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marydellI held off reading The White Company for the longest time because somehow I'd gotten in my head that it was a Famous Racist Thing along the lines of Birth of a Nation. I was pleased to discover, in the course of research, that I was mistaken, and more pleased to discover what a fun book it is. Which is not to say it contains no racism; for the most part everyone who appears in it is white (it's set in the 14th century, in England, France and Spain), but early in the book the main hero is set upon by a couple of thieves in the woods, one of whom is black, and both of whom are killed...black guy first, white guy with much more ceremony. And there are various references to those rascally Moors. Overall it's about what you expect of Doyle--black and brown people, when mentioned, are exotic and sometimes also low--but it doesn't have any murderous Pygmies or wicked Lascars, so it's better than some of the Holmes canon.
The story follows a couple of ex-novices who leave a monastery to make their way in the world--one noble naif and one rough country fellow--in England in 1366, during the Hundred Years' War. They meet up with a lusty archer and the foppish-yet-valiant knight he follows, and off everyone goes to Europe to fight in Spain's civil war. Various historical figures make appearances, and basically everything a person might want to see in a historical adventure of this period happens, and happens in an entertaining way. Fighting pirates at sea, being beseiged in a castle, dueling on a riverbank, jousting with a mystery knight, young love, wrestling contests, rock climbing, archery contests, disgruntled peasants, and bear wrangling are all featured, along with philosophical discussions of the place of religion in people's lives and how the times they are a'changing.
The protagonist is likeable, but is kind of a straightforward nice guy; I think this is necessary, though, because he's traveling with three really quirky characters, the sort that Doyle excels at creating, and he changes and grows up in the course of the story. The action scenes are cracking, and the political and historical commentary is interesting. The book (originally published in 1891) has an interesting mix of traditional and progressive views--war is good and noble, peasants are cheerful and loyal *if* they are treated properly, but are brutal and viscious if mistreated; women are essential to the happiness of men, but because of their brains and talents, instead of for their beauty or purity. And there's a very pointed speech about the future belonging to the ordinary working man and his family, not to the church. Oh, and while one woman is briefly threatened with being forced into a marriage, there is no raping of anybody in this book, unlike so many contemporary books set in similar environs.
The audiobook is available on Audible.com, and I enjoyed the reading quite a bit, despite one character saying his Rs as Ws, which I thought would be irritating but wasn't. The reader does a particularly good job with the character of Aylward, who's always saying "by my hilt!" and "by my ten fingerbones!" and suchlike. I think the book is available in e-book format for free, too, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes AC Doyle or old-fashioned historical novels.
The story follows a couple of ex-novices who leave a monastery to make their way in the world--one noble naif and one rough country fellow--in England in 1366, during the Hundred Years' War. They meet up with a lusty archer and the foppish-yet-valiant knight he follows, and off everyone goes to Europe to fight in Spain's civil war. Various historical figures make appearances, and basically everything a person might want to see in a historical adventure of this period happens, and happens in an entertaining way. Fighting pirates at sea, being beseiged in a castle, dueling on a riverbank, jousting with a mystery knight, young love, wrestling contests, rock climbing, archery contests, disgruntled peasants, and bear wrangling are all featured, along with philosophical discussions of the place of religion in people's lives and how the times they are a'changing.
The protagonist is likeable, but is kind of a straightforward nice guy; I think this is necessary, though, because he's traveling with three really quirky characters, the sort that Doyle excels at creating, and he changes and grows up in the course of the story. The action scenes are cracking, and the political and historical commentary is interesting. The book (originally published in 1891) has an interesting mix of traditional and progressive views--war is good and noble, peasants are cheerful and loyal *if* they are treated properly, but are brutal and viscious if mistreated; women are essential to the happiness of men, but because of their brains and talents, instead of for their beauty or purity. And there's a very pointed speech about the future belonging to the ordinary working man and his family, not to the church. Oh, and while one woman is briefly threatened with being forced into a marriage, there is no raping of anybody in this book, unlike so many contemporary books set in similar environs.
The audiobook is available on Audible.com, and I enjoyed the reading quite a bit, despite one character saying his Rs as Ws, which I thought would be irritating but wasn't. The reader does a particularly good job with the character of Aylward, who's always saying "by my hilt!" and "by my ten fingerbones!" and suchlike. I think the book is available in e-book format for free, too, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes AC Doyle or old-fashioned historical novels.
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Date: 2010-10-07 02:02 am (UTC)