H. F. M. Prescott (1896–1972)

H. F. M. Prescott’s Man on a Donkey must surely be one of the finest historical novels ever written. Its subject is the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion (1536-1537) of England’s northern Catholics against the harshly imposed reforms of Henry VIII to the power structure and observances of the Church in England.

Prescott calls her story a chronicle, and she tells it in chronicle-like fashion. Historical figures people its pages, among them, Henry VIII and his first three queens, Princess Mary, show more Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell, the Duke of Norfolk, and members of the Percy family. The story progresses by dated entries through the first three decades of the 16th century, keeping its focus on its main characters. They are the ordinary folk of their day trying to determine how best to respond to the deeply significant changes thrust upon them; “the Chronicle is mainly of five:—of Christabel Cowper, Prioress; Thomas, Lord Darcy; Julian Savage, Gentlewoman; Robert Aske, squire; Gilbert Dawe, Priest....There is also Malle, the Serving-woman.”

Told in beautiful language that skillfully evokes the spirit of a medieval chronicle, The Man on a Donkey is not a book to read quickly. It moves at a slow pace, though its central events are momentous. It absorbs the reader into its atmosphere of struggle, physical, mental, and spiritual. It raises for its characters (and for its readers!) such questions as how to live with integrity in a world filled with injustice. How to find within oneself the courage to follow one’s conscience, knowing the risk involved. How to maintain one’s faith in a time so filled with despair.

Violence, cruelty, betrayal, greed, tyranny are present everywhere in this novel; but so also are gentleness, compassion, loyalty, self-sacrifice, and love. I think anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially fiction set in Tudor times, would enjoy it.
5 stars show less

After reading this book I actually felt sorry for Mary. It goes into a lot of detail about her life and it explains why she did what she did. Her father mentally abused and emotionally blackmailed her into doing what he wanted and denying that her mother was his true wife and that she was a bastard. That would leave any young child very messed up. The Author did a very good job at portraying the times that they lived in and wrote sympathetically but not romantically about her life. Highly show more recommended show less

I started this with a bang but fizzled out. The prose is beautiful and evocative but the action moves so very slowly that I found myself struggling to engage. There's a load of character who don't yet have a role in the narrative but we are given glimpses into their lives and thoughts that are pleasant but confusing. Who are these people and why are they here? I know that it will all come together later but I've gradually stopped caring! Maybe I'll take it on holiday sometime and give it a show more bash then but for now its lost momentum. show less

DNF. I got up to about halfway through. But Mary's life is just boring. At the whims of her father's politicking. Pushed around on every side, declared to be a bastard, deprived of her faith. It should be more interesting! Maybe it's the narrative that's boring. In any case, I stopped. Although I did feel some sympathy for her. She didn't want to be evil, but evil was thrust upon her.