My Favourite Historical Novel of 2015
Plaint for Provence
by
Jean Gill
by
Jean Gill
This is the third novel in The Troubadours Series but it can easily stand-alone for readers new to Jean Gill’s fascinating series about the political intrigue and culture of French court life in the twelfth century. The strong opening of this novel hooked me immediately; it is wonderful to read fiction were even the personalities of the minor characters leap off the page with wiliness and humour. Jean Gill is a strong writer who sweeps you along into her world and never leaves you struggling to understand the motivation of the characters or the historical background of their realm.
Rich in historical detail, this novel brings alive all aspects of mediaeval life from the high-born pursuits of hunting, jousting and politics, to the simpler occupations of the peasants, like bee-keeping. But the dazzling background never overshadows the stars of the novel: the enlightened and musically gifted Estela, and her knight, Dragonetz.
Now parents, I felt a growing maturity and wisdom evident in the two lovers. A dazzling swordsman and equally gifted singer, Dragonetz treads a wary path in ‘Plaint for Provence’ between two feuding overlords as he tries to keep the fragile peace between the resentful and warring factions at the court of Les Baux. With friends in both camps, we feel his dilemma. Yet he adapts to the role with style, proving himself both a brilliant diplomat and a wily adversary.
This is historical fiction at its best.
Rich in historical detail, this novel brings alive all aspects of mediaeval life from the high-born pursuits of hunting, jousting and politics, to the simpler occupations of the peasants, like bee-keeping. But the dazzling background never overshadows the stars of the novel: the enlightened and musically gifted Estela, and her knight, Dragonetz.
Now parents, I felt a growing maturity and wisdom evident in the two lovers. A dazzling swordsman and equally gifted singer, Dragonetz treads a wary path in ‘Plaint for Provence’ between two feuding overlords as he tries to keep the fragile peace between the resentful and warring factions at the court of Les Baux. With friends in both camps, we feel his dilemma. Yet he adapts to the role with style, proving himself both a brilliant diplomat and a wily adversary.
This is historical fiction at its best.
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