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somewheregirl7's review against another edition
3.0
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! is a Newberry award book and comprises twenty-two short perfomance plays with one and two character parts. Each is from the perspective of a different resident of the same village in Medieval Europe. From the lowly beggar boy to the lord's son, each has a unique voice and story to share about their life.
The author introduces the collection as having been written to help teach her students more about Medieval Europe in a fun, hands-on way. There are several author notes after various acts giving more detailed information, such as how the 3 field system worked in farming.
It was an interesting read and certainly did slip a bit of teaching in painlessly. However the collection feels thinly threaded together and there is no over-arching story. This is just a collection of vingnettes and lacks a deeper connection with the characters and individual pieces.
Of all of them, I liked the story of Alice, the shepherdess best.
The author introduces the collection as having been written to help teach her students more about Medieval Europe in a fun, hands-on way. There are several author notes after various acts giving more detailed information, such as how the 3 field system worked in farming.
It was an interesting read and certainly did slip a bit of teaching in painlessly. However the collection feels thinly threaded together and there is no over-arching story. This is just a collection of vingnettes and lacks a deeper connection with the characters and individual pieces.
Of all of them, I liked the story of Alice, the shepherdess best.
tweyant's review against another edition
2.0
I did not love this book. I had to read it for class and it was really weird to me.
poplartears's review against another edition
4.0
We really really enjoyed this book. It was a fun and interesting look at everyday life in a Medieval Village. And it wasn't a cast of the usual characters, we heard from the the sniggler, the beggar and the runaway as well as from the plowboy and the merchant's daughter. Wonderfully done and extremely informative. A great "living book."
ancientdebra's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this Newbery Award winner more than I actually did. The author is a school librarian who wrote a series of monologues to help her students learn more about medieval times while also allowing each of them to perform a small piece.
It could be that I should listen to this again. I did like a couple of stories a lot - Mariot and Maud, the Glassblower's Daughters, in particular. I think I enjoyed the ones that were told in multiple voices the most. The performance of the audio was good; although glancing through the book it looks like it is annotated and adds a little more background to the experience.
It could be that I should listen to this again. I did like a couple of stories a lot - Mariot and Maud, the Glassblower's Daughters, in particular. I think I enjoyed the ones that were told in multiple voices the most. The performance of the audio was good; although glancing through the book it looks like it is annotated and adds a little more background to the experience.
littlebookjockey's review against another edition
3.0
This was pretty entertaining to read, but it didn't exactly pull me in. Because of that, it took me all afternoon to read. I would hesitate to recommend it to kids unless they're already into medieval history, though.
bhillerns's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the monologues were quite good, others only mediocre. It led to an inconsistent read. I like the concept and found the book interesting.
abigailbat's review against another edition
4.0
A collection of monologues written for her students at the Park School in Baltimore, this volume gives us a glimpse into life in a medieval village. Schlitz has written monologues for children in the village including the lord's daughter, the miller's son, the beggar, the Jew... Footnotes help explain some of the language and medieval references and every so often she inserts some background information (about, for example, the status of Jews in medieval society or the Crusades).
I read each of the monologues out loud (which is what they were written for, after all) and found them delightful. I could picture school kids dressing up in costumes and performing this collection for an audience of rapt parents. This isn't a book to be rushed through, but one to be savored and listened to.
I read each of the monologues out loud (which is what they were written for, after all) and found them delightful. I could picture school kids dressing up in costumes and performing this collection for an audience of rapt parents. This isn't a book to be rushed through, but one to be savored and listened to.
shoelessmama's review against another edition
4.0
I have read "Splendors and Glooms" and absolutely loved it so I certainly was not expecting what I got when I picked up this award-winning book. It took me a couple of monologues in before I got into the rhythm of it but once I did I fell in love with it. This book kinda made me wish I were a 5th grade teacher so that I could do a medieval unit with a group of kids. There are so many possibilities for discussion here. With the right teacher this book could make history come alive (how can kids today relate to these children from the 13th century? While the differences are many the similarities are there too). I loved the ways in which each point of view was interconnected with the rest while also being very individualistic. I think the very last monologue was my favorite- which made me so glad that she saved it for last.
Easily read in an afternoon.
Easily read in an afternoon.