Customer Reviews

Crossed: A Tale of the Fourth Crusade

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Crossed is a complicated novel about the failed Fourth Crusade of 1202-4. Featuring an unnamed British musician and jack-of-all-trades as part-narrator, Gregor of Mainz, a religious knight whose diary also makes up the narration, his brother Otto, and a mysterious princess named Jamila, the novel begins in Venice, when the Briton saves Jamila from an unpleasant fate. The reader then accompanies the Crusade across Europe, from Venice to Zara to Constantinople.

I found it tough work to get through Crossed. There were times when my attention flagged. There's not much of Nicole Galland's trademark wit here, and I felt that sometimes the narrative was missing pieces here and there. Galland knows the world of the thirteenth centuryl, and perhaps a little too well. Both of her previous books were set in this time period, and I'm afraid that she's fallen into a little bit of a comfort zone. We get a lot of political history here, but it's a little dry and bland.

I didn't really like any of the characters, and by the end I found that I didn't really care what happened to them. This novel was a bit of a disappointment to me, because I really like Nicole Galland's writing style in general and the way in which she treats her historical period. I'd love to see her branch out a bit in her writing.

I thought it was excellent. I am a fan of historical novels and particularly interested in the Roman and Byzantine empires and the crusades. Thought this novel was gripping and really brought the period to life. Wish the author would have finally given the remarkable "Briton" narrator a name by the end! A useful epilogue places the story in actual historical context. Recommended and I thought it was better than most of the other reviewers seemed to think.

Crossed: A Tale of the Fourth Crusade

by Nicole Galland

The Goodreads synopsis states:

"In the year 1202, tens of thousands of crusaders gather in Venice, preparing to embark for Jerusalem to free the Holy City from Muslim rule. Among them is a lowly vagabond Briton, rescued from damnation by a pious knight who burns with zealous fire for their sacred undertaking. And so they set sail, along with dedicated companions--and with a beautiful, mysterious Arab "princess" whom the vagabond liberates from a brutish merchant. But the divine light guiding their "righteous" campaign soon darkens as the mission sinks ever deeper into catastrophe, disgrace, and moral turpitude--as Christians murder Christians in the Adriatic port city of Zara, tragic events are set in motion that will ultimately lead to the shocking and shameful fall of Constantinople.

Impeccably researched and beautifully told, Nicole Galland's Crossed is a stunning tale of the disastrous Fourth Crusade--and of the hopeful, brave, and driven who were caught up in and irrevocably changed by a corrupted cause and a furious battle beyond their comprehension or control."

I won this book in the Tour de Troops giveaway and received a Netgalley ebook on request from the author. Now this was my first book received from Netgalley and I do not know if it was unedited as of yet or if the translation into mobi for my Kindle has some flaws. So the remainder of this comment should be taken with a grain of salt. I am not normally over concerned with punctuation and editing and tend to over look the obvious errors that occur in most books. However, this book especially the beginning obviously needed to be edited. As I am a newbie to this process, I will chock it up to this probably not being the final product.

The story is as the title states "a Tale of the Fourth Crusade" it is told primarily by two characters, the "Briton" and a German knight of the crusades. The descriptions in the book are vivid and I actually could see the story unfolding in my imagination. I liked the characters, although they did frustrate me at times. I will say there were times the book made me cry and other times I would giggle, which is paramount to me as a reader. I am not a follower of the history of the crusades and while I am aware this is a work of fiction, this story was believable and made me wonder how often the type of events portrayed could have taken place.

For me this book was a bit of a difficult read and for some reason took me a considerable amount of time to finish and just seemed long. I have been trying to put my finger on the reason why and have not really been successful. I can only believe it is because the book takes place in a time of history I am not very familiar with. I discussed the book with my son, who is quite a history buff, and he thinks the book sounds very interesting.

I am not saying this is not a good book because it is. It is well written and the time and characters come alive with the authors writing style. It was just not for me. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this period of history and not looking for a quick read, but rather wants a book to read over time with a desire to take the time to digest the intricacies of the period.

Nicole Galland is an author whose books should be anticipated with relish! Always surprising, never dull, well-researched, and extremely original, Galland is fast becoming my new favorite author of all time. I can't wait for her fourth book.

I am quite a fan of Galland, though not generally of the genre of historical fiction. This book is very different from the traditional 'how will the beautiful virgin get deflowered?' driven plot of most historical fiction. Crossed has a rollicking plot that tackles the Fourth Crusade in terrific detail. Don't remember much about the crusades? Its better than you remember from history class. This is a great story of intrigue, greed, fate, and cunning disguised as piety/liberating another country/spreading civilization etc. The nice part is that when you get to the epilogue, there is a passage telling you about how the author personally traced the crusade route, and meticulously researched all events. I like to know what is fact and what is fiction.

And of course there is a satisfying love story that is both unpredictable and bittersweet. Crossed is lots of fun.

The nomadic musician left Britain to tour the continent, but when he reaches Venice he decides to join the Fourth Crusade. There he meets resolute believer Germanic knight Gregor of Mainz, the intrepid warrior's father-in-law the leader of the crusade Marquis Boniface of Montferrat, and in disguise as an Arab Princess Jewish healer Jamila of Alexandria, whom the wanderer rescues.

However, a lack of capital slows down the crusaders from achieving their goal to retake Jerusalem. To keep their quest alive, they first sack the Christian city of Zara and surround Constantinople. As the musician, Jamila and Gregor try to perform good deeds; the crusaders have other desires enflamed by Boniface, who plans to use his expendable force to gain increased power and wealth.

CROSSED is entertaining historical thriller that looks deep at the way leaders manipulate their supporters for avaricious reasons. The musician without a name and Jamila are developed enough to bring the thirteenth century to life. On the other hand Boniface seems so one dimensional and a cruel nasty sort, one must wonder how he lined up support. Gregor steals the show as he changes from idealistic zealot to disillusioned realist.

Harriet Klausner

I loved Nicole Galland's two previous works, but I was sadly disappointed in this one. It is very slow and dry, although I could have dealt with this if she didn't put so much political innuendo in it. I got to page 80 (bored to tears), and flipped to the reader's guide to see if I felt it was worth reading any further. It wasn't. An interview with Ms. Galland was included and she spoke a lot about how this book is a parallel to the war in Iraq. I read historical fiction as an escape from the modern squabbles of our society, not to be emersed in them. Bad show on Ms. Galland's part.