- Hardcover: 480 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins (17 Oct 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007180691
- ISBN-13: 978-0007180691
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.8 x 5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 983,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Remember, Remember the Fifth of November ...On the fourth centenary of Guy Fawkes' attempt to blow up King James I and his parliament, here is the true, astonishing and never-before-told story of the infamous Gunpowder and Treason conspiracy. Through the eyes of the courtesan Kate Peach and the Fire Master Francis Quoynt, the dramatic plot of Guy Fawkes and his fellow Papist hotheads unfolds in the gaudy, conspiracy-ridden streets of Shakespeare's Southwark, the court of King James I at Whitehall, and the lanes of the fishing village of Brighton. The official story of the Gunpowder Plot, put together for his own advantage by the First Minister Robert Cecil, has for centuries concealed with whitewash the scale of the threat posed to the new Stuart dynasty. Cecil is not the villain, though, that title goes to Francis Bacon. There is savage enmity between these two intellectual giants, tempestuous love between Kate Peach and Quoynt, and a terrorist incident in the 17th century on the scale of 9/11 2001 - even though it was foiled, we still remember it. This wonderful, complex story tears a big hole in a cherished piece of history revealing a shared delusion four hundred years old, a very surprising and satisfying love story, and a new conspiracy theory that is chillingly appropriate to the present day.
About the Author
Christie Dickason was born in America but also lived as a child in Thailand, Mexico and Switzerland. Harvard-educated, and a former theatre director and choreographer (with the Royal Shakespeare Company and at Ronnie Scott's among others), she lives in London with her family.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gunpowder plot novel,
By
This review is from: The Firemaster's Mistress (Paperback)
I read this book based upon the blurb on the back and I wasn't disappointed. Following along the lines of such authors as Phillipa Gregory and Margaret George the author of this novel looks at the possible story of the gunpowder plot. I felt that this novel was well written with a well thought out plot and enjoyed it a great deal as a result.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read this book!!! It is superb.,
By Silver Willow (England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Firemaster's Mistress (Paperback)
I had the pleasure of meeting Christie Dickason at a book launch for The Firemaster's Mistress. I was involved in a show to mark the 400th Anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot at the same venue. After a thought-provoking and enthusiastic discussion about books, plays and history - I couldn't wait to start reading The Firemaster's Mistress. I was captivated from the start and only stopped reading when my eyelids refused to stay open for even one more word! Historical novels are tricky creatures; any author venturing into the past wields a double-edged sword. On the one side there is a fairly rigid framework of facts and figures, artefacts and documents that provide structure and guidance, on the other side there is absolute freedom to weave a host of imaginary yet wholly believable characters into the framework, but in order to do so the author must step back in time and live and breath the air of the period, feel the cut of the cloth, taste the preservative-free food, and have a mind free of Twenty-First Century luxuries and advancements such as: medicine and healthcare, mobile phones, test messages, email, instant news, clean running water and motorised transport. Ms Dickason has the heart and spirit of a Bard intertwined with a gloriously empathic ability to dive into the past and to bring it effortlessly into the present. Ms Dickason opens a clear path between centuries taking the reader with her on an exhilarating, poignant, edifying, eloquent, intriguing, journey. Every twist and turn is expertly developed and beautifully resolved. The characters are so alive and real that the reader is with them every step of the way. The strength of meticulous research illuminates every page without detracting from the potency of the prose and the power of the story. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to those who love historical novels and to those who think history is dusty and dull - read this book and you will discover that in the hands of a master storyteller any memories of tedious history lessons will be swept away and replaced with a gripping desire to read more.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping, fascinating and un-put-downable,
By
This review is from: Firemaster's Mistress (Hardcover)
The opening words of this wonderful novel transports the reader back 400 years to an England torn by suspicion and darkened by conspiracy. Ms Dickason's evidently extensive research has enabled her to create the sights, smells, alleyways, alliances, loves, hates and passions of the time. A highly evocative writer, she describes events in such vivid prose you can almost smell the gunpowder and the sea and the sweat of a couple making love; you hear a man's neck break and an enraged bear growl; and all the time, the author is guiding you expertly through the labyrinth of her exquisitely realised plot. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
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