Crusader's Path
By Mary Ann Bernal
"Did not the walls of Jericho fall after the Israelites
walked around them? … Is not our faith equal to theirs, if not greater?"
Etienne d'Argences did not need much encouragement to heed
the call of His Holiness, Urban II. If Duke Robert of Normandy intended to
fight in this Holy War, then Etienne would as well.
Avielle had to get away from Cologne, for there is nothing
left there for her but bittersweet memories. When Avielle hears Peter of
Amiens' sermon, she feels compelled to join his army and march towards
Jerusalem.
But when Avielle reaches Constantinople, her life is
irrevocably changed forever...
From the mountain tops of Cologne, where the lepers made
their home, to the Siege of Jerusalem, Crusader's Path by Mary Ann Bernal is
the unforgettable story of two people who find love amongst the carnage of the
First Crusade.
What a journey Bernal takes her readers on! Crusader's Path
is a richly detailed and emotionally charged story that is utterly
unputdownable. With carefully crafted prose and a narrative that is as lucid as
it is detailed, Bernal shows us what the Holy War was like for both the
Crusaders and those who got in the way of their goal. It is a story of
sacrifice and loss, but above everything else, it is a story of love. This is
the kind of book that sends shivers down your spine.
The heroine of this tale is a young woman called Avielle.
Having suffered so greatly with the loss of her father to leprosy, Avielle has
great compassion for the sick and the shunned. She risks her health, and indeed
her own life, to nurse those with the disease. Avielle trusts God to keep her
safe — a trust that is sometimes misplaced. And yet, her faith isn't shaken,
and she continues to look to Him for guidance. Her story is a tragic one. She
is a lost lamb that seems forever out of reach of the Good Shepherd. Avielle
also carries a tremendous burden of guilt which leads her to some extraordinary
situations. She feels compelled to follow Peter's Crusade to the Holy Land,
where she witnesses the most appalling atrocities, which makes her question the
holiness of the army she is following. However, she is still convinced in
divine intervention and indeed, when Avielle chooses to follow her own path and
not one ordained by God, she finds herself in the most desperate of situations.
Avielle is an extraordinarily complex heroine who is almost like a feather
caught in the breeze — she does not quite know where she is going to land. I
thought Bernal portrayed Avielle with great skill and diligence. I really
enjoyed reading about her and this perilous journey that she finds herself on.
Etienne d'Argences is an intriguing protagonist who is pulled
in several very different directions during this book. He single-mindedly
pursues his own desires. He is determined to follow Duke Robert wherever he may
lead, but by doing so, he sacrifices many people along the way, including his
wife. Often Etienne finds himself conflicted between reason and emotion — he
knows his wife needs him, but when he is at his estate with the people who love
him, he feels stifled and he cannot wait to leave again. Initially, he sees
love as an obstacle that he has to overcome, and it isn't until he meets
Avielle that he realises that love should have been his goal all along. Bernal
has really captured the essence of a Crusader who longs for adventure and the
comradeship of his Lord and fellow knights. His relationship with Duke Robert
is an interesting one — it is not the usual relationship one would expect to
find between a Duke and his knight — they are each other's confidante and above
everything else, best friends. His relationship with Avielle has a similar feel
to it, except romantic love is also added to the equation. I adored Etienne,
and I enjoyed reading about him.
This portrayal of love in Crusader's Path is slightly
different when compared to what one would expect from a traditional historical
romance. It takes a while for the two protagonists to find each other, which
worked exceptionally well for this story. Etienne and Avielle's love is forged
in the fires of a Holy War. Their love is a welcomed relief to the horrors of
the battlefield and the sickroom. But it is also a love that cannot be
withheld, despite the social difference between the two. Etienne and Avielle
are not looking for love when they find each other, but they both recognise
that they are meant to be together, which is exceedingly romantic.
Bernal has masterfully depicted the horrors of the First
Crusade. There are some profoundly upsetting scenes in this book, and there are
certainly many casualties in this war. Bernal's portrayal of what became known
in history as the Rhineland Massacres of the Jews, in particular, the
persecution and the destruction of Jewish communities in Mentz (Mainz) left me
reaching for the tissues. The Siege of Antioch was also particularly well-drawn
— Bernal captured the horrors in the Crusader's camp as food ran scare and
disease took hold. She also demonstrated the rivalry between Godfrey of
Bouillon and Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, fabulously. The historical
detailing in this book is staggering. Bernal has captured the very essence of
what it must have been like to follow men such as Peter of Amiens (Peter the
Hermit) and The Army of Robert Curthose of Normandy which was led by Robert,
Duke of Normandy.
If you are looking for your next great Historical Fiction
book then look no further than Crusader's Path by Mary Ann Bernal. I think this
may well be Bernal's best book yet!
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.
Pick up your copy of
Crusader's Path
