Product Description

In an outlying village in a far-away valley a young woman is assaulted and falls pregnant. The beloved pastor's stiffened corpse is found on the forest path, and winter keeps its grip on the land until June. Despondency and unease take root. When rumours begin to spread of the approach of a mysterious figure, a stranger astride a magnificent brown stallion, the conviction grows that he alone can lead the village through its hour of need. Accepting the villagers' invitation to settle in the valley, Nathaniel Cadwallader ushers in a golden age of faith and tranquility. Yet there are those who resent the ease with which he holds the village in the palm of his hand, and when a beautiful outsider attempts to claim the carpenter as her own, the spell is broken with tragic consequences. A magical story of belief, superstition and innocence lost, which compels the imagination long after the final page is turned.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1773428 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 215 pages

Review
In a village in a remote valley a young woman is assaulted and falls pregnant. The local pastor's corpse is found on the forest path, and winter keeps its grip on the land until June. Despondency and unease take root. When rumours begin to spread of the approach of a mysterious stranger astride a brown stallion, the conviction grows that he alone can lead the village through its hour of need. Accepting the villagers' invitation to settle in the valley, Nathaniel Cadwallader ushers in a golden age of faith and tranquillity. Yet there are those who resent his hold over the village, and when a beautiful outsider attempts to claim the carpenter as her own, the spell is broken, with tragic consequences. A magical story of belief, superstition and innocence lost.

About the Author
Charlotte Fairbairn was born and raised in Scotland, read languages at Oxford and now lives with her husband - conductor, Ross Pople - and two small children in rural South Cumbria. She is currently at work on a new novel, A PAEAN FOR ISMENE BROWN, which will also be published by Review.

Customer Reviews

A beautiful read
This is a beautiful, lyrical story imaginatively written. Through the delicate threads of the narrative we are introduced to the cast of characters who all live in a village in some slightly misty past. We grow to recognise their inadequacies, their need to create something outside themselves not only to pin their hopes and dreams on but to blame for their fears and weaknesses. Nathaniel Cadwallader gently touches the lives of each and everyone of them transforming the village.
However, along with the villagers we learn the simple lesson, sensitively written, that the strength, the kindness, the courage we seek is often within us. After all Nathaniel Cadwallader was just an ordinary decent man.
I enjoyed reading this book and found the author's style unusual and compelling. This is a book well worth reading.

The ultimate adult fairy story
This book is a breathtaking comment on today, set in a timeless village of yesterday. As well as being a completely gripping story that holds the reader entranced until the end, it is an astute comment on our social expectations; it draws out the underlying need for people to find something to believe in, and the way that speculation and rumour can so easily become accepted as fact. Then, as we are drawn into the village life that is portrayed, we see the actions and reactions of different characters as the plot unfolds and their dream-god is unveiled as simply the good and quiet man he always was. Reading this book is a powerful experience not to be missed.

I really liked this
Despite the clumsy title I found this a deeply rewarding and worthwhile read. It is classically in the magical realist mold and beautifully written.