Fortune's Knave: The Making of William the Conqueror : A Novel - Hardcover

The perilous youth of a leading historical figure yields an absorbing narrative in Lomer's ( The Seascape ) vivid portrayal of 11th-century European life for both the high- and low-born. Seven-year-old William, bastard and only son of Robert, Duke of Normandy, is heir to his father's lands and titles. After Duke Robert's death on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, however, ambitious relatives try to cast William's claim aside on the grounds of his illegitimacy. The boy and his mother take brief refuge with France's weak king, Henry I, who wavers in support of William, torn by gratitude for Robert's loyalty and suspicion of the boy, who is prophesied to be a conqueror, possibly of France itself. When William returns to Normandy, his cousin Ralph de Gace, arranges the assassination of most of his protectors. Escaping with his mother's brother, William lives among peasants for a year before beginning to gather his supporters, who are drawn by the generous and charismatic young man. Entwined is the story of his awkward but successful wooing of the prickly and intelligent Matilda of Flanders.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The author of The Sea Scape (St. Martin's, 1992) here offers a tale of William the Conqueror. Taunted as a low-born oaf and called The Bastard since boyhood, William, Duke of Normandy, later called The Conqueror, learned early to endure his enemies' contempt. When Duke Robert dies in 1035, he leaves eight-year-old William practically defenseless--a boy trying to protect a much-coveted duchy. A conspiracy close to home forces William to flee with his Uncle Walter, both disguised as peasants. Although William despises the duplicity of the French court, it is there that he meets Matilda of Flanders, an unconventional woman who matches him in determination and strength of will. This novel tells of young William's struggles to take control of his Norman lands and to reestablish his title as he crosses swords with the petite Matilda. These two legendary individuals come alive in this finely crafted novel, which is recommended for most fiction collections.
- Maria A. Perez-Stable, Western Michigan Univ. Libs., Kalamazoo
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.