Publisher: Lemniscaat
Pages: 300
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 906069273X
ISBN-13: 9789060692738
Series:De honderdjarige oorlog #1
Publisher: Lemniscaat
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 9060693264
ISBN-13: 9789060693261
Series: De honderdjarige oorlog #2
Publisher: Lemniscaat
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 9060693574
ISBN-13: 9789060693575
Series: De honderdjarige oorlog #2
This story consists of three books that can be read separate but are so much better when you read them together.
At 15 Marije is unhappy with the life she is living in Brugges in 1346 and when her parents want to marry her to a boy she really hates she runs and travels to France. France is in war and Marije ends up on the battlefield of Crecy. Here she finds a wounded French soldier named Berton de Fleur. He is a jongleur. Picked up by Jean d’Ailly who is recognizing Berton his talent and has the influence as nobleman to open doors that would have stayed closed for Marije and Berton they decide to join forces and travel together. Marije changes her name to the more French sounding Marie-Claire. Traveling trough the country they are confronted with war and when the Plague is going around they find the orphan Matthis Cuvelier. He is a great singer.
Traveling trough Bretagne they meet Bertrand du Guesclin and become friends with the Breton Knight.
Matthis dreaming of becoming a hero joins du Guesclin's army in the second book and becomes his herald of arms. His voice has broken as he is around 13 and he does not know what to do. Though he hates the battefield he loves being a part of the history du Guesclin is making. On their trips they are often joined by his step-parents.
Around 1360 Marie-Claire and Berton pick up another orphan Robert who dreams of becoming a knight but being undersized this is often laughed at. Still du Guesclin sees he might make for a great spy and and Marie-Claire join the Breton on his Spanish adventures.
I used to read these books every three months when I was around 9. I loved the atmosphere and learning stuff (yeah I was a history geek) about the Hundred Years' War. When I had the change to buy a good looking second hand set of these books a few years ago I did not have to think long.
I finally found time to plan a re-read of this series and was not disappointed. It is still a great atmosphere and a great story to read. It is easy to connect to the characters and reading all three books in a row makes it even easier to stay close and really investigate. This series is written for kids from age 10-13 and is about a 1000 pages total. As the writing is not childish it still took me a good week to read these books being taken back to the dark time in France.
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