The book does an excellent job of combining historical facts and effective, three-dimensional characters fleshed out in very few words. The characters and their stories often overlap or interact with the the one right before or after, but there is not an overarching story- more like a poetic cycle that gives an overall picture when taken together. A full stratum of society is represented, from the lord's daughter to the miller's son to the village half-wit. The word portraits are simply illustrated in the style of a medieval illumination or tapestry, and interspersed with simple introductions to related historical topics such as Pilgrimage, the Crusades, and Falconry. Mostly written in different poetic forms, and all intended to be read aloud as monologues or two-person vignettes. a collection of 17 short portraits of young people living in a medieval English village. In a Nutshell: vignettes on medieval life for one or two readersĪnd the Newbery goes to. Good read for fans of Napoli and realistic medieval fiction.īook: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village Like in the Icelandic saga it's based on, this retelling leaves several important elements unresolved, which was unsatisfying to me but true to the story, and it also recreates Melkorka's situation and frame of mind more authentically for the reader, since she never found out either. There's also basic pronunciation guide for medieval characters like ð and þ, but a glossary with more complete pronunciations would be helpful.
There's a simple map included for the visual among us, like me. Napoli integrates lots of info about life in medieval northern Europe, and Ireland in particular.
Well-written retelling with good major and minor characters. They go from Ireland through the North Sea to what is now Sweden, where her captor intends to sell them all as fine young virgins. Melkorka has always been free with voicing her questions and opinions, but now staying silent is what's keeping her safe, since the leader believes she has powers and doesn't want to incur her wrath. When she and her younger sister, Brigid, are sent away for safety before an attack by Vikings, they are captured by foreign slave traders and taken on a long sea voyage. Melkorka is the 16-year-old daughter of a medieval Irish king around 900 A.D. In a Nutshell: Icelandic saga of kidnapped Irish princess, retold
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