Nectar from a Stone: A Novel

Book Review by Jane
I cannot wait to recommend this book to Tracey. This is a first novel from Jane Guill that I found through a review in a magazine. The story is set in mid-1300’s Wales, which was its own country then, with English influences and characters intertwined. It outlines a very descriptive journey taken by Elise and her servant, Annora to a town of Conwy, where they hope to settle and start a new life. But along the way, they meet characters who enrich them. There is even a romance that sprouts between the young widow, Elise and a man from Wales, who soon looks to be her soul mate, which truly must have been rare back then.

It seems to be a benign story to that point, but there is someone looking for them to do them harm. Along with the things that you would expect in a story from the 1300’s, like the Plague, murder, torture, fights, strange medical practices, superstition, witches and such--all this and the journey make for a highly adventurous tale which keep the pages turning.

The terminology is challenging, but there is a glossary at the end of the book, which I didn’t discover until late. There is also a pronunciation key at the beginning of the book, which helps with names especially. The forward provides a brief history.

Jane.