......a truly mesmerising story about Katherine Champernowne, Sir Walter’s mother.
Jan. 17, 2022, 9:58 a.m. A review for 'A Woman of Noble Wit', by The Whispering Bookworm.........Words cannot possibly express how wonderful this novel is.... ........It really is the kind of book that you want to read in one sitting......
I love historical fiction set in the Tudor era, so when I was asked if I would like to read A Woman of Noble Wit I immediately said yes, and I am so glad I did.
Sir Walter Raleigh - explorer, soldier, spy, statesman, the list goes on and on. But like Icarus, he flew too close to the sun and the rest is, as they say, history. As for those who came before him, little is known. Rosemary Griggs has decided to do something about this and has written a truly mesmerising story about Katherine Champernowne, Sir Walter’s mother.
Words cannot possibly express how wonderful this novel is. The depiction of Katherine (called Katherine-Kate so as not to confuse her with her sister Kat) from a young girl playing with carefree abandonment with her brother, to an old and fragile woman, has been portrayed with a wonderful sense of realism. Her life, her loss, her hope, her disappointment and her struggles made her a character that was very easy to like, but also one who really roused my sympathy. She was, after all, a product of her time, and it was her duty, as much as it was the Queen’s, to give her husband an heir.
To be married at such a young age does not even bear thinking about. Before Katherine-Kate has time to grow into her womanly curves she is a mother and she is trying to be the mistress of her household against the hostile opposition of her mother-in-law and her sister-in-law. But as Katherine-Kate begins to bloom, her husband, the for every overlooked Otho, seems to fall deeper into despair and drink. It isn’t until at least three quarters into this novel that we meet Walter Raleigh senior, and that is when Katherine-Kate realises what is missing in her marriage, although she would never do anything about her feelings for she was a godly woman.
Despite the length of this novel, it does not feel that long. Although, saying that, I did start reading this book at ten in the morning, and finished just past one in the morning! It really is the kind of book that you want to read in one sitting, which I did.
I really cannot recommend this novel enough. It would certainly appeal to lovers of Tudor fiction.
Original Review : https://thewhisperingbookworm.blogspot.com/2022/01/on-tour-with-coffee-pot-book-club-woman.html