My Book Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars

An excellent first novel
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 September 2021
Verified Purchase
Although described as a work of historical fiction Rosemary Grigg's meticulously crafted and carefully researched first novel, 'A Woman of Noble Wit', captures the readers attention on the first page and maintains it until the close of the final chapter.
The pace is rapid as the life story of Katherine Champernowne, the mother of Sir Walter Raleigh, unfolds. Set in the later stages of Henry VIII and Queen Mary's reigns, the narrative tells how a minor aristocratic family from Devon, living on the …

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I have read a lot of historical fiction, set around the Tudor period but I have never read any fiction ssurrounded Sir Walter Raleighs mother and I really enjoyed it. It was well written and really evoked life in Tudpr England and the court of Henry the 8th. A really good book.

Original review: https://www.netgalley.co.uk/book/236081/review/865607

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
A Woman of Noble Wit by Rosemary Griggs

What an enjoyable read. I've found myself reading a lot of historical fiction and reading one about a person who would have actually existed makes it , for me , all the more enjoyable.
This story is about Katherine a young girl who we meet whilst still going and enjoying life with her brothers. At 9 she is sent away to improve her education and to be a companion / helper for her grandmother.
She grows up and married , and one of her sons goes on to become …

Marvellously evocative of time and place - so atmospheric and touching - literally, with the angel providing solace and comfort to all who felt the smoothness of the stone.

I am privileged to be a volunteer at a delightful National Trust mediaeval Manor, near where I live in Newton Abbot. I mention this because as a volunteer, and as someone who delights in the history, atmosphere, stories, and of course the people past and present who have enjoyed or left their mark there, this short story is a moving tribute to all of those things.

A delight for anyone, but especially perhaps for anyone who is a volunteer, in any walk of life, and for anyone who appreciates history and very good story telling.

Beautifully written, The Alabaster …