Pamela Bennetts
Pamela Bennetts, born Pamela James on July 23, 1922, in Hampstead, London, was a prolific author known for her historical fiction and mystery novels. After a long career with the Church of England, where she served as deputy secretary of the London Diocesan Fund, Bennetts began writing in 1968. Her literary works often explored dramatic historical figures and events, spanning periods from the Crusades to the Renaissance. She skillfully intertwined fictional characters with historical narratives, creating engaging subplots that resonated with contemporary readers.
Notable works include *The Borgia Prince* and *Death of the Red King*, the latter delving into the death of King William II of England while featuring modern portrayals of women and their struggles. Bennetts also published under the pseudonyms Margaret James and Helen Ashfield, with some novels set in Victorian London and others in Regency England, combining elements of romance and mystery. Her unique storytelling approach has left a lasting impact on the genre, appealing to a wide audience with her blend of historical accuracy and vivid character development. Bennetts passed away on December 11, 1986, leaving behind a rich legacy of literature.
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Pamela Bennetts
Writer
- Born: July 23, 1922
- Birthplace: Hampstead, London, England
- Died: December 11, 1986
Biography
Pamela Bennetts was born Pamela James on July 23, 1922, to William Courtenay James and Margaret Broadbridge James of Hampstead, London, England. She attended Emmanuel Church School and St. Marylebone School for Girls. She joined the staff of the London Diocesan fund of the Church of England in 1938 and retired in 1980 as its deputy secretary. In 1942, she married William George Bennetts, and the couple had one child.
Bennetts began her literary career in 1968 with the publication of her first novel, The Borgia Prince. She published steadily and prolifically under her own name as well as two pseudonyms until her death on December 11, 1986.
Bennetts’s own life may have been ordinary, but the lives of her characters were extraordinary. She plumbed history from the Crusades to Renaissance Italy to the nineteenth century for dramatic figures, such as the Borgias or Richard the Lionheart, and crucial historical moments, such as the nobles’ showdown with King John at Runnymede that led to the Magna Carta. She then fleshed out these figures and events with fictional supporting characters who remained true to the historical details of life in the period, although they conveyed a more empathetic subplot of frustrated romance or intrigue which many times supplemented or mirrored the main plot. In A Dragon For Edward, for example, a Romeo-and-Juliet subplot of love between an English lord and the daughter of a Welsh clan member supplements the main action of King Edward I’s wars to annex Wales.
Death of the Red King provides a look at Bennetts’s brand of historical fiction. The novel, narrated by an omniscient third person, is set in 1100, thirty-four years after the Norman Conquest of England and four years after the start of the Crusades. The central plot concerns the death of William Rufus, the son of William the Conqueror who reigned as King William II until he was shot through the heart with an arrow while hunting in New Forest. Subplots present the heiress of a wealthy baron who seeks out the king in an attempt to buy her way out of an unwanted marriage; a suspicious nobleman loyal to the king’s brother, Robert Curthose of Normandy; and practitioners of pagan rituals that require human sacrifice. The plots converge on the day of William II’s death. While Bennetts remains true to history and the details of the period, her characters also appeal to modern readers. The heiress is a thoroughly modern woman who refuses to be treated like an object to be bartered.
Bennetts published many novels in the United States under the name Margaret James, and many these novels can be characterized as mystery thrillers. Many also use historical settings, such as Victorian-era London. Bennetts also published novels in the United States under the pen name Helen Ashfield, including the Regency Jewel series of romances. These books are set in the nineteenth century and feature protagonists who are named after royal jewels, such as ruby, emerald, or pearl, and who rise from obscure beginnings to a life of privilege and love by marriage to a nobleman. Two of these novels were published posthumously in 1987.