Keeper of the Crystal Spring [Paperback]

Naomi Baltuck (Author), Deborah Baltuck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

In the tradition of Marion Zimmer Bradley and Mary Stewart--a rich and splendid tapestry of love, heroics, sly Saxon wit, and those who serve the Goddess of the Crystal Spring.

The year is 1086, twenty years after the Norman Conquest, and the new Norman lords are squeezing their Saxon subjects mercilessly. To survive, the townspeople of Enmore Green band together under the wise leadership of Father Edmund and Sirona, the local seeress who is teaching the healing arts to her foster daughter, Aldyth. Beautiful, sensitive, and feisty, Aldyth has decided not to marry but instead to dedicate her life to serving the Goddess of the Crystal Spring.

Her decision is complicated, though, by her companion in the resistance movement--a sexy Robin Hood figure who has vowed to win her. She also attracts the attention of Gandulf--the son of the hated Norman lord--a gentle handsome man who, despite his upbringing, has an affinity for his Saxon subjects. Their tempestuous love triangle is played out against the turbulence of Saxon and Norman life and is dramatically resolved when a mysterious stranger reveals to Gandulf a secret from his past that will change everyone's future.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Keeper of the Crystal Spring is a hybrid--part historical romance, part fantasy. The authors--sisters Naomi and Deborah Baltuck--have crammed the book with period detail, painting a vivid picture of England 20 years after the Norman Conquest. The magic is in the powers of the Goddess and her priestess, Sirona, who sees visions, knows herb lore and midwifery, and curses enemies. Sirona worships at the Crystal Spring, whose waters have miraculous healing properties, and is one of an old race the people call fairies.

Aldyth Lightfoot is a Saxon orphan, goddaughter to Sirona, and a healer. She believes herself destined to be a virgin priestess. Aldyth is also part of a network of guides and shelters for Saxon rebels. Armed resistance has collapsed, and the King's men are hunting down fugitives and their helpers. A fellow guide is Bedwyn, a handsome Saxon determined to marry her but now in mortal danger. His rival is the lonely, scholarly Gandulf Fitzgerald, heir to the harsh Norman Lord. Gandulf befriends the Saxons as he courts Aldyth, though Lord Ralf would marry him to a Norman heiress. Then a lay brother escorting two nuns to the abbey rescues Aldyth from assault; his secrets will change everything.

The cast in Keeper of the Crystal Spring is overcrowded, and a few too many subplots lengthen and complicate the narrative, but lovers of English folklore and history will enjoy this first novel. --Nona Vero

From Publishers Weekly

In 1067, a sensitive young boy named Gandulf watches the army of his cruel father, the Norman baron Lord Ralf fitzGerald, destroy the home of the Saxon lord Aethelstan in Sceapterbyrig, a fictional town modeled on medieval Shaftesbury in southwestern England. He sees a straw basket secretly lowered over the castle wall to waiting hands and later hears a Saxon priest swear to the Normans that Aethelstan had only one heir, an infant girl, and she has died. This turns out not to be true. Twenty years later, the love triangle of beautiful Aldyth, godchild of the crone Sirona, the village healer and wisewoman, Gandulf, who has been educated in a monastery, and Bedwyn, a handsome Saxon outlaw, begins. Aldyth has been raised in the healing arts and to serve the goddess of the Crystal Spring, the only water source in a nearby village, and expects to dedicate her life to the Great Mother. Fate, however, has other plans. In this ambitious first novel, the authors, who are sisters, provide accurate historical background of Norman-Saxon conflicts in the era immediately following the Battle of Hastings. They also convey interesting material about herbal and medieval folklore. Unfortunately, these digressions burden the narrative early, as does a seemingly unending parade of insufficiently introduced characters. There is an excess of florid prose, and transitions are often awkward. The plot is unlikely (the crone Sirona dangles by her hands from a ledge for hours until Aldyth, recently rescued from a dungeon pit herself, and a young orphan gallop to save her). But readers will probably also hang on as the Baltucks eventually bring their love story to a satisfactory finish. Doubleday Book Club selection.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140276114
• ISBN-13: 978-0140276114
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,537,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rich detail and a lot of fun, November 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Keeper of the Crystal Spring (Paperback)

I read the whole book in 5 days. 5 work days that is...I didn't have a lot of time to spend reading but I made time! Yes, there is a lot of historical detail in this book, but I find that gives it more spice. I found the plot somewhat see-through, but I cared enough about the characters to still not be able to put the book down! I only wish the authors had more books for me to read! Bravo!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exceptionally Entertaining Read, June 13, 2002

By 

JK (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keeper of the Crystal Spring (Paperback)

...This story is the tale of Aldyth, goddaughter to the local healer/seeress, Sorina, and who has versed Aldyth well in the knowledge of herb lore and caring for the sick. There are many ills in the village, many caused by the vindictive and tyrannical ways of Lord Ralf, who runs the surrounding villages and even the nuns in the Abbey like slaves in the boondocks rather than peasants in a village.

Aldyth, like many villagers, puts up with Ralf's ways, in short because of their small band of Saxon resistence to the Norman invasion. The "Starlit Path", as it is known, is something of an Underground Railroad of second century Britain; helping fugitives from the Saxon/Norman battles to saftey overseas or in south England. Aldyth and Sirona are two helpers of this Path, as is the outlaw/rogue/dashing Bedwyn, a childhood friend of Aldyth's, who desperately pursues her in madness of love/lust, it is hard to tell some of the time.

Of course, a twist is thrown in the story as King William cracks down on outlaws and "runners", as the Saxon fugitives are known, causing holes in the Path and spies trying to collapse the last stronghold of Saxon resistence.

In the village, though, there is a new face, as the son of Lord Ralf- Gandulf- returns from France. Of course, this man- who is quiet, steady, and intense compared to the passionate, risk-taking, adventurous Bedwyn- falls head over heels in love with Aldyth. The brawling that takes place between Bedwy and Gandulf on May Eve is not so much idiotic as just plain amusing.

There are some lewd actions in the book, and, like me, you may not feel obliged to read them. I skipped over those pages, and the story picked up beautifully where it had before the...exchanges.

This book is a very satisfying read. The authors have most of their facts right, and even if you feel that in the first part of the book it is predictable, please, for the sake of a story well written, keep reading. Better the predictable book take an unpredictable turn then the unpredictable turn predictable.

A job well done, Naomi and Deborah Baltuck.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, July 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Keeper of the Crystal Spring (Paperback)

After just finishing a couple really good books, I must say I was a little skeptical about this one. You know how it is, after finishing a really good book, finding one to live up to your reading standards can be simply impossible. After searching amazon for a good book to read next, I am glad I stumbled over this one. Even though this book is set into some historical truth, it is by no means a boring description of history and neither an unrealistic fabrication. The story is exciting enough to keep you spellbound in reading, and long enough to let you enter the little world of Enmore Green. Almost wants me take a trip to Shaftesbury and see what it is like now. I recommend this one, it will be worth your while!