The Wicked and the Just [Hardcover]

J. Anderson Coats (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 17, 2012

Cecily’s father has ruined her life. He’s moving them to occupied Wales, where the
king needs good strong Englishmen to keep down the vicious Welshmen. At least
Cecily will finally be the lady of the house.
Gwenhwyfar knows all about that house. Once she dreamed of being the lady there
herself, until the English destroyed the lives of everyone she knows. Now she must
wait hand and foot on this bratty English girl.
While Cecily struggles to find her place amongst the snobby English landowners,
Gwenhwyfar struggles just to survive. And outside the city walls, tensions are rising
ever higher—until finally they must reach the breaking point.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In 1293, Cecily and her father leave Coventry, England, to settle in Caernarvon, Wales, where the king offers opportunities to those who will settle in the newly conquered land. Lonely, miserable, and willful, Cecily tries to assert her authority as the lady of the house, only to be thwarted by the housekeeper and Gwenhwyfar, a servant girl her own age. Over the next year, Cecily begins to understand more about the town and the grievances of the Welsh starving outside its walls, but nothing prepares her for the savage sack of Caernarvon. In this intriguing first novel, the main narrative is Cecily’s, but passages written from Gwenhwyfar’s point of view provide a startling contrast and foreshadow the story’s climax. Cecily is a flawed protagonist who grows throughout the story, yet stoical Gwenhwyfar is the more sympathetic character. Their shifting relationship strengthens the story, while Coats’ considerable research provides details of everyday life that ground this dark and sometimes brutal historical novel. Grades 9-12. --Carolyn Phelan

Review

A Kirkus Best Teen Book of 2012

 

"I am gobsmacked by this astonishing story. This is a remarkable achievement, full of truth and compassion."—Karen Cushman, Newbery Medal-winning author of The Midwife's Apprentice

 

* "Brilliant: a vision of history before the victors wrote it."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

 

* "[An] unusually honest portrait of the effects of power...[Coats] offers us a potent historical novel."--Horn Book, starred review

 

* "This debut novel reverberates with detail, drama, and compassion."--School Library Journal, starred review

 

"Coats's debut shifts gracefully between the two girls' perspectives, finding empathy for both."--Publishers Weekly

 

"A rich historical novel that challenges readers to think about universal ideas, such as true justice."—VOYA

 

"[An] intriguing first novel...Coats' considerable research provides details of everyday life that ground this dark and sometimes brutal historical novel."--Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (April 17, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547688377
• ISBN-13: 978-0547688374
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars brings medieval Wales to life March 10, 2012

By Miss Print VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Cecily's father ruins her life abruptly and irrevocably when he announces his plan to move them to Caernarvon in occupied Wales. The King needs good Englishmen to manage the newly-acquired Welsh lands and teach the primitive Welshman how to behave. Cecily wants none of it but at least she will finally be the lady of the house. Even if it is a house among barbarians.

Unfortunately for Cecily her initial misgivings about Wales are confirmed when she discovers the native Welsh speak something that barely sounds like a language as well as being impudent and rude. Though they are at least Christians--supposedly. In addition to being saddled with a surly Welsh servant girl she cannot dismiss, Cecily is also looked down upon by the local honesti who consider her little better than the Welsh peasants.

Gwenhwyfar is equally unhappy as servant to the brat. While she scrambles to find enough food for herself and her family, Gwenhwyfar watches Cecily leading the life that rightfully belongs to Gwenhwyfar and the other displaced Welshmen. The English took everything from Gwenhwyfar and her people. Now all she can do is watch and try not to starve.

As the English take and take, frustration grows among the Welsh. As tensions rise both Cecily and Gwenhwyfar will be caught up in the disastrous moment when the tension finally has to break and there will be justice for those who deserve it in The Wicked and the Just (2012) by J. Anderson Coats.

The Wicked and the Just is Coats' first novel.

Set in the years of 1293 and 1294 Coats expertly* captures a volatile period in history for Wales.

While I enjoy a great many historical novels, I usually do not gravitate toward medieval period books. In addition to being a period I know little about, it is also not always an area of high interest. That said, there was something about The Wicked and the Just that made me want to read it.

Perhaps you already know why 1293 marks an important time for Wales in history. I did not. I have to say going in knowing nothing save that Welsh is unpronounceable when I try to read it made for a dramatic finish to The Wicked and the Just. An ending, I might add, that completely took me by surprise.

With segments told from both Cecily and Gwenhwyfar's points of view, the book is well-rounded and examines the tensions within the Welsh town of Caernarvon from every angle. While that makes 'The Wicked and the Just' an excellent look at the period, it does not make for many likable characters. Every character has redeeming qualities, but each one is also very nasty. There is justice for those who deserve it, but there is also name-calling, pettiness, and plain old cruelty along the way making for a mid-point where almost no character warrants much admiration.

Coats' ends the book with a historical note explaining the politics of the period that Cecily and Gwenhwyfar either ignored or only alluded to during the actual story. While historical events are explained and relatively resolved, much is left up in the air for the characters. While the lack of closure makes sense given the content of the story, I must admit it does leave quite a few questions about what happens to Cecily and Gwenhwyfar as well as some other secondary characters.

Coats' writing is clear and hauntingly evocative of the period in this story of many, many displaced people. As much as any book can, The Wicked and the Just brings medieval Wales to life.

*I'm not kidding when I say expertly. In addition to being a fellow Master of Library Science, Coats has a master's degree in history.

Possible Pairings: Black Potatoes by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, 'Finnikin of the Rock' by Melina Marchetta, The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley, Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully researched and written March 11, 2012

By HHK VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This was a hard book to review because I loved the writing but the unlike able characters limited my enjoyment

Setting: Wales 1293-1294
Wales has been conquered by the English. The Welsh are second class citizens and suffer under English rule.

POV:
Cecily- an English girl who is uprooted by her Father and moved to Caernarvon. She is a spoilt brat. Most of the book is from her POV. She is a hateful bully. She is cruel to her servant Gwen, and overall is a mean spirited child.

Gwen- she is a Wrlsh girl whose family was once prominent but now is a servant to Cecily. She hates Cecily, and struggles to help her Mother and her brother.

This book was beautifully researched and well written.
The author clearly is an expert.
The writing flows smoothly.
There is no true romantic plot

But Unfortunately the very, very unpleasant and horrid main protagonist limited my enjoyment of this book.
The ending however does allow for redemption for both the girls.

This is not a frivolous read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Deliciously, shiveringly, disturbingly fantastic June 20, 2012

By M. Knapp

Format:Hardcover

Set in Wales around 1293, this is the story of Cecily (English) and Gwenhwyfar (Welsh) and how their lives intertwine. There is much wickedness and little justice (it seems to me) in this sometimes brutal but truly wonderfully told story. The typeface will tell you which chapters are from Cecily's point of view, and which from "Gwinny." Both girls seem to have the nubbin a good heart within them, but self-centered and even cruel behavior abounds. And despite the abundance of grit and reality, there is humor as well. Just when you think you know what will happen, one or the other surprises you. I loved this book. The writing style perfectly captures the mood and time, with phrases in Welsh and vocabulary and references that show the author's deep appreciation and research. I would recommend this for mature 13 year olds, and older, as the author doesn't cut corners on what was endured by a maid (or lad) of that time. This book was so good that at one point I put it down because I didn't want to keep reading and have it be over. Great for readers who have slightly outgrown Karen Cushman's historical fiction, and maybe aren't quite ready for Robin LaFevers GRAVE MERCY. I eagerly await the next book by J. Anderson Coats.
About me: I'm a middle school/high school librarian
How I got this book: I bought it