The Burning of the Rose

As the Hundred Years' War draws to a close, beautiful Claire Tarleton--musician, artists' model, and scholar--must flee with her family to her mother's native Normandy where she confronts her past and the political turbulence of her times

Author of four children's fantasy novels, Nichols imbues her first historical romance, set in the 15th century, with traces of the occult. Lutanist and artist's model Claire Tarleton and her adoptive parents Elisabeth and Walter flee Florence to escape the marauding Turks. Having found refuge in Elisabeth's native Normandy, Claire discovers that she possesses "the other sight." Glimpses of "revenants" from the grave enable Claire to grasp the importance of an ancient ruin, with its subterranean tunnel being excavated by Richard Linacre, Master of Works. In an effort to save Elisabeth, who had spied for the English when her lover, the Count of St.-Aurele, spurned her hand in marriage, Claire implicates Richard's brother Thomas. The rest of the story delineates the strange relationship between Claire and Richard, veering from sadomasochistic retribution to a true love that defies credibility. Despite Claire's secret embassy to the Medicis, and her exorcism of a torched homesite ravaged by pirates, her character remains numbly vacuous. Nichols creates decorative medieval scenes, but her genteel, richly dressed cast are as flat as tapestry figures.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Pity 15th-century maiden Claire Tarleton who is orphaned by the Plague, buffeted by the Hundred Years War, perplexed about her origins, and saddled with perfectionist humanist parents. For some 350 pages, Claire struggles--but not briskly. Despite historical "bites" and scenery changes (Italy, France), not much seems to happen in this confessional memoir. It's hard to feel for characters who are without life--untouched by motivational plausibility. The author's attempts at integrating historical materials are painfully embarrassing. Numerous storylines are introduced and left undeveloped, (exorcism, kleptomania, the mystery of the heroine's true identity). There are lots of commendable current historical fiction titles; Valerie Anand's King of the Wood ( LJ 5/1/89) and Pamela Bell's Lodestar ( LJ 6/15/89) are among them. These works reprise the past in an empathetic and coherent manner.
- Libby K. White, Schenectady Cty. P.L., N.Y.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.