Book Review
May. 28th, 2008 03:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariThe Lords of Vaumartin
by Cecilia Holland
Cecilia Holland is one of my favorite authors of historical fiction, and this book was one of her best. The Lords of Vaumartin is set in France during the mid-14th century and concerns the lives and choices of Everard, who is the rightful lord of Vaumartin, and Josseran, Everard's uncle who is holding the lands and castle until Everard reaches his majority. The two do not have a good relationship and after the battle of Crecy , Everard disappears to Paris where he spends some time in abject poverty, survives the Black Death, and becomes a scholar. Josseran continues on with his career as a noble knight, which eventually brings him into conflict with the French king. The novel takes a fascinating look at the rise of the scholarly world, the waning of chivalry, and the emergence of the merchant class as a power bloc.
by Cecilia Holland
Cecilia Holland is one of my favorite authors of historical fiction, and this book was one of her best. The Lords of Vaumartin is set in France during the mid-14th century and concerns the lives and choices of Everard, who is the rightful lord of Vaumartin, and Josseran, Everard's uncle who is holding the lands and castle until Everard reaches his majority. The two do not have a good relationship and after the battle of Crecy , Everard disappears to Paris where he spends some time in abject poverty, survives the Black Death, and becomes a scholar. Josseran continues on with his career as a noble knight, which eventually brings him into conflict with the French king. The novel takes a fascinating look at the rise of the scholarly world, the waning of chivalry, and the emergence of the merchant class as a power bloc.
