Great Gisborne Book Pawns Saga ebook
Prue Batten's first historical novel could not be more different from her fantasy Eirie series, and yet the same strengths that make those novels so satisfying make GISBORNE an absolute joy to read. This is a story of a desperate journey of two touchy, suspicious, and independent people who alternately support and misunderstand each other while their world collapses around them.
Ysabel's return home after her mother's death, accompanied by her father's estate manager, begins slowly and sadly enough. Their long slog across 12th century Europe reveals glimpses of a world, in William Manchester's words, lit only by fire. Soon the pace quickens, as loss and danger drive them fearfully onward. Ysabel and Gisborne forge an uneasy alliance that somehow manages to endure death, dirt, terror, loss and the beginning of a love that will cause them as much despair as happiness.
Taking readers to 12th century Aquitaine and England is as much of a challenge as taking them to any fantasy world. Batten's understanding of this world is profound, and she wears her learning lightly enough to make every potentially jarring historical fact seem natural. The flow of the narrative glides around and over the details of daily life, and illuminates the characters rather than distracting from their story. Her characters also seem products of their time, and not transplants from 1190 dressed up in Gothic costume . Ysabel's acceptance of disasters that befall her and Gisborne's drive to succeed under the political realities of his time reveal a strong-mindedness that must have been absolutely necessary for survival in that remote age.
In her previous books, set as they were in a world of folk-tale and legend, characters were few and appear as people in fairytales do: to fulfill a specific purpose with great economy. GISBORNE, however, is filled with a wonderful variety of characters from all levels of society from kitchen slaves to kings, and Batten gives each of them an individual voice and soul. All the characters in this book seem to have a tart ness and strength that helps the reader endure their hopes and disappointments, and look forward to the next stage in their adventures.
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