About
the Book:
Ol’
Teg o’ the Hills, the witch who lives on Black Mountain, has the
ancient olivewood cup that Colin Hay brought from Glastonbury Abbey
when it was closed by King Henry VIII. Forced to flee her mountain
retreat by the spiritual powers she has served all her life, Teg
travels to Glastonbury and far beyond to learn more of this thing of
power she pulled from the ashes of the fire that killed her daughter.
Along the way she meets Colin’s fiancée Alice Thatcher, a group of
people willing to risk their lives to read the words of a God she
despises, and the Lord of the cup—the only One who can satisfy the
thirst of her heart. But can she ever truly be free of her
past?“You’re only a peasant masquerading as a lady,” the
vindictive priest of Alice’s old parish tells her when she marries
Colin Hay and moves to Honddu Vale. Alice misses her friend “Goody
Tegwyn.” She tries to live up to all that is expected of a lady,
supporting Colin as he struggles under his father’s debts, and
following all her friend Catherine Price’s instructions on manners.
But her womb is cursed, and she can’t perform even the most basic
duty of a wife—give Colin a child. How far will Alice go to be a
mother? When Goody Tegwyn returns to Honddu Vale, can Alice save her
from her enemies?
My
Review:
Hardy
has done a good job of bringing us into Wales in the 1540s. It was an
era when superstitions abounded and people put their hope in things
like amulets. There were also those who were early Protestants and
read the Bible in English. But there were also powerful Catholic
priests who continued to wield their power.
The
narrative is told through the eyes of two women. Hardy develops their
characters well. The adventures and struggles Tegwyn experiences
gives us an idea of the spiritual warfare of the time. The life of
Alice yields insights into the class structure of the time. Alice
married for love into a higher class but not all women were so
fortunate. A friend of hers, Joan, is forced into an arranged
marriage. The plight of women in general during the time was not
pretty.
What
I have appreciated most about this series is the meticulous research
Hardy has done to give readers a real sense of life during this time. What I liked most in this novel is the idea of God redeeming and
restoring the life of a repentant person. What a great representation
of the life transforming nature of the gospel. I also liked the
suspense at the end.
This
is the third novel in the Glastonbury Grail series but reads rather
well on its own. Hardy includes enough back story in this one to be
enjoyable but I have liked the series well so recommend the earlier
books too.
You
can read a sample chapter here.
You
can read my review of the first book in the series, Glastonbury Tor,
here and the second one, Honddu Vale, here.
My rating: 4/5 stars.
LeAnne
Hardy has a BA in philosophy (Indiana University) and an MA in library
and information science (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis) and is
the author of several novels for teens and adults. She grew up in the
Midwest but has since lived in six countries. She and her husband now live in the family lake home in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. They
have two married daughters and three grandchildren.
Independently
published, 410 pages.
I
received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the
publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
(My star
ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I
hate it.)
No comments:
Post a Comment