★★★★☆ Ghosts in the English Civil War

A Skinful of Shadows

Frances Hardinge

Frances Hardinge's A Skinful of Shadows is a historical fantasy set in the English Civil War. The English Civil War is the name given to that period (1642-1651) in English history that began with war between King Charles I and Parliament. (This in contrast to the many, many other internal wars fought in England. England, like most European nations, was more or less constantly fighting with itself until the 18th century, when the internal wars ramped down to a focus on fighting with other European nations.)

As everyone knows, one of the big problems with historical fiction, and indeed with the historical record itself, is its focus on powerful people. Aside from "nasty, brutish, and short", it is not easy to know what life was like for the poor, or for women, or especially for poor women. Hardinge's hero Makepeace, a by-blow of the powerful Fellmotte family, grew up the daughter of a poor lace-maker in a small Puritan community. As an unwed mother, Makepeace's mother is barely tolerated by her Puritan relatives.

The Fellmottes have a secret. They contain ghosts. The word "shadow" in the title refers to ghosts. Makepeace is in this regard a true Fellmotte. She accidentally succors the ghost of a captive bear. Then, searching for her father, she comes into contact with her father's family.

The Fellmottes try to use her. This produces perhaps my favorite scene in the book. It is the scene, familiar to readers of fantasy, in which a powerful sorcerer runs up against our intrepid hero

You meddling fool! You don't know what you've done! YOUR selfish plan destroyed MY selfish plan!

That, of course, is not a literal quote -- I don't want to spoil it for you. But it's a righteous moment.

That is followed by a devious tale of Makepeace's involvement in the struggle of members of the Fellmotte family to survive the war between the royalists and Parliament -- not just survive, but come out on top.

Makepeace, our bear-hearted girl, is a great hero -- brave and smart and also kind when she can be. I liked this a lot.

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