Unfortunately, the handsome earl (who greatly resembles Will) is a Jacobite who fought unsuccessfully against the actual king and has now been captured by George I’s men and imprisoned in the Tower of London with other Scottish rebels. Of course, I am sympathetic to the brave Catholic family loyal to the Stuarts!
After Will’s injury, Jane visited a clairvoyant in London, and Robin turns out to be more than a charlatan, somehow materializing in the 18th century to provide much-needed guidance. Robin explains that if William Maxwell, Lord Nithsdale, is executed as a traitor by George I, his descendant, Will, will also die. Jane is determined to save both men, and sets off for London – on horseback, in a blizzard – with her devoted companion/maid, Cecilia. During this dangerous journey, she meets a man who stirs her senses more than Will, but she continues to London to appeal for a pardon to the king. When the king rejects her plea (you can’t blame him for disliking Jacobite traitors) that Jane must use her 20th century ingenuity to rescue her 18th century husband.
At its best, Tapestry is a sweeping historical novel, set against a backdrop of war and shifting alliances, following characters whose lives become intricately interwoven—much like the threads of a tapestry—through loyalty, courage, and sacrifice. Dual timeline novels are not for everyone, nor is time travel fiction, but both can be outstanding depending on the author and execution. Here, I liked the historical aspect better than the 1970s, as there is adventure and more interesting characters. Although it is the men who go to war, it is several women who show incredible bravery as they assist Winifred with a daring rescue plan. The imprisonment in the Tower of London of the Jacobite traitors, including the actual Earl of Nithsdale, really took place and his ingenious countess was the heroine of the day. E. Nesbit used this story in The House of Arden, which I read several times as a child so I realized what was going to happen. However, Jane was not always an easy heroine to like and that may be why I didn’t love the book.
One aspect of the time travel I found unusual and offputting was that when Jane took over Winifred’s body, Winifred wasn’t entirely gone. Usually, Jane was able to access Winifred’s memories and way of speaking so she didn’t experience the situation common in time travel – not knowing the people or places around her or using anachronistic language (at one point, Jane curses extravagantly, startling those around her, but that was atypical), which makes people suspicious. When Jane has to be intimate with her 18th century husband, she withdraws mentally and lets Winifred take over. What I did not like was the way the author referred to Winifred or her body as “the host,” which made it sound like a horror novel.
Although I have put a lot of books on hold at the library, I think this is the first book I have read for the Intrepid Reader’s 2026 Historical Fiction Challenge and I am guessing it was Marg who recommended this prolific Australian author. Coincidentally, I found another book by McIntosh at a book sale last Saturday called The Pearl Thief, set in 1963 Paris. I don’t think Tapestry was as good as Susanna Kearsley’s books and there were some anachronisms a good editor should have pointed out but I did enjoy it.
Title: Tapestry
Author: Fiona McIntosh
Publication: HarperCollins, paperback, 2014
Genre: Dual timeline fiction
Source: Library
After Will’s injury, Jane visited a clairvoyant in London, and Robin turns out to be more than a charlatan, somehow materializing in the 18th century to provide much-needed guidance. Robin explains that if William Maxwell, Lord Nithsdale, is executed as a traitor by George I, his descendant, Will, will also die. Jane is determined to save both men, and sets off for London – on horseback, in a blizzard – with her devoted companion/maid, Cecilia. During this dangerous journey, she meets a man who stirs her senses more than Will, but she continues to London to appeal for a pardon to the king. When the king rejects her plea (you can’t blame him for disliking Jacobite traitors) that Jane must use her 20th century ingenuity to rescue her 18th century husband.
At its best, Tapestry is a sweeping historical novel, set against a backdrop of war and shifting alliances, following characters whose lives become intricately interwoven—much like the threads of a tapestry—through loyalty, courage, and sacrifice. Dual timeline novels are not for everyone, nor is time travel fiction, but both can be outstanding depending on the author and execution. Here, I liked the historical aspect better than the 1970s, as there is adventure and more interesting characters. Although it is the men who go to war, it is several women who show incredible bravery as they assist Winifred with a daring rescue plan. The imprisonment in the Tower of London of the Jacobite traitors, including the actual Earl of Nithsdale, really took place and his ingenious countess was the heroine of the day. E. Nesbit used this story in The House of Arden, which I read several times as a child so I realized what was going to happen. However, Jane was not always an easy heroine to like and that may be why I didn’t love the book.
Although I have put a lot of books on hold at the library, I think this is the first book I have read for the Intrepid Reader’s 2026 Historical Fiction Challenge and I am guessing it was Marg who recommended this prolific Australian author. Coincidentally, I found another book by McIntosh at a book sale last Saturday called The Pearl Thief, set in 1963 Paris. I don’t think Tapestry was as good as Susanna Kearsley’s books and there were some anachronisms a good editor should have pointed out but I did enjoy it.
Author: Fiona McIntosh
Publication: HarperCollins, paperback, 2014
Genre: Dual timeline fiction
Source: Library
No comments:
Post a Comment