Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Oakhill Publishing (2011), Unabridged MP3; 17h50
Description
England, 1321. The tiny village of Ulewic teeters between survival and destruction, faith and doubt, God and demons. Shadowing the villagers' lives are men cloaked in masks and secrecy, ruling with violence, intimidation, and terrifying fiery rites: the Owl Masters. When the daughter of Ulewic's most powerful man is accepted into a beguinage, battle lines are drawn.
User reviews
LibraryThing member soliloquies
Entertaining, yet odd book, about a village steeped in superstition, the corruption of those in power and the distrust of outsiders. Parallels can be drawn with society today, quite easily. A lot of people probably won't like this because its characters are not particularly loveable, all manner of
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horrible things happen and life is grim. But it's for those reasons that I enjoyed it. The sections narrated by Beatrice were the most difficult to read as she just annoyed me intensely. Overall the multiple viewpoints gave the book a good balance. Show Less
LibraryThing member AriadneAranea
Set in fourteenth century England, this novel follows the fortunes of several characters in the village of Ulewic (not sure about that name, by the way) and in the nearby beguinage. Some in the village reject the church and want to return to the old ways, when the people worshipped a terrifying
It took a while to get going, especially because the story is told from multiple viewpoints which is always difficult to pull off, but it was definitely worth ploughing on - and I look forward to reading Karen Maitland's other work.
NOTE: Beguines are religious women who banded together as a community to do good works. They were in some ways similar to nuns but they were not - for example, they did not take vows or renounce their property and were free to leave at any time. For many women it was the ideal way, perhaps the only way, to live independently outside of marriage.
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demon known as the Owlman. So there are demons, witches real and imagined, cattle plague, floods, leprosy, heresy and holy relics - did we miss anything out? Oh, yes - bravery, cruelty, jealousy, love, misogyny, despair, fear, compassion and more than one murder. Still, it's not just a good old-fashioned battle between good and evil - the characters are complex and multi-faceted, and the "good" is often ambiguous. It took a while to get going, especially because the story is told from multiple viewpoints which is always difficult to pull off, but it was definitely worth ploughing on - and I look forward to reading Karen Maitland's other work.
NOTE: Beguines are religious women who banded together as a community to do good works. They were in some ways similar to nuns but they were not - for example, they did not take vows or renounce their property and were free to leave at any time. For many women it was the ideal way, perhaps the only way, to live independently outside of marriage.
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LibraryThing member devenish
This story takes place in England in the year 1321. It is also set literally and metaphorically in the Dark Ages.
A group of women have set up a commune near an village somewhere in Norfolk. They are self-sufficient and although they help the villagers with food and medical assistance,they are
Not a happy tale,but a very readable one. As with Karen Maitland's other book (Company of Liars) she ends with Historical notes which tell the reader that each story is based on a set of facts.
A group of women have set up a commune near an village somewhere in Norfolk. They are self-sufficient and although they help the villagers with food and medical assistance,they are
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resented by the locals.A mysterious group who are known as the Owl Masters hold the locals in fear and additional threats come from the Church and the local nobility. Within the commune itself rifts appear and the break-up of the group becomes more and more certain as heresy is suspected within.Not a happy tale,but a very readable one. As with Karen Maitland's other book (Company of Liars) she ends with Historical notes which tell the reader that each story is based on a set of facts.
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LibraryThing member thiscatsabroad
Perhaps because I read Company of Liars first, I was disappointed in The Owl Killers. Disappointed because like Devenish said (above) the supernatural element was both unnecessary and distracting - and somehow cheapened the story for me. And like Kasthu (above as well), the imagery was
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heavy-handed. Good & evil run along rather rigid impermeable lines: bad church, bad aristocracy vs. downtrodden villagers, marginalized women. Having said all that, the story was gripping (even if the characters were somewhat predictable)and I would recommend it. Maitland certainly captures the ambiance of Medieval England. Show Less
LibraryThing member Abbyroad909
I loved Company of Liars, Karen Maitland's previous book about the Middle Ages. This one just didn't hook me. I found the characters almost entirely unsympathetic or unlikable, and the setting incredibly bleak. For me that made it difficult to get through. That said, Maitland does have an eye for
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the Middle Ages and her use of multiple narrators is a nice touch. It's probably worth a read, but not my cup of tea. Company of Liars is a far better book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kasthu
Set in the English village of Ulewic (fictional, but placed somewhere near Norwich) in 1321-22, The Owl Killers is the story of a village fighting against forces both known and unknown. At the story’s center is the town’s beguinage, a community of women originally from Bruges who came to
The story is narrated by a number of characters, including the beguinage’s leader, Servant Martha; the angry and bitter beguine named Beatrice; the town’s self-righteous priest, Father Ulfrid; Osmanna, daughter of the lord of the manor who is sheltered by the beguines; and one of the village children. The novel contains a curious and intriguing combination of pagan belief and Christianity, witchcraft and superstition.
I don’t normally read books with supernatural themes, but The Owl Killers grabbed me from page one and refused to let me go. One of my favorite things about this book is the characters; each narrator has their own strong, unique voice (my favorite was the sensible, practical Servant Martha). Maitland shows the middle ages as they really were, and she does so perfectly. Maitland delivers the symbolism a little heavy-handedly (of the “a candle blows out and someone dies” variety), but I nevertheless enjoyed this novel. Read it, and you’ll never feel the same way about owls or men in masks again.
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England to lead lives independent of marriage or the convent. When the town suffers from flood and plague, and the women are unaffected, the people in the town start to suspect them of harboring a holy relic. Meanwhile, the village is controlled by a group of men called the Owl Masters and haunted by the specter of the Owlman, who delivers nothing but death and destruction to the places and people he visits.The story is narrated by a number of characters, including the beguinage’s leader, Servant Martha; the angry and bitter beguine named Beatrice; the town’s self-righteous priest, Father Ulfrid; Osmanna, daughter of the lord of the manor who is sheltered by the beguines; and one of the village children. The novel contains a curious and intriguing combination of pagan belief and Christianity, witchcraft and superstition.
I don’t normally read books with supernatural themes, but The Owl Killers grabbed me from page one and refused to let me go. One of my favorite things about this book is the characters; each narrator has their own strong, unique voice (my favorite was the sensible, practical Servant Martha). Maitland shows the middle ages as they really were, and she does so perfectly. Maitland delivers the symbolism a little heavy-handedly (of the “a candle blows out and someone dies” variety), but I nevertheless enjoyed this novel. Read it, and you’ll never feel the same way about owls or men in masks again.
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LibraryThing member passion4reading
It is 1321 and England is in the grip of a famine. A group of women, beguines from Flanders and a few locals, have established their place of refuge outside the village of Ulewic in rural Norfolk, and tensions with the villagers increase after they defy the local priest in a number of disputes.
Karen Maitland has already established herself as one of my favourite authors with Company of Liars and The Falcons of Fire and Ice with her masterful art of storytelling and atmosphere, as well as tackling topical ideas cloaked in the disguise of a historical novel. As in Falcons, Karen Maitland pitches the doctrine of the established Church against other forms of belief, in this case the old pagan traditions, the simpler faith of the beguines and the villagers’ superstitions. It is mysterious and filled with a dark sense of foreboding, suspenseful and terrifying in equal measures. The voices of the five narrators are discrete and distinct, entirely believable throughout, and you feel for each of them in turn. The whole book is brimming with evocative and atmospheric details that bring home the harsh realities of living in the 14th century, with a clear sense of the hardship, social order and mixture of religious faith and superstitions, yet it also manages to explore notions of free will and being different that still have resonance today. Highly recommended.
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With their prayers not being answered, the population turns to some old, pagan, beliefs but they only manage to unleash a demon.Karen Maitland has already established herself as one of my favourite authors with Company of Liars and The Falcons of Fire and Ice with her masterful art of storytelling and atmosphere, as well as tackling topical ideas cloaked in the disguise of a historical novel. As in Falcons, Karen Maitland pitches the doctrine of the established Church against other forms of belief, in this case the old pagan traditions, the simpler faith of the beguines and the villagers’ superstitions. It is mysterious and filled with a dark sense of foreboding, suspenseful and terrifying in equal measures. The voices of the five narrators are discrete and distinct, entirely believable throughout, and you feel for each of them in turn. The whole book is brimming with evocative and atmospheric details that bring home the harsh realities of living in the 14th century, with a clear sense of the hardship, social order and mixture of religious faith and superstitions, yet it also manages to explore notions of free will and being different that still have resonance today. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member emcnicho
I couldn't quite finish this book, it was too dreary. The prose was excellent, being a scholar on medieval mythology and belief I couldn't find any flaw in the mythology. It was excellent! but each chapter brought a new depressing element to the tale and it was too much. For those of you with a
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sterner constitution I recommend it! Show Less
LibraryThing member ElaineC
Set in medieval England this book takes you into the countryside where villagers lived a hard life - oppressed by the church and the wealthy, and battling the elements to survive. I loved the detail about this period, and the book made me feel as though I was there. Quite horrific and chilling in
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parts it gripped me all the way. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member christinelstanley
This is an excellent read. The plot is strong, the research thorough and the descriptions so good, you can smell the filth and hear the rumbles in the bellies of the the starving villagers. Extraordinary!
LibraryThing member john257hopper
This is the second Medieval historical novel I have read by this author. In a number of places, it feels more like fantasy or horror, rather than historical fiction, as there are unexplained supernatural events and it almost feels timeless, there being very few references to events in the outside
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world, other than generically. One of the very few exceptions is an anachronism, a mention of the notorious alleged way in which King Edward II was murdered in 1328 - but the novel is set in 1321-2. The author describes very well the sights, atmosphere and, in particular, the smells, of a Medieval village. Almost all the villagers are very unsympathetic characters; in the first half, the village priest was fairly sympathetic, showing concern for his poor parishioners against their oppressive masters, but then turning to the bad in the second half, albeit arguably under almost intolerable pressure. The beguines were an interesting movement, of which I had not previously heard, much less well known that the Cathars, for example. Show Less
LibraryThing member jakczek
A fantastic page turner. Highly recommended. Life like characters which are well built through the whole book. Written with such poignancy that it is a whirlwind of emotions. I have now read all books by this Author (who also aliases as Karen Mailman), and she now rates among my favourites. We need
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more!! Please” bring it on” Show Less
LibraryThing member allyshaw
While the premise and historical research are wonderfully manifested, the constantly shifting first person narrative creates a fragmented experience for the reader. I longed for a third person narrator (which we strangely get in the epilogue?-- who is speaking then?) A third person pov would
Still, the story is vital and fascinating. I don't want to be overly critical, it's just that the flaws seem so obvious and I believe with some good editing this book could have been so much better.
I felt that this book was written in the rush of the success of the first, and there were many writerly decisions that left me confused. I could only make sense of them by deciding that this book had come out under some kind of "repeat performance" market pressure after the Company of Liars.
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simplify the experience as well as solidify the philosophical center of the novel-- is this a place of magic or delusion for the narrator who is stringing together these (sometimes too similar) voices? There was something coy about the constantly shifting 1st person, the device became obvious as a suspense-creation machine. Still, the story is vital and fascinating. I don't want to be overly critical, it's just that the flaws seem so obvious and I believe with some good editing this book could have been so much better.
I felt that this book was written in the rush of the success of the first, and there were many writerly decisions that left me confused. I could only make sense of them by deciding that this book had come out under some kind of "repeat performance" market pressure after the Company of Liars.
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LibraryThing member Lylee
Pretty good. Little too grey in some ways
LibraryThing member Beamis12
Loved her first book and this one was also very good. Dark and atmospheric, Paganism vs. Christianity in the Dark ages. Compelling characters, quite a bit of terror and I am just so glad we are not living during that time period.
LibraryThing member BillC.
I found the constant changing of perspectives to be distracting and the overall tone was depressing. Certainly not a "feel good" book!
LibraryThing member scot2
Loved this book. A story of medieval England and a beguinage of women dedicated to charitable deeds. It is set in a small village where the inhabitants are interbred and children are born with a disfigurement. It was difficult to decide what was superstition and what was perhaps supernatural. The
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author appears to have thoroughly researched her background. Will now check out other books by this author. Show Less
LibraryThing member catzkc
(another stay up to midnight to finish book!). There was a sense of dread threaded throughout this story. I was worried this novel would be just one long, hopeless tragedy. I'm very happy that was not to be the case.
It's hard to tell which I like better, The Company of Liars or this (I'm leaning
I think this is more of an atmospheric novel, and it certainly delivers on that account. I felt completely immersed into the fourteenth-century East-Anglian fenlands. The action doesn't really get going until you're about 60% into the book. That's something I don't mind - when it's well written - and that's certainly the case here. But I know some people may be put off by that. Even though things didn't get hopping until later, the story still held me in a strong grip of suspense. I just knew something horrible and sinister was brewing up.
This book also has a few more elements of fantasy/mysticism. While I usually don't like that in my historical fiction, the way it's written here, it just works. I think it really complements and ads something to the whole story, rather than being a distraction or seeming to be tacked on as an afterthought. Of course a big party of this novel is about examining the conflict between Christianity and the early pagan beliefs of the people. So it makes sense that we are experiencing what the people themselves see and experience.
This book addresses a fascinating moment in the history of the middle ages. Not that the town, people and events described actually happened, but the environmental and resulting social upheaval going on at that time was certainly real enough. And it was fascinating to learn of the lady-religious, female-collective movement of the Beguinage Communities during these times.
I'm starting to think the most moving historical fiction novels are those about fictional people living thru real times/events, rather than those about real people.
(p.s. - quite an excellent chapter of historical notes, and glossary!)
It's hard to tell which I like better, The Company of Liars or this (I'm leaning
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towards this one). They are both five starers, but each brings something different to the table.I think this is more of an atmospheric novel, and it certainly delivers on that account. I felt completely immersed into the fourteenth-century East-Anglian fenlands. The action doesn't really get going until you're about 60% into the book. That's something I don't mind - when it's well written - and that's certainly the case here. But I know some people may be put off by that. Even though things didn't get hopping until later, the story still held me in a strong grip of suspense. I just knew something horrible and sinister was brewing up.
This book also has a few more elements of fantasy/mysticism. While I usually don't like that in my historical fiction, the way it's written here, it just works. I think it really complements and ads something to the whole story, rather than being a distraction or seeming to be tacked on as an afterthought. Of course a big party of this novel is about examining the conflict between Christianity and the early pagan beliefs of the people. So it makes sense that we are experiencing what the people themselves see and experience.
This book addresses a fascinating moment in the history of the middle ages. Not that the town, people and events described actually happened, but the environmental and resulting social upheaval going on at that time was certainly real enough. And it was fascinating to learn of the lady-religious, female-collective movement of the Beguinage Communities during these times.
I'm starting to think the most moving historical fiction novels are those about fictional people living thru real times/events, rather than those about real people.
(p.s. - quite an excellent chapter of historical notes, and glossary!)
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LibraryThing member tshrope
After reading and enjoying Maitland’s Company of Liars I was excited to read her next book the Owl Killers, and I was not disappointed. In fact I think this book was even more of a compelling read than the first.
Set in the 1320’s in England, a group of Christian women known as beguines come to
The story is told through 5 different voices which I did not have a problem following. In fact I thought it added to the story showing different points of view and enhanced character development. I know other reviewers did not like this technique but I did not have a problem with it.
Maitland is a master of this era and it is fascinating to learn so much about everyday life at this time (the Church’s power, what people ate, what types of herbs were used for medicinal purposes etc). She does not let her historical knowledge of this time period overwhelm her overall story though and does an excellent job of keeping the reader engaged and wondering what will happen next. There are a couple of loose ends she leaves dangling (what happened to Servant Martha, the leader of the beguines, and Father Ulfrid, although we can guess he where is fate will lay), but these few details do not deter from the enjoyment of the story.
I also liked the touch towards the end of the book when she refers to the main character in the Company of Liars (set 20 years later) who will come along and find a book left by one of beguines.
Set in the 1320’s in England, a group of Christian women known as beguines come to
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the small (fictional) village of Ulewic from Burges to establish a beguinage (a self-sustaining community of women). They are met with suspicion and are immediately targeted as the root of all evil (floods, famine, sickness and death) by the Owl Men, a group of men who rule the village through paganism and fear.The story is told through 5 different voices which I did not have a problem following. In fact I thought it added to the story showing different points of view and enhanced character development. I know other reviewers did not like this technique but I did not have a problem with it.
Maitland is a master of this era and it is fascinating to learn so much about everyday life at this time (the Church’s power, what people ate, what types of herbs were used for medicinal purposes etc). She does not let her historical knowledge of this time period overwhelm her overall story though and does an excellent job of keeping the reader engaged and wondering what will happen next. There are a couple of loose ends she leaves dangling (what happened to Servant Martha, the leader of the beguines, and Father Ulfrid, although we can guess he where is fate will lay), but these few details do not deter from the enjoyment of the story.
I also liked the touch towards the end of the book when she refers to the main character in the Company of Liars (set 20 years later) who will come along and find a book left by one of beguines.
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LibraryThing member emilyingreen
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. It even took me a little while to get into it, but was it ever worth it. Maitland does a commendable job of conjuring to life the Dark Ages, with all the grime, pestilence, and superstition. The shifting narrators really added to the suspense,
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making this 528-page tome a real page turner. Show Less
LibraryThing member maryintexas39
For me, this just didn't live up to my expectations.
LibraryThing member nordie
Set in the mid-14th century, this is of an isolated village in England, where the old religion hasnt quite been usurped by Christianity. The obligatory witch lives on the edge of town, the gargoyles on the church are still a little too paganistic for some and the "outlanders" are still to be
These outlanders include the Squire and his family, who is still despised after generations living there.
The Beguines - a group of women who are near nun-like in their vows to the Church, but work in the community - are also outsiders, and are to be suspected even more when their crops dont fail and their livestock dont succumb to a local disease.
The priest has been sent down from Norwich to serve penance for doing more than breaking his vow of chastity.
Told in various different voices this is a page turning read and only took a few days to finish. There were a couple of characters who you did wonder what they were there for apart from showing what life was like back then (e.g. the leper, the two children who lost their mother in a flood). I also thought that the battling against the owl master by the Servant Martha at the end was just a little too.....simple? easy? I dont know...
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suspected. These outlanders include the Squire and his family, who is still despised after generations living there.
The Beguines - a group of women who are near nun-like in their vows to the Church, but work in the community - are also outsiders, and are to be suspected even more when their crops dont fail and their livestock dont succumb to a local disease.
The priest has been sent down from Norwich to serve penance for doing more than breaking his vow of chastity.
Told in various different voices this is a page turning read and only took a few days to finish. There were a couple of characters who you did wonder what they were there for apart from showing what life was like back then (e.g. the leper, the two children who lost their mother in a flood). I also thought that the battling against the owl master by the Servant Martha at the end was just a little too.....simple? easy? I dont know...
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Awards
Shirley Jackson Award (Nominee — Novel — 2009)
RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — Historical Fiction — 2010)
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009