The Ravenmaster’s Boy
Mary Hoffman
The Greystones Press, 2017
Paperback, 224 pages, £8.99
ISBN 9781911122135
The Ravenmaster’s Boy is a nuanced and dark tale, and Hoffman casts a new perspective on the Tudor legacy. The
book centres on Kit Wagstaffe and his ability to communicate with the Ravens. When we are first introduced to Kit, he
is trapped beneath the bodies of his mother and father on the plague cart. He is rescued and adopted by the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. As Kit grows up, he learns the language of the Ravens and becomes highly skilled in his communication with them. As he attempts to save Queen Anne Boleyn from prosecution, Kit’s relationship with the Ravens is imperative.
This is a majestic book in many ways. Hoffman’s anthropomorphic Ravens are deeply symbolic as they represent prophecy and insight. Their ability to be all-knowing deepens our interaction with the characters and the inevitable downfall of Anne Boleyn. Kit’s increasing anxiety and dismay is quite poignant as a reader — given the contextual knowledge of the Boleyn-Tudor events, we know that Kit will be unsuccessful despite his best efforts. However,
Hoffman frames the scenes with beautifully descriptive images that are evocative and appealing. There is a darkness that echoes under the watchful eyes of Kit’s Ravens, a haunting quality that lingers throughout the narrative.
Overall, this is an enchanting read that embraces history in a fresh and nuanced manner.
Jade Dillon
(This book may be difficult to purchase, so if you have difficulty we encourage
you to check your local library.)
For all historical fiction fanatics this read is fun and exciting and it is a brilliant page-turner for readers wanting to learn a little more about life in Shakespeare’s England. Possibly, Mary Hoffman sometimes sacrificed character development and plot intricacies for a more educational approach. In this way, this is the perfect read for anyone fascinated by the early modern period, with an exciting supernatural twist. However, there were times when some seemingly important details were left unexplained and unexplored as a result.
