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WORK TITLE: Song of Isabel
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 1935
WEBSITE: www.idacurtis.org
CITY: Seattle
STATE: WA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2018055648
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2018055648
HEADING: Curtis, Ida, 1935-
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010 __ |a no2018055648
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca11313379
040 __ |a UOr |b eng |e rda |c UOr
046 __ |f 1935 |2 edtf
100 1_ |a Curtis, Ida, |d 1935-
370 __ |f Newington (Conn.) |f Vancouver (B.C.) |e Seattle (Wash.) |2 naf
372 __ |a Fiction |2 lcsh
373 __ |a Indiana University |2 naf
374 __ |a Novelists |2 lcsh
375 __ |a Females |2 lcdgt
377 __ |a eng
378 __ |q Ida M.
670 __ |a Curtis, Ida. Song of Isabel, 2018: |b title page (by Ida Curtis)
670 __ |a Ida Curtis, via WWW, 25 April 2018: |b (Born in Connecticut in 1935; grew up in Newington (outside Hartford); contracted polio in 1953 and was hospitalized at the Newington Home and Hospital for Crippled Children; married Jerry (Jared); completed B.A. in history at Indiana University in 1969; moved to Vancouver in 1971; began to write novels; moved to Seattle in 2002)
670 __ |a Familysearch, via WWW, 25 April 2018: |b (Ida M. Curtis; residence: Seattle, Washington; spouse: Jared Curtis)
PERSONAL
Born April, 1935, in New Haven, CT; married Jared Curtis; children: Randy, Idamay.
EDUCATION:Indiana University, B.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada, student advisor and supervisor, beginning 1971; retired.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Connecticut-born novelist Ida Curtis’s entire future was placed in doubt when, at the age of about eighteen, she contracted a debilitating disease. “Life in Newington [Connecticut] was good until the summer of 1953 when I contracted polio,” Curtis explained in an autobiographical sketch appearing on her home page, the Ida Curtis website. “During the contagious stage I was a patient at McCook Hospital in Hartford, then was moved to the Newington Home and Hospital for Crippled Children. Although Newington was my hometown, I had no idea what a different world I’d discover in the hospital.” While she was confined to the hospital, however, she met her future husband Jared Curtis, a classmate, who sparked her interest in literature.
Curtis began her career as an author only after having worked in academia for decades. Her first novel, Song of Isabel, was based on readings she had been assigned in a history course at Simon Fraser University, where her husband taught for many years. The central character in the novel, a ninth-century Frankish woman, was based on a historical figure: Dhuoda, Duchess of Septimania, a province of the Frankish empire that Charlemagne had put together a generation earlier. Her husband, Bernard, had made enemies of Charlemagne’s grandsons, who were fighting among themselves for power. He had to surrender Dhuoda’s eldest son William as a hostage. Dhuoda responded by writing a handbook for William advising him on how to negotiate the often-deadly court politics of the time. “This woman ran the estate in the absence at court of her husband and wrote forcefully and wisely from what was clearly a position of self-confidence and strength,” Curtis told Joyce Lamb in a Happy Every After website interview. “That so impressed me that I began to sketch out a story based on a young woman of similar resourcefulness and intelligence who makes her way from the rural estate of her father to the court. The end result of that was Song of Isabel.“
Song of Isabel evokes both the setting and the spirit of the world in which Duchess Dhuoda lived. “The factual aspects of the book are well researched,” asserted Caitlyn Lynch in a review on her eponymous website, Caitlyn Lynch, “and include real historical events, such as the (temporary) banishing of Queen Judith from Louis’ court.” Eight years before the story begins, a preteen Isabel, daughter of Lord Theodoric of Narbonne, was threatened with assault by a wandering soldier. She was rescued by a blond warrior who never showed her his face. The assault had a huge impact on Isabel and she holds the trauma inflicted on her as a shield, fending off her father’s attempts to marry her off. When Isabel turns twenty, however, the stranger shows up again. It turns out that he is Chetwynd, her brother’s friend. Isabel and Chetwynd enter a marriage of convenience—he wants to escape a rumor that has linked him to the queen, while Isabel wants to avoid exile into a convent. However, as the two travel to Louis the Pious’s capital of Aachen, their shared experiences begin to draw them closer together. “Curtis,” reported Melanie Bates on the RT Book Reviews website. “… brings to life a world filled with heroic battles, distinctive characters and high-stakes tension that will keep readers turning the pages.”
In general critics enjoyed Song of Isabel. “From the first pages, it’s pretty clear how the book will end,” declared a reviewer for Historical Novel Society website. “That said, I kept wanting to read, and the story was in the end satisfying.” Curtis’s historical romance, stated Booklist reviewer Nicole Foti, “is well suited for readers looking for an easy-reading traditional love story with a romantic, nostalgic setting.” “Readers looking for a change from Regency and Victorian romance,” assessed a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “may find this a worthwhile diversion.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, March 15, 2018, Nicole Foti, review of Song of Isabel, p. 26.
Publishers Weekly, February 5, 2018, review of Song of Isabel, p. 48.
ONLINE
Caitlyn Lynch, https://www.caitlynlynch.com/ (April 19, 2018), review of Song of Isabel.
Happy Ever After, https://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/ (April 17, 2018), Joyce Lamb, “Interview: Ida Curtis, Author of ‘Song of Isabel.’”
Historical Novel Society, https://historicalnovelsociety.org/ (August 1, 2018), review of Song of Isabel.
Ida Curtis website, https://www.idacurtis.org (April 7, 2018), “History and Fiction;” (August 1, 2018), author profile.
RT Book Reviews, https://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (August 1, 2018), Melanie Bates, review of Song of Isabel.
ABOUT ME
Born in Connecticut in 1935, I grew up in Newington, a small town outside Hartford. During high school I worked at the soda fountain in the local drugstore where my friends enjoyed large ice cream cones and sundaes with lots of chocolate syrup.
Life in Newington was good until the summer of 1953 when I contracted polio. During the contagious stage I was a patient at McCook Hospital in Hartford, then was moved to the Newington Home and Hospital for Crippled Children. Although Newington was my hometown, I had no idea what a different world I’d discover in the hospital on the hill.
The first happy surprise was finding myself in a ward with eleven lively teenagers, some confined to bed in large body casts and others moving around with crutches. They were all eager to learn what was wrong with me and how much I could move. By this time I was completely paralyzed with only limited movement of my right arm and hand. My roommates were all dressed and there was not a hospital gown or pair of pajamas in sight.
The hospital had a surgery, provided rehabilitation, and included a school where many of the students attended classes in beds pushed to the schoolroom by a porter named Charlie. He enjoyed referring to the room of teenage girls as the crazy ward.
Since the hospital was in my hometown, I assumed I’d be able to see my friends every day. The unhappy surprise was that visiting hours were confined to Saturday and Sunday for only one hour. In addition, only two visitors were allowed on the ward at one time. One visitor, Jerry Curtis, was a year ahead of me in High School and about to start his first year at Yale University. He surprised me by asking if he could write to me, and I was delighted to agree. As Jerry was studying American Literature, he sent book suggestions and helped me become an avid reader.
Since progress in regaining the use of my limbs was slow, I attended my senior year of high school in her bed. Although I was still unable to sit up, I graduated high school at the hospital in June 1954. It took another year for me to be able to use a wheelchair and go home for weekends.
When I finally left the hospital, I attended St. Joseph College in West Hartford, Connecticut. Jerry and I married at Christmas time in 1956, and in the new year I finished my second year at College while Jerry completed his degree at Yale.
Jerry and I moved often, following his academic career moves, and had two children along the way. I often took courses at the colleges where Jerry was a student for an advanced degree or taught, and I finally completed my B.A. in History at Indiana University in 1969.
Our family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1971 where Jerry became an English professor at Simon Fraser University. His nickname disappeared and he was called Jared to distinguish him from the other Jerrys in the department. I worked in the Geography Department where I advised students and supervised staff. After retiring, and inspired by my historical studies, I began to write novels.
Jared and I moved from Canada to Seattle in 2002 to be near our son Randy, who had recently married Amy Hamblin. We were delighted when our granddaughter Alice was born. Our daughter Idamay, who had been living in Calgary, Alberta, soon joined us and married Alan Hall.
Print Marked Items
Song of Isabel
Nicole Foti
Booklist.
114.14 (Mar. 15, 2018): p26.
COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Song of Isabel.
By Ida Curtis.
Apr. 2018.350p. She Writes, paper, $16.95 (9781631523717); e-book, $9.95 (9781631523724).
Set against the historical backdrop of France in 825, Curtis' novel is a classic tale of high drama and romance. A decade after the great conqueror
Charlemagne's death, the political turmoil continues. Isabel remains cloistered away on her father's estate, denying marriage proposals, and
readers will appreciate her wit and sexuality, which rebuff traditional gender stereotypes. When Lord Chetwynd, a handsome general who years
ago saved Isabel from rape, passes through the estate, Isabel's life changes. Isabel and Chetwynd form a truce: marriage to Chetwynd will allow
her to travel to the city where she can join her older brother, and for Chetwynd, marriage will dampen court gossip of his dramatic affair with the
queen. Once these goals are achieved, the two agree they will annul the marriage. But as their travels take them down dangerous roads, the lure of
adventure and companionship lead the two into a passionate romance. Song of Isabel is well suited for readers looking for an easy-reading
traditional love story with a romantic, nostalgic setting.--Nicole Foti
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Foti, Nicole. "Song of Isabel." Booklist, 15 Mar. 2018, p. 26. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A533094458/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=29b09f19. Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A533094458
Song of Isabel
Publishers Weekly.
265.6 (Feb. 5, 2018): p48.
COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Song of Isabel
Ida Curtis. She Writes, $16.95 (352p)
ISBN 978-1-63152-371-7
In this carefully researched but clumsily constructed medieval romance set in what is now France and Germany, Lady Isabel, the headstrong
daughter of Lord Theodoric, makes an error common to many romance heroines: an enticing dip in a secluded pond. Such swims generally end in
discovery by a predator or by the hero. Here, fortunately, it is her brother's friend Lord Chetwynd who appears. Isabel has idolized the handsome
warrior from the court of King Louis the Pious since he rescued her from vicious attackers when she was a child, and he now provides Isabel with
escape from her home through a marriage of convenience. The setting and political intrigue are unusual and appealing, but debut novelist Curtis
does not explain why her Frankish hero has a distinctly English name, it's never clear why she emphasizes the marriage-of-convenience device in
an era when such alliances were the default, and her characters often speak as if they are from the 19 th century rather than the ninth. Readers
looking for a change from Regency and Victorian romance may find this a worthwhile diversion. Agent: Elizabeth Kracht, Kimberley Cameron &
Assoc. (Apr.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Song of Isabel." Publishers Weekly, 5 Feb. 2018, p. 48. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A526810405/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=f9a93edd. Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A526810405
Interview: Ida Curtis, author of ‘Song of Isabel’
By: Joyce Lamb | April 17, 2018 12:01 am
Ida Curtis
Joyce: Welcome to HEA, Ida! Please tell us a bit about your new release, Song of Isabel.
Ida: In ninth-century France, a young officer in the king’s army rescues preteen Isabel from an assault by a passing warrior. When the officer returns to her father’s estate several years later, sparks fly and emotions tangle.
Joyce: What inspires your book ideas?
Ida: I took a history course at university that focused on ninth-century France. One of the texts was a translation of a manual written by a noblewoman for her sons to prepare them for life at court, to teach them how to steer clear of the intrigues that plagued those attending the king. This woman ran the estate in the absence at court of her husband and wrote forcefully and wisely from what was clearly a position of self-confidence and strength. That so impressed me that I began to sketch out a story based on a young woman of similar resourcefulness and intelligence who makes her way from the rural estate of her father to the court. The end result of that was Song of Isabel.
Joyce: Do you write by the seat of your pants, or do you carefully plot your stories?
Ida: As I suggested earlier, character is what starts me off. Strong-mindedness, independent thought and a determination to achieve a goal are appealing traits to me. That’s usually my starting point. But such qualities call up their opposites, self-doubt, submissiveness and the possibility of failure — failure in love, in plans for the future and in life itself. Once this character’s inner life is shaped, what’s next is to imagine other strong characters — strong in different ways — who interact with the main character.
Joyce: Would you like to share a favorite moment from your writing career?
Ida’s granddaughter helps her grandmother celebrate her contest win.
Ida: I submitted three opening chapters of Song of Isabel to the annual contest held by the Pacific Northwest Writers Association in 2014. At the convention, during the award ceremonies, names of winning writers in each category were called and the winner stood to acknowledge the applause of the audience. When my name was called as the winner in the historical romance category, my 9-year-old granddaughter jumped and pointed demonstratively to her grandmother to both laughter and applause. It was a great moment for all of us and especially for me.
Joyce: Is there a TV show that you’ve recently binge-watched?
Ida: Bones is one rather lengthy series that I watched in its entirety with my husband. It had all the elements I like in fiction: a strong, intelligent lead female character, exciting adventure, a romance and supporting characters who are multidimensional and interesting.
Joyce: What are three romance novels on your to-be-read list?
Ida: I follow closely the careers of Sandra Brown, Jayne Ann Krentz and Nora Roberts. Though very different from one another, they are writers whose skill and inventiveness I admire. I look forward avidly to reading each new novel they publish.
Joyce: What would be your dream vacation?
Ida: While I was working, going on vacation allowed me time to spend writing. Two favorite holiday locations were Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands and La Paz in Baja California. Each of these locations inspired me to write stories set in what were to me exotic places. Orcas Island provided the setting for a story about a young woman in a wheelchair who works as the director of recreation in a Seattle hospital. A gift of land on Orcas to the hospital prompts Meg’s boss to send her there to assess the defunct resort as a potential summer camp for children with disabilities. Conflict arises between Meg and Aaron, the resident caretaker (and aspiring writer), who resents giving up his hide-a-way home to a noisy children’s camp. But they join forces when a local realtor plots to take over the site for a housing development. She and the handsome young caretaker take counter measures to save the property for the owner’s intended use. The other story, set in Baja California, involves a young woman, Martha, who vacations in La Paz in part to locate her younger sister who is on a kayaking trip, but also to escape an unsatisfying relationship with a fiancé in Los Angeles. At a local restaurant, she meets Miguel, who helps her order a meal from the Spanish-only menu. After a rocky start, the couple teams up to find Meg’s missing sister and face danger from Los Angeles criminals whose drug-smuggling operation Miguel, an undercover policeman, had exposed.
Joyce: I don’t suppose you’d want to share a picture of you with your ’80s or ’90s hair or perhaps a prom picture?
Ida and her now husband, Jared, in 1973.
Ida: The picture I’m sharing is of me and my husband, Jared, taken in the mid-’70s, when we were living in Vancouver, B.C. His moustache and double-breasted plaid jacket are long gone. After two bouts with cancer, I no longer have the shapely bust.
Joyce: What a blast from the past!
What’s coming next?
Ida: The brother and sister of the heroine and hero of Song of Isabel meet in that novel and sparks fly between this couple, too. So, I decided to give them their own novel to work out their own story. She is a novitiate in a convent, a nun in training but not yet formally a nun, and he is a diplomat at court, a counselor to King Louis the Pious. Their “journey” together is very different from that of their siblings in Song of Isabel and has its own primarily emotional twists and turns.
Joyce: Thanks, Ida!
About Song of Isabel:
Lady Isabel is just twelve years old when Lord Chetwynd rescues her from being raped by warriors in his company. When they meet eight years later, each has a good reason for entering an arranged marriage. Together, they embark on a perilous journey to the court of King Louis. On the way, danger from enemies on the journey brings them closer together; when they arrive at court, rivalry and intrigue nearly parts them. Ultimately, however, they survive these trials through their own native wit and charm―and gain new respect and love for one another.
Rich with historical detail and drama, Song of Isabel is a compelling novel of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue.
About Ida
Born in New Haven, Conn., in April 1935, Ida Curtis grew up in a small town near Hartford, Conn. After marriage, she and her husband raised a family of two children, moving around the United States as his academic career dictated, living for the longest period in Vancouver, British Columbia. After retirement, they moved to Seattle to be near their son and daughter. Based on a handbook written by a ninth-century widow of a wealthy landowner to educate her sons, Song of Isabel captures what life was like for a young noblewoman of that period.
Find out more at www.idacurtis.org.
Song of Isabel: A Novel
RT Rating:
Genre:
Romance, Historical Romance, Fantasy, Medieval
Setting:
Medieval France Empire
Sensuality:
Hot
Published:
April 17 2018
Publisher:
She Writes Press
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RT Review Source
RT RATINGS GUIDE
5 GOLD: Phenomenal. In a class by itself.
4 1/2: TOP PICK. Fantastic. A keeper.
4: Compelling. A page-turner.
3: Enjoyable. A pleasant read.
2: Problematic. May struggle to finish.
1: Severely Flawed. Pass on this one.
SONG OF ISABEL
Author(s): Ida Curtis
Curtis’ historical romance is an engaging read filled with intrigue. With a strong, fearless heroine in Isabel and a formidable though gentle warrior in Chetwynd, readers will be drawn into their story. The romance between Isabel and Chetwynd is lovely, sensuous and passionate and their connection is a natural one. Set against the backdrop of the Frankish Empire, Curtis, with her captivating storytelling, brings to life a world filled with heroic battles, distinctive characters and high-stakes tension that will keep readers turning the pages.
A mysterious blond warrior saves 12-year-old Lady Isabel from being raped by soldiers, and though she isn’t able to see his face clearly, she will always remember him as her champion. Eight years later, 20-year-old Isabel still thinks of him and even looks for him among the soldiers that stop by her father’s manor. One day, he finally arrives at her manor, discovering him to be Lord Chetwynd, a soldier in the service of King Louis and a friend to her brother.. Isabel wants to journey to the royal court to meet her brother, so when Isabel’s grandmother suggests she and Chetwynd marry and travel as husband and wife, both Chetwynd and Isabel reluctantly agree, knowing the marriage will be temporary. The marriage will bring protection to Isabel as she journeys along the dangerous roads and it will allow Chetwynd to fulfill the personal request given to him by Justin to bring his sister to him. Their time together bonds them as their feelings for each other deepen into love. (SHE WRITES PRESS, Apr., 344 pp., $16.95)
Reviewed by:
Melanie Bates
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Song of Isabel
BY IDA CURTIS
Find & buy on
Lady Isabel, daughter of Lord Theodoric of Narbonne, is twelve years old when she is attacked by soldiers and rescued by a stranger whose face she does not see. Eight years later, the stranger returns, this time with a name attached: he is Lord Chetwynd, a friend of her long-absent brother.
Although Chetwynd had intervened before the soldiers could do their worst, the attack damaged Isabel emotionally and she has used it as an excuse to avoid the marriages her family has attempted to arrange for her. Her desire now is to visit the royal court to see her brother and if possible avoid being sent to a convent. For reasons that don’t bear up to too much scrutiny, Isabel and Chetwynd marry so that she can travel to court with him. Marriage also serves as cover for him as he extricates himself from some sort of relationship with the queen. They agree to have the marriage annulled as soon as convenient.
Needless to say, the two are thrown together in every way imaginable in the course of their journey. They share a bed in order to avoid suspicion and ride together in physical contact. He tries to master sexual temptation in order that she will be untouched and able to marry again, while she demonstrates ingenuity in dealing with the intricacies of court and in freeing herself from kidnappers.
The setting is 9th-century France, shortly after the death of Charlemagne, although the basic dynamics of the relationship could have taken place in any number of eras. From the first pages, it’s pretty clear how the book will end. That said, I kept wanting to read, and the story was in the end satisfying if somewhat predictable.
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Details
PUBLISHER
She Writes
PUBLISHED
2018
GENRE
Romance
PERIOD
Early Medieval (to 1337)
CENTURY
9th Century
PRICE
(US) $16.95
ISBN
(US) 9781631523717
FORMAT
Paperback
PAGES
350
Review
APPEARED IN
HNR Issue 84 (May 2018)
REVIEWED BY
Martha Hoffman
© Historical Novel Society 1997-2018
© 2016 by Catherine Bilson
Caitlyn Lynch
Romance and Erotica Author
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Book Review: Song of Isabel by Ida Curtis
April 19, 2018
Caitlyn Lynch
Set in the Frankish Empire during the reign of Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, Song of Isabel stands out simply for being set in an unusual time period and location for historical romance. The ninth century is viewed as being the Dark Ages by many people, but in France and Germany at the time was a thriving and sophisticated medieval society.
The author’s bio states “Based on a handbook written by a ninth-century widow of a wealthy landowner to educate her sons, Song of Isabel captures what life was like for a young noblewoman of that period.”
Frankly, that’s where things go a bit wrong, because that sounds like a really intriguing piece of women’s fiction, whereas the actual book is pretty much your standard medieval romance. Lots of crises where the heroine needs rescuing, a Superior Warrior hero, a feisty heroine who is Not Like Other Girls - Isabel’s only saving grace is that she does have female friends who are portrayed well, though not as her equals.
The factual aspects of the book are well researched and include real historical events, such as the (temporary) banishing of Queen Judith from Louis’ court and the determination of Louis’ older sons (Lothar in particular) to cut Judith’s son Charles out of the line of succession. The romance itself is quite well written too, with a believable progression of emotions between Chetwynd and Isabel, and Isabel was a pretty good self-rescuing princess most of the time.
The issue I have with the book is that it’s ‘not what it says on the tin’. The only real part where ‘daily life’ is detailed is a short episode at Chetwynd’s manor where grapes are harvested and crushed for winemaking. I was honestly looking forward to learning more about the minutiae of life in the ninth century and less of the fabricated crises and drama which made this read pretty much like every other medieval romance on the market. I enjoyed the read, but finished it feeling a little disappointed; I’d probably give it 3 ½ stars, rounded up to 4 for those sites which don’t allow half stars.
Song of Isabel is available now.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley
Tags:
historical romance
medieval romance
4 star review
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