WONDERFUL MEDIEVAL TALE
THE MASTER AND THE MAID by Laura Libricz is an
exciting glimpse into the German world in the seventeenth century. It is mostly
told through the eyes of a commoner, Katarina. As a fellow historical fiction
writer, I was often impressed by the author’s research and her knowledge about
Germany. The bibliography is an example of the precise research she conducted,
both in English and German literature. As I read the book, I often thought that
the book read as if the story was being told by someone who lived in Germany.
It wasn’t until I read her biography that I realized that the author does live
in Germany and speaks the language. Her descriptions of medieval European life and
the German countryside are impressive, as is her character development.
I couldn’t help but wish that she would make Katarina
wake up sooner and do something to elevate her standing in life. I admit that I
also wished that she’d spend more time on the romance between Katrina and Herr
Tucker. I loved hating Ralf, the antagonist, who behaves more out of greed than
he does ignorance.
The author does a beautiful job of describing the war
between the Catholics and the Protestants in medieval times, as well as the
practice of witch hunting. Katarina is accused of being a witch because she
practices the use of herbs as medicine. The differences between the landed
gentry and commoners was also well described.
I am looking forward to the author’s second book in
the trilogy. I truly admire the author’s ability to write well-researched historical
fiction.
No comments:
Post a Comment