Series: The Hermit Trilogy
Published by Filiast on October 16, 2019
Genres: 5 Stars, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Inspirational
Pages: 193
Format: Kindle
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The Hermit Trilogy: The Isle of Tides (Book One) by V J Evans
Synopsis:
No man is an island…
Wales, 1398. A young man comes to live as a hermit on a tidal island. People on the mainland are drawn to his separation, his independence, even the mystery that is Jean-Felipe.
A stranger and alien, he begins his life alone surrounded by wilderness, freedom, and his faith. As people from the shore lands, castle, and isolated communities come to know him, some care for him, even need him.
Seeds of change are in the air that bright summer. Feudalism is being challenged and the church must try to mediate this. The story follows the hermit and those drawn to his honest sharing of faith and love. Jean-Felipe is vulnerable because of his past, yet a gifted teacher with an independent mind, ardent and charismatic. Coming to an oppressed land, where existence is dour and marginal, he is bound to have an impact.
Book One begins the story of the hermit and other characters when they are youthful and passionate, eager to find their own paths in life. During the first glorious summer we get to know Jean-Felipe and his part in their choices.
Book Two follows them into the Fifteenth Century, when the hermit and his companions face the challenge of unrest, oppression, and the bloody Glyndŵr Uprising. Book Three finds them working to rebuild peace and a better life for the next generation. Then a new King issues his Call to Arms and even a man of peace like Jean-Felipe finds he must to go to war, and Agincourt, to protect those he loves.
However, in Book One the characters are young, hopeful, and ready to find their place in a volatile land and untamed but glorious landscape.
‘V J Evans’ story voice is rich and enchanting. I felt like I was reading in 3-D!’ T N Traynor
I fell in love with this book from the very first page. The Hermit Trilogy: The Isle of Tides by V J Evans is one of the most superbly written books I’ve ever read. With beautiful imagery and dynamic charterers this is historical fiction at its best.
What a wonderful character the hermit is, with his soul laid bare for all to see. Jean-Felipe’s upbringing and his life choices endeared me to this sweet priest. The struggle that follows between being a man-of-God and just being a man is real, and portrayed in this book with depth and consideration. I felt the author must have wrestled with Jean-Felipe’s character until she knew him as well as she knows herself, for he came across so real.
Jean-Felipe – a priest with the challenges of an independent mind, leaves everything he knows in Normandy and sets off to live a new life as a hermit and a teacher on the Isle of Tides. This book is also about the people that he encounters and how he touches their lives. The Du Bois family is center to the storyline. Clemency is the widowed mother to a son and daughter and the mistress to a large estate that she keeps in order until her son is old enough to take over. Guise is not a pleasant character, but his sister Edith is an intelligent, independent young woman. Book one of this trilogy hints at things to come and the unrest that has settled over the land.
V J Evans’ story voice is rich and enchanting. The vocabulary used throughout the book is superb and delicately descriptive. I think the best way to describe it is that I felt like I was reading in 3-D! If you’re a movie fan you will know the difference between 2 and 3-D, in 2-D you are simply watching, in 3-D you feel like you are there inside the film. That’s how I felt all the way through this marvelous story. I felt the author took her time over every single line so that it was the best it could possibly be, and in so doing drew me in so that I felt I was in Wales in 1398 spending that glorious summer with them.
The Hermit Trilogy: The Isle of Tides by V J Evans is a classic in historical fiction, with fascinating characters and a setting so lush and exquisite you’ll want to be there! Artisan Book Reviews highly recommends this book.
Reviewed by T N Traynor for Artisan Book Reviews.
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