A Review Of Julian’s Latest Book…… Supper & Swadge…...Springwatch Oasis Vibe…..
by Bernie Bell - 08:27 on 27 May 2025
A Review Of Julian’s Latest Book……
by Christine Boos.....
"Lovers of medieval history, here is a great novel!!
Excellent! The third novel by the author and the same quality as the first two!
The Will of God, by Julian de la Motte .
Starting from the death of William the Conqueror, we follow the life of Gilles. Gilles is a young man who did not have an easy childhood until he got looked after by Mathilda and William the Conqueror. His very young years lived more or less alone in utter poverty made a man of him full of resources, and a great observer lending his voice to the author.... A lot happens to him by chance, Gilles just follows the turning of the wheel of his life which will take him to a scary, fascinating and very risky journey. The aim is a crusade to Jerusalem... This novel involves its organisation, planning and many surprises....
Gilles appears as a quiet man, an ordinary character, some might say, who believes in god, but not sure up to what extent... Indeed, after meeting Odo ( one of William's sons), a greedy bishop who does hesitate to killing, makes you think twice about religious philosophy... However, Gilles won't resist such a big adventure into the unknown...
Gilles' story is brilliantly told. Reading it felt like listening to a narrator talking about him. Not that many dialogues, but the story remains alive all through the novel. Probably, because the reader can hear the voice of the narrator between the lines. Very clever and powerful!
A voice well worth listening to, as Julian de la Motte Motte knows what he is talking about. His meticulous research into mediaval history leads to a fascinating read. I also enjoyed the fact that I learned a lot about William the Conqueror's sons even though they are not the main characters of the novel. I eagerly wait for the second book of the series!
I highly recommend this novel as well as his first two (Senlac). Historical fiction at its best!"
Re. 'Senlac'.....
Julian has an interesting history himself – he’s a descendant of the Countess de la Motte who fled the French Revolution taking with her, presumably among other more practical things, a thorn from the Crown of Thorns ( allegedly).
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Supper & Swadge….
I’d never come across the word ‘swadge’……
https://word-stuck.tumblr.com/orcadian
………until I was told about an opportunity to swadge in Evie on the 20th of June…..
Jon and Elaine are doing the cooking, and I can vouch for how good they are!
A chance to meet the neighbours, have a yarn, and……… swadge…..
(Loose clothing is advisable!)
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Springwatch Oasis Vibe….
Monday evening, we watched ‘Springwatch’ and noticed a definite ‘Oasis’ vibe going on.
Song titles mentioned included All Around The World, Champagne Supernova, Stand By Me, Married with Children, The Importance of Being Idle, and Roll With It. There was another one we noticed, but I’ve forgotten it already!
Chris Packham was wearing an Oasis ‘beany hat’ – will there be more today - or will they refence a different band?
Springwatch goes rock ‘n roll……
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002ctvl/springwatch-2025-episode-1
Nothing to do with Oasis – but the young man recording bird song is an absolute honey!
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