Comments on: REVIEW: City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin

By: Jayne

Jayne — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:22:59 +0000

Isn’t it all kinds of wonderful? I adore the “Mistress” books but am greedy enough to want more like this one.

By: Sherry Thomas

Sherry Thomas — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 04:40:42 +0000

I bought a copy to give to Janine. This book so rocked.

By: Susan/DC

Susan/DC — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:34:03 +0000

I love Norman’s writing — she’s like Tom Stoppard in that she has so many layers to her works yet she never lectures and they are never less than extremely entertaining. She’s the epitome of show, don’t tell. I even tracked down “FitzEmpress Law” and borrowed it from the Library of Congress, one of the advantages of living in DC. I’m so glad to hear she’s more prolific than I thought and has this second persona.

By: DS

DS — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 15:35:02 +0000

Diana Norman is her real name– she is the wife of Barry Norman. I’ve a stack of her books as Diana Norman which I plan to read as soon as I have some time to actually sit down and stare at a page. I suppose it’s too much to hope that they will come out on Audible any time soon.

By: sandy l

sandy l — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:14:51 +0000

I had no idea that this author was also Diana Norman. Thanks for the heads up. I loved Mistress of the Art of Death and hope there is a sequel.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:52:25 +0000

Jorrie, I can only guess that she’s doing more “suspense” as Franklin and more straight historical fiction as Norman. I’m saving “Mistress” til later this year as it won’t be until 2008 that her next Franklin book is scheduled to be released.

By: Jorrie Spencer

Jorrie Spencer — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:48:45 +0000

Okay, I’m going to have to check out one of these Ariana Franklin books. I’m curious why she uses two pen names-’branding of some sort?

By: DS

DS — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 03:09:33 +0000

Another vote for Mistress of the Art of Death. I downloaded it from audible.com.

By: LinM

LinM — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 00:39:06 +0000

After reading this book the first time, I had a hard time reading any other romances. I wanted every book to have nuanced characterization and compelling, overwhelming descriptions of time and place. Great book.

By: Aoife

Aoife — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 23:44:03 +0000

I loved this book. So, so satisfying, on every level, even if I was totally wrung out at the end. Mistress of the Art of Death is next.

By: Keishon

Keishon — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 22:47:14 +0000

Love this woman’s work like a fat kid loves candy. Excellent novelist.

By: Marg

Marg — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:12:18 +0000

I only know one other person who has read this, and they said it was boring. I have to admit that I am now a bit of a Diana Norman fan girl so I will read basically anything by her! I ended up having to buy this one from the UK but I am sure that it will have been worth it!

By: jenreads

jenreads — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:10:26 +0000

I love her Diane Norman books but think I like her Ariana Franklin books even better. This year’s “Mistress of the Art of Death” is a medieval set in England and features a female Italian doctor. I loved the way she made the period come alive and illuminated the many prejudices of the age. Anyway, I highly recommend her books, no matter what name she’s writing as.

Jen