Dear FBs, stay safe and read books! Time to get out of my comfort zone again. This time with a prequel to the world famous Mariken van Nieumeghen (Mary of Nijmegen), an early 16th century Middle Dutch miracle play. That definitely was a struggle to get through. Therefore the pick of the day is:
Mariken by Peter van Gestel
This story takes place a long time ago: in a time filled with castles and powerful countesses. The old eccentric Archibald is chased from the city by an angry guild master. Since he hates people and their noise he does not mind in the least. He goes to live into a dense forest in which, according to a prevailing superstition, evil spirits reside. By chance he finds a little girl crying among the Silverweeds. Written in blood on her jacket is the short message: Take care of Mariken. Little Mariken grows up in the forest. The only person she knows is old Archibald and she learns a lot from him so that she can read and write at a very young age. But she knows nothing about the world outside the forest. One day she decides to leave the forest to buy a goat and her adventures begin. Mariken is young and curious and gets to know the world and many people during her adventures. This smart girl reminded me of Mathilda. And Pippi Longstocking and Alice (from Wonderland) but without being so extremely annoying like those two are. This story takes place in the Middle Ages which is beautifully reflected in the atmospheric descriptions. Mariken knows a lot but at the same time she knows very little, especially about the inhabited world. This leads to comical, honest conversations with people from the city, but also to interesting, philosophical reflections on life. Mariken speaks her mind about everything, including the things that other people think but do not dare say out loud. Many dialogues are thought provoking. Many characters are neither 'good' nor 'bad' but are an important part of the book nevertheless. A nice read for both young and old. 3,5 out of 5,0 for this one.