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A review by sarajean37
A Falcon for a Queen by Catherine Gaskin
3.0
I have a problem with buying books. When I go to yard or garage sales, if there is a book that looks reasonably intersting for 50 cents or less, it is coming home with me. This is how I came across this book; I believe my half dollar went to benefit the local women's shelter. When I found it, this book no longer had its dust jacket and had only a plain grey cover.
I bought this book because I sometimes like historical fiction. I assumed from the title and font used that it was a medieval fiction; imagine my surprise when the first page has the character coming to the Scottish highlands from China. Because of that disparity, I had to start the book 2 or 3 times before I could actually get into it.
I feel this book falls squarely into the "I don't know what I want to be when I grow up" camp. There is an element of mystery: will Kristy learn the truth of they mysterious circumstances of her brother's death? Was her brother's death actually mysterious? Why is Mrs. Sinclair so cold? There is an element of romance: will Kristy be able to win the heart of Callum Sinclair? There is an element of family politics: will Kristy be able to learn whiskey making? Will she be able to take over Cluain's distilling business or will she be sold like cattle to the highest bidder, her husband to take over the business leaving Kristy only to provide more heirs, her family being pretty much fresh out.
Unfortunately, the developement of these mostly disparte storylines leaves something to be desired. Kristy spends more of the book learning about whiskey and chasing Callum Sinclair (oh, wait, that's the same thing to her)than investigating her brother's death. The fact that Kristy had fallen for Gavin came as an utter shock to me and anyone who understand the concept of forshadowing. (I ended up being right about Kristy's ultimate romantic entanglement.) The fate of Cluain's business practice and Kristy's role therein - decided at the denoument - has more than a whiff of deus ex machina. The scene of the Royal Visit seems to be integral to the author's understanding of the story but is poorly conveyed.
That is not to say the entire book is bad. Gaskin describes the setting quite poetically; I now have a highly accurate mental map of Cluain and its environs in my brain. Kristy's description of her father's practical theology is something with which I can mostly agree - a feat for the era. Callum's relationship with his falcon Giorsal is touching. The character of and scenes involving Sir Gavin Campbell are some of the best in the book. The conclusion, though rushed, does not feel it.
I might recommend this book. If you enjoy historical fiction that occurs at the turn of the century or in the Scottish highlands, you would probably moderately enjoy this book. If you come to this book looking for a mystery or a romance novel, however, you are out of luck. It would be a good book club or lazy reading book. I don't need to read it again although I think I could. It is worth noting, I think, that I couldn't actually remember the main character's name and mixed up the name of two of the male leads.
I bought this book because I sometimes like historical fiction. I assumed from the title and font used that it was a medieval fiction; imagine my surprise when the first page has the character coming to the Scottish highlands from China. Because of that disparity, I had to start the book 2 or 3 times before I could actually get into it.
I feel this book falls squarely into the "I don't know what I want to be when I grow up" camp. There is an element of mystery: will Kristy learn the truth of they mysterious circumstances of her brother's death? Was her brother's death actually mysterious? Why is Mrs. Sinclair so cold? There is an element of romance: will Kristy be able to win the heart of Callum Sinclair? There is an element of family politics: will Kristy be able to learn whiskey making? Will she be able to take over Cluain's distilling business or will she be sold like cattle to the highest bidder, her husband to take over the business leaving Kristy only to provide more heirs, her family being pretty much fresh out.
Unfortunately, the developement of these mostly disparte storylines leaves something to be desired. Kristy spends more of the book learning about whiskey and chasing Callum Sinclair (oh, wait, that's the same thing to her)than investigating her brother's death. The fact that Kristy had fallen for Gavin came as an utter shock to me and anyone who understand the concept of forshadowing. (I ended up being right about Kristy's ultimate romantic entanglement.) The fate of Cluain's business practice and Kristy's role therein - decided at the denoument - has more than a whiff of deus ex machina. The scene of the Royal Visit seems to be integral to the author's understanding of the story but is poorly conveyed.
That is not to say the entire book is bad. Gaskin describes the setting quite poetically; I now have a highly accurate mental map of Cluain and its environs in my brain. Kristy's description of her father's practical theology is something with which I can mostly agree - a feat for the era. Callum's relationship with his falcon Giorsal is touching. The character of and scenes involving Sir Gavin Campbell are some of the best in the book. The conclusion, though rushed, does not feel it.
I might recommend this book. If you enjoy historical fiction that occurs at the turn of the century or in the Scottish highlands, you would probably moderately enjoy this book. If you come to this book looking for a mystery or a romance novel, however, you are out of luck. It would be a good book club or lazy reading book. I don't need to read it again although I think I could. It is worth noting, I think, that I couldn't actually remember the main character's name and mixed up the name of two of the male leads.