well written
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This is an enjoyable story to read, i thought the characters were sympathetically written and i cared about what happened to them to the point where reading the book made me cry.
well worth reading
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don't bother with this book!
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Found this novel whilst searching on Amazon. I've always had a keen interest in the reign of Edward II and was pleased to find a novel from the point of view of his favourite, Piers Gaveston. I should guessed from the cartoon-style cover that this was not a serious attempt to understand the character of Gaveston - indeed, he appears almost as some sort of cartoon caricature of how a homosexual royal favourite should be. I want to make it crystal clear that I am in no way homophobic, and I have tremendous sympathy for how Edward II and Piers Gaveston were treated by contemporaries, and by succeeding historians and authors. What I do object to in this novel is the amount of clichés used to describe Gaveston - on practically every page he is preening, pouting and behaving extremely foppishly. He is also highly promiscuous, having sex with anyone, high or lowborn, for money, jewels etc. He is even described as a `practised tart'. All this is the result of being raped as a child, and Gaveston cannot help himself. There isn't a shred of evidence that this took place, or that Gaveston was so promiscuous. Then there is the old myth of Gaveston being the son of a witch, and practising pagan worship. Where is the Gaveston with the wit, charisma and charm to attract Edward? Purdy doesn't show any of the wit Gaveston was credited with. Where is the Gaveston who was an expert soldier in his early teens, who took part in several military campaigns? , And was a successful lieutenant in Ireland. Where is the Gaveston who was a champion at tournaments? He is lost in the tawdry mire of Purdy's novel, which isn't even very well written. For example, the characters of Dame Agnes and Dragon are almost comical, even though that is not Purdy's intention. It's often salacious for the sake of it. Purdy does say that this is a work of fiction - in my opinion, the author should have added `with very little foundation built on facts'. If you want to read an excellent account of the relationship between Edward II and Piers Gaveston, then I suggest you read Chris Hunt's `Gaveston' - which has obviously had some influence on Purdy. The difference in the two novels, to me, is that Hunt is fond of both Edward and Gaveston and views them sympathetically, whilst Purdy seems to dislike them. One has to wonder why he/she ever bothered to write such a book. It's enough to make a 14th century chronicler look objective. Don't waste your money on this.
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A clever, heartfelt tale
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Don't let the cover distract you. This is a thoughtful, serious, and literary novel. Written as a journal wherein Gaveston recounts his life story up to his final day, it is about a man with a brutal past who strives for love and understanding but cannot keep himself from sabotaging his own efforts.The very elegance of the language of Gaveston's journal in contrast with his occasionally frank and even coarse words offers an insight into the ambivalence about himself of the historic lover of King Edward II. This one will stay with you. An extraordinary first novel.
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