For me, the tale started slowly, and at one stage I did consider leaving it there as there was no immediate connection with the subject and subject matter - but I persevered.
The story, set in Cologne 1351, is of a remarkable young woman, who defies the conventions of the times by wanting to continue in her father's cloth trade. Family set backs, and a truly odious brother, ensure that the reader is constantly on the side of the underdog - in this case, our heroine Elizabeth.
What is remarkable was the depiction of Elizabeth's determination to overcome convention and stride out on her own - and author Ellin Carsta conveys this struggle well. However, being not over familiar with 14th Century Germany, and especially the pogroms against the Jews, a little (not a lot) more background would have assisted since this period is referenced.
The language is simple and not overly complex, and the author makes no attempt write in any Germanic dialect or accent, or use words a reader may not fully grasp (as other writers do and which nearly always comes off sounding phoney and contrived) - so the narrative flowed smoothly.
Overall, despite a slow start and thoughts to the contrary, I could not set the book aside until I reached its climatic conclusion.
Review @ Goodreads
No comments:
Post a Comment