The Lady Bornekova by Sara R. Turnquist

Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: July 28, 2015

The red-headed Karin is strong-willed and determined, something she inherited from her father. She tries to keep her true nature a secret to avoid being deemed a traitor by those loyal to the king. Karin and her father butt heads over her duty to her family and the Czech Crown. She is then sequestered to the Royal Viscount’s hunting lodge. Not aware of everything that is happening, she becomes the target of an individual with murderous intent. Her heart soon becomes entangled though her father intends to wed her to another. The turmoil inside Karin deepens and reflects the turmoil of her homeland, on the brink of the Hussite Wars.

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I began Sara R. Turnquist’s The Lady Bornekova with absolutely no knowledge of the Hussite Wars. My imaginings were shaped by the author’s descriptions and the atmosphere she created within the narrative. I found the initial chapters vague in terms of plot, the author’s deliberate attempts to manufacture intrigue lacked polish, but I felt reasonably confident in my understanding of Karin’s situation and the period in which her story took place. That is, until I googled the Council of Constance. 

I didn’t have an exact date of reference, but my rough estimate is that the story began in late October 1414. To put this in perspective, Joan of Arc is two and the battle of Agincourt is barely a year away. Neither of these facts have anything to do with Turnquist’s story, but they do add a certain perspective for those with any knowledge of the age. Most, if not all, of Turnquist’s descriptions of social custom, fashion, architecture, and interior design were appropriate to a Victorian romance. She mentions wallpaper, empire waists, settees, drapes, a breakfast buffet and a four poster carriage, none of which are a characteristic of life in the early 1400s. 

Taking a few deep breaths, I steeled my nerves, and set about finishing the book, but my enjoyment dissipated as I noticed more and more historical anachronisms. I believe the book was reviewed in terms of grammar and spelling, but what Turnquist needed here was a content editor. The number of factual errors and period contradictions in this piece had me dumbfounded and while I give the author a lot of credit for tackling a lesser known event in a rarely seen locale, I admit the research that went into this piece left me disappointed. 

My issues, however, are not limited to historical accuracy. Turnquist employs multiple narrators in this piece, but she often draws on characters of limited importance. Maybe I’m alone in this, but I’d have appreciated the story much more if the author had exercised more restraint and limited herself to two or three well-rounded and defined POVs. 

The characters themselves didn’t leave much of an impression on me and I didn’t find the politics particularly interesting. The dialogue didn’t strike me as authentic and I couldn’t have cared less for the romance. The book is readable and ambitious in terms of the material it covers, but I didn’t enjoy the time I spent with it and would have a hard time recommending it to fellow readers.  

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Lord, help me to remember You are in control and that vengeance is Yours.

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