Adieu, Ms. Small
Posted Fri, 04/03/15
Bertrice
Small has always been one of my favorite authors. I was barely
seventeen years old when I first read
Love Wild & Fair. Back in the day, some critics dismissed Ms.
Small's books as common romantic fluff with borderline pornographic
fodder. Her novels were in the romance genre with plenty of explicit
sex, but her writing style bespoke much more than that. Her books were
interwoven with historical accuracy as her fictional characters
interacted with true figures in time. Ms. Small's descriptions of
clothing, food and architecture were rich and in step with the time
period of various storylines.
She was a prolific writer by any standard, having published more than fifty novels. She also wrote several sagas, including the Leslie Family Series, Border Chronicles, Wyndham series, Friarsgate Inheritance, O'Malley Family Saga (my favorite), Skye's Legacy Series, Silk Merchants Daughters and World of Hetar series. The books provided me - along with millions of others - many years of pure reading enjoyment.
Ms. Small passed away last February. I was unaware of her demise until yesterday, when I began reading the first book in the Silk Merchants Daughters series ("Bianca"). I was intrigued by mention of another series I haven't read yet (The Border Chronicles), so I went to Ms. Small's official web site to find out more about the books. I noticed her web site has not been updated since last year, which led me to do a search on her name. NPR and USA Today carried articles about her passing.
NPR reported:
Small was known for epic, flowing storylines that combined fascinating historical tidbits and larger-than-life characters; her best-known work was the Skye O'Malley series, which starred a swashbuckling pirate queen who commanded her own fleet and once bested Queen Elizabeth I in a battle of wits.
Ms. Small was apparently working on the fourth novel ("Serena") in the Border Chronicles when she passed, with plans for another series in the works. It's just so sad she never got to finish.
Rest in peace, Ms. Small - and thank you for the many years of reading pleasure. You will always be at the top of my list.
Tags: Books & Reading