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A review by tigerlinus
The Heaven Tree by Edith Pargeter
3.0
The Heaven Tree starts out well enough, then plods along midway. This tale can be romanticized - romanticized between characters and in the writing style, especially sections on the architecture, materials, and elements of the church that was being built by Harry, the primary character, which, while interesting, could slow the pace of the story.
In Part 3, Harry makes a decision that will seemingly cause his death. While I found it reasonable Harry would choose to finish the building of the church, which was his passion, it felt more out of character when Harry chose to finish the church at cost to his life, knowing that choice meant leaving Gilleis and the child they were expecting.
Having presented a few negatives in the spoiler, this really is beautifully written; I very much appreciate Pargeter's style and enjoyed learning more of the age in which the story was set. The pace of THT picks up considerably in Part 3, with the last 100 or so pages the strongest story threads; this section was markedly better than Part 2. I appreciate how Pargeter presents all aspects of medieval life, from the beauty and splendor of the church to the structuring of society under feudalism, and the brutality of punishments, executions, and the severity of law. I was also invested in the characters, but I am not sure if I am invested enough to finish the series. Time will tell.
Spoiler
Part 2, where we find Harry and Adam, Harry's best friend, in Paris, was the weakest of the story, and could have been excluded with the exception that Pargeter introduces the characters of Benedetta and Isambard in this section, though both could have been established another way. While I was invested in the character of Benedetta, her instantaneous love and support for Harry was fantastical, implausible to me. In this section of THT we also read how Harry chose to leave Paris and return home as he realized, rather suddenly, that he loved Gilleis, a young girl that helped save him while in England, a girl that was 11 years old when he left and would be 20 on his return. It was an, 'Oh! It is she that I love, yet never knew until this moment!' kind of thread, and Harry's sole reason for returning home. I almost gave up on THT in this section.In Part 3, Harry makes a decision that will seemingly cause his death. While I found it reasonable Harry would choose to finish the building of the church, which was his passion, it felt more out of character when Harry chose to finish the church at cost to his life, knowing that choice meant leaving Gilleis and the child they were expecting.
Having presented a few negatives in the spoiler, this really is beautifully written; I very much appreciate Pargeter's style and enjoyed learning more of the age in which the story was set. The pace of THT picks up considerably in Part 3, with the last 100 or so pages the strongest story threads; this section was markedly better than Part 2. I appreciate how Pargeter presents all aspects of medieval life, from the beauty and splendor of the church to the structuring of society under feudalism, and the brutality of punishments, executions, and the severity of law. I was also invested in the characters, but I am not sure if I am invested enough to finish the series. Time will tell.