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catherine_t's review
4.0
The Guardian is set in Scotland in 1297. Edward Plantagenet, king of England, has been trying to subsume Scotland, the way he has already absorbed Wales under his control. But there are factions in the realm that are fighting against English tyranny. One of these is led by Andrew Murray, lord of Petty. Bishop Robert Wishart wants to see Murray and William Wallace join their forces to push the English out of Scotland. Wishart and the Steward, Sir James Stewart, both believe that together, Murray and Wallace can strike a blow for Scotland. So to that end, Wishart dispatches Father James Wallace, cousin to William Wallace, as his liaison between the two men and Wishart and the Steward.
The Guardian is subtitled "A Novel of Andrew Murray", but Murray doesn't appear in the book for about 200 pages. I was honestly beginning to wonder if there'd been a typo on the cover. It should really be called "A Novel of Father Jamie Wallace", because he is the narrator of the tale. Fortunately, Father Jamie is good company; I willingly spent well over 700 pages with him, and there aren't too many characters who can capture my attention like that over such a span. Of course, "A Novel of Father Jamie Wallace" probably wouldn't sell quite as well; Andrew Murray is a recognizable historical figure (even if I didn't recognize his name, I recognized William Wallace).
Whyte writes with verve, creating characters that leap off the page. That probably sounds cliche, but it's true. I hardly wanted to put the book down, and I know next to nothing about mediaeval Scotland or the fight against the English in the 13th century, apart from having seen Braveheart once.
If you're looking for battles, though, you won't find them here. There is one major battle, and it's related from Father Jamie's perspective, so there's not a great deal of actual fighting, more the aftermath. But that's realistically drawn. This is stuff you don't get in the history books.
When I started reading, I didn't realize that this book was actually the third in a series. I suppose now I shall have to find the first two...
The Guardian is subtitled "A Novel of Andrew Murray", but Murray doesn't appear in the book for about 200 pages. I was honestly beginning to wonder if there'd been a typo on the cover. It should really be called "A Novel of Father Jamie Wallace", because he is the narrator of the tale. Fortunately, Father Jamie is good company; I willingly spent well over 700 pages with him, and there aren't too many characters who can capture my attention like that over such a span. Of course, "A Novel of Father Jamie Wallace" probably wouldn't sell quite as well; Andrew Murray is a recognizable historical figure (even if I didn't recognize his name, I recognized William Wallace).
Whyte writes with verve, creating characters that leap off the page. That probably sounds cliche, but it's true. I hardly wanted to put the book down, and I know next to nothing about mediaeval Scotland or the fight against the English in the 13th century, apart from having seen Braveheart once.
If you're looking for battles, though, you won't find them here. There is one major battle, and it's related from Father Jamie's perspective, so there's not a great deal of actual fighting, more the aftermath. But that's realistically drawn. This is stuff you don't get in the history books.
When I started reading, I didn't realize that this book was actually the third in a series. I suppose now I shall have to find the first two...
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