Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
written by Laura Amy Schlitz
illustrated by Robert Byrd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
About the Book
Step back to an English village in 1255, where life plays out in dramatic vignettes illuminating twenty-two unforgettable characters.
Maidens, monks, and millers’ sons — in these pages, readers will meet them all. There’s Hugo, the lord’s nephew, forced to prove his manhood by hunting a wild boar; sharp-tongued Nelly, who supports her family by selling live eels; and the peasant’s daughter, Mogg, who gets a clever lesson in how to save a cow from a greedy landlord. There’s also mud-slinging Barbary (and her noble victim); Jack, the compassionate half-wit; Alice, the singing shepherdess; and many more.
With a deep appreciation for the period and a grand affection for both characters and audience, Laura Amy Schlitz creates twenty-two riveting portraits and linguistic gems equally suited to silent reading or performance.
Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Robert Byrd — inspired by the Munich-Nuremberg manuscript, an illuminated poem from thirteenth-century Germany — this witty, historically accurate, and utterly human collection forms an exquisite bridge to the people and places of medieval England.
My Thoughts
I picked this up because I have started reading through the Newbery Medal Winners, but I was a bit hesitant at first when I saw that it was a collection of (extremely) short plays.
But I’m so glad I did read it – it was utterly delightful and entrancing. The stories of the various children represent all aspects of life in a medieval village and weave in and out of each other as you begin to realize who knows whom and in what context.
My favorite plays were the two dialogues (nineteen of the plays are monologues), although they would not have been as effective without the build-up of the rest. The first of these is a poignant encounter between the moneylender’s son and the merchant’s daughter, and the second is a comical but touching piece with the glassblower’s two daughters.
It would be great to see these acted out by a group of children, as was intended by the author when she wrote them for her students. I may have to check out the audio version just to hear how it comes across on there.
Note: This is Book #100 of my 2011 Reads (master list here) and also part of my personal Newbery Medal Winners Reading Challenge.
I'm a mom with Asperger's raising an amazing son with autism, which means I'm basically the case manager/advocate/cheerleader/chauffeur. The rest of the time, you can usually find me with my nose in a book!
