Part of my Kindle TBR clearout, reading downloaded but neglected books in reverse order - this title has been lurking in the pile since 2018! Even worse, I started on the William Marshal series in 2008, getting through three fictionalised chapters in the 'greatest knight's life before moving on.

I found the first half of this concluding book to be a bit of a slog, not least because I had forgotten about most of the characters. The narrative jumps back and forth between the Earl of Pembroke's deathbed in 1219 and his pilgrimage to the Holy Land thirty years earlier from 1183-1186, which was mentioned in The Greatest Knight. The journey to Jerusalem is fairly plodding, despite Marshal and his men being ambushed along the way, and the real story for me started after William had fulfilled his promise to the young King Henry. Paschia de Riveri, the Patriarch's concubine, is my favourite type of historical female character - beautiful, clever, powerful and ruthless - and I was glad when she went with her head (or her purse) and not her heart in the end: 'Love might enrich our lives, but it does not give us the wherewithal by which to live. Believe me, I have seen love go begging because it does not have the means to flourish.' You go, girl! Anyway, I enjoyed those chapters, only to be slightly annoyed by William's moping, not that he had long to wallow, thanks to the constant attempts on his life in the snakepit that is Jerusalem.

Elizabeth Chadwick is an amazing author who makes these real life figures and a time period I know little about both accessible and entertaining, but I may have been a few years too late to pick up the final instalment! ( )

well written historical novel on a rather unknown part of William Marshal's life. I really enjoyed the format of the novel and how the author tied everything together.This one I may pick up again on a rainy day - and I rarely re-read books. ( )

In this historical fiction Ms. Chardwick sweeps us to medieval Jerusalem where William Marshal will go to save his soul but the greatest danger he will faces there is losing his heart.

The story moves back in forth between England, 1219, with William Marshal lying on his death bed looking back upon his long-ago pilgrimage with his brother Ancel to the Holy Land then it smoothly switches to Jerusalem, 1183, where the brothers get embroiled in deadly politics, devious scheming and lusts of the powerful people ruling the kingdom. Back and forth we go.

Although this is a glossed account of the time spent in Jerusalem during the calm before the death of King Baldwin, the author’s stunning grasp of historical details of this particular period of time has definitely helped to virtually fill the gaps in a time nothing is actually known. “Templar Silks” is probably more a fiction than anything else but is richly and brilliantly written nonetheless.

The style is formal but in modern English and to be authentic to the era and the court the author leaves the names of people and place in their original French. The factual and factious elements sit together with ease giving the feel that what you read has actually happened. Although this book is set during the Holy Wars, the story is not filled with battles but more with small personal ones. Religion at that time was the backbone of Marshal’s world and he truly believes he will be damned for his actions. He needs to atone for his sins and find his path for the future….this is his final story, he died at age 72. The author is at her best describing Marshal himself and his relationship with his brother, in the ways she depicts the Templar as men of God, how she sets the political situation and plunges her protagonist in a dangerous romance…..

“The Templar Silks” is well said but I found it to be long and the many repetitive scenes did not move the narrative forward…..much too slow for my taste but an excellent read nevertheless.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalleys for this ARC.

This title was previously released by Sphere (Feb.27,2018) ( )

On his deathbed, surrounded by his family, William Marshall looks back on a particular time in his life where everything changed. In the service of Harry, the Young King, William has been fighting against Henry II but as funds run low Young Henry decides to raid the shrine of Rocamadour in order to pay his mercenaries. Sticken by dysentery Henry believes this is God's punishment for his sins and his dying wish to ask William to take his cloak on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. As William dies he remembers the events of the year he spent on pilgrimage, his love and betrayal and his promise to join the order of the Knights Templar to atone for his sins.

Chadwick writes high quality historical fiction with a more romantic twist than most. This has gained her legions of fans and, although I sometimes find her prose a little too 'chocolate box', I cannot help but admire the research and passion in her works. Here Chadwick returns to the story of William Marshall which she began in 'The Greatest Knight' however this novel is a slight aside as it is mainly fiction. The fact that William Marshall went to the Holy Land in the early 1180s after the death of the Young King is not in dispute, his adventures there are not recorded and so Chadwick has made free with her imagination. She weaves known events in with fiction so the politics about the illness and death of King Baldwin of Jerusalem, which are copiously recorded, are used to place William. This is great storytelling and another excellent tale from Chadwick. ( )

This is the first book by Elizabeth Chadwick that I have come across – and it won’t be the last.
While I found it slow to get into, I loved it. The story of William Marshall was intriguing, and the movement between the past and the present was well handled.
I've not read much about the crusades, and this was a fascinating insight into the politics and the reality for the Englishmen that went to fight for the Holy Land.
Chadwick chronicles these years with a plausible, flowing story – putting the mediaeval religious beliefs firmly in the forefront of her characters’ motivations. The sections dealing with William’s passing and his peaceful and patient acceptance of that having thoroughly made his preparations was particularly moving.
Apparently, there are earlier accounts of William’s adventures – and I’ll be on the lookout for these. ( )