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Book Review of Revenge of the Rose

Revenge of the Rose
hannamatt52 avatar reviewed on
Helpful Score: 3


I read "Revenge of the Rose" by Nicole Galland. It is an interpretation or re-imagining of a 13th century poem by Jean Renart called "The Romance of the Rose or Willem of Dole". It is written in the true style of courtly love and features deeds of daring, tournaments, brave if obtuse knights, wronged children, an extremely clever minstrel, and ladies both highborn and low who are cleverer by half than all the men in the tale put together. Each chapter is written in the style of a literary or rhetorical conceit and I have to marvel with admiration at the author's ability to carry the whole thing off with humor and panache. In my opinion, Ms. Galland could easily take her place with the best troubadours of the era.