The Emperor's Winding Sheet

by Jill Paton Walsh

An English boy, shipwrecked, hungry, and lost, finds his way into the court of Constantine where he is interpreted as a symbol of good luck and, as such, ordered to be kept always near the king.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Politics, Historical

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Jill Paton Walsh was born Gillian Bliss in London on April 29th, 1937. She was educated at St. Michael's Convent, North Finchley, and at St. Anne's College, Oxford. From 1959 to 1962 she taught English at Enfield Girls' Grammar School.

Jill Paton Walsh has won the Book World Festival Award, 1970, for Fireweed; the Whitbread Prize, 1974 (for a Children's novel) for The Emperor's Winding Sheet; The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award 1976 for Unleaving; The Universe Prize, 1984 for A Parcel of Patterns; and the Smarties Grand Prix, 1984, for Gaffer Samson's Luck.

Series:
* Imogen Quy
* Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane

Reviews

[Jacob Aitken]

It is well this book was written 35 years ago. It certainly could not have been written today. The Politically Correct New World Order will not allow one to speak favorably of the Eastern Orthodox or to criticize Islam. It tells the story of Vrethiki ("Lucky Find") who was shipwrecked on the Greek coast and forced to serve the Emperor Constantine XI. Vrethiki does not like his situation.

The book tells of his transformation. He goes from a sullen, whiny slave to a friend of the Emperor.

True, the late Byzantine empire had its decadent moments. And contra the blurb on the back of the book, the author doesn't really focus on the decadent aspects of the empire.

Pros of the book:
*Constantine XI is described as a man in terms of sheer greatness, which he was. Who would not gladly serve and die for a leader like that?

*I like Stephanos. He is a very real character. He has some unsavory moments but he is probably the most life-like character.

*Political Islam, especially the Ottoman Empire, is seen for what it is. Walsh is not slurring Islam--indeed, Turkish curates helped her in her research for this book--but simply quoting facts. Yes, Christians did bad things, too, but Jesus had already condemned that. Mohammed never condemned the brutality of his followers following the raid on Quresh. The Ottomans simply perfected the Prophet's technique.

*This book paints a good picture of the Byzantine Empire and Ancient Orthodoxy. The Publishing houses today, controlled by the New World Order, would not allow her do do that.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good summary of the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 for young people. An English boy in Constantinople is close to Emperor Constantine and his court. He witnesses the loss of the city to the Ottomans. I was going to buy it as a gift for a grandson but it gets too sad.

[Debbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Emperor's Winding Sheet is about the siege and fall of Constantinople in 1453 where 7000 men held back what has been estimated between 80,000-200,000 soldiers for nearly 2 months. Told from the point of view of Vrethiki, it quickly draws the reader into the story of this strange kingdom, language, and customs. At first Vrethiki is terribly resentful and seething with anger that the Emperor would keep him as a servant against his will simply because of a prophesy. In time, he comes to love and respect all those around him, especially Constantine. The author did an excellent job of conveying Vrethiki's caged animal feelings as well as his growing admiration and love for Byzantium and the other characters in the siege. It was pretty intense at times, going into detail about what happened to the Christians who were caught during the siege and, while not saying it outright, did hint at a previous rape of Vrethiki at the hands of Muslim slavers. It's marketed as a Young Adult novel but I certainly enjoyed it too. However, I would recommend it to an older YA audience, especially those who are studying Medieval and Renaissance History.

[Hall's Bookshop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps lacking the really strong characterization I would normally want in a novel, but this is a children's book...

From an historian's perspective, a really very well-researched book, especially considering the author started from scratch, with her trip modern istanbul clearly showing through in the book's strong understanding of the geography of the city.

The only really glaring problem is the unfair portrayal of the Turks, but the author addresses this in her note at the end, so I suppose I will have to read the follow-up...

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book about the seige and fall of Constantinople. It is rare to find children's historical fiction about this event, and this book was very enjoyable.

The author pulls you into the events around the coronation of the last Byzantine emperor by introducing a boy from England who wound up in the area after escaping from pirates who had kidnapped him. He is kept as a servant to the Emperor against his will. It is for his own protection, but it also serves to appease some of the superstitious in the community. The boy becomes a sort of good luck omen. He gradually comes to accept his circumstances and has a unique viewpoint of the events leading to the ultimate conquest of the city.

Although the tone of the book is a bit gloomy (you know what will happen in the end,) the story is very engaging and the characters are very real. It is almost a coming-of-age story as well, as the young boy's life is changed and he grows up somewhat as he watches the people and events in the story.

This book is probably for older teens because of some of the subject matter. We used it as a read-aloud for homeschool, and it was simple to skip over some of the more disturbing passages that another reviewer has mentioned.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am quite fond of Paton Walsh's writing, and that carried me through this book, which is a good book full of things (battles, sieges, details of armour and weapons and religious ceremony) that I do not find terribly interesting. What I did like about it were the relationships, the main character's growth from child into young man, and the understanding he found of himself and his future at the very end. If I rated this upon how much I enjoyed it, only two stars, I think, but as a book itself it is certainly three, perhaps even more.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was a kid, and remembered the plot and emotions, but not the author or title. In October 2005 I tried to find it again for various reasons and was surprised to find it in the adult fiction section of my current library. Totally cool historical fiction about the first emperor of Constantinople.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A historical adventure set in 1452, a starving, exhausted English boy falls out of a tree at the coronation of the Emperor Constantine, last emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Forced to stay by the Emperor's side because of a prophecy, Vrethiki (Lucky Find) watches the siege of Constantinople occur. He seeks escape at first, then accepts his lord and fights for the City he has come to love.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I knew the history, and the name of the novel gives away the ending, I was still shocked at how sad this book made me. It is not a quick, easy read but it is interesting. It tackles pretty weighty topics well.

[Ma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical novel about an otherwise little known time--the fall of the Byzantine Empire. Everything Walsh writes is a gem, and this is even more so because it gives one the opportunity to learn about a forgotten slice of history.

[Allyson · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting time period to read about and I enjoyed trying to match my picture of modern day Istanbul to ancient Constantinople; however, I found the book a bit dry for my taste. I did find a previous reviewers comments attempting to relate. the book to contemporary politics misleading.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess if you really wanted to study the fall of Constantinople this would be a good book to cover it. I found it a little hard to get though though. Especially the discussions about impalement and castration, though historically applicable I didn't care to hear about it.

[Joel Zartman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too bad Walsh didn't do conclusions very well. She did beginnings and middles well enough. This kind of story does help to bring you closer to distant events and to draw your interest into remote situations and the people in those circumstances.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent YA novel on the fall of Constantinople for mature middle schoolers who like historical fiction. It won the 1974 Whitbread Children's Prize.

[TheRealMelbelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book which adults will also enjoy. The setting is the siege of 1453 and the fall of Constantinople.

[Jobiska (Cindy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history is written, but I just found this really sad...basically there was a pervasive aura of doom with no hope whatsoever.

[scarlettraces · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5)