Casilda of the rising moon;: A tale of magic and of faith, of knights and a saint in medieval Spain, (An Ariel book) [Unknown Binding]

Elizabeth Borton de Trevino (Author)

Product Details

• Unknown Binding: 186 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (1967)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0006BPN7I
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,424,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A powerful and inspiring book for girls 8-11years old, May 22, 2009

By 

A. Woodley "Patroness, Janeites, the Austen list" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Trevino admits in the notes at the end of the book that she took some licence with the story of Casilda of the Rising moon - however the story is mostly lost in the mists of time. Sometime in 1046 there was reported in Castile the first of Saint Casilda's miracles. She was a young woman living near a healing spring in the north of Spain - the daughter of a Moorish Muslim family from Toledo.

A cult grew up around her, and Queen Isabella, the famously Catholic queen who much later rid Spain of the Muslim's rode into battle with relics of St Casilda with her. (A gruesome but popular habit of the time)

The process of beatifying saints didn't start until the 12th century prior to that the Catholic church accepted those saints who had local cults - Casilda was one of these - and so stories of her life and her miracles are sparse and often contradictory.

From these stories Trevino has built an extraodinary story - of Casilda and her life from the age of about 13 until her death still in her teen age years. This is a story of Spain in the time of El Cid, and Trevino draws him and his family into the story. Of a time of Chivalry, and of conflict between Christian, Jew and Muslim. Trevino manages to interweave the three faiths beautifully into her story and shows great sympathy to them all.

I loved this story when I was eight and a re-reading recently I found it just as powerful now as I did then.

I owned the 1972 paperback cover was wonderful - showing the three Children of King Alumun on the cover, Ahmed, Zoraida and Casilda. The cover the 1960's hardback is not quite so inspiring. But you can't judge a book by its cover.

I am amazed that Trevino's works haven't been reprinted since the 1970's her works, such as Casilda, or I, juan de Pareja are two of the most powerful works I remember from my childhood.

Ideal for 8-11 year olds. This is a powerful story and an inspiring one.