The Marsh King's Daughter
32. Elizabeth Chadwick, The Marsh King's Daughter
In 13th-century England, Miriel is frustrated at the lack of choices available to her as a young, unmarried woman. Her cruel stepfather frequently abuses her, and after one particularly vicious argument he decides that she must leave his household. He arranges for Miriel to go to a nearby convent, where she must take vows and live out the rest of her days as a cloistered nun. Horrified, Miriel tries to resist but is sent to the convent anyway. An opportunity to escape arises when a young sailor, Nicholas de Caen, is found close to death in a field near the convent. Miriel nurses him back to health and then follows him when he leaves the convent. Miriel and Nicholas soon find themselves drawn to each other, but they part on bad terms. When they meet again several years later, they will have to contend against both a ruthless killer and their illicit passion for each other.
I’ve only read one other book by Elizabeth Chadwick, Lords of the White Castle, and I remember really enjoying it. So my expectations were high, but I ended up being somewhat disappointed with this novel. I think most of my problem was with Miriel’s character. The reader is clearly supposed to sympathize with her and see her as a strong, feisty woman who bravely takes on the world. However, I found her overly abrasive and bratty rather than endearing. I also didn’t quite buy the romance between her and Nicholas; after being separated for years, they seem to fall in love awfully quickly. The chief villain in the book is also completely over-the-top and seems to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. In general, while the book is definitely a page-turner, I just don’t think it has very much substance. I would recommend lovers of medieval historical fiction to try Sharon Kay Penman instead.