Reading the Classics #69: Rosemary Sutcliff
Welcome back to my blog, as today we explore the newest author in this series, Rosemary Sutcliff. She is a highly underrated author. I hadn’t heard about her until about two years ago, maybe more, when a good friend of mine let me borrow one of her books. It was The Eagle of the Ninth, and I loved it. From then on I’ve been a fan of Rosemary Sutcliff, and today I decided to write about her. She was born December 14, 1920 in England. From an early age she had Still’s disease, a form of arthritis for children; as a result, she spent much of her life in a wheelchair. After reading the historical fiction novels of Geoffrey Trease, she was inspired to begin writing. The Chronicles of Robin Hood was her first book, and it was followed by many others. Although she didn’t enjoy immediate success, in the long run her fame grew immensely. By the time she died on July 23 of 1992, Sutcliff had written over 3 dozen books for kids and adults alike. With that introduction to her life, let’s take a look at some of her books.
1. The Eagle of the Ninth
2. The Silver Branch
3. The Lantern Bearers
All three of these books are connected, yet Rosemary Sutcliff didn’t write them as a series. What links them together is a family ring that is passed down as a heirloom from generation to generation. The Aquila family, the possessors of the ring, are the main characters in these stories. The Eagle of the Ninth is my personal favorite, and it follows the adventures of a Roman soldier named Marcus Aquila. With the aid of his former slave Esca, Marcus goes on a journey to discover the location of his father’s legion (The Ninth Legion), which has seemingly vanished. I really enjoyed reading this story. It was very well written, and the characters were interesting and relatable. The ending was really good too. Plus, the story takes place in Roman Britain, which is a plus in any story. Overall, this is a must-read novel.
The Silver Branch takes place about 100 years or so after the events of The Eagle of the Ninth. Flavius Aquila and Tiberius Justinianus are the main characters of this tale, who are in Britain during some pretty crazy events. A Roman commander named Carausius has proclaimed himself Emperor, and has declared war on the current Emperor, Constantinus (This is fact). Flavius and Tiberius are part of Carausius’ army, leading to some interesting situations. Their main rival is Allectus, Carausius’ finance minister who has a few tricks up his sleeve. I didn’t find this story to be as entertaining as the first, but it’s still a good read. Sutcliffe yet again shows her great writing skills in both plot development and character development. This is another great book to read, if you have the time for it.
The last book I’ll be reviewing today is The Lantern Bearers, and its events happen around the year 410. Being attacked on all sides, the Roman Empire was fast dwindling, and needed to conserve resources. As a result, all Roman soldiers were taken out of Britain, leading to wars and chaos among the many tribes. A young man named Aquila (We never get told his first name) is ordered to go to Rome with the rest of his legion, but he deserts to stay with his family. A couple days later, he and his family are attacked by a band of Saxons. Aquila is knocked unconscious, his sister is carried away, and the rest of his family is murdered. Then some Jutes come along, and take Aquila to their homeland as a prisoner. The rest of the novel is about his plans to escape, his journey of revenge, and his attempts to find new meaning in life. It’s a great story, one that describes the chaos of the British tribes following the end of Roman rule. King Arthur even appears, although it’s a much more historical one than the King of Camelot. I would rate this about the same as The Silver Branch, both are great stories. Read them if you can.
Well, that’s my take on the books of Rosemary Sutcliff. I hope you enjoyed this post, and learned something from. If you wanna learn more about Sutcliff and/or Roman Britain, go talk to my friend @emeraldforest193. She’s the only that got me to read The Eagle of the Ninth, and she’s pretty much an expert on this topic. As always, thank you for reading, and I’ll see you next time!
1589-1593- The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare
1590-1592- The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
1591- Henry VI Part 1 by William Shakespeare
Henry VI Part 2 by William Shakespeare
Henry VI Part 3 by William Shakespeare
1592-1594- The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
1593- Richard III by William Shakespeare
Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare
Venus and Adonis by William Shakespeare
1594- The Rape of Lucrece by William Shakespeare
1595- A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Richard II by William Shakespeare
1595-1596- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
1596-1599- The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
1597- The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare
1598- Henry IV Part I by William Shakespeare
Love’s Labor’s Lost by William Shakespeare
1598-1599- Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
1599- As You Like It by William Shakespeare
Henry IV Part 2 by William Shakespeare
Henry V by William Shakespeare
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Early 17th Century- Hamlet by William Shakespeare
1600- Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
1601- The Phoenix and the Turtle by William Shakespeare
1602- Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare
Othello by William Shakespeare
1603- King Lear by William Shakespeare
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
1603-1604- Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
1605-1606- Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare
1605-1608- Coriolanus by William Shakespeare
1607- Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
1607-1608- Pericles by William Shakespeare
1609- A Lover’s Complaint by William Shakespeare
1610-1611- The Tempest by William Shakespeare
1611- Cymbeline by William Shakespeare
1623- All’s Well that Ends Well by William Shakespeare
Henry VIII by William Shakespeare
King John by William Shakespeare
The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare
1667- Paradise Lost by John Milton
1671- Paradise Regained by John Milton
Samson Agonistes by John Milton
1704- The Battle of the Books by Jonathan Swift
A Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift
1726- Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
1729- A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
1811- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
1813- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
1814- Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
1815- Emma by Jane Austen
1817- Sanditon by Jane Austen
1818- Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
1836- Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens
1836-1837- The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
1837- Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
1839- Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
1840-1841- Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens
The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
1843- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
1844- The Chimes by Charles Dickens
1845- The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens
1847- Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
1848- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
1849- Shirley by Charlotte Bronte
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
1853- Bleak House by Charles Dickens
1854- Hard Times by Charles Dickens
1855- Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
1859- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
1861- Silas Marner by George Eliot
1864- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
1870- The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
1871-1872- Middlemarch by George Eliot
1874- Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
1876- Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
1878- The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
1885- King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard
1886- The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
1887- A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
1890- The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
1891- The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle
Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
1892- The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle
1895- Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
1898- Youth by Joseph Conrad
1899- Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
1900- Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
1902- The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
1905- The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
1906- Sir Nigel by Arthur Conan Doyle
1907- The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad
1920- Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence
1923- Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie
1924- The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
1926- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
1927- The Big Four by Agatha Christie
1928- The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence
1930- The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
1934- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
1936- The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie
1937- Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
1938- Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
Out of the Silent Planet by Agatha Christie
1939- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
1940- The Patriotic Murders by Agatha Christie
1941- N or M? by Agatha Christie
1942- The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
1943- The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
1945- That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
Animal Farm by George Orwell
1949- Crooked House by Agatha Christie
1984 by George Orwell
1950- The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
1951- Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
1952- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
1953- The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
1954- The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff
1954-1955- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
1955- The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
1956- The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
The Silver Branch by Rosemary Sutcliff
1959- The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff
1961- The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie
1970- Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie
1975- Curtain by Agatha Christie
1977- The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
