This month’s book: Innocent Traiter by Alison Weir
Innocent Traitor, by Alison Weir, was chosen to coincide with the author’s successful appearance at Sevenoaks library in May. At first glance it seemed a very similar choice to our previous book, The Other Boleyn Girl. They are both dramatised accounts of the lives and times of tragic young women at the royal court, written by genuine historical scholars. However, Innocent Traitor was Alison Weir’s first foray into historical fiction, and this came across in her style of writing.
According to Rebecca, from Sevenoaks, “I knew very little about the life of Lady Jane Grey and this book filled in all the gaps, and also added a huge amount of detail about life in Tudor England.”. Readers enjoyed the use of multiple narrative voices in the book, as Sevenoaks reader Tessa pointed out: “The story is seen from the viewpoints of all the central characters which makes you feel more involved with them and come to understand what motivates them. Reading it felt like delving into a piece of proper history”.
The book was probably best summed up by Liz, from Edenbridge: “Anyone who knows the story of Lady Jane Grey knows that it is a sad one with a tragic outcome. Alison Weir captures this poignancy in her portrayal of Jane to such great effect that no matter how well you know the story, you start to hope that the inevitable ending will not come.”
Our next book: The Island by Victoria Hislop
We are leaving Tudor England to feature a novel which should make a good beach read – a dramatic family tale set on the island of Spinalonga, off the coast of Crete. It is a place which has a haunting history as Greece’s leper colony, and this is a central feature of the book.
Victoria, who lives locally, was very entertaining when she visited Otford library to promote The Island, and she’ll be appearing in Sevenoaks during September to discuss her latest novel, The Return, which is just hitting the shelves.
So pick up your copy of The Island at Sevenoaks library, let us know what you think at
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, and come and meet the author. (Further details in our next issue)
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 06 July 2008 )
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