Product Description

When a comet appears in the sky over England in 1066, Ailith, a young Saxon wife, feels sure that it can only bode well, in spite of her husband's fears. With a child on its way, the couple are prosperous and content. Yet, within a year, Ailith's joy turns to heartache as her husband and her child are taken from her and the conquering Normans advance. Ailith's grief turns to love for a brief period with Rolf de Brize, a handsome and womanising Norman invader. She bears him one daughter, but in the aftermath of the Battle of Hastings she discovers a betrayal she cannot forgive ...Years later, the spirited and strong-willed Julitta is determined to find happiness, and yet her life has been filled with pain: from surviving life in a brothel in Southwark to suffering the pain of a forbidden love and a bitter, loveless marriage. Her quest takes her on a Pilgrimage to Compostella to a colourful horse fair in Bordeaux, to the terrors of piracy on the open sea.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23851 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 576 pages

Review
'The best writer of mediaeval fiction currently around' - HISTORICAL NOVEL REVIEW 'From the first page the characters gripped me. They are beautifully drawn, varied and wonderfully real. The plotting is intricate and it moves along at a satisfying pace. This is a terrific read and the only problem is the inability to put it down' - Marina Oliver

About the Author
Elizabeth Chadwick lives near Nottingham with her husband, two sons and assorted animals including cats, dog and guinea pigs. She is the author of 14 historical novels, four of which have been shortlisted for awards. She is very involved in historical enactments.

Customer Reviews

A fantastic Read, Unputdownable
Ailith, is a young Saxon wife. It is the year in which she loses both her husband and young son, and the year in which the Normans come, not as friends, but in search of conquest. Ailith tries to kill herself but a handsome Norman man Rolf de Brize rescues her, he then decides to take her as his chatelaine at his English estate, although he has a wife and daughter in France, he and Ailith fall in love and have a daughter Julitta. Although later Ailith finds out things were not as they seem a discovery of a betrayal at the battle of Hastings's can she ever forgive? As I read this book I really felt in touch with the character's that is as a story should be, definitely a recommended read.

Thoroughly enjoyable read
The second of Chadwick's novels I've read and this one is just as enjoyable as "The Champion". My only negative comment is that, like "The Champion", the ending is a little predicatable and nowhere near as strong as the rest of the novel.

good read
a good read one of Ms Chadwick's best I'd say - I'd also suggest Helen Hollick's Harold the King, another good book that fits super as a prequel to this one