Book Review by Judi Singleton, The White Cross by Richard Masefield,

The White Cross is a whole new reading experience; a book that brings something entirely original to historical fiction. Set in the late twelfth century at the time of King Richard I's crusade to win back Jerusalem from the Saracens, the story deals with timeless issues - with the moralities of warfare and fundamental religion, the abuse of power, the heights of martial fervour and the depths of disillusionment. The writing pulses with life and colour, capturing the sights and sounds, the very smells of medieval life. At the novel's heart is the relationship between Garon and Elise - the story of an arranged marriage which rapidly develops into something deeper, to challenge a young husband's strongly held beliefs and set him on a long and painful journey to self-realisation, to break and finally restore a woman's spirit as she battles for recognition and for justice in a brutal man's world. And then there is the Berge dal becce; a character who is surely more than he appears? The only way to uncover all the secrets of The White Cross is to read it! About the Author Richard Masefield comes from a family of writers - John Masefield was his cousin - and with a love of animals and the outdoors he decided at a young age that he would farm and write, if necessary both at once. It took years of hard work before Richard could realise his dream, and in fact his first published novel was written while milking a herd of Friesian cows. He still lives on his farm in Sussex with his wife Lee and together they spend as much time as possible with their large family of children and grandchildren. . ‘A knight isn’t skilled in arms will count for nothing during this world, bear in mind that. it's your destiny to fight.’ With the words of his dead father ringing in his ears, Sir Garon leaves his new better half and their domain of Haddertun for blood and mud in Palestine. The story deals with unaltered problems, with the realities of warfare and basic faith, the abuse of power, the heights of martial fervour and also the depths of edification. however at its heart is that the relationship between Garon Elise – the story of an organized wedding that a pace develops into one thing deeper, to challenge a young husband’s powerfully control beliefs and set him on a protracted and painful journey to fulfillment. Shop at bjewelu.com where discerning women over 50 shop