The Marsh King's Daughter

This was a story that seemed to follow the way of life in the Middle Ages; during the reign of King John and Henry. It doesn't give romance or value to life that we have nowadays; anyone whos anyone is at deaths disposal. The story also reminds of womens rights back then; there were none. If you were born out of wedlock, or an adulteress, there was little recourse; esp. for the lower classes. The story strives for realism; but I feel the love story part between Miriel and Nicholas is a wee bit more fantastical than keeping with the rest of the story. Which is fine, right? So its well written. Miriel has made some tough decisions and they are not always to her profit; however, as a woman---and a bastard runaway, she had little choice and her vision of the world is skewed. Her story is pretty sad. But I can see a sort of pattern of survival. Its almost the same as Scarlett O'Hara's! Nicholas' story is not as sad; I half wanted him to live happily with Magdalene. That part was bittersweet. Does Miriel really deserve him? I don't know. But does she deserve to be happy? YES.The story: Miriel is sent to the convent against her wishes. She finds Nicholas, a survivor of Johns treasure train disaster and nurses him back to health. When he leaves the convent, she wants to go to. Is desperate to. He grudgingly allows her to come along and thus their adventure begins; together and seperately then together again throughout the novel. Very graphic in descriptions.

Another excellent medieval historical from Elizabeth Chadwick! Her books never disappoint the reader. This is the sixth novel I've read by this author and it is one of her best yet!This story involves the lives of Miriel Weaver and Nicholas de Caen. Miriel is physically and verbally abused by her stepfather continually until he decides against her will to dump her in a nunnery. She eventually escapes with the help of Nicholas whom she had nursed back to health in the convent infirmary. He had been a prisoner with King John's baggage train in 1216 carrying all the royal regalia until the fatal tide and quicksand ends everyone's life but his own. He then takes a chest unknowingly containing a fortune in silver and Queen Matthilda's crown.Literally down the road, Miriel parts Nicholas' company with some of the silver and Queen Mathilda's crown. He finds this out and becomes enraged and vows to one day get revenge. However, for much of the story they live out different lives with different people until they fatefully meet again.I loved the detail and descriptions particularily concerning the wool trade, especially the manufacturing of the different types of wool fabrics and colors. This book had me turning pages until 2 a.m. anticipating what would happen next. A very exciting read!

I am beginning to wonder if me and reviewer Crystal Oats have been reading the same book. I was totally captivated by the characters in The Marsh King's Daughter. Meriel is a strong heroine who has to make some difficult choices and I found her personality intriguing and sympathetic. There was plenty of dialogue between her and the hero, and the love triangle was beautifully and sensitively handled. The Marsh King's Daughter has been on the historical fiction bestseller list in the UK and has had accolades from such doyennes of the genre as Roberta Gellis.

English author Chadwick is the only author I can think of who manages to blend historical fiction with historical romance seamlessly from start to finish. I liked this novel better than her prior one, "The Love Knot", because this one gets to the story's central conflicts faster. Set in medieval times, like all of Chadwick's novels, Miriel and Nicholas are the lead characters, brought together when she nurses him to health in the convent where she is a novitiate. Miriel escapes from the convent and follows Nicholas, only to steal part of the treasure he recovered in the marsh so she can make a new life for herself. This sets the stage for a very rich tapestry of medieval life to unfold, which has a full complement of characters including various people to whom Miriel and Nicholas are married. The central villain is Miriel's second husband, Robert, whose evil acts as a wealthy merchant were common in this time period. Nicholas and Miriel come together and apart throughout the novel. For those readers who don't like lead character separations, this might be a problem but it was not one for me. If you like this novel, also read Chadwick's "The Conquest" and "Daughters Of The Grail," other five star novels by her.

In 1216 England, Nigel Fuller roughs his stepdaughter Miriel Weaver for her disobedience and disrespect. Wanting her out of his life, he dispatches Miriel to live in the St. Catherine's-in-the-Marsh nunnery.Nicholas de Caen is a prisoner due to King John's false accusations of treason. The monarch destroyed Nicholas' family before branding him a traitor to the crown.Nicholas escapes and finds refugee at St. Catherine's. Later he helps Miriel run away from her unhappy captivity among the Sisters. Although Miriel and Nicholas are attracted to one another, they depart on bad terms. She trusts no male and he is a wanted soldier of fortune with no name or future. Over the next few years, aristocratic roadblocks continue to insure no relationship forms between them.THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER is an entertaining medieval romance that highlights the abuse of power that dictates much of the early thirteenth century noble lifestyle. Miriel is a brave woman, but her gender leaves her a victim as men make decisions that she dislikes for her. Nicholas is also impotent to help because he too is a casualty of the monarchy. Fans who enjoy an insiders look at a bygone era will gain immense pleasure from Elizabeth Chadwick's wonderful historical romance.Harriet Klausner