A very accomplished and interesting introduction to life in the middle ages (1290’s). This book is written as the diary of a young girl, the only daughter of a noble family. Through her diary we see her own life as well as that of her family and servants.

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A major theme is how marriages are arranged. We learn a lot about how marriages were arranged according to a person’s status. Catherine herself - our main character and narrator- is engaged to be married to an older man who repulses her. Much of the plot of the book is around how Catherine deals with her unwanted betrothal.

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This book is exceptional because it does not dismiss and criticise our ancestors of the middle ages as culturally underdeveloped. The book manages to present its characters with respect and we understand something about why and how they lived with such practices as arranged marriages of children. The book has a personal and immediate style that places the reader competently amidst this historical culture.

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The themes of love, fate and responsibility are dealt with superbly. This is a book that truly allows people and ideas different from the modern ones to breath and be. One of my favourite lines in all literature comes at the end of this book, but I will leave it for you to find. An excellent book. The presentation of history is truthful and realistic, the characters are interesting, the pace is engaging. It has won several literary awards and rightly so.

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Written for young adults but certainly worthwhile for adult readers as well.