My Lord John
John, Duke of Bedford, grew to manhood fighting for his father, King Henry IV of England, on the wild and lawless Northern Marches. A prince of the royal blood, loyal, strong, the greatest ally that his brother - the future Henry V - was to have. Filled with the clash of bitter rivalries, and deadly power struggles, this is Georgette Heyer’s last and most ambitious novel.
Book Review by Hallie
I have to admit that My Lord John was never particularly high on my list of ‘must-reads’. This is primarily because until recently I have been more interested in Regency romances than any of Heyer’s other work. However, a trip to a local library yielded My Lord John as the only Heyer I hadn’t read, and unable to resist the temptation of one of my favourite authors, I had to pick it up.
The first thing one needs to know about My Lord John is that, although it is romantic, it is not a romance novel. It is an historical novel. And there is a difference between the two. Yet throughout Heyer maintains a light touch that makes this novel very readable, as indeed are all of her historicals.
The preface, written by Heyer’s husband, explains that My Lord John was, in fact, Heyer’s magnum opus. It was her historicals that she enjoyed writing the most, and she painstakingly researched them in order to avoid factual inaccuracies. The preface also reveals that Heyer’s historicals were never as in demand as her Regencies, which is why there are so few of them. In fact, My Lord John was never completed. Normally this would make the novel an automatic turnoff for me - I like my stories to come neatly concluded. Yet in the case of My Lord John I found that I was amply satisfied by Heyer’s writing, although of course it would have been wonderful had the novel been completed.
One of the chief reasons that the unfinished status of this novel didn’t bother me is because the Lord John of the title was, in fact, a real person, and Heyer’s account is true to what we know of his life. Consequently, the historical notes at the end of the book meant that there were no lose ends, although they did not have the panache of Heyer’s writing, it is true.
The novel is devoted to Lord John Plantagenet (son of Henry IV, brother of Henry V). It traces his life from his childhood - he is a mere four years old when the book opens - to his twenty-first year, or thereabouts. As an historical novel, it is not necessary for there to be an overarching plot - this is real life, after all - and consequently, we are treated to every day occurences of fourteenth century England when you are the great-grandson of a King, cousin to a King, and later son of a King.
Some elements of the plot are charming - the young John is particularly so; his devotion to his eldest brother is legendary. From the very beginning it is apparent that family is hugely important to John, and throughout the novel his interactions, particularly with Harry (later Henry V) are perfectly drawn - there is a perfect blend of respect and teasing.
There are also harrowing parts of the novel - the death of John’s mother, for example. This is sensitively written, and Heyer portrays beautifully the confusion of a seven year old suddenly bereft of his mother. Later in the novel, John is responsible for overseeing the punishment of an heretic - burning at the stake. Heyer manages to show the horror of such an act without going into too much graphic detail; furthermore she illustrates the role of religion in medieval life without making it seem contrived.
There is so much that can be said for this novel - it has the romantic elements (who wouldn’t fall for a knight in shining armour) although there is no love interset, it has intrigue - Richard III features heavily, it has peace and war, in short it has plenty to absorb the readers interest.
It was only when I sat down to write this review that I realised My Lord John doesn’t really have a story, as such, beyond the life story of John himself. It is impossible to say ‘the hero was unbelievable’ (not that he was) because the hero was based on truth. If Harry’s piety was focused on too much, well - it is a minor complaint and in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
If you like Heyer and, like me, you’re a history fan, you can’t go wrong. I guarantee that My Lord John will leave you desperate to learn more about the Plantagenets and their legacy.
4th August 2006