Historical Fiction - Review #1

Schlitz, Laura Amy. 2007. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village. Ill. by Robert Byrd. Cambridge: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763615789.

Summary-
This book is a crossover between the historical fiction genre and the poetry genre. It is a collection of monologues and dialogues set in a medieval village in England in 1255. The voices are of the children and young adults who tell about their world through their own experiences.

Characters-
Many different classes and trades are represented by the young characters and it is not hard to find one with which to identify. For instance, who has not shared in the feeling of being laughed at but not understanding why? Such is the experience of Isobel, the lord's daughter. Opposite Isobel is Barbary, a young lady burdened with her tasks and station in life who sees Isobel, with her many privileges, and feels momentary outrage at the unfairness of the situation. Young men may identify with Hugo, the lord's nephew as he is off on his first hunt and his first kill.

Plot-
As the stories are told, we glimpse the life of medieval children. We learn of Will, the plowboy, struggling to farm the family's land after his father's death. We learn of boys, like Thomas, the doctor's son, and Otho, the miller's son, who are expected to follow in their father's occupational footsteps. Then there is Simon, the knight's son, who has aspirations of following his father into knighthood but never will because his father's participation in the Crusade has left his family bankrupt.

We learn of the tension between Christians and Jews from the dialogue between Jacob Ben Salomon, the moneylender's son, and Petronella, the merchant's daughter. We see their discovery that they are not really so different from one another after all. Through all these stories and more, we meet children, young people, and even parents who are from a different time and a different place, yet not so different from us.

Setting-
The medieval village is very different from modern day America. At the beginning of the book is a map. It shows the lord's manor and town inside the stone wall, the village outside the stone wall but within the wooden fence and gate, and the village and fields outside the gate. We are told stories of life in all three areas. On this map, each character is drawn and named to show their "place in time."

Some day-to-day challenges of living in a medieval village truly turn the stomach. Lowdy, the varlet's child, who lives inside the stone wall, laments about the pests, namely lice and fleas, which she must deal with daily. Mogg, the villein's daughter, who lives outside the wooden fence and gate, notices how the lord, "pinches his nose when he enters our hut," (pg. 25) and how their cow's dung patched the roof all through the winter.

Theme-
We each have a place to belong. This timeless theme echoes throughout the book. The characters are from all walks of life, classes, and professions yet each has his own place. Some characters are content, others are not. Some are acutely aware of their station while others are truly oblivious.

Style-
Schlitz chooses to write in three forms, namely free verse poetry, rhyming verse poetry, and prose. She gives each character a voice by varying the forms. Nelly, the sniggler's voice is prose. "I was born lucky. Nay, not born lucky, as you shall hear--but lucky soon after and ever after." (pg. 75)

Otho, the miller's son's voice is rhyming verse with a repeating refrain that echoes the constant, trudging spin of the water wheel.
"Oh, God makes the water, and the water makes the river,
And the river turns the mill wheel
and the wheel goes on forever.
Every man's a cheater, and so every man is fed,
For we feed upon each other,
when we seek our daily bread." (pg. 27)

Alice, the shepherdess' voice is free verse poetry.
"My mother died when I was born,
so I was suckled by one of the sheep.
It's made me--my father says--
more sheep than human,
which is true." (pg. 14)

Throughout the book, time specific vocabulary is used. For example sooth for truth and what's amiss for what's wrong. Many unfamiliar words are explained in the margins of the book. In addition, the author helps clarify thoughts and feelings of the time in the margins as well.

Also, there are six background pieces sprinkled throughout the book that further explain some aspects of medieval life, such as the three-field system, medieval pilgrimages, the Crusades, falconry, etc.

Personal Note-
I mentioned to my fourteen year old son that he would enjoy reading this book. He told me he had already picked it up off my desk and read about a few of the characters. He especially liked Hugo, the lord' son, off on his first hunt. Since my son loves to hunt, he knew exactly what Hugo was feeling.

Review Excerpts-

Kirkus Reviews -"Schlitz takes the breath away with unabashed excellence in every direction."

The Horn Book -"Schlitz gives teachers a refreshing option for enhancing the study of the European Middle Ages: here are seventeen monologues and two dialogues that collectively create a portrait of life on an English manor in 1255."

School Library Journal - "Couplets, blank verse, and prose bring children living in a medieval village in 1255 to life in this Newbery Medal-winning book (Candlewick, 2007) by Laura Amy Schlitz....The language is lyrical and the separate stories mesh to provide a rich picture of medieval life."

Connections-

*Choose a character to portray as a monologue or dialogue. After all, this book was written specifically for this purpose. Have fun being someone who lived long ago.

*Read Crispin: the Cross of Lead (ISBN 9780786816583) by Avi. Can you find similarities between this book and Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village? Can you find the same types of people in both books? Compare any characters you find common to both books.

*Read other books about medieval times.

• Damsels Not in Distress : the True Story of Women in Medieval Times by Andrea Hopkins. ISBN 9780823939923
• Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Medieval Castle by Joanna Cole ISBN 9780590108201
• The Middle Ages by Andread Bachini ISBN 9780764109485