The Winter Siege

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A powerful historical novel by the late Ariana Franklin and her daughter Samantha Norman, The Siege Winter is a tour de force mystery and murder, adventure and intrigue, a battle for a crown, told by two courageous young women whose fates are intertwined in twelfth century England s devastating civil war.1141 England is engulfed in war as King Stephen and his cousin, the Empress Matilda, vie for the crown In this dangerous world, not even Emma, an eleven year old peasant, is safe A depraved monk obsessed with redheads kidnaps the ginger haired girl from her village and leaves her for dead When an archer for hire named Gwyl finds her, she has no memory of her previous life Unable to abandon her, Gwyl takes the girl with him, dressing her as a boy, giving her a new name Penda and teaching her to use a bow But Gwyn knows that the man who hurt Penda roams free, and that a scrap of evidence she possesses could be very valuable.Gwyl and Penda make their way to Kenilworth, a small but strategically important fortress that belongs to fifteen year old Maud Newly wedded to a boorish and much older husband after her father s death, the fierce and determined young chatelaine tempts fate and Stephen s murderous wrath when she gives shelter to the empress.Aided by a garrison of mercenaries, including Gwyl and his odd red headed apprentice, Maud will stave off Stephen s siege for a long, brutal winter that will bring a host of visitors to Kenilworth kings, soldiers and a sinister monk with deadly business to finish. Free Download [ The Winter Siege ] by [ Ariana Franklin ] – kino-fada.fr One of the best British historical novels I have read and I have read many This passionate, fast moving and atmospheric novel captures the brutality and horror of the civil war in England in the 12th century between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda.The characters are deep and well rounded and you get caught up in the drama.A B...First Sentence It is a wood paneled room of sumptuous size the abbots of Perton have always done themselves well.In 1141, England was engulfed in civil war between King Stephen and his cousin, the Empress Matilda over who would wear the crown It is 1180 and a dying abbot has one last important task to accomplish He summons a young scribe in order to document a muchpersonal story set during that backdrop and occurring during a long, brutal siege winter.While readers were heartbroken by t First Sentence It is a wood paneled room of sumptuous size the abbots of Perton have always done themselves well.In 1141, England was engulfed in civil war between King Stephen and his cousin, the Empress Matilda over who would wear the crown It is 1180 and a dying abbot has one last important task to accomplish He summons a young scribe in order to document a muchpersonal story set during that backdrop and occurring during a long, brutal siege winter.While readers were heartbroken by the death of Ariana Franklin and the incredible cliffhanger left in her last book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series, this does not resolve that series However, for both prior and new readers, you are in for such a treat This book was begun by Ms Franklin aka Diana Norman prior to her death, and has been completed by her daughter, Samantha Norman While that is wonderful in itself, what is truly remarkable is that the fusion is abs...I m not a great fan of historical fiction, but I loved the Adelia Aguilar books of Ariana Franklin She avoided everything I dislike about the genre and wrote so vividly, with so much fun, creating characters that were real, lovable and enduring And so, like many other Franklin fans, I ve been eager for Ariana s daughter, Samantha Norman, to finish her mother s l...Setting Medieval EnglandThe story opens when Henry I dies without leaving a heir, and the country is sent into a state of anarchy which begins the story of the battle for the crown between Matilda and her cousin Stephan Em a young peasant girl is cornered by a troop of soldiers while out with her mother and sister.Captured, brutalized, raped and left for dead, she is later found by Gwyl a bowman who nurses her back to health and although her body heals her mind isreluctant With her ha Setting Medieval EnglandThe story opens when Henry I dies without leaving a heir, and the country is sent into a state of anarchy which begins the story of the battle for the crown between Matilda and her cousin Stephan Em a young peasant girl ...I loved Franklin s books, but I m sorry to say that I couldn t finish this one It adopts a contemporary tone in the dialogue especially which I found intensely irritating Characters from the 12th century say things like Yuck and Totally This sits oddly alongside the meticulous depiction of clothes etc of the time It s riddled with anachronisms for example, a character l...I ve given this an A for both content and narration at AudioGals.The Siege Winter is a superbly written and thoroughly enjoyable piece of historical fiction set in twelfth century England at a time of great uncertainty and upheaval The country is being torn apart by what is, in essence, a civil war between the supporters of the Empress Matilda daughter of the late King Henry and those of her cousin and Henry s successor, King Stephen The bulk of the tale is set between 1141 and 1143, but th I ve given this an A for both content and narration at AudioGals.The Siege Winter is a superbly written and thoroughly enjoyable piece of historical fiction set in twelfth century England at a time of great uncertainty and upheaval The country is being torn apart by what is, in essence, a civil war between the supporters of the Empress Matilda daughter of the late King Henry and those of her cousin and Henry s successor, King Stephen The bulk of t...If given the choice to take it or leave it, I would have to leave this one behind I love historical fiction and by that I mean full throttle historical fiction This was not that I could possibly overlook the colloquial differences, but the telling was just too contemporary for the time period given And oh the language I don t mind gritty language, but this felt so gratuitous It was a constant onslaught and it hardly even felt authentic Everyone was always so angry..I needthan j If given the choice to take it or leave it, I would have to leave this one behind I love historical fiction and by that I mean ful...What fans of good historical fiction mysteries weren t devastated to hear about the death of the writer Ariana Franklin pen name of Diana Norman in 2011 She did leave us a wonderful gift, however a final novel, completed by her daughter Samantha Norman, and it is a very good work indeed.This book is not part of the series featuring the medical examiner Adelia Aguilar but is a standalone novel in the same time period, i.e., the mid 12th Century, and also set in England During this era, Engla What fans of good historical fiction mysteries weren t devastated to hear about the death of the writer Ariana Franklin pen name of Diana Norman in 2011 She did leave us a wonderful gift, however a final novel, completed by her daughter Sam...Having read English historical fiction as a favorite for over 50 years, and probably 100 s if not going into the 4 digit number of books, I have to post that this author and this particular novel is one of the very best.Outstanding In its eye witnesses narrative, in its emotive nuance to identities, in its chronological order, and especially within its realistic and often brutal intensity of the devious crack that almost always exists in a long and viscous civil war.The siege period under Maud Having read English historical fiction as a favorite for over 50 years, and probably 100 s if not going into the 4 digit number of books, I have to post that this author and this particular novel is one of the very best.Outstanding In its eye witnesses narrative, in its emotive nuance to identities, in its chronological order, and especially within its realistic and often brutal intensity of the devious crack that almost always exists in a long and viscous civil war.The siege period under Maud is detailed in phenomenal hierarchy and with immense underplays for every one ofthan 20 minor or secondary characters Not only conveying in core the distrust bu...This was one of the best historical fiction books I ve read in a long time After just finishing it I want to go back and re read it again, just becauseI was apprehensive because I haven t been the biggest fan of Matilda in my studies, to be frank she wasn t a very good politician and many times could have won the war if she had beenof a tactician This book wasaligned with the supporting characters and how the arena of war can turn men cold and women into heroines It wasn t unti This was one of the best historical fiction books I ve read in a long time After just finishing it I want to go back and re read it again, just be...

The Winter Siege
  • English
  • 19 June 2017
  • Hardcover
  • 359 pages
  • 0593070615
  • Ariana Franklin
  • The Winter Siege