A Cageful of Birds

In 1138, Gilles, a monk barely into manhood, is sent by the great Benedictine abbey of Bec in Normandy to the village of Stivetun in Berkshire. His charge is to oversee the abbey’s farm lands and cure the souls of its peasant tenants. But England is in a state of political and religious upheaval, a morass into which the naïve Gilles is gradually drawn. Those in whom he should trust such as the Bishops of Wyncestre and Sarum and old friends like Peter of Waneting betray him. Those of whom he should be wary, win his heart and love, not least the obdurate reeve, Alvric, and the seductive Maud of Walingeford. Gilles’ sense of justice and truth thrusts him to the forefront of events and leads him to face decisions that will seal the fate of some and the salvation of many.

This is a study of a pivotal period in history told in a gripping tale of human self-discovery, the triumph of faith over doubt and, ultimately, of good over evil. It’s the story of real people who lived and struggled in The Anarchy of twelfth century England.