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After reading the first historical
fiction book written by Matthew Lewis,
Loyalty I was very excited to read the next instalment,
Honour. I was expecting something similar to
the first book – an engrossing story, well rounded characters and
interesting relationships and clearly well researched. In
many ways this is way I got – the story was totally involving
and I could not put it down, the relationships that develop between
the characters are well portrayed and I found Lewis’s dialogue some
of the best I have ever read. Often in fiction – particularly
when you are looking back in this way the dialogue between
characters becomes forced and is often used purely to move the
story on – I never found this in Honour.
Loyalty finished with Richard III’s defeat at Bosworth and
this book picks up there with the reign of Henry VII. However,
rather then giving us the Tudor perspective the reader is given the
viewpoint of those who supported Richard III and of Hans Holbein
looking back from the court of Henry VIII. I really enjoyed
this time shift as it acts as a constant reminder to the reader of
what the Tudor’s achieved and also of the affect one period of
history has on the next.
What I hadn’t expected from the book, and for me the it’s biggest
pleasure, was how it bought history alive. Without giving any
spoilers this is a book that continually challenges you to
think ‘could this have happened?’, ‘Does this really fit with what
we know?’ and probably the most important question of all ‘How much
of what we think we know is true?’ I fond myself continually
engaging with the book in this way – and it has made me want to go
back to my history books.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good
read or anyone interested in this period of history – I very much
enjoyed the story and the challenge !
Rating: 
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I must say thanks to Karen’s suggestion, I read Honour and could not agree with her more. I normally read non fiction history books on British history, monarchy, etc. The only historical fiction I have read in the past were those I used in my classroom and maybe a few through the years for my own enjoyment. This book certainly changed my view on historical fiction! Excellent book! It flowed rather nicely and there were no gaps like so many other books I have read. I am looking forward to reading more by Matthew Lewis!