Constant Heart, A

I was looking for a good historical romance novel... unfortunately, I was sucked in by the beautiful cover and reviews from other readers that, for some reason I don't understand, enjoyed this book. First I was thrown off by the odd writing style...It took me off guard until I realized the point of view jumps back and forth between the two main characters. (Would it not have been easier to just write in third person? I'm not sure if this how the author always writes.) At about half way through the book I didn't care what happened to Lytham or Marget. They hate each other, then profess their love for each other out of nowhere-- which completely threw me off! When did this happen... while eating a salad?? I agree that descriptions of the dress and life of a courtier are rich, but that didn't make up for lack of a storyline.

I am not a romance fan. Not at all. I find them superficial, formulaic (admittedly by the publishers who publish them) and generally poorly written. I stumbled upon Siri Mitchell's "Love's Pursuit" because I was doing some research on novels written in a specific historical period. I was so moved by it, so impressed by its quality, that I ran out and got "A Constant Heart". I was not disappointed, and am now an official fan of Siri Mitchell's historical fiction. Once again, I was sorry to see a Mitchell novel end.

"A Constant Heart" shows mixed reviews here, and I am not surprised. For those who are fed a constant diet of formula romances, this will be a surprise. It starts out feeling like a formula romance - save the quality of the writing, specifically the author's ability to paint a time period and show three-dimensional characters up front - but early in the book it takes a turn and we stop with the high school he-loves-me he-loves-me-not why-does-he-hate-me silliness and find a grown-up love story, about two people already committed to one another and struggling to remain faithful to one another and to their morals when the world around them is wallowing in decadence.

The hero and heroine are thoroughly developed, multi-layered and sympathetic. Their relationship travels through better and worse, sickness and health, and richer and poorer, with many surprises and a lot of heartbreak. Mitchell doesn't shy away from the horrors of real life - something so impressive in "Love's Pursuit" (where an unpredictably dark turn left my mouth hanging open)- and she does the same in this book, diving fearlessly into the uglier side of Elizabethan court life, and some consequences which have rarely been examined.

I would say that Mitchell has taken the old romance formula, and raised it to an entirely new standard - one in which characters are thoroughly and deeply drawn, and history springs to life, for better or worse. These are books to be inspired by and learn from. WOW.

I love 15th and 16th century England. It's very hard to find books set in this period from Christian publishers, though I hope they are at least considering broadening their range for historical fiction and not focusing so much on the late-19th-century American West. Yes, I enjoy that period, too, but there is a lot of history that doesn't fall into that category, and that's also worth exploring.

Anyway, I was thrilled to read Siri Mitchell's A Constant Heart. First off, the cover is just gorgeous. Absolutely delicious. And it was fascinating, even heartbreaking, to read about the detrimental lengths that people went to to be fashionable. Of course, Queen Elizabeth I ruled in a very interesting time, and court politics was a dangerous and delicate game to play. The combination of these elements makes for a very engaging read.

Since age five,Marget was been trained for twelve years for one thing -to be an asset to her husband in nobility. Marriages were arranged, a thing expected, understood. She gave herself to a man who clearly was appalled by her- because she had been trained to do so. I find Ms Mitchell historical books FASCINATING!!
I have read enough books in my life that I am really not looking for yet another good read, but once in a while a new author catches your eye and you are richly rewarded.
For the reader who wants only fantasy, all things smooth sailing, no ripples in the pond keep moving on you won't like this one. It is entirely believable!
A young girl trained to please, to be an asset coming into a marriage, in all her innocence. She doesn't know of her husband's devastation by his first wife, she doesn't know the many costs and debaucheries of court life and she doesn't know someone she trusts has her own agenda.
I loved learning about the Court, the Queen and the customs.
And what I especially liked was the fact that Lytham gave his life to pursuing a dream of being a Courtier in the Queen's favor, Marget came along side of him to aid him in this-- what they found was that "it was a cistern, a broken cistern that could not hold water"(Jeremiah 2:13) no matter how much they pored in!!!!
I heartedly recommend this book to anyone who wants a rich, staisfying read!

I loved Siri's book called "Love's Pursuit" and hoped this book was along the same vein. It was not. However, it was written in a very unusual style that kept my attention. I was eager to read it even though I'm not sure if I really enjoyed it that much. But the fact that I still remember it after 2 years may indicate it was a better novel than I am giving it credit for. You read it and be the judge.

I am having a difficult time finishing this book. I find the characters to be stupid and that ruins the book for me. I usually like Siri's books but this one will probably go unfinished.

This book was absolutely delightful. While it was a little easier to put down than Mitchell's book She Walks in Beauty, I was still consumed by the story for the two days it took me to read in between work and daily life. Staying up late was not even a question, the lack of sleep was well worth it for this captivating book of Marget's hope, heart break, struggles, and triumphs while trying to please her husband and survive Queen Elizabeth's court. The historical details itself were very fascinating and it was impossible to avoid being consumed in Marget's character as she strove to do everything to make herself a better countess. My only wish was that the book had not ended and continued farther into the life of Marget and Lord Lytham. I will likely be reading this book again and would recommend it to anyone who likes historical romance without the explicit sexual details that make it a safer read for the conscious reader.

I wasn't expecting such a somber read. I gravitate more to romance and happy, lighthearted stories. This is no such novel.

I almost didn't finish the book because of that. The story is read first-person, and while it's an amazing insight into Marget's life, it's incredibly depressing! But the rawness and depth of depression were written in a way that I felt them myself -- so I have to give the author props for that. It's just that SO many chapters were saddening and not enough were redeeming, for my taste anyways. In fiction, I can only be dragged through a hardship for so long before I need to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. For that reason, this was hard for me to read.

As a Christian fiction novel, I'd still recommend it, but only for older readers that are prepared to deal with the emotions and marital content (clean and purely referential) in the book. It's a Christian novel with flawed characters who deal with real life, not a "religious" novel full of "Christian-ese" -- so I find that refreshing.

I'd recommend this book to someone looking for a mind-altering, change-of-perspective glance into the Elizabethan era -- something that looks beyond the romance to the incredible hardships a lady in the Queen's court faced daily. It could be a good character study or controversial fodder for a book report.

But if you like lighthearted & happy romances, skip this one.