Crowfield Curse [Paperback]

The Crowfield Curse has already gotten attention from awards committees, and I can see why. It's the best depiction of a child's life in medieval Europe since Karen Cushman's books, as well as a powerful blending of historical fiction and fantasy.

The year is 1347, and 14-year-old William Paynel has lived at a poor abbey since his parents died, working odd jobs in return for scant room and board. What he doesn't know is that the abbey is keeping secrets--at least, not until Will ends up with a secret of his own. Will comes across a creature caught in a trap in the forest and frees it, then brings it to Brother Snail to heal. Only this isn't a fox or a squirrel; it's a hob, a creature of the fay. The hob, whom Brother Snail and Will call Brother Walter with gentle humor (since the fay cannot give their names), begins to trust his two rescuers and adapt to life at the abbey. Fortunately, none of the abbey's other inhabitants know he's there.

Walsh peoples her book with colorful and eerie characters, including an angry ex-soldier named Brother Martin who runs the kitchen and a canny woman from the village, Dame Alys, who goes about with a white crow on her shoulder. There is also a forbidding, haunted spot in the forest, Whistling Hollow.

As it turns out, the hob is only the first strange visitor to come to the abbey. Soon after his arrival, Master Bone and his odd servant arrive, paying handsomely for the privilege of rooms at the abbey. It seems there is something buried nearby, and the two have come looking for it.

The mystery deepens, with Will learning more than he ever thought he would about beings of darkness and light, about music and harm and healing of many kinds. In time, he discovers that his future is linked to the fay and their ways, whether he likes it or not.

In broad strokes, this plot may sound more like typical fantasy than it is. Once you read The Crowfield Curse, you find that Walsh has a way of building a mystery with a near-gothic feeling of suspense, never forgetting the power of her setting and the ways of medieval England. Her fay are more real and more grim than those you may have encountered in half a dozen YA paranormals recently, and her young hero and the other monks are gritty with the poverty and superstitions of their time.

As the book comes to a close, the buried secret takes on an entirely new meaning, as does the presence of Master Bone and his servant at the abbey. We also learn that Will's story is just beginning. So we can look forward to reading another book about William Paynel and his dealings with the fay.

Although I have to add, the snowy setting was so powerful that if the next book takes place in high summer, it will be a shock to the system!

Note for Worried Parents: There's talk about the grim realities of life in the Middle Ages here, along with some scary fay creatures. But The Crowfield Curse is appropriate for most readers in the 9-to-12 crowd.

As I expected from the description, this turned out to be an interesting read. The placement of a fairy myth lore into a Christian context creates something different than the typical fairy fantasy. Also, understand that when I say fairy myth lore, I'm not necessarily referring to fairies specifically in the sense of little creatures with wings, but the fairy court, fay warriors and such.

In some ways it actually reminds me a lot of Tithe by Holly Black, but in my opinion is actually better because it's a lot less confusing and I'm not forced to employ so much willing suspension of disbelief in regards to character interaction. However, the main differences are the time periods and the target age group, plus Tithe is really a love story at it's core, whereas The Crowfield Curse is more of an adventure/mystery. Ultimately, it's a quick fun read, the ideas are somewhat original, and there's a nice little glossary of terms in the back to help grasp some of the jargon words related to the life in the Abbey to give a little education.

-Lindsey Miller, [...]

Once in a while, a book comes along that surprises you. I picked "The Crowfield Curse" up on a whim, being attracted to its stark cover-art and intriguing title, and it turns out to have been the best book-related choice I've made in months. A rich, unsettling atmosphere, imaginative use of old folktales and legends, a sweet, likeable protagonist, a fascinating central conceit - this book has it all.

After the death of his family in a fire, fourteen year old William Paynel goes to live at Crowfield Abbey. It's a hard life there, but Will knows that he's lucky to have daily meals and shelter; especially during the middle of winter in the year 1347. Surrounded by monks both strict and kindly, including hunchbacked Brother Snail and simple-minded Brother Peter, Will is more or less content with his lot in life.

But changes are on the horizon. The story begins when Will rescues a hob - that is, a strange fay-creature - from an iron trap and takes it back to Crowfield Abbey for healing, though he's careful to keep it a secret from the monks. He has heard several spooky stories about the dangers of the woods and knows that the monks would not look kindly on the presence of a fay in their domain, but the hob seems a benevolent creature who informs Will that he has the Sight.

Mysteries pile up upon mysteries. Two guests, Jacobus Bone and his manservant Shadlok have come to stay at the Abbey. It's a strange place to visit, but it soon becomes clear that they have a purpose in visiting the rundown old abbey in the middle of winter. They are looking for something, the secret of which has been guarded by the monks of Crowfield Abbey for generations, and Will might just be the key in finding it. It would be wrong to give away the central secret of the book, but rest-assured - it is suitably mysterious and thought-provoking. Something is buried under the snow, and once you learn what it is, you'll be as intrigued as Will in the attempt to uncover it. (Or you could just read one of the other reviews, which readily give away the "curse" of the book's title).

Pat Walsh is marvelous at capturing the experience of life in the seventeenth century. She's clearly done painstaking research to ensure that everything is as accurate as possible, and the book includes a glossary and day's timetable at the back. The layout of the abbey, with its church, chapter house, graveyard, gardens and fishponds feels like a real place, and its careful routine and strict rules are contrasted beautifully with the wild forests replete with spirits that lie just beyond its walls. The chill of a medieval winter is palpable (you may need to add extra layers of clothing whilst you read) and Walsh doesn't overlook the grimmer aspects of Will's life, where food is scarce, people are greedy or cruel out of necessity, and graves are dug before their recipients are even dead (otherwise the frozen ground would make it impossible).

But though this is a realistic, gritty portrayal of the past, filled with superstition and hardships, Walsh is careful to add moments of kindness and beauty too. Will is struck by the beauty of musical instruments, vellum documents and elaborate stone carvings. Likewise, there is a fascinating melding of Christian mysticism and pagan folklore, with Will forging friendships on both sides of the equation. The answer to the mystery lies both with the monks and in the unseen world of spirits that dwell in the forest - between the two of them, Will finds what he seeks.

From the haunted hollow in the forest, where no birds sing and the devil is said to walk, to the daily routine of drudgery and chores at the abbey, from the enigmatic Dame Alys with her white crow, to Jacobus Bone with his masked face, Walsh has crafted a fascinating book populated with plenty of vivid characters and interesting ideas. Best of all, she's left plenty of room for a sequel, The Crowfield Demon, which I can't wait to read.

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