- Hardcover: 480 pages
- Publisher: Tor (9 Aug 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0333907558
- ISBN-13: 978-0333907559
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.5 x 4.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,032,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Lady of the Sorrows (The Bitterbynde Trilogy)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Lady of the Sorrows changes both the name of the protagonist of The Ill-Made Mute and much of the earlier book's tone. Where the hideous mute Imrhien wandered the land of Erith accumulating friends and connections, she now, restored to speech and beauty, finds herself caught up in palace intrigue under her new name Rohain, and increasingly aware of just how crucial it is that she regain her lost memories. She has powerful enemies, both at court and in the wider world--all the more so when she finds out who her beloved Thorn really is. The eventual secret of her identity, and the reasons why she is being pursued with such intense supernatural enmity, are actually on a scale that justifies the build-up Cecilia Dart-Thornton has given them. Typically too, they turn out to relate to versions of known folk-lore--her habit of naturalising existing legends into her fantasyland serves her well here. This is an intelligent fantasy novel rather than one which ever breaks new ground; even when it is at its least original, as is the case during Rohain's stay among the bitching and fripperies of court, it has interesting insights into stock material. --Roz Kaveney
Review
Outstanding imaginative writing from Dart-Thornton in this sequel to The Ill-Made Mute. Though her memory remains clouded by sorcery, Imrhien must take vital news directly to the King-Emperor of Caermelor. But, since no commoner may approach the royal court, she must assume a new identity as 'Rohain', a noble visitor from the distant Sorrow Isles. On arrival, she discovers that the King and his rangers have gone off to battle the Unseelie hordes which have suddenly declared war against mortals. Awaiting their return, the newcomer Rohain is trapped by her own subterfuge, facing a court where treachery and deceit are as deadly as any eldritch peril. As always, changes of fate and fortune occur, and for a brief while it seems Rohain's dream of happiness may be achieved. But her joy is short-lived...
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First Sentence
It was Nethilmis, the Cloudmonth. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
It was Nethilmis, the Cloudmonth. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This novel continues to use old English and Celtic faery tales to populate her story with unusual characters in a most imaginative fashion. Our heroine, Imrhien becomes the Lady Rohain and enters Caermelor where she promptly alienates the "in set". However, she successfully reveals the location of the vast treasure discovered in the previous Ill-Made Mute and is rewarded for her loyalty with lands and a title. These are promptly lost through rivalry and court intrigue. Enough on spoiling the plot, which is a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. The Lady of The Sorrows carries us forward in Imrhien/Lady Rohain's life, but perhaps more importantly advances her quest to discover her hidden past. An excellent read as well as a welcome respite from everyday tensions and reality. The final installment of this trilogy should be an exciting finish to a well-written story.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The Ill-Made Mute truly surprised me, it was a fantastic book with perfect pace, diction and style. This meant that the second had to live up to so much. Unfortunately, it doesn't.
That doesn't mean The Lady of the Sorrows is bad by any means, yet there exists a contrast within the book, notably between the first half, which is slow, bland and will often have you wondering why Cecilia dismisses the plot entirely, as the series seemingly discards its background that is steeped in Celtic folklore and morphs into something akin to Jane Austen's Emma.
After 300, the book gets far better as the plot finally picks up again and moves from the urban environments to less populated areas. The real reason why it picks up so greatly in the second half is because Ms. Dart-Thornton is obviously far better at creating places and history than people. Imrhien-Rohain, the main character, is the one exception, but old characters that return are quickly discarded and new characters are stock at best and are inadequately fleshed out.
The eventual twists that occur in the final 200 pages are excellent, but even this doesn't save The Lady of the Sorrows from a flat ending.
I would still recommend this, but it simply can't stand up against the first book in the Bitterbynde Trilogy.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The Lady of Sorrows, the sequel to The Ill Made Mute, continues the adventures of a girl who takes on new names and new characteristics the further her tale is told. The second book is as excellently written as the first with the English language given full glorious expression. I found the beginning all right but not holding the wonders of the first book.. The journeys are brief in their description and somehow it lacks that interest that held me in the first book. What I did finally find in the second book, the further I read, is a few surprises, which I will not give away. Learning more of our female hero is fascinating. We are taken to an island and given a chance to live in this amazing sea bound lifestyle with all the wonder of this magical world. To the end of the book, we are taken deeper and deeper into another realm so familiar and alien but with a fairy tale quality that darkens beyond the children's story.
The Lady of Sorrows is a excellent book I would deny no one the pleasure of reading but it does stand in the shadow of the Ill Made Mute. We can only wait for the third in the series with baited breath, assured that Cecelia Dart Thornton will once again bring us to a world beyond imagination, with a story that will keep us spell bound.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
More captivating than the first volume.
This is the second book in the Bitterbynde trilogy (after The Ill-Made Mute and before The Battle of Evernight). Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2007 by Stephanie Noverraz
Beautiful but tiresome.
I enjoyed the first of these books although it was a bit wordy but in this one I found myself struggling. Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2006 by Kate
Breathtaking
Like its predecessor "The Ill-Made Mute," the second installment of Cecilia Dart-Thornton's trilogy is from another world. Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2006 by K. Edwards
Over-written and dull
I found 'The Ill-Made Mute' to be a lush and beautifully written book, which should have been too over-written to enjoy but somehow managed not to be. Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2005 by Tara Saunders
She does it again!
After reading the first installment I was amazed, now I'm just mesmerized! I enjoyed this book perhaps slightly more than the first probably because I was itching to discover what... Read more
Published on 19 Aug 2004 by "pen260288"
A rare thing!!!
This book picks up exactly where the first ended and loses none of the momentum. This book is not only as good as the first, which is no mean feat, its better. Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2003 by Ben Greveson
Slow torture
The series started out interestingly enough, with a few new ideas in the genre. Nothing major, just enough to make me think "this could be good". Read more
Published on 9 July 2003 by "fachtna"
It was great!
I found the book much more exicting than the Ill Made Mute. It had a decent pace and one never felt bored, or like skipping pages because nothing was happening. Read more
Published on 20 Nov 2002 by "hrfurtado"
Fantastic!
I have been waiting with baited breath to read this book after the Ill Made Mute. What a sequel! Love, romance, court intrigue, evil forces, magic and that's just in the first few... Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2002 by "velf"
A breath of fresh air in the stagnant vaults of fantasy
This is the best book i hav read in ages. The plot never stops twisting and turning,the minute u think u got things sorted they turn upside down. Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2002 by Rose
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