Crusade - Elizabeth Laird
Crusade - Elizabeth Laird
This book follows a short spell in the lives of two boys during a crusade in around 1190. The book – which takes the form of an historical fiction – looks at the crusade from the perspective of an Islamic boy who inhabits a city of the Holy Land, and an English serf, who serves in the invaders army. The two boys constantly come together, and begin to realise that their enemies aren’t the sons of Satan or uncivilised beasts – they are in fact, very similar to themselves.
The book seems to have been written for a young audience, and seems to be trying to show that although different religions and customs may divide races, we are all essentially the same.
The two ‘heroes’ are boys in their mid-teens. Neither is particularly well portrayed, and it is difficult to feel any empathy for either. There are no characters in the book that are particularly strongly drawn, and the reader never feels involved in the book, which for me is what makes a book really readable.
Also, the storyline doesn’t seem particularly suited to the audience it appears to be aimed at, as it rambles on with no particular climax, and many young readers may lose interest quickly. However, I found it easy to follow.
The ending of the book is quite disappointing. It is a bit of a let down, as it just trails away. There is no real ending. It again goes back to the book having no introduction, climax, or ending. It tends to just ramble along. The end does not tell us anything about what happened after the Crusade, and does not conclude the book terribly decisively.
Peter
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