Synopsis
Following the Norman conquest, the foster-daughter of a Saxon seeress dedicates her life to the Goddess of the Crystal Spring. Her life becomes complicated when she attracts the affections of a friend and fellow Saxon, as well as the son of the Norman lord of the land. The love triangle that follows will have a major impact on not only the lives of those involved, but the very history of the land in which they live.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1998-05-01 |
| Size | | Length: | 437 pages | | Height: | 9.8 in | | Width: | 6.5 in | | Thickness: | 1.5 in | | Weight: | 22.4 oz |
Publisher's Note
In this spellbinding historical novel in the tradition of Marion Zimmer Bradley's "Avalon" series, the Normans have conquered England and a spirited young Saxon woman now struggles to decide where her loyalty--and her love--lies.
The year is 1086, twenty years after the conquest, and the new Norman lords are squeezing their Saxon subjects mercilessly. To survive, the townspeople of Enmore Green band together under the wise leadership of kindly Father Edmund and Sirona, the local seeress with potent powers who is teaching the healing arts to her foster daughter, Aldyth. Beautiful and sensitive, but feisty, Aldyth has decided not to marry but instead to dedicate her life to serving the Goddess of the Crystal Spring. Her decision is complicated, though, by her friend Bedwyn, her companion in the resistance movement—a sexy and saucy Robin Hood–like figure who has vowed to win her. She also attracts the attention of Gandulf—the son of the hated Norman lord—a gentle, dark, and handsome man who has an affinity for his Saxon subjects. Their tempestuous love triangle is played out against the turbulence of Saxon and Norman life, and is dramatically resolved when a mysterious stranger reveals to Gandulf a dark secret from his past that changes both his and his subjects' futures. In The Keeper of the Crystal Spring, Naomi and Deborah Baltuck display masterful storytelling, spinning a rich and splendid tapestry of love, heroics, sly Saxon wit, and the ever present comfort of the Goddess that will be sure to enchant the many fans of Marion Zimmer Bradley's and Mary Stewart's books.
Industry Reviews
In a Saxon village suffering under the burden of a Norman overlord, a young healer strives to come to terms with her conflicting feelings toward a Saxon freedom fighter, a compassionate nobleman, and the Goddess to whom she has dedicated her life. This first novel by two sisters vividly recounts the struggle between two cultures and two religions. The reality of miracles and Goddess-magic lend mystical overtones to a rich and vibrant historical re-creation. Suitable for most general and fantasy collections.
Graves
In 1067, a sensitive young boy named Gandulf watches the army of his cruel father, the Norman baron Lord Ralf fitzGerald, destroy the home of the Saxon lord Aethelstan in Sceapterbyrig, a fictional town modeled on medieval Shaftesbury in southwestern England. He sees a straw basket secretly lowered over the castle wall to waiting hands and later hears a Saxon priest swear to the Normans that Aethelstan had only one heir, an infant girl, and she has died. This turns out not to be true. Twenty years later, the love triangle of beautiful Aldyth, godchild of the crone Sirona, the village healer and wisewoman, Gandulf, who has been educated in a monastery, and Bedwyn, a handsome Saxon outlaw, begins. Aldyth has been raised in the healing arts and to serve the goddess of the Crystal Spring, the only water source in a nearby village, and expects to dedicate her life to the Great Mother. Fate, however, has other plans. In this ambitious first novel, the authors, who are sisters, provide accurate historical background of Norman-Saxon conflicts in the era immediately following the Battle of Hastings. They also convey interesting material about herbal and medieval folklore. Unfortunately, these digressions burden the narrative early, as does a seemingly unending parade of insufficiently introduced characters. There is an excess of florid prose, and transitions are often awkward. The plot is unlikely (the crone Sirona dangles by her hands from a ledge for hours until Aldyth, recently rescued from a dungeon pit herself, and a young orphan gallop to save her). But readers will probably also hang on as the Baltucks eventually bring their love story to a satisfactory finish. Doubleday Book Club selection. (May)
Lopate
| See an error? Submit a change request |
All rights reserved.
