Set in the years after the Norman Conquest, The Winter Mantle begins with the Waltheof and Judith, one an English captive and the other a Norman and the niece of William of Normandy. They should hate each other, right? They marry for love (or lust), though not all is a bed of roses. The story continues on into the next generation with their daughter, Matilda, and Simon de Senlis, a young Norman knight.

Chadwick’s historical fiction is always top-notch. She really knows how to transport her readers back into another time, into the lives of people who jump off the page, even though they’ve been dead for hundreds of years. I love how she makes the reader become emotionally invested in her characters, even though you might not like them—Judith certainly isn’t my favorite of Chadwick’s heroines, but I really got involved in her story. According to Chadwick’s note at the end, it’s been popularly believed that Judith held some responsibility for betraying her husband to William, but the author handles this detail very well, I thought. And Waltheof is certainly no William Marshal, but I was sympathetic towards him, too.

Another thing I love about this book is how well-researched it is. Chadwick probably spends more time and exerts more energy researching her settings and people than other authors do, and it certainly shows here. The Winter Mantle covers thirty years of history, but Chadwick doesn’t skimp on anything to give her readers a sweeping novel about love, hope and faith. I have a copy of The Falcons of Montabard on my ever-growing TBR pile, and I have about a half dozen more EC books on order. ( )

The Winter Mantle begins in 1067 after The Conquest as Waltheof of Huntingdon and several other English nobles are kept under William's close eye in Normandy. Waltheof desires William's haughty niece Judith and is torn between making his peace with William and pressing suit for her hand or participating in further rebellion against the Norman conquerors. After one rebellion in the north fails, William forgives Waltheof and marries him to Judith, although she is torn between pride in her Norman ancestry and desire for her husband, and this eventually leads to discord in the marriage. Waltheof allows himself to be convinces to participate in one last attempt at overthrowing William, and this time with drastic results.

The story then takes up with the second generation, Waltheof's beloved daughter Matilda and Norman courtier Simon de Senlis who at the behest of King William Rufus comes to take charge of the lands Judith inherited from Waltheof. Furious, the ever haughty Judith refuses to cooperate and wed Simon and he turns his eye to Matilda as a younger and more appealing choice. The story then continues as Matilda and Simon raise their children, and Judith finally comes to terms with her own guilt in Waltheof's fate and his death as a traitor, as well as the consequences to Simon and Judith's marriage from Simon’s actions on his return from the Crusades.

Based on true people, this was a lively entertaining tale and I very much enjoyed how the author was able to take such a snotty piece of goods like Judith and humanize her in the end - it really was a love/hate relationship between she and Waltheof and in many ways those two warring emotions are very much the same. As with all of her books, Chadwick has an amazing knack of bringing the medieval period to life, be it the sights, sounds, smells, food, clothing and more. Highly recommended and a side note that the tiny baby at the very end of the book has his own story in The Falcons of Montabard. ( )

A very strong medieval historical novel that follows actual historical figures—and to those who know my reading habits, I usually hate that sort of thing. My kind of historical fiction is much more in line with Judith Merkle Riley than Sharon Kay Penman, but this was pretty great. It has some romance novel leanings (including two, count-em, TWO Deflowering The Virgin love scenes) but makes up for it with meticulous period detail, interesting angles on historic events and really solid characterization. And for all its capital-R romance, this book is certainly not beholden to that genre’s mandatory Happily Ever After. In fact, this caught me running to the bathroom for tissues halfway through.

It follows the real-life story of Waltheof, a Saxon lord taken prisoner by William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings, who falls in love with Judith, William’s niece. Judith is strong-willed and has glimmerings of happiness with Waltheof, but she’s held back by emotional damage inflicted by her domineering mother. Instead of allowing herself unsettling happiness, she takes refuge in duty and convention and propriety, and comes to hate her big-hearted husband. Waltheof is none too bright (politically) but is a very likeable, good character. Their marriage falls to spectacular ruin, involving a betrayal Judith will always hold on her conscience. Fast forward a few years later, and it seems that the whole sorry tale is going to be played out again with her daughter, Matilda. But perhaps she and her husband, Simon de Senlis, can find a way through the minefield of their pride and sensitivities to truly love each other.

Judith is so cruel and closed off, she can be hard to take as a narrator, but Chadwick does such an excellent job with her story that I couldn’t put it down. My real problem was that beside her mother and grandmother, Matilda is a shade of a character. She weds Simon literally the same day she meets him, and though there are believable reasons given for this (the need to get from under her mothers thumb, ambition, liking the set of his breeches), the one that seems to matter the most is a thoroughly unlikely Love. Not that she wouldn’t think it love at the beginning, but you never see the real thing blossom between them in a meaningful way. Even though Waltheof and Judith’s courtship ended tragically, at least you saw it happen and could believe every step of it. I feel almost like Chadwick wanted Matilda to thematically expiate her mother’s mistakes, without realizing that first she had to feel her mother’s love. ( )

This book takes you back to the 11th Century. The battle on the field and in the hearts. Chadwick does a wonderful job telling the story of mother/daughter and husband and father. It really takes you back in time. I had a hard time putting the book down. I enjoyed from beginning to end. ( )