A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick

One of my favorite authors of Historical Fiction is Elizabeth Chadwick.  Her early novels are basically medieval romances, but then she started writing about real historical figures and those books are just superb.  I'm only a little over halfway through this one, but I couldn't wait until I finished to talk about it!

Chadwick is a master at character development and this book is no exception.  She shows you all sides of the important figures, not just the parts that fit their role as the "good guy" or "bad guy".  The details are deep and surprising, with frequent "point-of-view" changes that roll seamlessly together.

A Place Beyond Courage tells the story of John FitzGilbert Marshal who served as Marshal to King Henry I, King Stephen and the Empress Matilda.  John Marshal was the father of William Marshal, the famous court favorite of Eleanor of Aquitaine and subject of Chadwick's more well-known book, The Greatest Knight.

The book opens before the death of King Henry I, when John was a handsome, single courtier with the world at his fingertips.  He later settles down and marries Aline, a pious, nervous young woman.  It is Aline's story that has fascinated me, and shows how deftly Chadwick can plumb the depths of her characters.  Just when I was ready to write Aline off as a weak, simpering fool who wasted the opportunities afforded her through her relationship to John, there is a paragraph from her view point that changes completely how I feel about her and makes her far more sympathetic....for the time being!

Chadwick also excels at creating the scene. I recently described her writing as a "sensory feast".  I think it must be difficult to paint the picture of a lifestyle that is so foreign to the modern reader. It's hard for me to relate to the common occurances of bloodshed, abuse and filth inhabited by the medieval people. But in describing those circumstances, Chadwick will often add in a small thing that is universal and still resonates today to draw me in and cause me to sit a while in the scene....the leak of cold snow into a boot, the smell of over-ripe fish, the feeling that you are coming down with a cold.   All common senses that will tie me to the scene.

At the spot where I am in the book, John has just been injured in battle and is recovering from his wounds.  The wounds are severe and will surely change how he views himself and how he is viewed by others.  The John Marshal that I have been reading about so far is quite different than the way he is portrayed in The Greatest Knight, so I can't wait to see how he gets from one place to the other!