Title: The Last Hours
My
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2
Book Description (Goodreads):
June, 1348: the Black Death enters England through the port
of Melcombe in the county of Dorsetshire. Unprepared for the virulence of the
disease, and the speed with which it spreads, the people of the county start to
die in their thousands.
In the estate of Develish, Lady Anne takes control of her people's future - including the lives of two hundred bonded serfs. Strong, compassionate and resourceful, Lady Anne chooses a bastard slave, Thaddeus Thurkell, to act as her steward. Together, they decide to quarantine Develish by bringing the serfs inside the walls. With this sudden overturning of the accepted social order, where serfs exist only to serve their lords, conflicts soon arise. Ignorant of what is happening in the world outside, they wrestle with themselves, with God and with the terrible uncertainty of their futures.
Lady Anne's people fear starvation but they fear the pestilence more. Who amongst them has the courage to leave the security of the walls? And how safe is anyone in Develish when a dreadful event threatens the uneasy status quo..?
In the estate of Develish, Lady Anne takes control of her people's future - including the lives of two hundred bonded serfs. Strong, compassionate and resourceful, Lady Anne chooses a bastard slave, Thaddeus Thurkell, to act as her steward. Together, they decide to quarantine Develish by bringing the serfs inside the walls. With this sudden overturning of the accepted social order, where serfs exist only to serve their lords, conflicts soon arise. Ignorant of what is happening in the world outside, they wrestle with themselves, with God and with the terrible uncertainty of their futures.
Lady Anne's people fear starvation but they fear the pestilence more. Who amongst them has the courage to leave the security of the walls? And how safe is anyone in Develish when a dreadful event threatens the uneasy status quo..?
My musings:
What could be more intriguing than a historical novel set in
the time of the pestilence in medieval Britain, written by the “queen of the
psychological thriller” whose chilling crime novels you’ve been enjoying for
decades? Ever since reading Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, I have been
drawn to historical fiction set in that the era. As a health professional, the
thought of a terrible pandemic that wiped out a third of the human population
is utterly terrifying – as is the manner of death in which these people
perished. But Walters does not dwell on the gory details, focusing instead on a
small village that defied all odds by protecting themselves by isolation from
the outside world.
In an interview regarding her book, the author states that
she first became interested in the era of the “black death” when she found out about
the discovery of a plague pit near her
home in Dorset, close to where the plague was first brought into England.
Inspired by accounts of great medieval women, who defied the female stereotype
of the time, she created her main character, Lady Anne of Develish, who is a
true pioneer of primary prevention strategies that save her people from the
terrible fate that befell the region. Despite the general belief at the time
that the plague was a punishment sent by God, Lady Anne, a wise if unconventional leader, suspects very
early that the disease is carried in some way or another by sufferers and bad
hygiene practices. With her boorish and ignorant husband having fallen victim
to the disease, she manages to persuade all villagers to barricade themselves
in the grounds of the large manor house to sit out the pandemic.
Walters expertise and skill shows through in the creation of
her enigmatic characters, who literally leap from the pages of the book like
real life people. With insight and subtle humour she describes the dynamics
that not only drive society at the time, but also a small community confined in
a small area and cut off from their surroundings in their efforts to survive. I
was glad to see that she hasn’t totally abandoned crime fiction, introducing a
murder mystery into her tale!
There is so much to love about this novel – from the
interesting snippets of politics at the time, to the colourful group of
characters, who each quickly wormed their way into my heart. A good novel also
needs a villain, and there were a few on offer, eliciting the required sense of
anger and injustice to make me emotionally involved. I think Walters must have
had great fun creating Lady Eleanor – what a horrible little madam! I couldn’t
help wondering who the character was inspired by (never upset a writer!). Her
insights into medieval society were fascinating, especially the descriptions of
the class system that governed society at the time, with serfs being bound to
their liege lords with no freedom and few basic human rights of their own. It
is one thing to learn these facts through textbooks, and another to see them
incorporated into an engaging story that highlights the true impact of such a
system on people’s lives. Interesting also was the place of religion in society
and the power of the church by blaming all misfortune on people’s sins and
God’s will, with salvation only to be found in abiding to the rules imposed by
the church and the upper classes.
A couple of chapters from the end I knew two things: a) I
didn’t want the book to finish; and b) I wouldn’t get the conclusion I so
craved, as there weren’t enough pages left! And yes, the book did leave space
for a sequel, which makes my heart sing in joy! I became so utterly absorbed in
the medieval setting that it left me with a huge book hangover, and I really
hope that Walters writes fast, because I want to keep reading!
Summary:
If you are planning on reading just one book of historical fiction this year, you cannot go wrong with this one. From the intriguing topic to the well-rounded characters, Walters re-creates the era with such skill that it captures the very essence of life in the 14th century. A wonderful tale of resilience and courage in the face of adversity – I can’t wait for the next installment.
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