I am a huge fan of medievals, so I was especially delighted to read Elisabeth Hobbes’ Uncovering the Merchant’s Secret that effortlessly summons up the Late Middle Ages with its attitudes, ideas, history and culture.

The heart of the story for me is the relationship between Blanche and Jack from Blanche’s perspective. She is an independent woman in command of her environs. Many depend on her, but she depends on no one. For such a self-sufficient and self-reliant woman to admit even to herself that occasionally allowing someone else, even a man, to share her burden is sweet takes a lot of courage, because trust given to the wrong man, like Ronec, can be disastrous. And yet, Jack’s kindness and thoughtfulness is beguiling. His desire to be her champion is as disconcerting as it is enchanting. And she has been so lonely for so long. So the idea of letting down her guard and stop asserting her strength every waking hour brings with it a measure of relief. What takes her a long time to convince herself is that needing a particular someone is not weakness. One can be strong even when one relies on someone else sometimes.

Uncovering the Merchant’s Secret is a superb story told by a talented author. If like me, you’re fond of medievals, do not miss this story.

https://frolic.media/book-of-the-week-uncovering-the-merchants-secret-by-elisabeth-hobbes/