Medieval Historical Novel
Title of Book:
The Heaven Tree trilogyAuthor of Book:
Edith PargeterHistorical accuracy
Spot-onStory and writing quality
A great read!Would you use this to get someone interested in the MA?
YesWhy?
The book is set in a tumultuous era in history (12th C.) in England and France; the characters are from a cross-section of medieval society. The author's historical accuracy is impeccable.
Would this be good for younger readers?
MaybeExplain
A precocious, book-loving twelve year old with an interest in the Middle Ages would love it.
My Review
Pre-dating Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth by nearly 30 years, this trilogy is far better. Follett must have used it as a template: Two generations of men, father and son, are possessed by the dream of building a great and ground-breaking style of English cathedral. Private passions and secrets exposed in the final volume give flesh and blood to the brutal era of civil war and poisonous politics.
Unfortunately it is out of print, but I have found two used copies of the trilogy bound in one volume -- one is a 'loaner,' the other will never leave my hands!
Pargeter wrote the Brother Cadfael mysteries under the pen name Ellis Peters. Her historical fiction (this trilogy and the tetralogy "The Brothers of Gwynedd Quartet" are much superior.
