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    Blood Divide: A Novel of Flodden Field
    Unavailable
    Blood Divide: A Novel of Flodden Field
    Unavailable
    Blood Divide: A Novel of Flodden Field
    Ebook349 pages5 hours

    Blood Divide: A Novel of Flodden Field

    By John Sadler

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Flodden , September 1513. Across a boggy valley, two armies confront each other. The Scots, backed by European allies, have superior numbers and the latest cannon to challenge a depleted English force. The English are furious and humiliated that they are not fighting alongside King Henry against their real enemy in France. The Battle of Flodden would prove one of the bloodiest ever fought on British soil, shaping Scottish national identity to this day. Sir Thomas Howard, shrewd but ancient, leads the English forces. Alexander, 3rd Lord Hume, bold but impetuous, leads the Scots. Isabella Hoppringle, Abbess of Coldstream, young and determined, struggles to keep her footing among the tides of violence. John Heron, Bastard of Ford, swaggering, violent, and disreputable, the black sheep of a good English family, finds profit while men die. Blood Divide sets us right at the heart of the action; the stink, sweat and fear, the curtain of red mist.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLion Fiction
    Release dateOct 17, 2014
    ISBN9781782640905
    Unavailable
    Blood Divide: A Novel of Flodden Field
    Author

    John Sadler

    John Sadler is a very experienced miliary historian, a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and the author of more than two dozen books. He is a very experienced and much travelled battlefield tour guide covering most major conflicts in the UK, Europe and North Africa

    Read more from John Sadler

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    Reviews for Blood Divide

    3.5/5

    23 ratings11 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I enjoyed reading "Blood Divide" and learning more about Scotland and its history. The story and descriptions are interesting as are the characters. I did find it a bit odd to have some sort of title at the start of each section ["Thomas Howard earns his salt"], but other than a device to separate chapters or stories, I found it a but 'cute' and distracting. I also wasn't that impressed with the nature and personalities of some of the major characters, but perhaps that's the reality. The Abbess is an interesting character with an interesting part in the story, but not enough of a focal point. The Bastard, who I thought to be a focal point or perhaps the narrator, wasn't someone I'd care to narrate the tale. Battle scenes were well described and fairly clear, though a better map of the area would have helped. I did not dislike the book and it was fine to read, but not among my favorite books - though it was good to learn more about Scottish history and the background of its problems over the years.
    • 3/5
      Fascinating bit of Scottish/British history I knew next to nothing about. This well-written, vivid novel treats of the Battle of Flodden Field [1513]--Scots against English: precipitating event [or one of them] and strategy sessions, then on Sept. 9, 1513, course of the grisly, bloody battle itself and ending with the aftermath and post mortem [pun not intended]. It took awhile to become used to the author's style--alternating from English side/Scottish side. Each chapter consists of a letter from one important person to another and sections, each told in the 1st person voice of one of the characters. I like the different points of view: how each side sees the conflict. I am still confused as to the fact nobility had two names, which were used interchangeably: a personal name, then a title, e.g., Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey. The novel would use either so I was always referring to the Dramatis Personae to keep people straight--no fault of the author's that the novel wasn't completely smooth for me. Of course, the UK still uses that system for her nobility. Isabella, the abbess, was the by far the most interesting character, with the most personality; all the men, from whichever side, were bland and indistinguishable from each other in the way each different man talked and described events, never varying. The novel started slowly and built until the planning sessions and exciting battle itself and "taking stock" afterwards.The cover was striking: a bloody Scottish flag.
    • 4/5
      The cover of Blood Divide is to be appreciated in person. The online images do it little justice. The book is smartly written and the style, however much different than what I'm used to reading, was interesting. I liked the book fairly well overall.
    • 4/5
      OK, it can safely be said that the author is an authority in this part of history, from looking through his other nonfictional books he’s written on the subject matter. This fictional book just reiterates his mastery of Scottish history and Scotland’s relationship with England. The historical events leading up to the battle, the battle itself, and the horrors of the aftermath breathe with incredible life and detail. I swear I saw flashes of light on the blades, heard the roar of King James’ massive cannon collection, and smelt the copper tang of blood on the air. The amount of research the author has done and the great pains he’s taken to be historically accurate were very much appreciated by this reader, and I give kudos to him for that attention.Yet, I think that attention to detail might have gotten in the way of the characters a bit. Now, that’s not to say I didn't enjoy the struggle of John, Isabella, and the rest to survive this epic event of history and come out the other side triumphant. I especially enjoyed the look at Isabella during this struggle, as most of the story was about the boys. I felt connected to her as she struggled to endure the bloodbath of battle, the bodily fluids of the hospital arena, and the intrigues of spying for both sides. A mature woman of thirty who wasn't chained to husband and children nor a convent was also an intriguing point. I also enjoyed seeing John’s role in this conflict as a Border Reiver and combat captain as well as Alec’s as army leader and adviser to King James. However, the sheer epic scale of the struggle and how the author portrayed it blocks out a lot of the character development that could have occurred. I almost felt like there was a wall at times between me and the individuals experiencing this battle; event after event, battle after battle would occur and the reader is swept into this maelstrom of activity that leaves one breathless. And while this isn't a bad thing in and of itself if it keeps a reader engaged with the novel, the amount of activity in this book almost separates the reader from the characters. I was itching something terrible for more of the intimate exchanges like between Alec and Isabella after the first skirmish and John’s and Isabella’s momentary interlude towards the end of the novel. A balance of those tender, dramatic moments with all the glory and guts would have been a nice change of pace for the novel over all.While there are issues with the balance of story-telling elements, character building moments vs epic historical scenes, this novel is definitely an enjoyable read for any historical fiction lover. What characterization scenes there are make the reader appreciate the people involved in this epic struggle. The reader’s breathe will be stolen by the sheer amount of historical detail included with this novel and the grand scale of the struggle and story. I definitely recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys Scottish historical fiction or historical fiction in general. Note: Book received for free from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.
    • 3/5
      In 1513, while Henry VIII was invading France, James IV of Scotland (who was married to Margaret Tudor, Henry's sister) decided to invade England from the north. This resulted in a battle at Flodden Field. Overall, I'm rating the book “ok”. I really like historical fiction, but I do tend to prefer stories from the points of view of women. This book was from a few different points of view (including one woman), which included POVs from both the English and the Scottish sides of the war. There were a lot of characters I had trouble figuring out, unfortunately; there were also multiple “I”s in the book, which made it harder, still (but there were headings for each section, so if you get a better handle on who's who than I had, it might be easier to follow). I did prefer the last 1/3 of the book and I did enjoy the one woman's POV a bit better. Sadler is a military historian, so he knows his stuff and he did provide a historical note at the end.
    • 3/5
      This was a solid read. The writing style took me a little while to get into. It jumps around between characters pretty quickly, and I think that made it harder for me to get into it as well. I love multiple POVs, but these shifted pretty quickly. About halfway in, it started to suck me in and became very enjoyable. I recommend it to those interested in learning more about Scottish history.
    • 3/5
      Passion for the subject, and precision in detail, is really evident, and there's plenty to learn about a subject that most outside of the UK probably don't know. And the multiple points of view are great. There's just something about it that stays a little too flat to make it really great historical fiction, as if it didn't quite make the leap from non-fic in a fully realized way.
    • 4/5
      This was a very interesting book about a part of history that I'm not quite as familiar with, so kudos. This is well written, riveting, and very informative.I have to agree with other reviewers who thought that perhaps the cuts from one character's POV to the next were a little abrupt, but once I got used to that style & rhythm, I was highly entertained by this book.
    • 4/5
      It took me a little while to get used to the rhythm of Mr. Sadler’s writing – I will admit that up front – but once I did I found myself fully engrossed in this tale of the battle of Flodden. This was a fascinating time in history; Henry VIII had just taken his throne and was full of his power. He wanted to fight France and take back what he felt was England’s, ie: France. James IV in Scotland was an ally of France so was committed to supporting it against Henry – and he wanted to prove to the world that his country was more than just a country of rough barbarians. He was young and thought he knew it all and wanted the “glory” of war. Henry and the bulk of his army headed off to France leaving the Howards to fight with what they can muster against the whole of the Scottish army.This is more than a book about a battle as Mr. Sadler develops some lesser known characters such as the Bastard of Heron and Isabella Hoppringle – people who lived during the time but are not so well known to history. In this story they are much larger players and very fascinating. Mr. Sadler has really fleshed them out and despite John Heron’s reputation he becomes almost likable – almost. He’s still a bastard literally and figuratively. But he is the one in some ways driving the story.The book is extensively researched and Mr. Sadler includes so many details yet the book is never dull. In fact this is one I’ll keep on my shelf for a second read. I suspect it will be even better on a second read. It is deep and rich look at a singular battle in English and Scottish history.
    • 4/5
      This really is my genre. I love historical fiction, and when reading fiction for pleasure it is far and away what I read the most. That said it took me a while to get into this book but once I did I really enjoyed it. There is something about John Sadler's writing style that is different than what I am used to. An author he sort of reminds me of is Bernard Cornwell but will a little less polish. Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to anybody who enjoys historical fiction or books about Scotland.
    • 4/5
      It took me a little while to get used to the rhythm of Mr. Sadler’s writing – I will admit that up front – but once I did I found myself fully engrossed in this tale of the battle of Flodden. This was a fascinating time in history; Henry VIII had just taken his throne and was full of his power. He wanted to fight France and take back what he felt was England’s, ie: France. James IV in Scotland was an ally of France so was committed to supporting it against Henry – and he wanted to prove to the world that his country was more than just a country of rough barbarians. He was young and thought he knew it all and wanted the “glory” of war. Henry and the bulk of his army headed off to France leaving the Howards to fight with what they can muster against the whole of the Scottish army.This is more than a book about a battle as Mr. Sadler develops some lesser known characters such as the Bastard of Heron and Isabella Hoppringle – people who lived during the time but are not so well known to history. In this story they are much larger players and very fascinating. Mr. Sadler has really fleshed them out and despite John Heron’s reputation he becomes almost likable – almost. He’s still a bastard literally and figuratively. But he is the one in some ways driving the story.The book is extensively researched and Mr. Sadler includes so many details yet the book is never dull. In fact this is one I’ll keep on my shelf for a second read. I suspect it will be even better on a second read. It is deep and rich look at a singular battle in English and Scottish history.