The Ramsay Scallop

The Ramsay Scallop

At the turn of the fourteenth century in England, fourteen-year-old Elenor finds her betrothal to an ambitious lord's son launching her on a memorable pilgrimage to far-off SpainFrom Publishers WeeklyIn a striking departure from her first two novels ( Taste of Salt ; Grab Hands and Run ), which center on current political and social injustices, Temple travels back to 13th-century Europe for a coming-of-age story about a 14-year-old orphan. Eleanor of Ramsay is betrothed to the rakish Thomas, who has just returned from fighting in the Crusades for eight years. Frightened by the prospect of an arranged marriage to a man she hardly knows, Eleanor worries even more when the town priest sends her and Thomas on a pilgrimage to Spain to atone for the sins of all the townspeople. Along the way Thomas and Eleanor meet up with scholars, peasants and performers, each of whom plays a role in helping the young protagonists to discover their true feelings for each other. Temple's pleasing portrayal of the saintly but plucky heroine guides readers through a rather long-winded journey. While Eleanor's spiritual and emotional awakenings are believable and sensitively wrought, her internal conflicts fail to buoy the tale with any significant doses of humor, pathos or drama. However, readers newly introduced to Chaucer's famous Canterbury pilgrims may find Temple's contemporary style an easier introduction to medieval settings and customs. Ages 11-14.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.From School Library JournalGrade 8 Up-In 1300, 14-year-old Elenor of Ramsay's fiance, Thomas of Thornham, returns from the Crusades. The couple, uncertain of their roles in life and their feelings about each other, are reluctant to wed. Wise Father Gregory sends them on a pilgrimage to Spain; this not only buys them time but forces them to become better acquainted. Their journey is full of unexpected adventures, joys, and hardships. They see new sights, make new friends, and learn new things. By book's end, both are at peace with themselves and gracefully accept their lot. Temple writes fluently of the medieval era, smoothly weaving data on everyday life, religious attitudes, folklore, music, architecture, and crafts into her story. All this detail is fascinating, but it is definitely overdone. The 300+ page text needs a judicious pruning, particularly those scenes included primarily for informational or philosophical purposes (such as the mechanics of glassblowing and Moslem beliefs). Unfortunately, Temple's facts aren't always accurate; for starters, she alters the construction dates of Amiens' cathedral, errs in describing Albigensian tenets, and repeatedly refers to vernacular scriptures although at this time the Bible was available only in Latin. Her characters, though intriguing, are, for the Middle Ages, incredibly literate and modern thinking. The Ramsay Scallop also suffers from lack of glossary (not all terms are adequately defined in context) and a map tracing the pilgrimage (essential in a book of this type). A valiant effort that doesn't quite make it.Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NYCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.From BooklistGr. 7-10. It is 1299, and 14-year-old Elenor waits--reluctantly--for her betrothed, Lord Thomas, to return from his crusade to the Holy Land. Though it's their duty to marry, neither of the young people has warmed to the prospect. Elenor is frightened of marriage; Thomas has come back broken from the crusades. Besides, they don't like each other much. Father Gregory, the village priest, sends them on a chaste pilgrimage through France to a shrine in Spain to expiate the sins of the village, and through that long wandering, packed with new faces and fresh ideas, Elenor and Thomas slowly come to know themselves and each other. With a nod toThe Canterbury Tales, the book highlights the stories that their fellow pilgrims share with Elenor and Tho