A Constant Heart

I all but jumped for joy when I opened the mail and pulled out A Constant Heart. "Wow," I said to my husband, "a historical set in Europe--and it's Elizabethan!" I hadn't read anything set in Elizabeth I's time since . . . Shakespeare, actually. A total sucker for the setting, I couldn't wait to crack open the cover--and once I did, I struggled with putting it down. Marget is the daughter of a knight, her beauty renowned and her dowry large--large enough to land her a marriage to nobility. But when she meets her groom, the Earl of Lytham is anything but impressed with her. Instead he seems to despise her, and it only gets worse after a disastrous presentation to Queen Elizabeth. She knows it's her duty to further Lytham's suits in Elizabeth's court. But how is one to do that when one is an object of ridicule to the sovereign and not even championed by he who should love one most? Lytham knows when he sees the breathtaking Marget that trouble awaits. Beauty deceives--didn't he learn that lesson well with his first wife? Beauty, besides, makes the queen jealous, and a jealous queen is not a generous queen. But Marget is different . . . sweet. Sincere. And he fears that if he isn't careful, he'll tumble into love--a dangerous course indeed when one is supposed to love only one's queen. A Constant Heart is not what I expected. Knowing Siri Mitchell to be a Christy-nominated chick-lit writer, I was anticipating a light touch. Instead I was tossed into a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions, one that wrenched at my heart and haunted my dreams. This book is beautiful, consuming, and noteworthy. It just isn't a light read, so be prepared for heavy emotion when you pick it up. The book is written in two different first-person points of view, which took a little getting used to, and is merciless in its historical accuracy. "No!" I screamed to Marget. "Don't put on the lead-based makeup! And for goodness sake, don't soothe your irritated skin with mercury!" In usual form, the characters didn't heed my warnings, though she sure wished she had. History buffs will adore this book. Be prepared for a gut-wrenching read that will draw you back to its pages each time you try to put it down. A light read it definitely isn't, but stellar it certainly is. I expect to see Siri Mitchell add a few more award nominations to her list for this one.

It is a beautiful historical with enough romance and intrigue and resonance of life as a courtier in the court of Elizabeth I to keep this picky reader titillated. No Courtier can love another woman save Queen Elizabeth I : not even his wife. And from this simple idea, Mitchell weaves her spell-binding and oft-poetic plot. I have to admit I almost scanned this book on the shelf due to a.) my preconceived ( and obviously ill-founded) notion that a Christian writer could not broach the Elizabethan era and b.) due to the title ( which, surprisingly is strewn from a rather poignant moment in the development of a complex relationship between our hero and heroine). This book is severely well-written: especially for its format. It criss-crosses from the perspective of the Earl of Lytham ( the flawed and human romantic lead ---expect a lot of dimension to characters here, even those in periphery ) and Marget his new and beautiful wife. I have never previously known this device to work well. Even in that now-pulp favourite "the Time Traveler's Wife", this is done forcefully and confusingly. Mitchell pulls it off with flair. There is a Sir Walter Raleigh cameo ...but not a stupid one. And, any moments where Elizabeth I plays into a scene are done surprisingly well, subtlely and without over-indulgence. Impressively, the book is infused with historical accuracies without "a cut-from-this-source, paste here" feel that plagues so many writers of the genre. The dialogue is spot on, the romance plot keeps you in "Elizabeth/Darcy will they EVER get together" mode and I learned a lot about the Elizabethan Era. Mitchell does a magnificent job of delving into the problem of face painting and the toxic ceruses and cosmetics that plagued Elizabeth and the women of her court. On picking up this title I thought, due to the synopsis on the back, that it might be a romance of disparity of ranks: perhaps a lady of the court and a stable boy... and I was in the mood for that.What I got in its stead far exceeded my expectations. There is nothing rash, crass or hasty here. Instead, we are given a thought-provoking expose of court life. One of the best Christian novels I have read this ( or any ) year. [..] ( a blog wholly devoted to Christian fiction)

First, let me say that the cover is the most beautiful historical fiction cover I have ever seen. Second, I don't recommend reading this book if there are a lot of distractions. To get the full effect of the author's voice and the setting you need to be in a place where your concentration is not easily broken. Do this and you'll get sucked right in. I had to set aside blocks of time read to this book because it's not the kind where you can just read a page here and there. Once I got a chance to really read it, I became distressed that I had to wait to finish it. But life gets busy. At any rate, this book kept calling me to read it and that rarely happens to me with books, which is why I gave it five + stars. Siri writes real thoughts and real life. The ugliness of that time...black plague, people being quartered and beheaded, etc. was not glossed over, nor was it written for shock value. It was simply told truthfully and that made the setting feel more real to me. Someone mentioned there being less content about God and faith than in secular novels. I disagree. I saw more content with a spiritual thread than is even found in some CBA fiction. However, the content was limited to the era and thus constrained by the culture. To write a viewpoint much different from how Siri wrote it, well, that would not have worked and would have blow the author's credibility. She had to show the way it really was. I found this story very romantic as well. At first I wanted to smack Lytham around, but Siri redeemed him well. He became quite the hero, but was still flawed. Some of the marital conflict was hilarious and overall quite entertaining. I could feel their emotion and it was fabulously written. The love scenes were realistic, too, but tastefully done. I despised the older woman who was continually advising Marget. And what happened with Lytham's former wife was simply tragic. Marget was innocent and the advice given nearly ruined her. The grieving she experienced was so real to me that I cried for Marget several times. It wasn't a heavy, lingering feeling from her pain, though, because I had not experienced the same thing. But I could identify with her. And like in the story about the Titanic, where you know the ship will sink, I kept reading with the anxious feeling of knowing that the cosmetics were poisoning her and I couldn't stop her from returning to court. I totally bought into the tension in this story. Siri always makes me think about our culture and other cultures when she writes. I could see how women over the centuries have done just about anything to look beautiful. I found that concept fascinating and told many people about this story because of it. What a great premise! I'd always wondered why courtiers had such a high rate of infertility. If you wanted to be a mother, chances were better if you stayed far away from the queen and her court. I also found the portrayal of Queen Elizabeth to be very well done. There was so much richness a

I am a lvoer of the historical pieces, especially this time frame. I thought this novel gave the reader an opportunity to see what life at court was really like and how dangerous it could be. The characters seek to find love in an unlikely location, thier own marriage. This plays out with the backdrop of Queen Elizabeth's court with all its intrigue and dangers. The author does a great job of drawing the reader into this world. The issue of false beauty was masterfully woven throughout the storyline. The main character finds herself becoming more beautiful in the eyes of those around her as she conforms to the pressures of court life and the false flattery of a greedy queen. I thought the relationship between Marget and Lytham was compelling. The author does not give them easy fixes. Intermingled with their passion is the reality that they are in a difficult place with few options. A book worth your time! A great read!