The House of the Wind by Titania Hardie

Told in 2 strands, one in the present day and one in 14th century, this is the tale of 2 women. One is a young girl, growing up in dangerous times in Tuscany, when petty tyrants seize power and use patronage to amass wealth and influence. The other is an educated woman, practicing corporate law in modern day San Francisco. Not much in common, you might think but, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the threads of family connect these 2 very different woman, and the parallels between their lives are intriguing and significant.

I enjoy historical tales and admire the scholarship that goes with the research necessary to combine historical fact with entertaining fiction. If I have a criticism of this book, it centres on the dialogue. Titania Hardie has her characters express themselves in ways that real people simply wouldn't use. It's not easy to give fictional characters believable voices whilst using that dialogue to develop personality and Ms Hardie hasn't, in this readers opinion, always got it right.

Having said that, this is a solid novel based in a period of history rarely explored. A little uneven, in that the reader can easily care about one of the heroines more than the other but this is, nevertheless, a good read and well worth a go.

Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson

Great literary fiction it isn't but I really enjoy James Patterson. This one is a simple story about a seemingly innocent bystander, witnessing a death in suspicious circumstances, who finds a bag full of diamonds and decides to keep it. Bad move. Hunted by the Syndicate to which the diamonds belong, Matthew Bannon goes on the run with his girlfriend but all isn't what it seems. I won't spoil the ending but the twist in the tail is easier to spot than the culprit in an Agatha Christie.  It doesn't spoil the fun, however, as James Patterson is a consummate teller of a yarn even if this tale feels as though it's been rattled off at speed as a nice litte earner.

Sylvia by Bryce Courtenay

Like many fictionalised versions of history, this story of the Children's Crusade of the early 13th century is centered on one character. In this case, a young girl named Sylvia. Taking in the true historical character of Nicholas of Cologne, and the mythical character of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, (who might, actually, have been one and the same) the tale tells of how Sylvia becomes involved with thousands of children who were called to the banner of Christ to start a disastrous pilgrimage to regain the Holy Land for Christendom. 

Sylvia's life veers from an early childhood which is dominated by a doting mother, through a period when she is at the mercy of a violent and sexually abusive father, via Jewish tailor's household, a brothel and a nunnery, to a harrowing journey, on foot and overland, from Germany to the Mediterranean coast. All before she is 16.

The language Bryce Courtney places in the peasant girl Sylvia's mouth, as she tells her tale, appears to be intended to convey a medieval atmosphere. In this readers opinion, however, it is unnecessarily verbose, detracting from the storytelling and giving a lie to Sylvia's peasant origins and age.  Still, it's an original take on an obscure period of European history and does, in spite of the overblown language, tell a rich story and convey the futility and tragedy of thousands lost children.

Not the easiest read but a good story told almost as a fairytale.