Summer 1348 heralds the arrival of the Black Death to Dorseteshire and seriously impacts the relatively small demesne of Develish. Shortly before the apocalypse of disease appears, Sir Richard leaves his land to journey to Bradmayne in an effort to marry off his 14-year-old daughter, Lady Eleanor. Instead of returning with news of a betrothal, Sir Richard brings the plague. When he's denied access across the moat to the manor and dies, his widow, Lady Anne takes over and creates an entirely new society inside the walls. Trained in a nunnery before she was wed, Lady Anne knows how to use practical hygiene and isolation methods to keep her serfs free from disease. She and two of her trusted serfs -- the bastard Thaddeus Thurkell and an older man named Gyles Startout -- encourage the people of the demesne to bond together to save themselves. Be forewarned, this ends on a cliffhanger as there is meant to be a book #2!
If you're in the mood for compelling and fascinating historical fiction focusing on how the Black Death affected a relatively small community and its impact on their way of life then this is the book for you. I found myself absorbed completely in the details and descriptions of the life and times of the characters in this extremely well-written novel. Because of the strength and leadership of Lady Anne, the loyalty of the people of the demesne, and the resilience of the human spirit, this incredible saga of the event that decimated much of the population of Europe is hard to put down. I have long been fascinated by stories surrounding how the plague destroyed centuries of social order, how it affected the religious beliefs held by the majority of the populace, and how it increased the awareness of how disease was spread including the emphasis on learning about sanitation and the importance of extermination. So few had any degree of understanding of epidemiology or even cleanliness and little was known of science as most people thought that it was sin that brought death and disease. It's hard for us now to imagine such degree of ignorance living as we do, but the author describes the setting and living conditions so well in this novel that you can see, hear, smell, feel and taste what it must have been like. I love books that send me into research mode, and I definitely made use of the Internet while reading.
I encourage you to read this if you like historical fiction and a great story with well-drawn characters that you learn to love and/or hate! I cannot wait for the sequel to this and am so grateful to NetGalley & Edelweiss and MIRA/Harper Collins for this e-book ARC to read and review. Hurry up, Ms Walters, and finish this masterpiece!
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