Where Thomas Fights the Battle of Crecy

Harlequin by Bernard Cornwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a very well constructed historical novel set in the time of war. I liked almost everything here.

This is the third novel by Cornwell I have read, and I'll admit it took me this long to adapt to his rhythm, to learn how to follow his prose. I liked but didn't love his writing at first, finding it quite a chore to follow what was important and not focus on the rest. I didn't feel like I was working as hard this time.

Set during the 100 Years War, taking place mostly in France, it tells about Thomas, a young English man in a band of archers. Much of the story is about fighting smaller battles, looting, tearing up the countryside, coming into conflict with fighters on both sides of the war, but it ends with full retelling of the Battle of Crecy. (I didn't realize until recently that I conflated Crecy and Agincourt, constantly thinking I knew something about one that turned out to be true about the other. Much clearer in my head now.) :) It's very well done. Cornwell has a knack for telling a story from two perspectives: a narrow, personal one, and a larger, bird's-eye one. Most of the big battle is told from Thomas's perspective, but we see how the whole thing unfolds. It reminds me of Waterloo as recounted in Les Miserables, and though it's not as extensive as that one--thank god--it is still a massive set piece that the whole novel is building to.

Thomas has other goals besides just surviving. He is searching for a relic stolen from his home town, and also wants to get revenge against the man who killed his father. He has also fallen in love with a French woman he protected, so he wants to take care of her as well as her family. These goals are sometimes conflicting, and added to that is the personal enmity of an English nobleman who hates Thomas.

Cornwell handles all of these conflicts, twisting them together, letting the pace increase from beginning to end, keeping all of them in mind. It's well done, very entertaining, and I enjoyed it. His careful scholarship regarding Medieval fighting as well as history in general give the whole thing genuine verisimilitude (which I apparently can't spell but can appreciate). The ending works well, and though a lot is lost, because this is a violent story, we are still left with a sense of hope and a hint of happiness.

Recommended for readers of history, especially military history.

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