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jessalynn_librarian's review
3.0
It's been a while since I finished this one, so I'm trying to pull up the impressions that stuck with me. The sense of place and culture was strong without being overly descriptive. Simple things like Gatty's use of language compared to more sophisticated characters said a lot quickly. Which isn't to say that the book doesn't indulge in rich descriptions of teeming cities or mountain passes or sea voyages - something which may disappoint readers reading for plot. The characters are pretty great, and easily distinguishable despite their large numbers. I would be inclined to give the book another star except for one thing that was both tantalizing and extremely annoying. This is the first of Crossley-Holland's books that I've read, and it turns out that Gatty was a more minor character in another series. Mostly I love it when that happens - I suspected some characters also appeared in his Arthur trilogy, and I was happy at the thought of turning to those books next. But THEN - mild spoiler - the emotional weight of the conclusion was somewhat dependent on readers knowing what was set up in those books. Not completely - the conclusion still made sense emotionally - but I felt cheated. If this is a stand-alone title, I'll enjoy references to other books, but I don't want the stand-alone book doing the business of resolving issues raised in other books. I don't want to suddenly feel like I'm missing out. I'll probably still read the Arthur trilogy, but I liked the style, but I'm peeved.
notajapanesecarcompany's review
1.0
I hated this. I kept waiting for something to happen, and nothing ever did.
thisgrrlreads's review
3.0
Medieval girl on pilgrimage. Disease and disaster happens. I'd like it better if I liked books about medieval pilgrimages better.
somechelsea's review
3.0
A solid but not amazing book. (Reading the author's bio, it turns out that this is connected to an earlier Arthur trilogy he wrote, which makes me wonder if prior knowledge of the characters would have made it a better read. More on that in a minute.)
Gatty's voice is fabulous. I mentioned in a review the other day that I dislike tongue in cheek historical fiction, where the author gives their characters knowledge they would not have had at the time, and Crossley-Holland completely avoids that. Gatty is bright but completely uneducated, young and naive, sweet but bullheaded, and a great character.
The overall plot was very slow to begin and then flew through the last third of the book - the characters were traveling so fast I had to keep rereading to make sure I knew where they were.
I found her romance with Arthur very odd, because we as readers don't meet him until the last 15 or so pages. Gatty thinks and talks about him frequently, and there are other connections throughout the book, but it struck me as a very odd way to write a romance, even if it was a side plot. (Explained, I think, by the fact that Arthur has his very own trilogy by the author, presumably giving more background between the two characters.)
I could have done without the hints of dues ex machina at the end, but overall a very interesting look at a time period I don't often read about.
Gatty's voice is fabulous. I mentioned in a review the other day that I dislike tongue in cheek historical fiction, where the author gives their characters knowledge they would not have had at the time, and Crossley-Holland completely avoids that. Gatty is bright but completely uneducated, young and naive, sweet but bullheaded, and a great character.
The overall plot was very slow to begin and then flew through the last third of the book - the characters were traveling so fast I had to keep rereading to make sure I knew where they were.
I found her romance with Arthur very odd, because we as readers don't meet him until the last 15 or so pages. Gatty thinks and talks about him frequently, and there are other connections throughout the book, but it struck me as a very odd way to write a romance, even if it was a side plot. (Explained, I think, by the fact that Arthur has his very own trilogy by the author, presumably giving more background between the two characters.)
I could have done without the hints of dues ex machina at the end, but overall a very interesting look at a time period I don't often read about.
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