Books Reviews

Belle’s Song - Book Review

By Angela Youngman Apr 6, 2011, 15:17 GMT

Fifteen-year-old Belle is a dreamer with a sharp tongue and an aching burden: her carelessness has crippled her father. A chance meeting with bespectacled Luke has her decide to join the pilgrimage to Canterbury made famous by Geoffrey Chaucer\'s beloved tales. There she befriends the famous writer and Walter, a handsome squire with a secret of his own. Growing to love her fellow travelers dearly, Belle is thrilled by the ...more

Belle lives near to the Tabard Inn in Southwark.  Meeting a group of pilgrims about to set off en route to St Thomas A Becket's shrine in Canterbury; Belle decides to join them in hope of a miracle - that her father will walk again.  It is a journey that has unforeseen consequences. 

Also among the pilgrims is poet Geoffrey Chaucer and his scribe Luke.  Belle is attracted to Luke and also Walter, the wealthy son of a knight.  Will she be able to follow her heart? But nothing is quite so simple, for around the pilgrims there is a growing net of intrigue and treason. 

Ultimately, they find they have to risk everything to save their country, their king - and themselves.  This is a gentle story that encourages readers to learn a little more about Geoffrey Chaucer, his life and times.  Belle is an interesting character, full of confusion, worries and concerns.