Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village (Historical Fiction for Grades 5-8)

I bought this book to add to a literature-based Christian homeschool curriculum for my 9 yr old daughter. Do not follow my example. This book is indeed a portrait of 23 characters from a medieval village. I'm sure it's swooningly brilliant like many of the reviewers believe it is, but I didn't get far enough into it to know that much.What I did get far enough into it to know is that the text format that looks like poetry isn't poetry. But it isn't good prose either. The writer uses this language that is stilted; half-formed thoughts interrupted by the inarticulate drama of teenage desire.To demonstrate, I provide a quote from the second chapter, 'Taggot: the Blacksmith's Daughter': "There's no one for me, and I know why. I'm too big. Father says his father was a giant of a man- somehow his size came down to me. There's something else. I've stared into the Round Pool, and it's hard to tell- the water's never still- but I think I'm ugly. Big and ugly and shy in the bargain. Mother says I'll likely not marry at all. "Its' a world of trouble you'll save yourself," says Mother, "childbearing and child dying." And no doubt she's right. I always weep when the hogs are slaughtered. I'm not strong enough to bear and lose."I'll confess, this excerpt makes me weep a little too. Just so you know, following this, Taggot then immediately meets a gory pig-hunting young man, and syrupy infatuation ensues.So that's the second reason to avoid "Good Masters!" You just read it. My 9-yr-old daughter and I aren't interested in hearing about cynical, anachronistic expressions on child-rearing; nor about petty teenaged considerations of physical attractiveness. (I cannot really describe the male counterpart to this- episode of the boar hunt- but it it nothing so much as a medieval version of two camoflauged Deep South illiterates cajoling each other into acts of brutishness. (I'm from the Deep South myself; I know whereof I speak.))Third reason to avoid it is very similar to #2. The content of this book is for 14 yr old girls who watch MTV; the writing style and book layout is for 3rd and 4th graders. I would suggest getting for younger children a picture book or a chapter book about medieval days with content fitted for pre-puberty children OR for the teenagers, get a medieval historical fiction novel, like 'Adam of the Road' or 'Trumpeter of Krakow' or something like that.

The author is a school librarian who wrote this book with several soliloquies and a few dialogues so each student can shine in a medieval play. Very clever and entertaining.

This was a mostly enjoyable book. There were a few places where it was based on incorrecthistory, for example, the numerous holy days/ holidays people enjoyed at this ageregardless of their rank in society. I especially liked the mix of different presentationsfor the many characters. Very creatively done!

I was mesmerized by this book. Laura Amy Schlitz is a highly gifted writer. Her use of language is so evocative and creative that I marvel she could write this whole book for a group of students whose medieval school projects were still in-process. I know myself how challenging it is to invent poems (or poetic portions within prose) that are substantive and clever. Schlitz makes it seem easy, but only a wildly inventive mind could pull it off the way she did. In addition, the book is jammed with facts about medieval English society. Schlitz's research shines through. Absorbing the facts is painless for the reader, because they're tossed smoothly, almost randomly, into the stories. I love Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!, and I wish I had written it.

A delightful collection of characters who give us a personal view into their daily concerns. Sprinkled with historical facts, this book is an enjoyable way to learn about life in medieval times.

I *love* this book! I rarely give 5-star reviews, but this book earned it. I read it at least once a year, usually around Christmas time. (For some reason I have always associated Christmas with Medieval history - probably because the modern ideas of the holiday first began to take shape.) The little stories range from charming to grim (it was a grim time in many ways,) with clever and even sly added to the mix. The illustrations are wonderful and reminiscent of medieval artwork. And, in the midst of all that, the story is highly, gently, and accurately educational! I really can't say enough good about this book, so I'll just shut up and get back to reading it again. Highly recommended.

I normally don't like poetry, but this book is well-done. The poems and dialogues are very realistic and not at all forced. Each character in a medieval village is given a chance to present his viewpoint of life or an event in his or her life. Most cover one to two pages with sufficient illustrations. The illustrations mimic those of genuine medieval artwork, which I find make the narrations more realistic. Some characters overlap with others, while some are simply stand alone. This book would work well for younger schoolchildren who need a basic introduction to medieval life. It's not so long that it will bog them down with boredom, but it will give them just a taste to make them want more.

Gives readers different perspectives of the social classes during the medieval Era. It's a fun book.

It's a wonderful collection of medieval voices and it's fun to look for the relationships between the characters and think about how their lives would have overlapped. Additionally, the printed book is well designed with clear font and layout. However, I am taking off a star for the horrendous digital version that I bought first. The font is so small and unclear that I couldn't read it, so I ended up having to also buy the paper version. So, do NOT buy the digital version--go for the book version!

Interesting little book

This is a wonderfulbook. my children really like it . I will definetely buy more books from the same author : Laura Amy Schlitz