Patricia Elliott (1)Critiques

Great setting, Wrong Point of View

Clouds hang low in the sky where I live. They seem to touch the flat brown fields around our village, and to shadow the broad backs of the horses pulling the plow.

From the opening sentence I was trapped in the dark, oppressing world Patricia Elliot so convincingly creates in Murkmere.

This is a world where the search for knowledge is severely punished and birds are worshiped as gods; their wishes, mysteriously translated by an inbreeding elite called the Ministration, used to submit the people. High above them, in the distant capital, the Lord Protector, divinely bound with the Eagle, the supreme of all Gods, rules uncontested.

Yet not everyone is content. Forbidden books are still read in hiding and the peasants, pushed to their limits by a brutal militia, are flirting with rebellion. But nothing threatens the established order more than the rumors about the avia. The avia, the legend claims, are the descendents of those who long ago dared to challenge the gods by flying. In punishment, they were forced to be trapped between two forms, bird and human, for ever.

Far from the capital, at the edge of the civilized world, lies Murkmere, a rural state that has been deteriorating since its Master became crippled in an accident following the death of his beloved wife in childbirth.

As the book begins Aggie, a girl from the nearby village, is called to the manor in Murkmere to be the companion of Leah, the Master’s ward, a wild girl of fifteen, he plans to make his heir on her sixteenth birthday.

Like in so many classics of the gothic genre—the tale of a young girl coming to a decrepit old manor—the girl is the narrator of the story. But in this case, the choice of Aggie as the narrator is, in my opinion, a big mistake.

Aggie is a secondary character, with an uninteresting story of her own. Yet because she is the narrator the reader is forced to follow her through all her boring daily activities. The story picks up when Aggie interacts with Leah, with the master, or even with Silas, the handsome, mysterious steward. These three are, by far, much more interesting characters than Aggie. Unfortunately they are not in the foreground often enough.

Aggie is not only an unreliable narrator—her vision of the events she relates is distorted by her religious zeal—but her motivations and actions are somehow bizarre. She is always at the right time and place, without a convincing reason to be there except that she must tell the reader what is happening. Also, her changing feelings for her mistress, a development that propels most of her comings and goings, seems forced.

Aggie is a character so secondary that if she were to be taken from the story, the main plot would remain unchanged.

Murkmere had the potential of being a powerful story, but the choice of the wrong narrator, an ending that lacks resolution and a plot that fails to address the most interesting elements of the story ruined it for me.

At the end, and although I was impressed by the haunting beauty of Murkmere and the depth of the world the author has created, I was disappointed.

I thought I would enjoy this book more than I did since it was set during the time of the French Revolution, a period in history I find fascinating. While the intrigue kept me going, it took a while to become really interested in the plot and I found Eugenie quite irritating at times. Overall, however, I enjoyed the book enough to want to read the sequel when it comes out as there are a number of questions left unanswered.

"The Traitor's Smile" continues the story of Eugenie de Boncoeur as she and Julien flee to England to escape the dangers of the French Revolution. It's been so long since I read the first book in the series that at first I struggled to get back into the story although once I did I quite enjoyed it. There is far more action than in "The Pale Assassin" and the love triangle between Eugenie, her cousin Hetta and Julien gives the book a bit of spice.

'The Pale Assassin" written by Patricia Elliot is a book set in the Revolutionary period of France, the 1870's. The story revolves around a young daughter of an aristocrat, Eugenie and her brother Armand.

The story itself is quite slow at the beginning and drones on. The pace picks up a bit halfway through the book and becomes quite interesting.

If you have the perserverance, it will definitely be a good read.

Another excellent YA F-Rev selection. After a clunky introduction to the French Revolution, Patricia Elliott's novel swiftly transformed into an enjoyable, unbiased and intelligent story about a young girl whose narrow existence is thrown into tumult along with her country. Of course, I initially wanted to read the story because of the connection to the Scarlet Pimpernel series by Baroness Orczy, and I was pleasantly entertained by the author's nods to the original - calling the heroine's brother Armand, setting the clifftop finale in Calais, and mirroring Eldorado with a cameo appearance from the Baron de Batz - but also by Elliott's own cleverly plotted adventure. A Pale Assassin is at once believeable and fantastic, with flawed characters who grow and change, living and breathing in the all too evocative environs of late eighteenth century Paris, yet filled with secret identities, hair-breadth escapes, swashbuckling fights and evil villains.

Eugenie gasped and bit her tongue. The inside of her mouth, coated with sweetness from marshmallow and lemonade, filled with blood.

Eugenie de Boncoeur is in for a rude awakening. In her youthful eyes, Paris is a glittering procession of lavish dances, gorgeous gowns, and delicious treats. Staying with her wealthy guardian, and loved and protected by older brother Armand, Eugenie's only worry in life is how to escape her lessons and persuade her governess Hortense to accompany her to the Palais Royale instead. Then comes the 14th of July, 1789, and nothing will ever be the same again. Hortense is dismissed, Eugenie sent to a convent, and brother Armand is caught up in the spirit of the Revolution. And a mysterious stranger called the Le Fantome is silently stalking the young girl, waiting to take his revenge upon her family when she comes of age ...

Eugenie is a typical heroine for this type of novel: initially weak and naive, from a pampered background, she must quickly learn to think and act for herself and the safety of those closest to her. Apart from a few references to a groom who conveniently taught her to ride, hunt and fence, Eugenie undergoes a wholly convincing and necessary transformation into a brave and capable young woman. I think Patricia Elliott strikes a careful balance between the spoiled child and the resourceful teenager, letting national upheaval and personal loss shape Eugenie's already wilful nature into the inspiring heroine she becomes.

Elliott also plays fair when writing about the Revolution, letting royalist and republican characters argue their own corners without imposing a modern viewpoint on a historical narrative:

'We're not like the English, who executed their king. We are still the most civilised country in Europe.'

'You think so?' said Armand bitterly. 'Think of the prisoners massacred last month, over twelve hundred of them, mostly ordinary people, not even aristocrats. Danton just stood by and let it happen. Danton, the Minister for Justice! Some justice!'

'It was feared there were traitors among them, counter-revolutionaries who'd hand the city over to the Prussians. People panicked.'

'You think that justifies mass murder?'

Patricia Elliott's Pimpernelle series - and I will be downloading the second book straight away! - should appeal both to younger readers who have only tackled the French Revolution in history lessons at school, if at all, and more mature readers with a longer, if not more extensive, interest in that particular time and place. Fans of the Pimpernel, like myself, will also enjoy the similarities between both novels!

Eugenie and her brother Armand are orphans in Paris, cared for by a guardian who is nothing like a father. Their lives are safe – until the Revolution breaks out in full swing. Aristocrats are killed every day in the streets. Eugenie has done nothing to instigate such hatred, and continues to live life glamorously. But when she and her brother are put in danger, she must reassess her way of life in order to protect herself and get out of France as fast as she can.

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MY THOUGHTS -

Oh, dear. I hate writing conflicted reviews about conflicted books. WHY does it have to be confusing? WHY are certain parts appealing and others not? WHY does part of me like this book and the other part dislike it?

These things I don’t know if I’ll ever know, so I will try my best to relay my feelings in a rational and understandable way.

The side of me that doesn’t like this book says… Ok. Bad character development. What’s with that? Armand, Eugenie, Julien, Guy, La Fantom… All had a major character flaw – inconsistency. One moment, Armand would act one way, and the next he would act another. It wasn’t all the time, but you could tell the author didn’t have a strong “relationship” with her characters. Julien and Eugenie were the strongest, and they still lacked character until the middle of the story. Belle was the most lively, but she didn’t have a huge part. On top of that, I see the writing as a glass half EMPTY. Good, but bland. A bit forced. And the story – it lacked. There were scenes I didn’t even have to read, and I would have been fine. And then all of a sudden at the very end - BAM! – there’s a love story. Sheesh.

However, there is my other side, who says this about the book… Yes, bad character development is disappointing, but I did end up liking and respecting Eugenie and Julien half-way through. I also look at the writing as good – a glass half FULL. The action scenes held a lot of substance and I felt transported. I also LOVELOVELOVE the French Revolution, so that made the read easier and more enjoyable. And the love story – who cares if it was sudden?! I realized when it happened that that’s what I’d wanted to happen the whole time. It should have developed slower and the characters should have shown more realization before they spoke about it to each other, but it was still a wonderful way to end the book…

FAVORITE CHARACTER -

Julien and Eugenie tie for first. They were both likable after I got past the beginning and they held more substance once the story really got rolling.

FAVORITE ASPECT -

The small romance at the end and the era this story revolves around (French Revolution).

ONE WORD TO SUM UP THIS BOOK (FINAL THOUGHTS) -

CONFLICTED. With a heavy sigh I write that word, wishing it could be different. I just can’t make up my mind about it. I liked it, but no, I didn’t. At least I know I didn’t hate it. I would never recommend it unless you were just DYING to read something and you’d already read all the books I was recommending. Or if you’re a French Revolution freak, like me. There are supposed to be two more books after this one. I don’t think I’ll read them unless they just fall into my hands. Otherwise, I’m not going to look for them. It’s a shame, because I think Patricia Elliott has potential, and I want the story to pick up and interest me. I want her to WOW her readers – I just hope she’ll have another chance.

Reviewed at: http://geraniumcatsbookshelf.blogspot.com/2011/09/murkmere-by-patricia-elliott.h...½

I have to say i really enjoyed this book! I love history and i never knew about some of the issues that happened untill i read them in this book. It provides you with information in a tale of love and some very dark revenge their is a lot of twists and you will be screaming at the main character Eugenie to see some sense, but you will not put it down guaranteed!!!

Although orphaned at a young age, fourteen-year-old Eugenie de Boncoeur has never known much hardship. Raised by a wealthy guardian, her life is carefree. She is more concerned with parties and dresses then the growing unrest around her. But in July 1779, she is suddenly and violently made aware when the French Revolution begins.

Eugenie is sent to a convent for her own safety, but even there she cannot escape the violence. And she soon learns that she is in danger from more then just the hatred the revolutionaries have for aristocrats like Eugenie and her family. Her guardian has betrothed her to a mysterious man named the Pale Assassin, a man who wants to marry her to get revenge for a wrong he feels her father committed against him years ago. Eugenie attempts to flee to safety with relatives in England, chased by both revolutionaries and the sinister Pale Assassin.

I had mixed feelings about this book. It starts out a bit slow, and Eugenie was a hard character to like at first - she starts out spoiled, selfish, and immature. However, as the book progresses the story picks up pace, and Eugenie becomes more likeable as she matures and develops an awareness of the world around her. Ultimately I did get into the story and am interested to find out what happens next in the sequel, which will be published next year. This isn’t the best book I have read recently, but if you can overlook the slow start and enjoy historical fiction, I would suggest giving this book a try.

Jane Eyre meets The Golden Compass.....
This is one of those books that reads like historical fiction then all of a sudden you realize that it has major fantasy elements. Kind of a “whoops, I guess we’re not in Kansas after all” moment. In this case, this reads like the late 19th century until you learn that most books are blasphemous and there’s an alternate religion based on birds. Really, birds – the Great Eagle is the Almighty. The political structure is different too, as the aristrocrats are Ministers in the government that is considered the mouthpiece of the gods on Earth. The Lord Protector is the head of the Ministration and is involved in the plot as he comes to Murkmere for Leah’s debut birthday.
This book is historical fiction/fantasy/mystery with some retold fairy tale (the swan maiden) too! There’s also political intrigue and questions about religion. I really enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s well written and the plot soars along.
Highly recommended to anyone who likes any of the above genres!

Scuff, an orphan, is on the run. At the orphanage in the Capital she was number 102. She committed a terrible crime and had fled to Murkmere where she worked as a kitchen maid. When soldiers appeared seeking number 102 she took flight and stayed for a time in the Wasteland with an old man and his son named Erland. Again running from soldiers she eventually makes her way to the capital. She is always being deceived and used by one person or another and finds herself in the Lord Protector's palace with a dangerous job to do. She herself does not know who she is, but an ambitious leader in the rebel movement knows why she is so important. and wants to use her as an assassin of the Lord Protectorate's son.

This is a very atmospheric book, the fear, decay and stench in the capital, the ravens that are always overhead, swans and Cathedral where people worship its strange stone bird, the Eagle. Having not read the first book, Murkmere, I feel as though I missed a lot.½

I remember reading Frankenstein as a teen with that giddy sense that not only was I reading a classic, but that I was joining the Shelleys and Keats and Byron and the world of the romantic poets that I loved at the time. The actual text, with its gothic feel, left me somewhat cold. Full disclosure: I also could not shake the images spawned by the Boris Karloff. I am not much of a gothic fantasy lover and one look at this cover had me convinced it is not a book for me. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! What a clever, beautifully told story, with depth and layers of meaning! Aggie is Leah’s companion at Murkmere Hall—a perfect name for this gray, gothic structure. An avian theology governs this rustic location and Aggie is very religious. When Leah finds a dead swan and risks damnation, Aggie is forced to reexamine her own views. How do we find and know the truth? The government is filled with corruption. Religious practice is filled with hypocrisy. The parallels between this gothic fantasy and our own real world intersect beautifully in this surprising gem of a book. Especially worthwhile are the book’s exploration of mythology and the role of birds. Recommended for sophisticated middle school readers and high school libraries

I would actually give this book 3 or 2.5 stars for the first few chapters then 5 stars for every other chapter. This book is set in a very different belief system then ours, based on birds, which is never really explained. It makes sense as the book goes along, but makes it hard to get into the story at first. It is a gloomy sort of slow to develop story, which does develop into a great story . . . if you stick with it. Its a good sort of Jane Eyre kind of gloom. Characters are not always what they seem, so stick with it and you will not be disappointed.

Aggie leaves her home to live as companion to Leah, the ward of Murkmere Hall. Leah and Aggie are allowed to access books and information banned by the Ministration. As Aggie learns more about the divine beings she has been raised to follow and obey, she comes to realize that history and people are not always what they seem.

In a world where birds are worshiped and feared, stories of Avia, half-human half-bird people are considered wrong and blasphemous. When Aggie is brought into Murkmere to be the companion of Leah all that she considers normal is put on it's head. Interesting but lacks something. The ending felt very rushed.½

Sequel to 'Murkmere.' And where's the sequel to this, I want to know.