- Time of past OR future Camino
- May 2023: Via Francigena, Lucca to Rome
The epic poem El Cid starts with the medieval Christian knight Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (El Cid) being exiled from Castille. The first part of the poem is lost. This modern novel tries to recreate the man behind the myth, and spends the first third in the Christian kingdoms of northern Spain - Galicia, Castille, Leon, Navarre, Pamplona, and La Rioja. The reviews say it's based on solid historical research.
The Camino, and the pilgrims on it, are a constant background presence in the novel. The kings attempt to conquer each other's territories under the guise of "protecting the pilgrims on the way to Santiago," they build churches and facilities for the pilgrims to win popularity, and they travel up and down the Camino on their way to weddings, wars, and royal councils.
After the first third El Cid heads south and fight for the Muslim taifa kingdoms, and we leave the Camino Frances behind.
This is a solid historical novel. It doesn't quite make history or the characters come alive like the great historical novels do, but it also avoids being bloated or melodramatic like the worst. I'd give it three stars, but I loved reading about all the towns we had walked through on the CF, so I'm giving it four.
The Camino, and the pilgrims on it, are a constant background presence in the novel. The kings attempt to conquer each other's territories under the guise of "protecting the pilgrims on the way to Santiago," they build churches and facilities for the pilgrims to win popularity, and they travel up and down the Camino on their way to weddings, wars, and royal councils.
After the first third El Cid heads south and fight for the Muslim taifa kingdoms, and we leave the Camino Frances behind.
This is a solid historical novel. It doesn't quite make history or the characters come alive like the great historical novels do, but it also avoids being bloated or melodramatic like the worst. I'd give it three stars, but I loved reading about all the towns we had walked through on the CF, so I'm giving it four.
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