Troubadour by Mary Hoffman

This is a tale of a war started by the crusaders on the heretics seemingly as revenge for the murder of their monk. The tale of love is the substory about Elinor's pining for Bertran the troubadour, which is basically a jester-like singer/writer/poet. At the beginning, I was a little skeptical of the book due to it having a pampered noblewoman as one of the main protagonist, but Elinor's personality grew on me. The moment she made the bold decision that would drastically change her life, I was hooked. I am currently in the middle of this book and can't wait to find out the ending.

Quotes from the book:

'White the blossom as the snow,

Rich the fruits that on it grow,

Bitter in each twelve is one,

Rendered sweet by Mary's son...'



...



Elinor had learned the song well but, as she sang it for the pilgrims, she felt as if she understood it for the first time: even at the heart of joy you must expect a bitter note, but through love even that sharp tang could yield sweetness. There was something about this realisation, about the reasons that Iseut had written this song, about finding and losing Bertran and understanding that her future did not lie with him, that made Elinor weep.



- pp. 121

After reading this section, I noticed the references to Christianity and the description of Elinor's pining for Bertran can be paralleled to the Christians' wait for Jesus' return. The longer the wait, the sweeter the return.

Bertran was shocked. 'You mean he would launch an entire crusade against the Believers just for his own personal gain?'

'The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see his arse,' said Raimon, 'as peasants say in the Midi.'

- pp. 140


'...The Pope hates the Believers and the French love our lands and property. So we are caught like an almond in a pair of nutcrackers.'
- pp. 154

As for the above quotes, I take delight in their imagery.