Gatty's tale
In the year 1203, nine companions set out on a great pilgrimage. The journey? on foot, on horseback and by sea? is fraught with danger. Not all of them will come home. Among them is a girl called Gatty, whose whole life has been spent working in the fields, who has never been more than a few miles from home, who knows hunger and hardship and little else. Bright, eager and resolute, she is at the heart of this enthralling novel that sweeps across Europe towards Jerusalem, carrying the pilgrims through great highs and lows and knuckle-biting dramas. Thieves and conmen; a vicious attack; storms and precipices; broken limbs and a heartbreaking bereavement; these are the challenges and terrors the pilgrims must face. But this is also a story of friendship and loyalty, bravery and sacrifice. Gatty?s curiosity and reckless impulsiveness land her in danger but also open her to new people and new ideas. Passionate with hope and love and longing, she is transformed by her experience, and discovers in herself the capacity to be far more than the simple field-girl she once was. Will she reach Jerusalem? Will she return home, and see again the Welsh Marches and the one person she can tell her heart to?
Print Book, English, 2006
Orion Children's, London, 2006