Customer Reviews

Gallimore

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

 

 

What do you get when you combine a beautiful woman with a hunky man and add a twist of time travel? GALLIMORE!

I was a bit surprised when I opened this book, to discover it was nothing like I expected. I feared the historical aspect would be diluted by a lot of funky, sci-fi stuff. Not the case. Gallimore delivered on the historical action and adventure promised by the cover, all with an ease and skill that kept me entertained from start to finish. Kudos to this wonderful debut author!

Debut novelist, Michelle Griep, tells a delightful story of a woman who gets sucked into a medieval past. There is romance, mystery and adventure galore for this tough heroine.

Gallimore is a fun read but also thought provoking. Many of us dream of what it would be like to live in another era, to be a damsel being rescued from a castle by her knight. Reading Gallimore is the next best thing to living that fantasy.

I loved this fun novel. I believe Michelle Griep is going to carve out for herself a large and loyal following with her time travel romances. Can't wait for the next one!

WOW! Gallimore is the most amazing time travel medieval romance novel I've ever read! I read most of the story in one day. I couldn't put it down. This story is ten times better than The Time Traveler's Wife and it's comparible to the best fantasy fiction on the market today. Michelle Griep has the plotting, pacing, and heart pounding suspense wrapped up in a tale that is one of the most intense, page-turning novels I've read this year.

Griep has a gift for describing details that bring the setting to life, and she doesn't give anyone in the story a break. Not even the reader. The sites, smells, and heartache of that day were all brilliantly portrayed in Gallimore. Griep can describe the grossest things better than most male authors. I could see it all as I read. And the battle/fight scenes will blow your mind. Her skill for writing this type of story is impressive because to have a truly fabulous medieval novel there has to be conflict, terror, and impossible feats of chivalry to make the story compelling. Griep has all this perfectly crafted in Gallimore.

I'm so impressed. Truly. I was in another world the entire time I read this story and it was a fabulous experience. What an escape. I felt their emotion, all of the characters' fears, their joy, their longing for love. It was amazing. I can't say enough great things about this story. The spiritual thread was incredible, too. And the gritty themes and edgy aspects of the romance were scrumptious.

The end of the story brought it full circle and concluded in one of the most satisfying endings you can imagine. Not many books leave me smiling and sighing at the end. Gallimore was perfectly excuted from start to finish. I saw no weaknesses whatsoever. This is being added to my best fiction of 2008 list.

Freshman author Michelle Griep writes like one who has been multi-published. Few newbie authors grasp all areas of writing well, and Griep nails them. Her characters are richly drawn and multi-faceted. I ached with them, I wanted to slap them, I cheered them on. Gallimore's plot is tightly woven and fast-paced. Dialogue? Surprisingly clever and realistic. Humor laces more interactions between characters than not, and when it's time to be serious, Griep layers in the intensity and spins a web of poignancy. Description is an art form with this author, you will smell, see, taste and hear Merry Ole England, which is delighting in some scenes and not so pleasant in others. To top it off, Griep handles story with deftness, twisting and shaping it into something that will stick with the reader.

Because of the uniqueness of this tale, I know it's taken longer to see print. This is one of those books that doesn't quite fall into a category easily even though one has to assign it a genre. Part speculative fiction melded with adventure and action. A historical love story with twists and turns that may leave you breathless at times, tearful at others, hopping mad, terrified and wistful.

I've had the privilege of reading more of Griep's works and can only say her books will find faithful followers. If sci-fi/fantasy/speculative fiction is not your cup of tea, take a peek at Gallimore anyway, I'm betting you'll be glad you did.

And young widow Jessica Neale is thrust into a strange, savage world that she dismisses as a theatrical production until she experiences deprivation and pain in it. Although she is grasping to make sense of it all, she manages to keep her head even when she is forced to place her life in the hands of someone she doesn't trust. But this is just a practice run for trusting a God who let her husband die.

Griep's historical novel is an engrossing read--one I kept in hand while letting my granddaughters do mischief around the house with permanent markers. Jessica's sense of dislocation at the sudden change in centuries is convincing, as are the details of her new situation. (I particularly appreciate the author's emphasis on the odors of medieval life--something frequently ignored in fiction.)

As inspirational fiction (something hard to miss from the promotional copy) it is decidedly low-key. I was relieved not to be confronted with a formulaic plan of salvation. The crux of the message here is, "What's in your heart? Either you've pledged your soul to good or to evil."--Which is true for any age, any denomination. Along those lines, I was impressed that, at the conclusion of her adventures, Jess retains her scars. The author does not dodge the truth that battle wounds are permanent.

The real takeaway from Gallimore, however, is the capacity for heroism when those in crisis feel least able to accomplish it; the capacity for faith in God in those who feel too betrayed to ever believe; and the capacity for love in anyone still breathing.

On her first try, Griep has produced a winner.

In the short time that I have been reviewing books on my blog, I have been directed (by the Lord, in my opinion) to some incredible books. The latest is `Gallimore,' the debut novel by Michelle Griep [...]. The tagline for `Gallimore' is "a Wizard of Oz tale with a medieval twist." Michelle, a resident of Minnesota, in addition to being married and the mother of two boys and two girls, teaches both Civics and Creative Writing for co-ops.

The story starts out with the main character, Jessica Neale, losing her husband in an automobile accident, leaving her to raise her ten-year old son, Jack, alone and to try to go on with life, broken-hearted as she was. Her heart was cold toward God after this tremendous loss.

She is encouraged to take trip over to England for restoration and refreshment. On the plane, she meets a Cambridge history professor by the name of Cole Hawksworth, who is returning to his native land. They strike up a conversation, and he offers to accompany her to one of his favorite destinations, Gallimore Castle. A tremendous storm ensues, and Jessica finds herself in the presence of dashing knight named Colwyn Haukswyrth. He provides her the incredible news that the year is 1314!

Jessica is confronted with life as a woman in medieval England. She is suddenly surrounded by characters that speak Olde English, and that help her into what she describes as "a common medieval torture known only to womankind - a dress" (p. 60)! She is a very assertive woman, which does not endear her to the men with whom she encounters!

The scenes which take place in Fourteen Century English include dialogue as you would expect those characters to speak. I thought I was reading Shakespeare (which lived from 1564 to 1616) in some places! Michelle really did a wonderful job of transporting the reader back in time. I could almost smell the malodorous knights and could feel the film that Jessica described as growing on her teeth. We can romanticize the past, but, after reading this book, I am grateful for the comforts of the Twenty First century!

There is a strong Christian theme throughout this novel. The Lord showed Himself over and over, and many of the characters did turn to Him. And there was a character that followed the enemy and called upon the power of the dark side, and he was ultimately vanquished - as will be the enemy of our soul at the end of our story! Amen!
It is obvious from reading this novel that Michelle Griep is a very gifted writer. I found this book to be incredibly well-written. It warms my heart when I read a book that is so beautifully crafted! Here's a sample:

"The embrace of her Creator wrapped around her with as much reality and promise as Colwyn's warm arms had held... A cancer had been removed, and a pink skin of healing knit its way around her bleeding heart." (p. 160)

Another one is:

"With open eyes, he saw the filthiness of his own soul in light of the holiness of God. Every black sin he'd ever committed covered him like open, festering sores. Awful and inescapable. He wanted to hide, run away from the terrible light that exposed all the ugliness inside of him." (p. 180)

I was incredibly impressed by the debut from this wonderful author, and I greatly look forward to reading more in the future!

In addition to this wonderfully written tome, Michelle has contributed to the following books:

Cup of Comfort Devotional for Mothers and Daughters

Life Savors for Women

Traveling Calvary's Road

This book was preciously and generously provided to me by the author for review purposes.

Reviewed by Andrea Schultz - Ponderings by Andrea - [...]

Gallimore is a fantastic medieval-fantasy read. I was amazed at the way Michelle wrote it true to the time period. In some medieval books the dialogue and happenings are more modern than I would like, but that was not so in this book. She really captured the feel of the time period. Jess is an amazing character, with a lot of depth and you really get to know her well. Colwyn, though rough and mean at first, becomes a very lovable character. I never could guess what was going to happen in the end. It could have gone countless ways, but I liked the ending Michelle chose. I just wish the ending wouldn't have been so sudden, and she would have used a couple more chapters to finish the storyline. Still, this is a great fantasy read that I believe readers will really enjoy.

Review by Jill Williamson

Jessica Neal is still recovering from the death of her husband. She travels to England for a peaceful getaway. Maggie finds the ruins of the castle Gallimore. A storm happens upon her and before she can find her way back to the main road, she crashes. When she wakes up, her car is gone and she is stranded in the forest. But she is not alone.

A medieval knight is there as well. When he wakes, he is rude and talks to her with a strange accent. Maggie thinks she has stumbled onto a strange tourist attraction, but the knight, Sir Colwyn, will not let up with the charade. He takes her to castle Gallimore, which is fully standing and filled with life. Jessica can find no explanation for it except that she has somehow traveled back in time.

She instantly becomes the target for Sir Colwyn's evil brother who believes that she is the fulfillment of a prophecy. Can Jessica and Sir Colwyn overcome their fear and anger to fight this evil foe? Will Jessica be lost in the past forever?

What a well-written and fun adventure. Seeing medieval England through the eyes of Jessica Neal was delightful. Griep created a fearful and realistic place in castle Gallimore. Her medieval characters came alive with her descriptions and dialogue. I loved how Sir Colwyn and Jessica had similar fears and that when they discovered them, their anger melted away. I kept wondering as I read how Griep would end this tale and was oddly surprised and satisfied.

What a GREAT book. I normally don't like time travel books but this one had my attention from start to finish. Jessica Neale is a modern day woman who is grieving her husbands death. In an effort to find peace she boards a plan for England. On the plane she meets a history professor named Cole who encourages her to visit the castle of Gallimore. He also leaves his name & number should she get into trouble. He then contacts her for a lunch date and "castle" tour. He stands her up and she decides to take the tour on his own. A storm blows in and when she awakes.... well, guess you have to read it to find out what happens. All I know is this was a fun story. Fun in the sense that Jessica is fiesty and the hero Colwyn is gallant. I can't really say there was anything I didn't like. She has a writing style that keeps you glued to the pages.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to other books from Michelle Griep.

I'm not normally one for time travel stories, but I loved this medieval/modern-day story. The knight-hero in the story is so realistic, and I loved the romance between Colwyn and the contemporary heroine, Jessica Neale.

Jessica Neale is done with love. God let her husband die in a terrible car accident and she's basically given up on things like happiness and love and hope. But one night while on a vacation to England, she sustains a blow to the head in a storm and wakes up in a strange place where everyone apparently belongs to some medieval fair in which they dress and act like people from the fourteenth century. She wants out of this elaborately staged play, especially when she ends up clapped in the stocks in the public square.

Colwyn, knight of Gallimore, must come to her aid several times, against his own wishes at first, but he soon thinks she may be telling the truth. She might really be from the future. She's also the feistiest and prettiest woman he's ever met, and he realizes he can't leave her without a champion in a strange and dangerous world.

Jessica and Colwyn's adventures in and around the Castle Gallimore are entertaining and poignant, as the heroine learns that God isn't finished with her yet, and she isn't finished with life--or love. I highly recommend this unusual romance set in medieval England.