Pamela Kaufman

I was often rather irritated by this novel which was very much at the romantic end of the spectrum of historical fiction. There was very little genuine Medieval atmosphere and the dialogue often felt rather modern. My main complaint though was the hopelessly romantic view of Eleanor as a modern feminist figure and the depiction of Henry II, one of the most complex and fascinating of Medieval kings, as nothing more than a one-dimensional rapist and thuggish brute. There were also a number of show more anachronisms such as mention of Black Death, the Atlantic Ocean, cholera and chantilly lace. show less

I picked this one expecting a solid historical romance fiction book set during the Third crusade with young adult flavor.

Sure enough, the protagonist is an eleven-year-old girl, and the plot is linear, a coming-of-age-quest story with gender-bender elements but it is, by my standards, wholly adult. First of all Alix, the protagonist, is basically the only character so young, then the book deals a lot with very delicate subjects, ones that may be out of the comfort zone for some, like rape, show more ghastly superstitions, the treatment of women as chattel, 'peccatum illud' and sexual awakening at tender age. However, the culture is the Middle-Ages' and the whole story is from the point of view of child Alix, certainly not well-versed to worldly affairs and perils, but all her experiences, the sorrow, the joy, the horror and the feelings she discovers are conveyed through her eyes and untried perceptions, rendering some crude passages and the moral decay behind the gilt with appropriate tact.

The historical background is really a protagonist in itself, the beginning of the Crusade from England to France to Sicily to Cyprus and Acre, it feels vivid and it is probably accurate, along with the right dose of speculation and fiction.
I never had a strong feeling of deliberate gruesomeness but the author goes a little for shock value, in the historical events and most prominently in depicting the medieval society of the time.

Welcomed tropes, plot stretching, time skips, improbable expedients and convenient bends are also present, not too obtrusive for the whole structure of the tale, the historical part is surely stronger (including a certain irony on the Church, the "sheep masses", the game of kings and religion in general) than the characterization or the plot anyway. I had an easy time accepting what was going on, after all some aspects were so exaggerated (like the impromptu I-am-a-boy antics) I think I was expected to overlook the fantastic.
The protagonist is compelling but not always consistent, she is terribly naive in a scene and a consummate manipulator in another, but on the whole the story flows nicely and I liked it. The portrayal of Richard The Lion-Heart is a mix of history, myth and speculation, oh yes I liked it. The Scot protagonist speaks a very peculiar dialect, I guess it may be another technique of the author to stress authenticity, a bit confusing at first since all the others speak modernly with a choice of archaic colloquialisms or expressions like "I trowe" or sooth supplanting truth. Not detracting.

In short, a nice read, light on characterization, entertaining on history, even-paced and surely not lacking in humor. Of course I'll read the sequel.
But I wasn't really prepared to an encounter with Robin Hood. show less

Alix of Wanthwaite makes for a lively, albeit naive, narrator in this adventurous tale set among medieval castles, crusades, secretive kings, and chivalrous knights. After her father's castle is raided and her parents' are brutally murdered, Alix assumes the disguise of a boy to travel to the king to regain her lost estate. Along the way, she gains a quarrelsome Scot as a travelling companion and finds herself embarking on crusade with King Richard I. Alix makes for a spirited narrator, show more although her naivety can be exasperating as the reader is likely to guess many of the secrets and twists before Alix discovers them. Nevertheless, fun reading. show less

While a fascinating look at a very well known name that no one seems to really know much about, this book doesn't actually achieve it's purpose: to present Eleanor in a favorable light. Kaufman tries to paint her as a strong, intelligent, capable woman who was devoted to her children and caught up by forces beyond her control, yet there was always an undercurrent of helplessness about Eleanor. Nearly every time that Eleanor was faced with stark facts, she devolved into hand-wringing whining show more about her love, her land, and her children that accomplished nothing, and only managed to extend the danger to herself and her country.

That said, I did enjoy the glimpse into the events and people. Kaufman has an easy writing style that lets one flow with the narrative without making me want to skip ahead. show less