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A review by mat_tobin
Fire, Bed, and Bone by Henrietta Branford
5.0
Set in England in the year 1381, Branford's novel takes place during the uprising of the peasants against the taxtations which were driving them to poverty. Yet this historical has an unusual twist in which we almost have an observer-narrator of sorts in the guise of a hunting dog whose thoughts and are as human as yours or mine.
As a form for looking afar (emotionally) yet physically close, the narrator offers an almost detached view of the atrocities which befell thousands during these oppressive times and she can be seen as a true moral compass in times where morality seems to have evaded much of the country. I soon found myself caring for and placing the deepest trust in her.
What struck me most though was not the excellent storyline or sense that the landscape which she lives in is so well evoked, it is the masterful prose. Each sentence is a treat, each reflection and observation meaningful and deeply touching. Although I state that this could be shared with KS2, I only mean Year 6 and even then the most mature and reflective of readers.
As a form for looking afar (emotionally) yet physically close, the narrator offers an almost detached view of the atrocities which befell thousands during these oppressive times and she can be seen as a true moral compass in times where morality seems to have evaded much of the country. I soon found myself caring for and placing the deepest trust in her.
What struck me most though was not the excellent storyline or sense that the landscape which she lives in is so well evoked, it is the masterful prose. Each sentence is a treat, each reflection and observation meaningful and deeply touching. Although I state that this could be shared with KS2, I only mean Year 6 and even then the most mature and reflective of readers.