The Love Knot

The Love Knot by Elizabeth Chadwick is set in the mid-12th century during the civil war for possession of the English throne. The feud between Stephen de Blois and his cousin Empress Mathilda is ravaging the country. Dispossessed knight, Oliver Pascal happens upon the site of a particularly bloody massacre and rescues the two survivors, Richard, the 10 year old bastard son of the old king, and Catrin, the strong willed and comely young widow who looks after him. They are taken to Bristol and put in the care of Earl Robert of Gloucester who is allied with Mathilda. Oliver and Catrin fall in love but face many difficulties and battles before finding their happy ending.

Filled with rogue knights and lusty ladies, with lots of blood shed and vows of honor and virtue, this medieval tale is a fun blend of accurate period details and captivating story. Elizabeth Chadwick is an author that I can rely on to deliver appealing characters, intriguing stories, and consistently correct historical facts. Although rather predictable, The Love Knot was a big, juicy and enjoyable escape read exactly, what I was looking for at this time. ( )

Although it took me longer than usual to read this book, there’s a good reason for it. The Love Knot by Elizabeth Chadwick is a historical romance and the author has used a style of writing that fits with the era of the story, which is the 12th Century. Because of this, it meant I had to read slower than normal in order to grasp the meaning of the words and take the story in. This sounds like a hindrance, but it wasn’t. Apart from the fact that, like everything, it only took a short time to get used to the writing style, I found that it gave the story more authenticity.

I have always enjoyed a good romance story and this was one of them. A true romance, in my opinion, has a real story behind it. Something that is interesting with characters that you would want to befriend in real life. I tend not to read the sloppy romance that has no substance to it and is filling with cardboard cutouts that are meant to be characters because those types of books are simply not interesting enough to keep my attention. The Love Knot was far from being sloppy and the romance thread was only a small part of the story as a whole. I really enjoyed it.

The thing I especially liked about this book was the history. I’ve always had an interest for castles and knights and everything that goes with it, so I didn’t start reading this book with no knowledge of the period. However, as the story progressed I found that I was not only interested in the romance blossoming between Oliver and Caitlin, I was interested to learn more about life in the 12th Century. It was clear that the details had been thoroughly researched by the author and that goes a long way with me. It helped me settle into the story and “see” the surroundings through eyes that have not been tinted with a rose colour, which so many medieval type stories are these days. The author showed the dirt, the hardship, the death, the pain, but she also showed how the people of those days were able to find contentment with what little they had. I appreciated that.

The Love Knot is a story worth reading. I recommend it and I’ll be keeping an eye open for more books by this author. ( )

fascinating and poignant. But I wish the blurb hadn't said so much about the plot. The end of the blurb is the end of the story. So my advice would be to read only the very first line of it. ( )

http://shelfandstuff.blogspot.com/2012/04/love-knot-by-elizabeth-chadwick.html ( )

The Love Knot is the story of two young lovers, set during the civil war between Stephen and Matilda. Oliver de Pascal is knight just returned from pilgrimage, who rescues the widow Catrin from a village destroyed by raiders. A romance develops between them, but “forces beyond their control” cleave them apart, helped in part by a difficult decision that Catrin must make. Years later, after war has devastated England, they are drawn back together. The ending is a bit predictable, but it’s the getting there that’s the fun part.

Elizabeth Chadwick’s novels, at least her earlier ones, are a little formulaic. Of course there’s the romance aspect, and there’s a bad guy who’s usually a mercenary soldier. Throw in lots of historical detail and famous persons from the period, and that’s usually what you’ll get. But despite the predictability of Chadwick’s plots, her novels are always detailed in terms of history—be prepared to learn a lot about the 12th century. I do love medieval history, and it’s novels like The Love Knot that enhance my interest in that fascinating time period. It’s a very real novel that explores both the good and bad bits of medieval life.

Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the characters—they’re very three-dimensional, coming as they do with lots of emotional stuff that they must work out in order for the story to come to its resolution. Don’t be put off by the fact that Catrin is a midwife and healer—as written by a less skillful author, this could have become a cliché, but Chadwick manages to make Catrin and her healing knowledge believable. This novel is largely about choices, and how the choices one makes can significantly alter one’s life—as Catrin’s choice does to her and Oliver. The Love Knot isn’t my favorite Elizabeth Chadwick book (I thought the way that Catrin and Oliver came back together was a bit too sudden), but I did enjoy this book nonetheless (incidentally, Elizabeth Cahdwick’s books are also good comfort reads—The Love Knot was the perfect book for me to read while I had a cold). ( )