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charlotte_owl's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This has to be one of the best historical fiction novels I have ever read. Set in place in a small village in 1321 England, the author does a stunning job at creating the setting and shaping the atmosphere. The story has many different POVs, and the author does an amazing job at making each voice sound different, and with giving them a unique personality with pluses and negatives. This story is about a village and a "house of women." It is a troubling time, full of famine and death, and people are starting to turn away from Christianity and towards "the old ways" when an Owlman ruled. I one hundred percent recommend this book.
irurian's review against another edition
1.0
I've read about half of this & that is more than enough for me. I hate to abandon books, but I can't see any point in continuing on.
Firstly, I thought that the writing was poor. Every chapter is told from the point of view of a main character, but I felt like none of the characters were distinct enough for it to work. Additionally, the writing itself was very heavy-handed at times, which I believe detracted from the overall story.
Pacing was also an issue. It seemed as though nothing of substance had actually happened by the time I decided to abandon the book. Perhaps the author was going for a slower burn than I wanted, but combined with no interesting characters, I was bored out of my mind.
Just really disappointing, since the concept of the book was so promising. The struggle for power over a relatively unimportant town with competing ideologies is a fascinating concept. Unfortunately, the execution just wasn't there.
Firstly, I thought that the writing was poor. Every chapter is told from the point of view of a main character, but I felt like none of the characters were distinct enough for it to work. Additionally, the writing itself was very heavy-handed at times, which I believe detracted from the overall story.
Pacing was also an issue. It seemed as though nothing of substance had actually happened by the time I decided to abandon the book. Perhaps the author was going for a slower burn than I wanted, but combined with no interesting characters, I was bored out of my mind.
Just really disappointing, since the concept of the book was so promising. The struggle for power over a relatively unimportant town with competing ideologies is a fascinating concept. Unfortunately, the execution just wasn't there.
chrissireads's review against another edition
3.0
This would've been 3 and a half stars if I could've given the book half stars. I much preferred this book to Company of Liars. It was gripping!
antithesis90's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the best books I've read in a long time; I read it straight through without being distracted by something else. Plus it's one of the few books that actually freaked me out enough to leave the light on for a few nights! Very Gothic in its tones, I particularly liked the different narrative points, which helped me feel as if I knew what was happening although I was clearly being led down different paths and at the author's mercy. I preferred this book to her "Company of Liars", but also heartedly recommend that. Anyone who likes a good mystery, reading about paganism and/or Christianity, or likes a good read, read this!
1librarianspath's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the somewhat open ending, the variety of characters (which helps give a more well-rounded view of the story), and the range of personalities too. I felt it jumped a bit too quickly between characters though, and the first 10-20% is much slower than the rest. There are parts that feel like they drag, while others are rushed over. This does mean that any violence doesn’t feel gratuitous though, as these are often brief scenes (unlike with any bodily fluids during illness though). Osmana and the Martha’s are great character’s and the overall strong female storyline is good too. This is a somewhat larger book. Although it is enjoyable, it did feel like a larger book. I wouldn’t write off more Maitland though.
morawynsmom's review against another edition
4.0
Love her writing, the plot is intriguing, but I am just not in the mood for a medieval mystery from multiple points of view, will for sure come back and finish this another time.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this more than the author's previous book and recommend it highly if you enjoy historical fiction. This book is set in 1321 and is not only gripping but I felt you learnt a little something along the way about that period of history. For example, the fascinating little facts interspersed between narrators about the saints days and what they were thought to represent at that time.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘... a legend can only die if no one speaks its name’
The setting for this novel is a fictional English village named Ulewic. During 1321-22, the village is struggling with a number of natural and supernatural forces. The villagers’ lives are shadowed by the Owl Masters and haunted by the Owlman who leaves death and destruction in his wake. The novel centres on a beguinage, a religious community of women, originally from Bruges and newly established outside the village. The tensions between the beguinage, the village priest and the townspeople themselves build through ignorance, fear, envy and are fuelled by illness, natural disaster and manipulation.
The narrators include a number of different characters, alternating throughout the story and each with their own perspective of events.
For this novel, this works particularly well because of the combination of pagan and Christian beliefs, of belief in the supernatural and superstition. The narrators include: the Servant Martha (the leader of the beguins), the teenaged Agatha/Osmanna (the cast out daughter of Ulewic’s most powerful man who is accepted into the beguinage); Father Ulfrid (the village priest) and a village child.
I enjoyed this novel. I liked some characters, detested others and was fascinated by the concept of beguinage. This novel is of the Dark Ages in both time and setting, but some aspects transcend the passage of time.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
The setting for this novel is a fictional English village named Ulewic. During 1321-22, the village is struggling with a number of natural and supernatural forces. The villagers’ lives are shadowed by the Owl Masters and haunted by the Owlman who leaves death and destruction in his wake. The novel centres on a beguinage, a religious community of women, originally from Bruges and newly established outside the village. The tensions between the beguinage, the village priest and the townspeople themselves build through ignorance, fear, envy and are fuelled by illness, natural disaster and manipulation.
The narrators include a number of different characters, alternating throughout the story and each with their own perspective of events.
For this novel, this works particularly well because of the combination of pagan and Christian beliefs, of belief in the supernatural and superstition. The narrators include: the Servant Martha (the leader of the beguins), the teenaged Agatha/Osmanna (the cast out daughter of Ulewic’s most powerful man who is accepted into the beguinage); Father Ulfrid (the village priest) and a village child.
I enjoyed this novel. I liked some characters, detested others and was fascinated by the concept of beguinage. This novel is of the Dark Ages in both time and setting, but some aspects transcend the passage of time.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith