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A review by kimberlyjerger
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
2.0
*2.5
2008 Newbery Medal
A collection of short monologues (and two dialogues) following children living in 1255 England, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village offers information on the daily lives of medieval society in a seemingly playful manner.
Many of the portraits of medieval life presented in this collection were based on true stories, as the author notes the inspirations behind these accounts. Interspersed following a few stories are short essays on the history of medieval England, which were clear and informative. In the overall execution, however, Schlitz’s verse came off incredibly forced and awkward, with little variety in voices. The children of nobles lacked distinction from peasants in both tone and language, compounding the clumsiness of the verse.
The illustrations, while small, have clear historical inspiration, though the formatting of the book left much to be desired. I would have liked to see the artwork featured in a more prominent fashion.
While undoubtedly well-researched, the clumsy verse and inconsistencies made the individual characters feel flat. Nonetheless, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village provides a decent look at life in a medieval manor, albeit in an awkward format.
2008 Newbery Medal
A collection of short monologues (and two dialogues) following children living in 1255 England, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village offers information on the daily lives of medieval society in a seemingly playful manner.
Many of the portraits of medieval life presented in this collection were based on true stories, as the author notes the inspirations behind these accounts. Interspersed following a few stories are short essays on the history of medieval England, which were clear and informative. In the overall execution, however, Schlitz’s verse came off incredibly forced and awkward, with little variety in voices. The children of nobles lacked distinction from peasants in both tone and language, compounding the clumsiness of the verse.
The illustrations, while small, have clear historical inspiration, though the formatting of the book left much to be desired. I would have liked to see the artwork featured in a more prominent fashion.
While undoubtedly well-researched, the clumsy verse and inconsistencies made the individual characters feel flat. Nonetheless, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village provides a decent look at life in a medieval manor, albeit in an awkward format.