Hugh and Bess [Paperback]

 

 

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Having read and enjoyed "The Traitor's Wife" by this author, I eagerly looked forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, this book was not of the same caliber. Moderately entertaining, the book tells the story of a young woman, Bess de Montacute, who, though the daughter of an Earl, is forced to marry Hugh Le Despenser, whose father and grandfather had been ordered executed as traitors by King Edward the III.

Hugh, who has been beset by the vicissitudes of fate, is trying to rebuild his fortune and reputation, and the marriage to Beth will assist him in his rehabilitative efforts. Though he a man in his thirties who is in love with another woman who is not of his station and Beth is a very young teen-age girl, barely in the flowering of womanhood, they are married. This is the story of their life and love.

Those who enjoy light medieval romances may enjoy this slow paced book that contains dialogue with an almost contemporary feel. Those who enjoy historical fiction may be, as I was, somewhat disappointed.

Not to be over dramatic, but this book came at the PERFECT time in my life. I literally JUST finished "Three Day Road" by Joseph Boyden, and while not being a BAD book, it was not an overly HAPPY one. And from the first sentence of Hugh and Bess I knew that it was going to be a delightful read. Which it totally WAS. I LOVED IT.

I really do not know much about Edward II, but interestingly enough I DID know about the standoff at Calais so parts of the book were very cool for that reason. What I LOVED about the novel is that each of the characters had a very distinctive VOICE. And Bess's voice is so endearing, I liked her immediately. She is only 13 when we meet her, and she is a widow (thaaaat's right.. I said WIDOW) and her parents have figured she had been widowing around long enough and it was high time for her to be married off.. again. Bess is not impressed, to say the least, especially when she finds out that her dear friend Joan is marrying her brother Will who is around their age, and Bess has to marry this old guy who is a whole 32 years old for heaven's sake!
Eventhough this novel is set in the 14th century Bess's character is, in many ways, very typical of a any thirteen year old girl. For example how she is secretly annoyed at the fact the Joan has developed breasts long before she has.

"So why didn't you tell me? Don't you want to marry Will?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I have my reasons."
This had become Joan's favourite saying since she had started her monthly courses and developed those breasts of hers.

She is feisty, and outspoken, but also self conscious. All completely endearing qualities. Hugh, although relatively handsome, has a dark family history which horrifies Bess. But since she has no choice in the matter agrees to marry him.

Flashbacks to Hugh's past help us to understand his character and how it is vastly different to that of his distasteful and cruel father and Grandfather. He is a respectable and lovely man who is always trying to "do the right thing". We also learn of Emma, Hugh's first real love whom he will never be permitted to marry. A very respectable woman in her own right, who knows the rules of the court well enough to know she will never be married to Hugh, the only man she has ever really loved.

Throughout the story we are gently taken along as Hugh and Bess's feelings for one another grow, and we learn that their love is the stuff of fairy tales. That, which is to say, is not without its nightmares.

"Hugh and Bess" is a love story, and it is very well written and lovely to read. Personally, I could not put it down and read it in two days. And I will be ordering Higginbotham's other book "The Traitor's Wife" and then "The Stolen Crown" when it comes out. If this book is any indication of the story telling ability of the author than I know I will LOVE her other books as well. Historical fiction can be tricky. You need to have enough HISTORY to frame the story in it's place in time, but not TOO much and not TOO DRY to make it like a text book. Higginbotham's historical fiction blends the "historical" and the "fiction" perfectly. In fact, in my opinion, the mark of a great historical fiction novel is that you want to go on after you finish it and devour anything having to do with the family or historical persons portrayed in the book. Higginbotham's novel made me want to do that very thing. Also, the mark of ANY good book is at the very very end, when you finally close its cover , you actually sigh audibly as in "that was SUCH a great book."

RATING: 4.5/5

Hugh and Bess are Hugh le Despenser, son of the infamous traitor "Hugh the Younger" and Bess, daughter of William de Montacute Earl of Salisbury. After Hugh's father is executed for treason (drawn and quartered) he is imprisoned for several years, and even when released he is still tainted with the "sins" of his father. Hugh must eventually marry, although the very young Bess is none too thrilled with her parent's choice of an older groom and a son of a traitor to boot.

The rest of the book details the relationship between the two, from a frosty beginning to one that culminates in a strong and loving marriage. I really enjoyed the relationship between the two, especially in the latter half of the book as Bess matures. I liked the banter between the two (ROFL when they went to court and she got a bit too tipsy), as well as getting glimpses of Joan of Kent and that old she-wolf Isabella. I also liked the way the author writes the dialogue, she doesn't throw in all those let's-try-and-make-this-sound-authentic words like "woe", "tis" and "certes", she just keeps it short and to the point. A refreshing change from some other books that I have recently sent flying.

While I did find the first half a bit slow paced (it might have been me, we did have just a tad bit of a record setting heat wave here), I was turning the pages at the very end to find out what happened next. I just wish it could have been longer with the secondary characters fleshed out more, but that's just me, I like big fat books. I would definitely recommend you read The Traitor's Wife first so that you have background knowledge of the period and Hugh's father and the relationship with Edward II. I am very much looking forward to Higganbotham's next book set during The Wars of the Roses, tentatively called The Stolen Crown.

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