn in Prince John�s side. Reading this reminded me so much of the story of Robin Hood � lots of similarities!

This is a stand alone novel, but reading another of Ms. Chadwick�s novels � Shadows and Strongholds � provides background to Fulke�s parents and how they lost Whittington.

This huge book has so much more in it I haven�t done it justice in this review. The story is set in the rich background of Medieval England, with its sometimes harsh life and archaic customs. The reader certainly learns a lot about the social history of the time!

I was introduced to Elizabeth Chadwick by my sister, who also hosed me! The first book I read � The Love Knot � got me well and truly hooked and I have now read most of her books. NB � this Elizabeth Chadwick is NOT to be confused with an American romance author of the same name ( Bride Fire ) .

Ms Chadwick researches thoroughly and gives a lot of her research information at the back of each book. Quite a few of her non-royal characters, like Fulke, actually existed, and it�s Ms. Chadwick�s narrative skill that transports the reader to the courts of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

If you go to: www.elizabethchadwick.com you�ll find all the information on all her books, plus other stuff, like the re-enactment group she�s in, her MySpace site, etc, etc.

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Replies:

[> My 4 favorite Authors of all time are Diana (of coarse) Juiliet Marillier, Sharon Penman and Elizabeth Chandwick. Their books are all keepers. --

Alissa, 03:09:37 02/10/07 Sat

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[> I have only read one Elizabeth Chadwick, but I really enjoyed it! I have put all her others on the list, including this one, and hope to get to them soon! -- Marg, 04:43:37 02/10/07 Sat

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[> She is one of my favorites too -- in the great tradition of Anya Seton. This one is a wonderful read, and I also recommend The Winter Mantle, The Falcons of Montabard, and Shadows and Strongholds. I did think she kind of missed a beat with The Marsh King's Daughter, but Chadwick definitely belongs on the bookshelf right next to Anya Seton and Sharon Kay Penman. --

pamelalass, 16:34:28 02/10/07 Sat

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[> I read that. I liked it very much. Pamelalass I agree with you on the Marsh Kings Daughter, but I did enjoy reading the whole series. Has she come out with anything new? --

tanya_p, 18:33:36 02/10/07 Sat

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[> [> Her latest book came out not too long ago called The Scarlet Lion. It follows on from The Greatest Knight, which is the one book by her that I have read and really enjoyed. -- Marg, 19:35:24 02/10/07 Sat

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[> [> [> I enjoyed The Greatest Knight too -- good to hear that the sequel is out! --

pamelalass, 19:47:41 02/10/07 Sat

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[> I LOVE Elizabeth Chadwick's work and 'Lords of the White Castle' is one of my favourites. It was one of those books I couldn't get out of my head for days after I finished it. I kept picking it up and rereading bits of it. It was a few days before I could start another book. I am at present reading 'The Wild Hunt'. I'd thoroughly recommend that as well, I'm really enjoying it and don't want it to end. -- Kirsten, 02:49:09 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> Hi Kirsten! Have you read The Running Vixen? I still haven't found that one, but I loved The Wild Hunt too! --

pamelalass, 07:30:55 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> [> Pamela! See my posts below. I didn't see this message until after I'd posted about 'The Running Vixen' further down the page. -- Kirsten, 09:57:06 02/11/07 Sun

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[> Just how huge is it? -- becca beccabee, 04:36:18 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> Becca her books are not that big, its nothing I couldnt get through in a couple of days. --

tanya_p, 06:28:38 02/11/07 Sun

Last edited by author: Sun February 11, 2007 06:29:05 Edited 1 time.
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[> [> I have the small paperback copy of Lords of the White Castle and it is just short of 700 pages. -- Kirsten, 07:05:18 02/11/07 Sun

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[> I clicked on the link provided above by Syl and I think 'The Running Vixen' is the only one I haven't got. I'm delighted to see it's a sequel to 'The Wild Hunt' which I still haven't finished but am enjoying immensely. The downside is that it's so expensive, being currently out of print - one of the copies on sale at Amazon is �77 !!!!! The cheapest is the paperback and they want �21 for that! -- Kirsten, 08:31:35 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> Me again, but I've just discovered another book I haven't got and that is 'The Leopard Unleashed' which follows on from 'The Running Vixen' - have I got a treat in store, I love her books. Unfortunately, it also is silly money. -- Kirsten, 08:36:30 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> [> Me too! These are the same two I've yet to read, and for the same reason -- impossible to find a copy of either at a regular price. And the library here doesn't have them. I try to think of it as something to look forward to, since it means I haven't run through all her books yet! --

pamelalass, 10:20:20 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> [> [> Pamela.....Have you read 'Shields of Pride'? -- Kirsten, 11:49:24 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> [> [> [> That one's hard to find too, but I did get it from the library. I think she has gotten better since the really early books. I've never run across another author whose early paperbacks are so in demand that the prices are so extraordinary -- you'd think someone would realize there's a strong market and re-issue them! --

pamelalass, 14:49:10 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> [> [> [> [> They are being reissued over here, with new and very tasteful covers - see the link to her website above. EC is also re-editing them and updating them in the light of new historical research etc. It amazes me as I have bought all my copies, with the exception of the last two, from a chain of discount bookshops called 'The Works'. I've never been able to get her books from WH Smiths or Waterstone's, our biggest bookshops. -- Kirsten, 14:55:40 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> I hope the US publisher will follow suit! Clearly there's a market here too. --

pamelalass, 16:54:34 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> I got The Wild Hunt for about $20 on Ebay, which was much cheaper than the prices on Amazon. You might want to keep an eye out there. One other thing, she has just done a rewrite on Daughters of the Grail and rereleased it. Anyone read that? This book was previously released under the title Children of Destiny as well as the title Daughters of the Grail. -- Marg, 13:25:15 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> [> Daughters of the Grail has just been released in paperback in the UK. Several of us in the UK have bought it as it is on sale in Tesco, our biggest supermarket for only �3.73 which is fantastic. It's my next book to read after I finish 'The Wild Hunt'. -- Kirsten, 13:41:13 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> [> [> I have read the original Daughters of the Grail, and I thought it was much weaker than her other books -- it was convoluted and fantastical and probably needed a good rewrite. Thanks for the reminder about Ebay, Marg! It's still amazing to pay so much for used trade paperbacks, isn't it? I wish the publisher would re-issue her earlier books too. --

pamelalass, 14:42:23 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> [> [> [> The copy I've got is the updated, reworked version. The other UK hosers who've read it, like it. I'll let you know what I think after I've read it. -- Kirsten, 15:00:45 02/11/07 Sun

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[> [> [> [> [> [> please do let me know - I'm counting on it! --

pamelalass, 16:53:29 02/11/07 Sun

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[> I've not read any of her work now, but with the comments here, and those flying around the UKHoser site, I do intend to start. Thanks for the review Syl. -- Margy, 06:44:16 02/15/07 Thu

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[> I've just spent the entire weekend (and part of last week) reading some of Ms. Chadwick's books - Wild Hunt, Running Vixen, Conquest and currently Winter Mantle. Unfortunately, those are the only ones available in our library system and in the city, so I'm going to have to go looking online for the others if I want to read them - love the history; was a big fan of William the Conqueror way back when and devoured a number of books about his time, his life, his wife and story. Ms. Chadwick makes that time in history come alive (somewhat like HERself and her time)! --

Ruthgold18, 08:21:34 02/26/07 Mon

Last edited by author: Wed February 28, 2007 05:58:37 Edited 1 time.
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[> I just finished this book and it was very engaging. The characters were so wonderful and the story was exciting. I am looking forward to reading some of her other books. -- Lisa W, 22:26:16 06/15/07 Fri

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