Title: The Ramsay Scallop
Author: Frances Temple
Historical Fiction Young Adult
Pages: 310
Plot: The year is 1299. Fourteen year old Elenor reluctantly awaits the return of her betrothed--a man she hardly knows--from the Crusade. Thomas, broken and disillusioned from years of fighting, finds the very idea of marriage and lordship overwhelming. So when the village priest sends them on a religious pilgrimage before marriage, both are relieved. The journey means a postponement of the dreaded nuptial, and a last chance for adventure.
As Elenor and Thomas wend their way toward the shrine of St. James, they meet many other pilgrims-- each with their own extraordinary tales to tell and ideas to share. There is Etienne, a passionate student of philosophy; Brother Ambrose, gentle teacher of schoolboys; practical Marthe, eager of a decent life for her children. And gradually Elenor and Thomas come to realize the glorious possibilities of the world around them.... and within each other.
(Starting on Monday July 20)
