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Gatty's Tale
In the year 1203, nine companions set out on a pilgrimage. The journey - on foot, on horseback and by sea - is fraught with danger. Not all of them will come safely home.
388 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
12 people are currently reading
556 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Crossley-Holland
206 books245 followersKevin Crossley-Holland is an English poet and prize-winning author for children. His books include Waterslain Angels, a detective story set in north Norfolk in 1955, and Moored Man: A Cycle of North Norfolk Poems; Gatty's Tale, a medieval pilgrimage novel; and the Arthur trilogy (The Seeing Stone, At the Crossing-Places and King of the Middle March), which combines historical fiction with the retelling of Arthurian legend.
The Seeing Stone won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award and the Smarties Prize Bronze Medal. The Arthur trilogy has won worldwide critical acclaim and has been translated into 21 languages.
Crossley-Holland has translated Beowulf from the Anglo-Saxon, and his retellings of traditional tales include The Penguin Book of Norse Myths and British Folk Tales (reissued as The Magic Lands). His collaborations with composers include two operas with Nicola Lefanu ("The Green Children" and "The Wildman") and one with Rupert Bawden, "The Sailor’s Tale"; song cycles with Sir Arthur Bliss and William Mathias; and a carol with Stephen Paulus for King’s College, Cambridge. His play, The Wuffings, (co-authored with Ivan Cutting) was produced by Eastern Angles in 1997.
He often lectures abroad on behalf of the British Council, regularly leads sessions for teachers and librarians, and visits primary and secondary schools. He offers poetry and prose workshops and talks on the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, King Arthur, heroines and heroes, and myth, legend and folk-tale.
After seven years teaching in Minnesota, where he held an Endowed Chair in the Humanities, Kevin Crossley-Holland returned to the north Norfolk coast in East Anglia, where he now lives.
He has a Minnesotan wife, Linda, two sons (Kieran and Dominic) and two daughters (Oenone and Eleanor). He is an Honorary Fellow of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, a patron of the Society of Storytelling and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
The Seeing Stone won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award and the Smarties Prize Bronze Medal. The Arthur trilogy has won worldwide critical acclaim and has been translated into 21 languages.
Crossley-Holland has translated Beowulf from the Anglo-Saxon, and his retellings of traditional tales include The Penguin Book of Norse Myths and British Folk Tales (reissued as The Magic Lands). His collaborations with composers include two operas with Nicola Lefanu ("The Green Children" and "The Wildman") and one with Rupert Bawden, "The Sailor’s Tale"; song cycles with Sir Arthur Bliss and William Mathias; and a carol with Stephen Paulus for King’s College, Cambridge. His play, The Wuffings, (co-authored with Ivan Cutting) was produced by Eastern Angles in 1997.
He often lectures abroad on behalf of the British Council, regularly leads sessions for teachers and librarians, and visits primary and secondary schools. He offers poetry and prose workshops and talks on the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, King Arthur, heroines and heroes, and myth, legend and folk-tale.
After seven years teaching in Minnesota, where he held an Endowed Chair in the Humanities, Kevin Crossley-Holland returned to the north Norfolk coast in East Anglia, where he now lives.
He has a Minnesotan wife, Linda, two sons (Kieran and Dominic) and two daughters (Oenone and Eleanor). He is an Honorary Fellow of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, a patron of the Society of Storytelling and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
March 9, 2014
I liked this story, the adventure was huge, exciting, and a lot of cool events took place along the journey! It was a very longggggg crusade though, but I was happy to find out that when they did get to Jerusalem, the story didn't end there and kept on going, showing more of the city and such. I really liked that, because other crusader stories I've read in the past stops there, and we don't even get to see much of Jerusalem. But Gatty's Tale wasn't cut short at all, and I liked that!
Gatty herself is a really good character, I loved her. She's a great sport, funny gal, and strong heroine that made me smile!
If you like medieval fiction and Arthurian tales, you'll probably really like this book!
Gatty herself is a really good character, I loved her. She's a great sport, funny gal, and strong heroine that made me smile!
If you like medieval fiction and Arthurian tales, you'll probably really like this book!
March 29, 2016
Words cannot adequately express my love for this book. It's a childhood favourite of mine, but even now every time I read it I find something new to delight in. Gatty is the most wonderful heroine - she makes mistakes and she's rough and often foolish, but the heart of her is so good and honest I don't actually think it's possible to dislike her. Crossley-Holland really does an incredible job of making you laugh, cry and love right along side her. But beyond Gatty, every character is remarkably well constructed. Even those not present on the page for very long feel like they come to life straight off it.
Another of Crossley-Holland's greatest strengths is his ability to weave words. The power of his description is absolutely beautiful. Every time I come back to this book I get utterly swept up in the vivid picture he paints of medieval life - it's very clear he's done very thorough research. I also really like the way religion is balanced throughout the book; understandably it's an integral part of the characters' lives, given the crusades they were contemporary to and the pilgrimage they go on. I feel like it's a difficult topic to juggle given increasing secularism, but it never feels oppressive, just something simple, pure and matter of fact. Some people might find the emphasis on it a bit much, but you've got to bear in mind that in 1203 religion really was the foundation of people's lives, so the way they naturally turn to it feels very authentic.
Honestly, I would recommend this book a thousand times over.
Another of Crossley-Holland's greatest strengths is his ability to weave words. The power of his description is absolutely beautiful. Every time I come back to this book I get utterly swept up in the vivid picture he paints of medieval life - it's very clear he's done very thorough research. I also really like the way religion is balanced throughout the book; understandably it's an integral part of the characters' lives, given the crusades they were contemporary to and the pilgrimage they go on. I feel like it's a difficult topic to juggle given increasing secularism, but it never feels oppressive, just something simple, pure and matter of fact. Some people might find the emphasis on it a bit much, but you've got to bear in mind that in 1203 religion really was the foundation of people's lives, so the way they naturally turn to it feels very authentic.
Honestly, I would recommend this book a thousand times over.
January 2, 2022
I bought this book for my niece as it is a story of a young girl on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. I try to read the books I give my nieces and nephews and quite frankly was not overly impressed with the story. Perhaps it is because it is written for a younger audience or perhaps it is because the story did not really seem to flow well. It was an interesting read but not one I would read again.
So contrary to my review above, I did reread this book and this time loved it. Apparently I was in a different place last time and did not appreciate the story as much. A young girl raised in the Marches of England as a farm hand becomes a second chambermaid to a woman set on making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It is a story of personal growth and change and I have totally changed my mind about this book. An interesting read about the life of a pilgrim.
So contrary to my review above, I did reread this book and this time loved it. Apparently I was in a different place last time and did not appreciate the story as much. A young girl raised in the Marches of England as a farm hand becomes a second chambermaid to a woman set on making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It is a story of personal growth and change and I have totally changed my mind about this book. An interesting read about the life of a pilgrim.
November 20, 2016
Really liked the character of Gatty and felt the plot was an interesting premise. However I felt everything moved far too quickly - the pilgrims arrived at a location and before you could really get a feel for the place something dramatic happened or they moved on. We seemed to jump days/weeks at a time in a page or two. Not sure if this was due to it being middle-grade or if it's the style of Crossley-Holland's writing; there was little world building or description, Gatty and some of the other pilgrims had really well developed characters but others on their journey I felt we knew very little of them as a person.
May 3, 2009
I came to this immediately after Stephen King's Duma Key and it did everything that Duma Key so signally failed to do. It engaged, excited, moved me; it taught me a little more about what it means to be human, and to be an artist. It's a wonderful book, a worthy successor to the Arthur trilogy, and Gatty is an unforgettable creation. Crossley-Holland's language never fails to impress for its precision and solidity - it's poetic when needed, and only then; the research is lightly-worn, the sense of place and time unerring. A classic, for young and adult readers. King could learn a lot from it.
January 5, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this book which is in a genre that I don't usually read. I really like how the main character in a female protagonist. The only down-side is that it was a touch too long. But over all a great book and I would recommend it to people who want to give historical fiction a go.
April 22, 2021
Gatty, jeune paysanne de Caldicot devenue orpheline, va se voir octroyer une chance inouïe : entreprendre un pèlerinage à Jérusalem, la Ville Sainte, où son ami Arthur est parti en croisade. Toutefois, le voyage est long et périlleux et tous ne parviendront pas au bout...
Nous avons ici le quatrième tome de la trilogie Arthur. Cette phrase à elle seule annonce donc la manière dont j'ai perçu l'oeuvre en découvrant son existence plus d'une dizaine d'années après sa sortie : une oeuvre qui se "raccroche" à la série originale mais qui n'est en aucun cas essentielle à cette dernière. Si Arthur est souvent mentionné, n'espérez pas plus d'un caméo rapide de ce dernier. Quant à la légende arthurienne, elle n'est jamais mentionnée.
Nous avons donc désormais comme héroïne la jeune Gatty, l'amie d'enfance d'Arthur, et un passage de la première à la troisième personne pour ce qui est de la narration. Le moins que l'on puisse dire et que le début et la fin de l'oeuvre ne sont pas d'une qualité phénoménale. Ainsi, les premiers chapitres sont expédiés à une vitesse ahurissante, faisant passer Gatty de paysanne à aide-cuisine puis femme de chambre/future pèlerine en quelques pages, à tel point que la procédure paraît extrêmement forcée et le niveau stylistique très appauvri. Si ce dernier regagne en intérêt par la suite, la fin sera tout ce qu'il y a de plus convenue et devinable dès la moitié du roman, fin qui plus est manque à mes yeux de vraisemblance...
Cependant, le dicton, y compris dans ce roman, répète que le plus important n'est pas la destination mais le voyage. Alors ce Voyage de Gatty en vaut-il la peine? Probablement si vous êtes un jeune lecteur, moins si vous avez grandi. Là où Arthur restait tout de même intéressant à lire pour un adulte du fait de sa présentation de la vie quotidienne au Moyen-Âge, cet aspect m'a semblé beaucoup moins prégnant dans celui-ci, même si la présentation de la réalité du pèlerinage (une entreprise touristique gérée par les musulmans, ni plus ni moins) reste appréciable. Un jeune lecteur trouvera beaucoup plus son compte dans les quelques péripéties qui attendront notre groupe de pèlerins en route. Cependant, il faut bien avouer que ces dernières ne s'avèrent guère trépidantes pour un lecteur plus âgé. De plus, les coïncidences, en particulier à Venise, sont bien trop grosses, certains parleront de Destin, mais cela n'a pas pris avec moi.
Les pèlerins auraient pu quant à eux être un point fort du roman car leur caractère est bien défini au début du voyage. Cependant, ces caractères sont trop changeants au cours de l'aventure (je repense à cette scène où plusieurs détestent Gatty car elle a chanté un hommage à un enterrement et qu'ils sont jaloux???). Gatty est quant à elle attachante grâce à son parler qui même en s'améliorant reste rigolo puisque ne maîtrisant pas les règles de la syntaxe la plupart du temps.
Enfin, le chant est censé jouer un rôle important dans la vie de Gatty puisque cette dernière disposerait d'une voix d'ange. Ainsi, l'auteur va-t-il nous placer régulièrement des chansons dans la bouche de l'héroïne. Il m'est très difficile de juger ces passages puisqu'étant particulièrement mauvais dans cette discipline et qu'en plus, le texte est forcément altéré par la traduction française. Cependant, dans l'ensemble, ces passages n'ont pas du tout eu de prise sur moi...
Quelle note au final pour ce voyage de Gatty? Ayant longtemps hésité, j'opte plus sévèrement pour un 3/5 que pour un 4/5. Cette sévérité s'explique par deux raisons : mon âge qui m'a rendu moins réceptif à l'oeuvre mais également quelques notes de bas de page pour la traduction d'un ou deux mots ou la paresse la plus ultime a été d'écrire en note "voir les tomes précédents", ce qui me semble non seulement incompréhensible dans la mesure où cela prend plus de temps que d'écrire la traduction elle-même mais surtout quand le livre en question tient déjà plus lui-même du spin-off que de la suite réelle...
A réserver donc aux jeunes lecteurs en priorité ou bien à ceux aimant aller au fond des choses quand ils entament une série.
Nous avons ici le quatrième tome de la trilogie Arthur. Cette phrase à elle seule annonce donc la manière dont j'ai perçu l'oeuvre en découvrant son existence plus d'une dizaine d'années après sa sortie : une oeuvre qui se "raccroche" à la série originale mais qui n'est en aucun cas essentielle à cette dernière. Si Arthur est souvent mentionné, n'espérez pas plus d'un caméo rapide de ce dernier. Quant à la légende arthurienne, elle n'est jamais mentionnée.
Nous avons donc désormais comme héroïne la jeune Gatty, l'amie d'enfance d'Arthur, et un passage de la première à la troisième personne pour ce qui est de la narration. Le moins que l'on puisse dire et que le début et la fin de l'oeuvre ne sont pas d'une qualité phénoménale. Ainsi, les premiers chapitres sont expédiés à une vitesse ahurissante, faisant passer Gatty de paysanne à aide-cuisine puis femme de chambre/future pèlerine en quelques pages, à tel point que la procédure paraît extrêmement forcée et le niveau stylistique très appauvri. Si ce dernier regagne en intérêt par la suite, la fin sera tout ce qu'il y a de plus convenue et devinable dès la moitié du roman, fin qui plus est manque à mes yeux de vraisemblance...
Cependant, le dicton, y compris dans ce roman, répète que le plus important n'est pas la destination mais le voyage. Alors ce Voyage de Gatty en vaut-il la peine? Probablement si vous êtes un jeune lecteur, moins si vous avez grandi. Là où Arthur restait tout de même intéressant à lire pour un adulte du fait de sa présentation de la vie quotidienne au Moyen-Âge, cet aspect m'a semblé beaucoup moins prégnant dans celui-ci, même si la présentation de la réalité du pèlerinage (une entreprise touristique gérée par les musulmans, ni plus ni moins) reste appréciable. Un jeune lecteur trouvera beaucoup plus son compte dans les quelques péripéties qui attendront notre groupe de pèlerins en route. Cependant, il faut bien avouer que ces dernières ne s'avèrent guère trépidantes pour un lecteur plus âgé. De plus, les coïncidences, en particulier à Venise, sont bien trop grosses, certains parleront de Destin, mais cela n'a pas pris avec moi.
Les pèlerins auraient pu quant à eux être un point fort du roman car leur caractère est bien défini au début du voyage. Cependant, ces caractères sont trop changeants au cours de l'aventure (je repense à cette scène où plusieurs détestent Gatty car elle a chanté un hommage à un enterrement et qu'ils sont jaloux???). Gatty est quant à elle attachante grâce à son parler qui même en s'améliorant reste rigolo puisque ne maîtrisant pas les règles de la syntaxe la plupart du temps.
Enfin, le chant est censé jouer un rôle important dans la vie de Gatty puisque cette dernière disposerait d'une voix d'ange. Ainsi, l'auteur va-t-il nous placer régulièrement des chansons dans la bouche de l'héroïne. Il m'est très difficile de juger ces passages puisqu'étant particulièrement mauvais dans cette discipline et qu'en plus, le texte est forcément altéré par la traduction française. Cependant, dans l'ensemble, ces passages n'ont pas du tout eu de prise sur moi...
Quelle note au final pour ce voyage de Gatty? Ayant longtemps hésité, j'opte plus sévèrement pour un 3/5 que pour un 4/5. Cette sévérité s'explique par deux raisons : mon âge qui m'a rendu moins réceptif à l'oeuvre mais également quelques notes de bas de page pour la traduction d'un ou deux mots ou la paresse la plus ultime a été d'écrire en note "voir les tomes précédents", ce qui me semble non seulement incompréhensible dans la mesure où cela prend plus de temps que d'écrire la traduction elle-même mais surtout quand le livre en question tient déjà plus lui-même du spin-off que de la suite réelle...
A réserver donc aux jeunes lecteurs en priorité ou bien à ceux aimant aller au fond des choses quand ils entament une série.
January 22, 2018
Crossley-Holland, Kevin Crossing to Paradise, 400 p. Scholastic, September 2008.
Gatty expects to finish her life as an uneducated village girl, barely scraping out a living for herself. Her family is all dead and her best friend, Arthur is earning a name for himself off on Crusade; he is destined to marry a local lord's daughter upon his return. First her lord wants to give her to the church, but they want too much "dowry". Then her lady finds that her cousin to the north is setting off on pilgrimage and needs a second handmaiden. Thus begins Gatty's long journey across the sea, across Europe and into the Holy Land. Every member of the group will be beset with hardships, one of them mortal. Gatty will have to find her own strength and courage, as she may have to continue her journey alone.
As beautifully as this book is written, I can't see students reading it and then telling their friends about it. Instead, it is one of those books that adults will love for students - and hopefully quite a few teachers around the country will adopt it as a text - it would be perfect for religion, European history, or just for a 7,8 or 9th grade Language Arts class. For libraries, however, it is best in a larger collection.
MS - OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library-Teacher.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008...
Gatty expects to finish her life as an uneducated village girl, barely scraping out a living for herself. Her family is all dead and her best friend, Arthur is earning a name for himself off on Crusade; he is destined to marry a local lord's daughter upon his return. First her lord wants to give her to the church, but they want too much "dowry". Then her lady finds that her cousin to the north is setting off on pilgrimage and needs a second handmaiden. Thus begins Gatty's long journey across the sea, across Europe and into the Holy Land. Every member of the group will be beset with hardships, one of them mortal. Gatty will have to find her own strength and courage, as she may have to continue her journey alone.
As beautifully as this book is written, I can't see students reading it and then telling their friends about it. Instead, it is one of those books that adults will love for students - and hopefully quite a few teachers around the country will adopt it as a text - it would be perfect for religion, European history, or just for a 7,8 or 9th grade Language Arts class. For libraries, however, it is best in a larger collection.
MS - OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library-Teacher.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008...
August 2, 2023
So a few years ago I re-read Kevin Crossley-Holland’s Arthur Trilogy, and I found out that not only did he write a follow-up/spin-off about one of the characters, but also that the library system had it. It’s long past time I picked up this book, but I finally got to it!
Gatty is a peasant girl who, by virtue of her singing voice, is hired by a Welsh lady, and brought on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Like the Arthur Trilogy, this book has a detailed description of medieval life, as depicted by someone who definitely knows what he’s talking about.I’m pretty sure that medieval scholar Michael Scott (not the character from “The Office”!) makes a cameo appearance–perhaps some others did, and I did not recognize them.
Unlike the Arthur Trilogy, this one has almost nothing to do with King Arthur. Which is fine, but it feels odd that the original series is so deep in Arthurian lore, with the protagonist Arthur learning about the King Arthur legend as he grows, whereas this one has… none of that. Except Merlin’s appearance, I guess. Despite that, it still *feels* like the Arthur Trilogy in its language and style. And that’s pretty darn impressive.
Another thing I found impressive? How much Gatty's speech patterns change over the course of the story as she becomes more educated. It's not as if she talks like a scholar at the end, but there's a noticeable difference and that's cool.
And like the Arthur Trilogy, sometimes it gets dark. Crossley-Holland does not really hold back from how the Middle Ages could plain old suck.
I don’t like it as much as the original trilogy, but I certainly do like it a lot. And it wraps up a lot of stuff left hanging in “King of the Middle March.” Not everything; enough that longtime readers will be satisfied.
Gatty is a peasant girl who, by virtue of her singing voice, is hired by a Welsh lady, and brought on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Like the Arthur Trilogy, this book has a detailed description of medieval life, as depicted by someone who definitely knows what he’s talking about.I’m pretty sure that medieval scholar Michael Scott (not the character from “The Office”!) makes a cameo appearance–perhaps some others did, and I did not recognize them.
Unlike the Arthur Trilogy, this one has almost nothing to do with King Arthur. Which is fine, but it feels odd that the original series is so deep in Arthurian lore, with the protagonist Arthur learning about the King Arthur legend as he grows, whereas this one has… none of that. Except Merlin’s appearance, I guess. Despite that, it still *feels* like the Arthur Trilogy in its language and style. And that’s pretty darn impressive.
Another thing I found impressive? How much Gatty's speech patterns change over the course of the story as she becomes more educated. It's not as if she talks like a scholar at the end, but there's a noticeable difference and that's cool.
And like the Arthur Trilogy, sometimes it gets dark. Crossley-Holland does not really hold back from how the Middle Ages could plain old suck.
I don’t like it as much as the original trilogy, but I certainly do like it a lot. And it wraps up a lot of stuff left hanging in “King of the Middle March.” Not everything; enough that longtime readers will be satisfied.
February 25, 2023
If you love sweet but unwaveringly strong female characters, faith persevering above all, an everlasting adventure, an unexpected found family, and the barest hint of heartwarming love, this one is for you!
There were so many things that I enjoyed about this book, above all the unwavering hope and the way that the relationships grew and flourished. It was a journey about personal growth, growing faith, heartbreak and trial, and what home truly means and Gatty was a champion of a protagonist. She really did make the story what it was.
I didn't realize that this was a spinoff of another series, so I may have enjoyed it more if I had read the other series first; but, I think overall, I knew going into this that the genre was not my favorite, so enjoying it the amount that I did was enough for me. I will say that it did jump around a lot and I found myself confused more often than I would have liked, haha. 3.5ish ⭐️
There were so many things that I enjoyed about this book, above all the unwavering hope and the way that the relationships grew and flourished. It was a journey about personal growth, growing faith, heartbreak and trial, and what home truly means and Gatty was a champion of a protagonist. She really did make the story what it was.
I didn't realize that this was a spinoff of another series, so I may have enjoyed it more if I had read the other series first; but, I think overall, I knew going into this that the genre was not my favorite, so enjoying it the amount that I did was enough for me. I will say that it did jump around a lot and I found myself confused more often than I would have liked, haha. 3.5ish ⭐️
July 28, 2017
Loved the book.The writer was able to bring in each person in such a way that I remembered who was who. I am definitely glad that I didn't live in those days (So much for the good old days!) it was not only a story of physical health but also of spiritual and emotional thoughts and feelings. The amount of heathen fear of spirits, omens,and strange phenomenon that was going on along the side of people making a spiritual pilgrimage to Bethlehem.Even the age of Gatty at 15 having to have that huge responsibility to and for the other 8 of them. Amazing the fear and trepidation Garry must of felt. For all the pilgrims that did make it back,what an experience! What was normal for the pilgrims to do then I don't think they would today will be looking out for more books by this author
October 25, 2020
I read this book awhile ago without ever realizing that this book was a companion to a trilogy with set characters. It's been awhile since I ever read this book and unfortunately, I got rid of the book ages ago because it was collecting dust on my shelf.
I do remember liking the character growth of the main character. Gatty is a poor girl from the Arthur trilogy and we get to see her story and her journey. She goes on a pilgrimage with a group of other characters and encounters tragedy and heartbreak along the way.
It was a cute little book, but I wish I had known about the initial trilogy before I had gotten myself a copy of this book.
I do remember liking the character growth of the main character. Gatty is a poor girl from the Arthur trilogy and we get to see her story and her journey. She goes on a pilgrimage with a group of other characters and encounters tragedy and heartbreak along the way.
It was a cute little book, but I wish I had known about the initial trilogy before I had gotten myself a copy of this book.
August 25, 2022
Bei diesem historisch angehauchten Roman über die beschwerliche Pilgerreise von Gatty geht es um so viel mehr, als nur um den Weg nach Jerusalem. Es ist vielmehr die Reise zu sich selbst und dem, was tief in unserem Herzen verborgen ist. Das ist die Quintessenz, welche ich am Ende des Buches entnehmen konnte.
!Eventuell sind kleine Spoiler enthalten!
Die erste Begegnung mit Gatty startet langsam und zieht sich etwas bis endlich der Beginn der Reise anläuft. Dennoch lernt man für eben jene Reise wichtige Personen kennen und auch etwas über Gattys Hintergrund. Dennoch ist es etwas verwirrend, da gefühlt erstmal 30 Namen genannt werden, mit denen man sofort klarkommen muss. Gerade für Jugendliche, welche hier glaube ich die Zielgruppe waren, könnte dies eher schwierig sein. Diese vorgestellten Charaktere sind fast alle liebenswert und begleiten uns im Verlauf des Buches, wobei es nicht alle bis zum Ende schaffen werden. Das war mir bereits auf Seite 1 klar, trotzdem war ich etwas enttäuscht, dass ich sehr gut voraus ahnen konnte, wen es treffen wird und auch generell was als nächstes passiert.
Die Handlung hat bei mir leider keine Spannung aufkommen lassen, dafür war es zu vorhersehbar und auch stellenweise zu langatmig. Dennoch hat mir gut gefallen, wie der Autor das Pilgern an sich aufgegriffen hat. Auch die Landschaftsbeschreibungen empfand ich als sehr angenehm.
Gatty ist als Protagonistin relativ angenehm. Dadurch, dass sie noch relativ jung ist, ist sie auch noch blauäugig und etwas zu impulsiv an den falschen Stellen. Sie entwickelt sich im Verlauf jedoch ausgezeichnet und mit jeder neuen Hürde konnte man ihr anmerken, dass sie zu einer reifen jungen Frau herangewachsen ist.
Der Schreibstil ist eher gewöhnungsbedürftig und ich habe anfangs leider etwas länger gebraucht um reinzukommen. Zusätzlich erschwert wurde das Ganze noch durch die ständigen Gebete und religiösen Lieder. Ich weiß, dass diese Kern einer Pilgerreise sind und natürlich das Mittelalter geprägt davon ist, aber die benutzte Sprache ist zum einen nicht einfach und zum anderen mag ich dauerndes religiöses Gequatsche nicht. Dieses hat sich leider überwiegend durch das Buch gezogen, wobei Gatty auch hier manchmal den einen oder anderen Witz darüber macht.
Insgesamt hat mir das Buch mittelmäßig gut gefallen. Wer gerne historische Romane liest kann sich hieran gut versuchen und dürfte Spaß beim Lesen haben 😊
!Eventuell sind kleine Spoiler enthalten!
Die erste Begegnung mit Gatty startet langsam und zieht sich etwas bis endlich der Beginn der Reise anläuft. Dennoch lernt man für eben jene Reise wichtige Personen kennen und auch etwas über Gattys Hintergrund. Dennoch ist es etwas verwirrend, da gefühlt erstmal 30 Namen genannt werden, mit denen man sofort klarkommen muss. Gerade für Jugendliche, welche hier glaube ich die Zielgruppe waren, könnte dies eher schwierig sein. Diese vorgestellten Charaktere sind fast alle liebenswert und begleiten uns im Verlauf des Buches, wobei es nicht alle bis zum Ende schaffen werden. Das war mir bereits auf Seite 1 klar, trotzdem war ich etwas enttäuscht, dass ich sehr gut voraus ahnen konnte, wen es treffen wird und auch generell was als nächstes passiert.
Die Handlung hat bei mir leider keine Spannung aufkommen lassen, dafür war es zu vorhersehbar und auch stellenweise zu langatmig. Dennoch hat mir gut gefallen, wie der Autor das Pilgern an sich aufgegriffen hat. Auch die Landschaftsbeschreibungen empfand ich als sehr angenehm.
Gatty ist als Protagonistin relativ angenehm. Dadurch, dass sie noch relativ jung ist, ist sie auch noch blauäugig und etwas zu impulsiv an den falschen Stellen. Sie entwickelt sich im Verlauf jedoch ausgezeichnet und mit jeder neuen Hürde konnte man ihr anmerken, dass sie zu einer reifen jungen Frau herangewachsen ist.
Der Schreibstil ist eher gewöhnungsbedürftig und ich habe anfangs leider etwas länger gebraucht um reinzukommen. Zusätzlich erschwert wurde das Ganze noch durch die ständigen Gebete und religiösen Lieder. Ich weiß, dass diese Kern einer Pilgerreise sind und natürlich das Mittelalter geprägt davon ist, aber die benutzte Sprache ist zum einen nicht einfach und zum anderen mag ich dauerndes religiöses Gequatsche nicht. Dieses hat sich leider überwiegend durch das Buch gezogen, wobei Gatty auch hier manchmal den einen oder anderen Witz darüber macht.
Insgesamt hat mir das Buch mittelmäßig gut gefallen. Wer gerne historische Romane liest kann sich hieran gut versuchen und dürfte Spaß beim Lesen haben 😊
May 31, 2017
I started listening to this as an audio book with my family, but the beginning was slow and chaotic, so the rest of the family lost track of the characters and their interest waned. By the time the pilgrims arrived in France, I was on my own. It was only later there were more interesting parts. I liked the historic descriptions, but there were also substories that I think could have been left out; I didn't understand what their point was. I liked the ending, it was not too obvious.
August 30, 2021
I just didn’t like this book, I wanted to like it, but just really, really didn’t. Although part of it were the wrong expectations I had (namely that it wouldn’t be a children’s book), the writing, irritatingly naive character of Gatty (she really behaved like a 5-year-old instead of the age she was said to be), and the unlikely events strung together were a bigger part. It seems to me to be a story for really young children (like 5/6). Still, I suppose fans of the Arthur trilogy and fans of Gatty would enjoy this book, but it just wasn’t for me
April 4, 2023
I was thrilled when I saw the author had chosen to write a book all about Gatty, one of my favorite characters from his Arthur trilogy. This book definitely did not disappoint. Gatty jumped off of each and every page. The ending was perfect and somehow unpredictable. I highly recommend this book as well as the Arthur trilogy.
January 27, 2019
A first I was mad when I finished the Arthur trilogy and discovered a fourth book existed. However, I have to say it was the best one. I fell in love with all the characters. There were countless twists and at the end I hugged the book. Beautiful end!
March 9, 2017
Vivid, heartbreaking, sweet. Gatty is a phenomenal heroine. I like this book even better than the Arthur trilogy it is companion to.
April 16, 2018
Journey books are always good. It's amazing to think about how well-traveled some people were so long ago.
June 10, 2019
I actually liked this book better than the Arthur series, it's really nice that Getty gets her own tale. A lovely tale of a medieval pilgrimage to Jerusalem at the time of the crusades
March 6, 2020
Character development in Arthurs friend
February 19, 2021
Loved the story!
September 23, 2021
Still spectacular, still so gorgeously written. One of my favourites.
November 4, 2021
Nicht interessant, Progress ca 10%, abgebrochen
February 1, 2022
This book sucks it has no audiobooks and it has no summary book this is the worst book I have ever seen
November 29, 2022
5 stars for the last two chapters alone
November 5, 2025
Loved this book as a child and love it now, such good writing and depiction of medieval life
February 18, 2025
This book was really long (approximately 388 pages) and really the only reason I kept reading was because I was slightly interested at the beginning and then I was too far along to quit, and I was also kind of curious to see how many pilgrims would die by the time they got back to Wales, Surprisingly, to my next point, which extremely gruesome scenes including times when Gatty got a tooth pulled, and when another character’s hand gets mangled by reins attached to a horse pulling towards a cliff. Further descriptions of the hand throughout the rest of the book made me quite nauseous, not to mention the fact that the horse falls off the cliff to its death! Also, that one pilgrim who dies? Well, she dies of appendicitis, and the descriptions are really what makes it disgusting. (for example, “crabs are crawling in my stomach” and “her stomach has burst inside her” not to mention many others.).
Overall, the book had too many sub-plots which made it much longer than it needed to be.
This is why I dislike ‘Gatty’s Tale’ and do not recommend it. Oh, and for a book in the juvenile fiction section, there is an irregular amount of romance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2018
I absolutely love this book. I've read it four or five times. The characters are well built and believable, and the plot is really gripping. It's an excellent coming of age tale of a Welsh land girl who ends up on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Not a difficult read in the slightest but definitely a worthwhile one. Highly recommended :)
Reviewed in full at jessiebingham.com
Reviewed in full at jessiebingham.com
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