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applegnreads's review
4.0
Horrifying. I got this because it was sitting on top of the shelves and had been reviewed by the person who wrote Midwife's Apprentice. Anyway, what is it? A story told from the viewpoint of two people, one Welsh, one English, shortly after England conquered the Welsh and started to move there to keep control of them. A lot of it has to do with how horrible the taxation was and how people died for very bad reasons. However, it's told from the viewpoint of two teenage girls which somehow makes it all the more horrible. You ended up wanting to like them both and shake them both at the same time.
starrynightsandfirelight's review
4.0
Als Cecily te horen krijgt dat ze met haar vader moet verhuizen naar het stadje Caernarvon in Wales is ze op zijn zachtst gezegd not amused. Hoewel haar vader dolgelukkig is met zijn nieuwe functie in het pas veroverde Wales mist Cecily haar vrienden en de plaats waarvan ze altijd dacht dat zij het zou gaan besturen. In Wales leeft ze lang niet zo luxueus als ze gewend is, het weer is vreselijk en de plaatselijke bevolking vindt ze maar barbaars.
Gwenhwyfar is ook niet gelukkig met Cecily’s komst. Om te voorkomen dat zij, haar broertje, en haar zieke moeder omkomen van de honger moet ze alles doen wat de arrogante nieuwkomer van haar vraagt.
Terwijl de spanningen onder de onderdrukte bevolking van Wales oplopen vinden Cecily en Gwenhwyfar steeds meer barsten in het beeld dat ze van elkaar hadden gecreëerd.
Ik vond The Wicked and the Just een heel interessant boek om te lezen. Door de ogen van Cecily en Gwenhwyfar leer je echt meerdere perspectieven op de verovering van Wales kennen.
Net zoals de groepen waar ze bij horen zijn geen van beide hoofdpersonen ‘perfect’: Cecily is arrogant en egocentrisch, en Gwenhwyfar is ontzettend wraakzuchtig. Toch wordt je als lezer heel goed meegenomen in hun belevingswereld waardoor je wel snapt waarom ze zich zo gedragen. De karakterontwikkeling die de personages doormaken vond ik ontzettend mooi geschreven. Bovendien zorgen Cecily’s overdreven reacties en Gwnhwyfar’s bijtende opmerkingen ook voor wat humor.
Wat ik minder mooi vond was de schrijfstijl zelf. De gedachtes van de hoofdpersonen lijken geschreven als een soort dagboek. De zinnen zijn vaak heel kort en hebben weinig variatie, waardoor het niet altijd even natuurlijk voelt. Dit zorgde er voor mij voor dat het lang duurde voor ik echt in het verhaal zat.
Al met al is The Wicked and the Just een interessant boek met mooie karakters die een goed beeld geven van het Middeleeuwse Wales.
7,5/10
Gwenhwyfar is ook niet gelukkig met Cecily’s komst. Om te voorkomen dat zij, haar broertje, en haar zieke moeder omkomen van de honger moet ze alles doen wat de arrogante nieuwkomer van haar vraagt.
Terwijl de spanningen onder de onderdrukte bevolking van Wales oplopen vinden Cecily en Gwenhwyfar steeds meer barsten in het beeld dat ze van elkaar hadden gecreëerd.
Ik vond The Wicked and the Just een heel interessant boek om te lezen. Door de ogen van Cecily en Gwenhwyfar leer je echt meerdere perspectieven op de verovering van Wales kennen.
Net zoals de groepen waar ze bij horen zijn geen van beide hoofdpersonen ‘perfect’: Cecily is arrogant en egocentrisch, en Gwenhwyfar is ontzettend wraakzuchtig. Toch wordt je als lezer heel goed meegenomen in hun belevingswereld waardoor je wel snapt waarom ze zich zo gedragen. De karakterontwikkeling die de personages doormaken vond ik ontzettend mooi geschreven. Bovendien zorgen Cecily’s overdreven reacties en Gwnhwyfar’s bijtende opmerkingen ook voor wat humor.
Wat ik minder mooi vond was de schrijfstijl zelf. De gedachtes van de hoofdpersonen lijken geschreven als een soort dagboek. De zinnen zijn vaak heel kort en hebben weinig variatie, waardoor het niet altijd even natuurlijk voelt. Dit zorgde er voor mij voor dat het lang duurde voor ik echt in het verhaal zat.
Al met al is The Wicked and the Just een interessant boek met mooie karakters die een goed beeld geven van het Middeleeuwse Wales.
7,5/10
thebrainlair's review
4.0
Not sure of the audience due to its harshness. Upper high school maybe. Some parts were tough to understand. Will there be a sequel? I was left with questions.
quillbot's review
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
reddyrat's review
4.0
Are you a die hard historical fiction fan? Do you like immersing yourself in a very foreign world, be it realistic fiction or fantasy? If so, you will enjoy The Wicked and the Just.
Set in 13th century England and Wales, The Wicked and the Just is heavy historical fiction. By that I mean that the setting and the time period are main characters of the novel. Most of the story is not plot heavy, until the end when things really start happening. This can be frustrating to someone who does not like historical fiction. I love historical fiction. The experience of "traveling" to a different culture is just as interesting as the plot. The book pushes you right into the deep end. There is no prologue explaining religious or social beliefs of the time, no glossary for foreign terms. Part of me wishes there had been more explanation to make it easier to absorb, but mostly I respect the author for not dumbing down the novel. What you don't understand makes sense through context.
Another unique feature of this book is that it is told through alternating points of view of two unlikable characters. Cecily is a stuck up rich girl who expects everyone to bow down to her. She looks at her servants and even people of equal social class with the same disdain that people look at a pile of dog crap they've just stepped in. She stays this way throughout the entire novel. That's not to say she's an entirely bad person. She has a basic sense of justice - that the Welsh people shouldn't be treated as subhuman. At least she is equally mean to all people, Welsh or English. Cecily reminded me of Scarlett O'Hara.
Gwenhwyfar is Cecily's Welsh servant. She hates Cecily. She is understandably bitter and harsh given her horrific living conditions and abject cruelty to which she is daily subject. She is very proud and acts with such rudeness that any other household would have fired her long ago. It was not always enjoyable to read about two characters who generally thought and acted only in negative ways, but I admire the author for not going the typical sweetheart route. For various reasons, by the end of the story, I respected both Cecily and Gwenhwyfar.
The Wicked and the Just does not hesitate to describe the English settlers' cruelty toward the Welsh. Not being British, I knew nothing about Welsh history, although from what I know about British history in general, I'm not surprised that it wasn't warm and fuzzy. Apart from the treatment of the native Welsh, I enjoyed reading about the daily lives of the British and Welsh residents. The Welsh lives were horrible, but Cecily's life was fascinating when she wasn't sulking. Trips to the market, the very strong influence of medieval Catholicism, embroidery, housekeeping, and husband hunting.
While I love the strong dose of history I received in this novel, part of me wishes that it had been less work to read with a faster moving plot, at least early on. Mostly because these factors will turn off many readers who are not heavily interested in historical fiction. It is not an easy book. I love feeling like I learned a great deal when I finish a book and The Wicked and the Just definitely fulfilled that wish. I also don't mind that the characters are unpleasant, but this will also be a turn-off for a lot of readers. The Wicked and the Just was a fascinating immersion into 13th century England, but it may not appeal to everyone.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Set in 13th century England and Wales, The Wicked and the Just is heavy historical fiction. By that I mean that the setting and the time period are main characters of the novel. Most of the story is not plot heavy, until the end when things really start happening. This can be frustrating to someone who does not like historical fiction. I love historical fiction. The experience of "traveling" to a different culture is just as interesting as the plot. The book pushes you right into the deep end. There is no prologue explaining religious or social beliefs of the time, no glossary for foreign terms. Part of me wishes there had been more explanation to make it easier to absorb, but mostly I respect the author for not dumbing down the novel. What you don't understand makes sense through context.
Another unique feature of this book is that it is told through alternating points of view of two unlikable characters. Cecily is a stuck up rich girl who expects everyone to bow down to her. She looks at her servants and even people of equal social class with the same disdain that people look at a pile of dog crap they've just stepped in. She stays this way throughout the entire novel. That's not to say she's an entirely bad person. She has a basic sense of justice - that the Welsh people shouldn't be treated as subhuman. At least she is equally mean to all people, Welsh or English. Cecily reminded me of Scarlett O'Hara.
Gwenhwyfar is Cecily's Welsh servant. She hates Cecily. She is understandably bitter and harsh given her horrific living conditions and abject cruelty to which she is daily subject. She is very proud and acts with such rudeness that any other household would have fired her long ago. It was not always enjoyable to read about two characters who generally thought and acted only in negative ways, but I admire the author for not going the typical sweetheart route. For various reasons, by the end of the story, I respected both Cecily and Gwenhwyfar.
The Wicked and the Just does not hesitate to describe the English settlers' cruelty toward the Welsh. Not being British, I knew nothing about Welsh history, although from what I know about British history in general, I'm not surprised that it wasn't warm and fuzzy. Apart from the treatment of the native Welsh, I enjoyed reading about the daily lives of the British and Welsh residents. The Welsh lives were horrible, but Cecily's life was fascinating when she wasn't sulking. Trips to the market, the very strong influence of medieval Catholicism, embroidery, housekeeping, and husband hunting.
While I love the strong dose of history I received in this novel, part of me wishes that it had been less work to read with a faster moving plot, at least early on. Mostly because these factors will turn off many readers who are not heavily interested in historical fiction. It is not an easy book. I love feeling like I learned a great deal when I finish a book and The Wicked and the Just definitely fulfilled that wish. I also don't mind that the characters are unpleasant, but this will also be a turn-off for a lot of readers. The Wicked and the Just was a fascinating immersion into 13th century England, but it may not appeal to everyone.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
sducharme's review
4.0
Set in Wales in the Middle Ages, this is the story of Cecily, a teen who has lost her position due to English laws governing inheritance. She and her father move to a walled town where the English oppressively tax and control the Welsh, who live outside the walls. She absolutely hates living among the Welsh and behaves like a miserable brat.
In contrasting chapters (and font), Cecily's handmaid tells her version of events. She, too, has lost her position but it's because of the English who have taken over. She's full of hate and vengeance, her entire being set on getting justice.
Neither girl is a particularly sympathetic character, but we gradually warm to both sides. A major crisis leads them to some common ground but it's hard won.
Note: liberal use of old English words would make this a good text for lessons in how we understand words in context.
In contrasting chapters (and font), Cecily's handmaid tells her version of events. She, too, has lost her position but it's because of the English who have taken over. She's full of hate and vengeance, her entire being set on getting justice.
Neither girl is a particularly sympathetic character, but we gradually warm to both sides. A major crisis leads them to some common ground but it's hard won.
Note: liberal use of old English words would make this a good text for lessons in how we understand words in context.
brandypainter's review
4.0
Originally posted here.
We don't get nearly enough new historical fiction taking place in Britain during the middle ages. Why is that? Why does so much new historical fiction cover the 20th century? I get rather tired of it. Which is why I pounced on a chance to read The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coates. (Plus look at the cover. I like that cover.)
The Wicked and the Just is a story about the town of Caernarvon, Wales from 1293-1294. It is also the story of two girls, one English and one Welsh, and through them the experience of this 13th century town comes to life. The narrative is first person and moves between Cecily and Gwenhyfar, concentrating mostly on Cecily at first. Gwenhyfar is a girl of few words. She says much with little. She has adjusted to a harsh reality and learned the futility of complaining. Cecily on the other hand is a spoiled indulged brat who has much to say and enjoys saying it. Cecily is extremely unlikable as the story begins. Extremely. Gwenhyfar is far more sympathetic.She is, after all, a member of the oppressed. Her land has been stolen, her father killed, her mother lies dying. She and her younger brother are barely surviving. And Cecily is a brat so the reader can't help but side with Gwenhyfar as she takes orders and abuse from the girl. The English are the occupiers, the oppressors. The Welsh are the occupied, the oppressed.
The Wicked and the Just
Except Coates does not, bless her, allow it to be so simple. As the story progresses Cecily begins to grow and change. She is, after all, growing up. She is leaving behind childhood for womanhood and her entire life has been upended. It is enough to make anyone a little bratty. Cecily is beginning to look at the world around her and question it. She is beginning to think of others beyond herself. It is not a quick change, it happens slowly, and bratty Cecily certainly dominates the majority of her narrative. There is more to her though and when her wrongs are pointed out to her she works hard to right them. At the same time Gwenhyfar is being eaten by resentment, hatred and a need for revenge. She is biding her time, waiting for the moment when the oppressed will rise up and crush their oppressors. And then it happens and it is Hell and it shows what both girls are made of.
It was impossible to choose a side and therein lies the brilliance of the novel. It is not about one or the other, but both. It is the complexity of this history. We are all capable of justice and equally capable of wickedness.
Coates did not sugarcoat anything here,nor did she feel the need to be graphic. She conveys the horror of what happens to the Welsh under English rule, and then the English when the Welsh rebel, with just enough details to get the point across. It is violent, but it was a violent time. I was also impressed with the historical details and how they accurately depicted 13th century life.
I highly recommend this to anyone with a love of historical fiction or anyone who just enjoys a good portrayal of human nature. This is the author's debut novel and I am certainly looking forward to reading more from her.
I read an e-galley of this title made available from the publisher through NetGalley. It will be released Tuesday, April 17.
We don't get nearly enough new historical fiction taking place in Britain during the middle ages. Why is that? Why does so much new historical fiction cover the 20th century? I get rather tired of it. Which is why I pounced on a chance to read The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coates. (Plus look at the cover. I like that cover.)
The Wicked and the Just is a story about the town of Caernarvon, Wales from 1293-1294. It is also the story of two girls, one English and one Welsh, and through them the experience of this 13th century town comes to life. The narrative is first person and moves between Cecily and Gwenhyfar, concentrating mostly on Cecily at first. Gwenhyfar is a girl of few words. She says much with little. She has adjusted to a harsh reality and learned the futility of complaining. Cecily on the other hand is a spoiled indulged brat who has much to say and enjoys saying it. Cecily is extremely unlikable as the story begins. Extremely. Gwenhyfar is far more sympathetic.She is, after all, a member of the oppressed. Her land has been stolen, her father killed, her mother lies dying. She and her younger brother are barely surviving. And Cecily is a brat so the reader can't help but side with Gwenhyfar as she takes orders and abuse from the girl. The English are the occupiers, the oppressors. The Welsh are the occupied, the oppressed.
The Wicked and the Just
Except Coates does not, bless her, allow it to be so simple. As the story progresses Cecily begins to grow and change. She is, after all, growing up. She is leaving behind childhood for womanhood and her entire life has been upended. It is enough to make anyone a little bratty. Cecily is beginning to look at the world around her and question it. She is beginning to think of others beyond herself. It is not a quick change, it happens slowly, and bratty Cecily certainly dominates the majority of her narrative. There is more to her though and when her wrongs are pointed out to her she works hard to right them. At the same time Gwenhyfar is being eaten by resentment, hatred and a need for revenge. She is biding her time, waiting for the moment when the oppressed will rise up and crush their oppressors. And then it happens and it is Hell and it shows what both girls are made of.
It was impossible to choose a side and therein lies the brilliance of the novel. It is not about one or the other, but both. It is the complexity of this history. We are all capable of justice and equally capable of wickedness.
Coates did not sugarcoat anything here,nor did she feel the need to be graphic. She conveys the horror of what happens to the Welsh under English rule, and then the English when the Welsh rebel, with just enough details to get the point across. It is violent, but it was a violent time. I was also impressed with the historical details and how they accurately depicted 13th century life.
I highly recommend this to anyone with a love of historical fiction or anyone who just enjoys a good portrayal of human nature. This is the author's debut novel and I am certainly looking forward to reading more from her.
I read an e-galley of this title made available from the publisher through NetGalley. It will be released Tuesday, April 17.
sarahcvo's review
3.0
I wanted to like this book more than I did. As historical fiction it was great - 13th century Wales felt incredibly real, and I learned something about a period of British history that I knew nothing about. But the characters left something to be desired - Cecily was alternately sympathetic and incredibly annoying, and Gwen just didn't seem fully realized to me, so in the end I didn't care that deeply about either one of them. Instead, I ended up caring more about the larger injustice of the English treatment of the Welsh than about any of the people in this novel. Still, I would recommend this to teens who are mature enough to handle the violence and moral ambiguity.
postitsandpens's review
4.0
It's 1293 in North Wales, and Cecily D'Edgeley's sure her life is over. Her father has just uprooted them and moved them to Caernarvon, Wales, where she's sure she'll never meet a proper suitor or certainly be attacked by the barbarian Welshmen. Meanwhile, Gwenhwyfar is struggling just to survive, and has found work as a maid in the house she should be the lady of, had the English not taken everything from them. The two girls' lives collide when Cecily and her father move into the house where Gwenhwyfar works. But life is only really good in Caernarvon if you're English, and things have about reached their breaking point.
First off, I want to say that I really enjoyed this book, although parts of it were difficult for me to read. Cecily is perhaps one of the most unlikable main characters I have ever read. While her internal monologues are pretty funny, particularly her thoughts about the upper echelon of the Caernarvon population, she was really a very mean, spiteful girl who is very concerned with material things, at least for the majority of this book. There were times when I'd start to feel sympathetic towards her and then she'd do something that would totally change my mind. She was particularly cruel to Gwen's brother for no other reason than a perceived slight which wasn't really serious at all. And then she would do these things for Gwen herself, but always with ulterior motives. I just found her really hard to take, and had to set the book aside for periods of time because her behavior was so off-putting.
I did like the way that the book switched points of view between Cecily and Gwen, as it allowed you to see the severe differences in how they were living. I was more sympathetic towards Gwen because of the sheer poverty and difficulties her daily life gave her, but she, too, was hard to read at times because she was filled with so much rage and bitterness. She's pretty vengeful in her own right, but I was able to tolerate it more because it seemed like her actions were completely justified. I just felt really sad for her throughout, with having to deal with supporting her ill mother and trying to keep herself and her brother from starving when it was so hard for them to find food. This is not to say that I agreed with all of her actions, because I didn't, but I definitely found her to be the more sympathetic narrator.
There are tons of historical details in this book that seemed completely true to the time. The prose and the way the characters thought and talked was perfect for the period they were living in. All the details of the walled-in city and the poverty of the Welsh was just really well done and helped set the tone and helped pull the reader into the book. I do want to warn that this is violence, particularly at the end, and it's pretty in your face and not watered down. I am not a fan of violence for violence's sake, but that's not at all what was going on here. Again, it was true to the time and helped accurately express what life was really like in Caernarvon during the English rule and the Welsh revolt. Just go into this knowing that portions of this book are quite dark.
All in all this was a really engrossing read that completely captivated me. I started it yesterday morning and, after brief periods of putting it down due to Cecily's brattiness (Gwen calls her "the Brat" through most of this book and she's totally right), finished it at 12:31am. I just didn't want to stop reading until I could see how everything was going to turn out. Be forewarned that the character study is more the point of this book, though: it's not non-stop action by any means, and nothing significant really "happens" until almost the end. But the evolution of Cecily and Gwen and the ways their lives intertwined and the twists and turns of their own personal stories were definitely engaging enough to keep me interested. If you like well-researched, solid historical YA books, then do yourself a favor and pick this one up. I don't think you'll regret it.
An e-galley was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
First off, I want to say that I really enjoyed this book, although parts of it were difficult for me to read. Cecily is perhaps one of the most unlikable main characters I have ever read. While her internal monologues are pretty funny, particularly her thoughts about the upper echelon of the Caernarvon population, she was really a very mean, spiteful girl who is very concerned with material things, at least for the majority of this book. There were times when I'd start to feel sympathetic towards her and then she'd do something that would totally change my mind. She was particularly cruel to Gwen's brother for no other reason than a perceived slight which wasn't really serious at all. And then she would do these things for Gwen herself, but always with ulterior motives. I just found her really hard to take, and had to set the book aside for periods of time because her behavior was so off-putting.
I did like the way that the book switched points of view between Cecily and Gwen, as it allowed you to see the severe differences in how they were living. I was more sympathetic towards Gwen because of the sheer poverty and difficulties her daily life gave her, but she, too, was hard to read at times because she was filled with so much rage and bitterness. She's pretty vengeful in her own right, but I was able to tolerate it more because it seemed like her actions were completely justified. I just felt really sad for her throughout, with having to deal with supporting her ill mother and trying to keep herself and her brother from starving when it was so hard for them to find food. This is not to say that I agreed with all of her actions, because I didn't, but I definitely found her to be the more sympathetic narrator.
There are tons of historical details in this book that seemed completely true to the time. The prose and the way the characters thought and talked was perfect for the period they were living in. All the details of the walled-in city and the poverty of the Welsh was just really well done and helped set the tone and helped pull the reader into the book. I do want to warn that this is violence, particularly at the end, and it's pretty in your face and not watered down. I am not a fan of violence for violence's sake, but that's not at all what was going on here. Again, it was true to the time and helped accurately express what life was really like in Caernarvon during the English rule and the Welsh revolt. Just go into this knowing that portions of this book are quite dark.
All in all this was a really engrossing read that completely captivated me. I started it yesterday morning and, after brief periods of putting it down due to Cecily's brattiness (Gwen calls her "the Brat" through most of this book and she's totally right), finished it at 12:31am. I just didn't want to stop reading until I could see how everything was going to turn out. Be forewarned that the character study is more the point of this book, though: it's not non-stop action by any means, and nothing significant really "happens" until almost the end. But the evolution of Cecily and Gwen and the ways their lives intertwined and the twists and turns of their own personal stories were definitely engaging enough to keep me interested. If you like well-researched, solid historical YA books, then do yourself a favor and pick this one up. I don't think you'll regret it.
An e-galley was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
maryanne6828's review
5.0
Beautifully written. A Printz Award for sure. Historical fiction at its best. Two girls from two different castes in life, but are they really so different?