The Winter Hare

by Joan Elizabeth Goodman

In twelfth-century England, as the supporters of King Stephen battle those of Empress Matilda, young Will Belet is sent by his noble family to serve as a page in the household of the earl of Oxford, where he must confront treachery within the castle as well as danger outside its walls.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Medieval, Historical, British Literature, Childrens

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Joan Elizabeth Goodman is an American writer and illustrator.
She was born in Connecticut in 1950 and was raised in an artistic household. Goodman attended L' Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome, from 1969-70, as well as the Pratt Institute, B.F.A., 1973.
She has written several novels of highly acclaimed historical fiction. She lives with her husband and their two children in New York City.

Reviews

[Rebecca Radnor · Rating 5 out of 5]

1141 AD +Battle of Lincoln; Exciting story of a young page, stunted by the pox, dealing w/ political/castle intrigues during The Anarchy. This is the period when sons were sent to another man's holding to be trained to be men. This is why both the main character and his brother are at their uncle's home. It becomes clear that the uncle is trying to ensure things like 'hunting accidents' and 'death in battle' so that their father's holdings will pass to him, and hence he can gift them to his younger children (who of course can not inherit his own estate).

The book is short, appropriate for middle schoolers but enjoyable enough for older readers as well.

The book discusses at length Matilda/Maud (Empress Matilda/Matilda of England/Queen Maud), who 'held' the throne during a brief period of a few months (she was never able to consolidate her power), and the battle is between her forces and King Stephan's forces. This time period is less of a 'civil war' than political anarchy as multiple potential rulers vie for power, and as such is often referred to as 'the anarchy.'

There's a little confusion of names toward the end because Stephan's wife is also called Matilda; this is why the author calls her Maude, while never referring to the empress by that name.

In addition to the uncle's evil, there are issues having to do with which lords support which contenders for the throne.

There's an epilogue explaining what happens next, how Henry becomes king and marries Elenore of Aquitaine, and also explains how the story closely follows the Anglo Saxon Chronicle's description of events. The epilogue mentions how the chronicles described the period of the anarchy, when lords randomly attacked one another and did all sorts of treachery, as "when Christ and his saints slept" which is also the title of Sharon Penman's novel about the period. The author also explains the deviations from historical record during the epilogue.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book aimed at children about the Anarchy - or the period of time when King Stephen fought his cousin Matilda for the throne of England.

This book follows the story of a young boy learning to be a knight who gets caught up in the mayhem of the time which was descibed by the Saxon chronicle as the time 'when Christ and his Saints slept'. The young lad has to fight against intrigue in the household he is sent to as well as civil war. The descriptions are great without being too much for children and the last couple of chapters describing Matilda's escape from the seige of Oxford Castle across snow dressed in white robes are compelling.

This gripped my young son and was well worth reading.

[Evy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ordered this book while taking a children's literature class for my masters degree. I greatly enjoyed the story. As a medievalist I am always on the look out for good and historically accurate books to suggest to my sons and students. This is one I could not put down and I will thus be highly recommending to all.

[Laurel Bradshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a young page set during the 12th-century civil war between the Empress Matilda and Stephen of Blois. Young Will, called Rabbit, is enamored of tales of King Arthur recently written by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He longs to become a knight, although he is behind in his training and small for his age, due to a bout with the pox. He sets out with his older brother John to serve with his uncle, the earl of Oxford. Almost immediately they are beset by brigands roaming the countryside, and take refuge at the cloister of Godstone. There he befriends the young Simon, studying to become a monk. Simon is the son of Sir Brian Fitz Count of Wallingford. Later Will becomes a frequent visitor at Wallingford where he becomes fast friends with the youngest daughter Edith. She teaches him how to ice skate, which will come in handy later on. At Oxford, Will discovers that his uncle has designs on his father's estate and that he and John are not particularly safe there. The earl's young wife, the Lady Elaine, take Will under her wing, and helps to keep him safe by leaving Oxford with the earl's children, holding them hostage as surety for the safety of John and Will. Nevertheless, John is almost killed by assassins during a battle against King Stephen's forces. Another older page, the mysterious Torrence of Cornwall, called Turtle, who has become a friend and protector, helps Will to save his brother. I loved all of these characters, especially Rabbit, Turtle, Simon, and Edith. And how Rabbit helps the Empress Matilda to escape Oxford Castle when they are under siege by King Stephen caps this adventure tale. It is dense with history, but not above the understanding of its intended readers, ages 10-15. It could perhaps have used a glossary of unfamiliar terms, but that's what dictionaries are for! The sequel, Peregrine, takes up the further adventures of Edith, who has been betrothed to a much older knight as was often the fate of young noblewomen at the time.

Description: Sent to serve as a page in the household of the earl of Oxford, young Will Belet dreams of becoming a valiant knight for the empress Matilda and her son Henry. But there is treachery within the castle as well as danger from without, as the earl leads his forces to battle against King Stephen, the usurper. Before the adventure is over, Will meets the empress, plays a heroic role in her life, and learns that the way of honor is strewn with uneasy truths.

[Neysa Citra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the last time i read this book was when i was in junior high, years ago! And still the story is too good to remember even it was published by the year i was born! I dont think this is such a fairytale story, this is just as great as a #Legend.