Book Review: The Bridled Tongue

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One of the greatest joys I've discovered as an author is meeting other authors and reading their work. I've found it to be humbling, inspiring, and enriching. I'm able to learn about other places and times--besides just the period I'm writing in. 

As 2021 neared, I decided that one of my resolutions was to begin sharing reviews of books that I found to be of 5-star calibre. And hopefully this will give you--my readers-- an opportunity to select new reads from some of these titles.

To kick off this new resolution of mine, I want to introduce you to an author I met online. Though we've never met face-to-face, Catherine Meyrick happens to be one of my beta-readers. She is truly a word-smith in every sense of the term, and has a wealth of a vocabulary. A particular strength of hers is a deep feel for the Elizabethan Age. In late summer, I had the chance to read her book, The Bridled Tongue. It turned out to be one of my favorite reads in 2020. So... here's the review I awarded Catherine on Goodreads and I encourage you to pick up her book. She's extremely adept at forming character, and her main character Alyce is well-drawn and a true woman of her time.

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                                                       The Bridled Tongue

Meyrick illustrates a powerful understanding of human nature in this arresting tale of a 16th century woman who is strong-willed but conscientious. Alyce knows her faults and limitations, but when she accepts marriage to a man of means, she's suddenly surrounded by bitter jealousy that winds up placing her very existence in peril. It's ALL about human nature: covetousness, selfishness, bitterness... all of the things that can turn family and friends into enemies.

I was impressed with Meyrick's deep knowledge of Elizabethan life and times. It wasn't forced onto the page, but artfully scripted into prose that was intimate and informative, both in world-building and plot. How she drives tension by letting the reader "suppose" and slowly come to grips with risks and behavior each character displays was stirring. I found myself cheering Alyce on, believing in her, and frantic with despair over the acts of her family members.

This is a powerful book, full of deep joy amid an often tragic and inhumane period, ever displaying the enormous strides women have made since 16th century England kept them as bound as babes in swaddling.

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Catherine Meyrick is a writer of historical fiction with a particular love of Elizabethan England. Her stories weave fictional characters into the gaps within the historical record – tales of ordinary people who are very much men and women of their time, yet in so many ways not unlike ourselves.

Although she grew up in regional Victoria, Australia, she has lived all her adult life in Melbourne. She has worked as a nurse, a tax assessor and finally a librarian. She has a Master of Arts in history and is also a family history obsessive.

Click here to purchase THE BRIDLED TONGUE!
Connect with Catherine Meyrick

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