This is a moving and brooding story set in 1276 England when persecution of the Jews was rife and a woman’s place was at home.

Eleanor moves to Lincoln to work as a housemaid and meets Asher a Jewish spice merchant. They fall in love in a town where religious divide is rife but they are joined by their shared passion for words and books. Eleanor learnt to read and write which was rare for a woman. When she falls pregnant with Asher’s child she is forced to leave her employment as a housemaid and attempt to use her skills as a scribe.

This is a slow story burying the reader into the small mindedness and unjustness of the time.  She is forbidden to marry Asher and their relationship is as passionate as it is fraught. I was surprised she was allowed to live independently with her child with little consequence but in this story she did with the financial help of Asher and another Jewish woman.

Cadwallader paints a picture of tension, violence and love in a time when prejudice and fairness was dictated by the King and fed into the way people lived.

The characters are well drawn, the writing beautiful and the story compelling despite being a slow burn.

A good one to read for those who like medieval historical fiction.