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Book Review
Aug. 9th, 2023 01:12 pmThe Proud Villeins
by Valerie Anand
This older historical novel is set in 11th and 12th century England and follows several generations of peasants descended from Ivon Clairpont, a Norman knight taken prisoner in England before the Conquest and sold as a thrall to a northern lord. His descendants maintain the belief that they are descended from a freeman but attempts to secure their own freedom come to naught and often sorrow.
Each of Ivon's descendants has a different perspective on freedom and the avenues available to achieve it. Some of them long for freedom while others concentrate on building good lives within the strictures of serfdom. Ivon Oddeyes, Clairpont's grandson, was the most frustrating character in this regard. Having survived King William's harrowing of the north, he harbors an intense hatred of Norman nobility, causing him to deny his heritage. However, it is only through claiming this heritage that he can escape the serfdom he also hates. His inability to reconcile this conflict blights much of his life. The tensions between a desire for freedom and the cost of obtaining eventually bring a terrible tragedy to Oddeyes' grand-daughter Margaret, who I found to be the most sympathetic character.
I very much enjoyed the glimpse The Proud Villeins gives of medieval peasant life in all its hardships, sorrows, and fleeting joys. Most of the history I learned treats villeins as a undifferentiated mass and discusses their lives and condition in generic terms. Anand does an excellent job of showing what these people may have been like as individuals.
by Valerie Anand
This older historical novel is set in 11th and 12th century England and follows several generations of peasants descended from Ivon Clairpont, a Norman knight taken prisoner in England before the Conquest and sold as a thrall to a northern lord. His descendants maintain the belief that they are descended from a freeman but attempts to secure their own freedom come to naught and often sorrow.
Each of Ivon's descendants has a different perspective on freedom and the avenues available to achieve it. Some of them long for freedom while others concentrate on building good lives within the strictures of serfdom. Ivon Oddeyes, Clairpont's grandson, was the most frustrating character in this regard. Having survived King William's harrowing of the north, he harbors an intense hatred of Norman nobility, causing him to deny his heritage. However, it is only through claiming this heritage that he can escape the serfdom he also hates. His inability to reconcile this conflict blights much of his life. The tensions between a desire for freedom and the cost of obtaining eventually bring a terrible tragedy to Oddeyes' grand-daughter Margaret, who I found to be the most sympathetic character.
I very much enjoyed the glimpse The Proud Villeins gives of medieval peasant life in all its hardships, sorrows, and fleeting joys. Most of the history I learned treats villeins as a undifferentiated mass and discusses their lives and condition in generic terms. Anand does an excellent job of showing what these people may have been like as individuals.
