Cathie Dunn writes...
Historical Mystery & Romance
Today, I’d like to introduce you to another read I can
highly recommend: Crusader’s Path by Mary Ann Bernal!
I’m delighted to take part in this blog tour organised by
The Coffee Pot Book Club.
Crusader’s Path is a gripping historical novel that goes into great detail – a real treat for those with an interest in the First Crusade and the late 11th century in general.
We meet several characters along the way, all with their own burdens:
Avielle: A young woman with the skills of a healer. When she falls in love with Gideon, a young Jewish man in denial about his religious heritage, she sets a series of events in motion that lead her to join Peter of Amiens on his crusade.
Etienne: A young knight, landholder and liege man of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, at whose side he remains rather than looking after his estate. Unable to stay in the confines of his home and marriage, Etienne follows the duke’s call to go on crusade.
Duke Robert of Normandy: Always fighting for his rights against two overbearing brothers – King William Rufus of England and Henry Beauclerc (the future King Henry I of England) – Robert decides to leave Normandy to go on crusade, instead of securing his hold over Normandy.
All characters are flawed. The author does well not to paint them in a romanticised fashion, but instead she creates flesh-and-blood characters who make mistakes, and who know they've done wrong. As readers, we might disagree with some of their decisions, but we have to respect their autonomy and choices. Without giving away too much, I thought that their actions were well-written and realistic for the times they lived in.
Avielle and Etienne meet during their journey. They fall in love, but each is also torn by their own weaknesses. The way to Jerusalem is perilous, bringing both into danger as they search for redemption.
I found Crusader’s Path a very interesting novel. It’s packed with historical detail, and at times it reads like a history book. I like that as I’m always interested in the background to the novels I read. It also helps that I know the real historical characters at play here (and their political shenanigans), so I could easily get lost in the story itself without too much distraction of looking up names.
Mary Ann Bernal has written a moving tale about characters who follow their instincts, who make mistakes, and who pay the price for them. The setting is as authentic as it can get, and I felt catapulted (pun intended) into the action. A highly recommended read!
My thanks goes to The Coffee Pot Book Club for a copy of the novel. Views are entirely my own.
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