A review by tasmanian_bibliophile
To Calais, in Ordinary Time by James Meek

4.5

 

‘A company of archers pervenes to Malmesbury imminently, on its way to France.’ 

England, 1348. Three very different people meet on the road to Calais. Bernadine, a gentlewoman, is fleeing an arranged marriage. Thomas Pitkerro, a proctor having finished his work in Malmesbury, is returning home to Avignon, and Will Quate, a young ploughman and skilled bowman, is on his way to volunteer with a company of archers. Heading towards them is the Black Death, the plague which will eventually wipe out half the population of northern Europe. 

Having provided three interesting main characters, Mr Meek intensifies the story by using language which would often be more familiar to the 14th century characters than to the 21st century readers. Unfamiliar language slowed me down, enough to appreciate the alien (to me) world in which I found myself but never stopped me following the story. Will the world end, as the clerics claim? Should the archers be concerned about past misdeeds, or simply focus on the present? And what of Lady Bernadine? 

There are other characters as well: the language they use reflects their social status, as do their concerns. Thomas Pitkerro does not know what he will find, Will Quate seeks adventure while Lady Bernadine wants the freedom to make her own choices.  But as they travel, as the Black Death becomes ever present, I am reminded of present-day uncertainties as the current pandemic commenced its spread a couple of  years ago (after this novel was written). And, as in 1348, pandemics know no social boundaries. 

I wondered, as I read, what it would be like to be travelling at such a time. I marvelled at the ingenuity and courage of some and at the opportunism of others. This is a challenging and rewarding read. 

Jennifer Cameron-Smith