The Land of Angels

by Fay Sampson

Princess Bertha of Paris is shocked to learn of her impending marriage to the heathen king of Kent. But their barbaric world is dramatically changed by the coming of Augustine from Rome, on a mission to impress his hero, Pope Gregory the Great. As the new arrivals face hostility and murder, the powerful king sees a way of using Augustine to further his ambition. However, Bertha's eldest son is in league with the banished priests and she knows her husband's vengeance will be terrifying should he find out. In this Anglo-Saxon world on the threshold between pagan beliefs and Christianity, the feisty Bertha and the timorous Augustine form an unlikely alliance.

Genres: Historical Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Fay Sampson graduated in Mathematics, and trained as a teacher. Combining teaching with writing, Fay's children's books were frequently featured in 'Children's Books of the Year'. When she became a full-time writer, she turned to writing novels for adults, based on history and legend. She now lives with her husband in a Tudor cottage in mid-Devon.

Reviews

[Viktor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sensitively written with a solid basis in history, we meet - and in some cases come to love - Queen Bertha, Pope Gregory, Archbishop Augustine and other key players. The hopes and fears which drive Augustine on his challenging mission to convert England and bring the old-school Christian Britons in Wales back into the Roman Church fold are clearly and vividly portrayed, as well as the harsh reality of life in the primitive, war-torn, pagan Land of Angels.
We agonise over the violent hostility of the local priests of Woden, Thor et al and wonder at the narrow-minded legalism of Church practices.
The wise hermit Piro (P.209ff) lights a promising spark which, unfortunately, doesn't succeed in softening the hearts of the representatives of the two Churches seeking reconciliation at their meeting by the river Severn.
Altogether a moving and very instructive account of a significant period in the history of Britain.