Today’s team review is from Sandra.
Sandra blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews
Sandra has been reading A Noble Cunning by Patricia Bernstein.
Based on the true story of Winifred Maxwell, Countess of Nithsdale, that Patricia Bernstein learned about on a visit to Traquair House in the Scottish borders, A Noble Cunning paints a picture of life in the years leading up to the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion and its aftermath. Bethan Glentaggart, Countess of Clarencefield, and her family are staunch supporters of the Stuarts, but are now living under the rule of George 1 where it is forbidden to worship as a Catholic.
The rebellion is not a success and her husband Gavin is imprisoned in the Tower of London sentenced to death. With no time to spare, and only her companion Lucy for protection, Bethan undertakes a perilous journey through an atrocious snowstorm to reach London and try to save her husband. King George shows no mercy, so Bethan and her allies have no choice but to take matters into their own hands. The plan is ingenious, but can they pull it off in time to save Gavin from certain death?A Noble Cunning is full of intrigue and suspense, with well-drawn characters and a strong sense of place and time. Despite a slow start, and a lot of historical detail woven through the narrative, I was never tempted to give up as I found the story compelling and wanted this brave and resourceful woman to succeed. I was slightly disappointed at the abruptness of the ending as I would have liked to know what happened next. The historical notes at the end of the book are well worth reading for those keen to know more, and to find out which parts of the story were actually true.
Based on the true story of Winifred Maxwell,
a Catholic in anti-Catholic England
Scotland, 1716 –
Traveling alone through a frightful snowstorm, Bethan Glentaggart is desperate to get to London where her husband languishes in the Tower of London. As the date of Gavin’s beheading rapidly approaches, Bethan has only her wits and her women friends to support her against King George. Will she be able to free Gavin? Will she even be allowed to see him?
Rosie Amber 