Rosemary For Remembrance by Felicity Pulman
is book one of the Janna Mysteries. The
story is set in Medieval England where
superstition and religious piety make for a
dangerous brew. It is a mixture that does
not bode well for Janna, the hero of the
story.
She is an uneducated sixteen year old living
in a cottage in the woods with Eadgyth, her
mother. Eadgyth scrapes out a meager
existence for them both by making potions to
fix the ills of people from the nearby
village. It is a talent that is a double
edged sword for her and Janna. When the
villagers have need for it all is well. Yet
when unexplained events happen at the manor
of Dame Alice, Eadgyth is blamed for them
and her talent is called the devil’s work.
This turn around in attitude places Janna
and her mother in grave danger.
At the time the story is set there is a
power struggle going on within the upper
classes. The outcome of this struggle has
dire consequences for Janna and her mother
and indirectly leads to Eadgyth’s death.
Lust leads Dame Alice’s husband Robert
Babestoche to go down the path of sin, which
in turn destroys the lives of those around
him.
His plotting and scheming ways impact
Janna’s young life in ways that she never
thought possible. She is thrown into a
world wracked with jealously, passion and
senseless violence based on ignorance. Only
her quick wits plus a strong will to survive
and find the murderer of her mother keep
Janna alive.
Janna has several moments in the story where
her imagination dallies in romantic notions
about two young men, Godric and Hugh. These
are quickly squashed by events that surround
her over which she has no control. All too
soon she finds that her own survival takes
precedent over all other feelings she may
have.
Felicity Pulman writes in a very fluent
style that interweaves the plot and
sub-plots with great skill. The reader is
buoyed along on a tide of intrigue that
never fails to sustain reader interest. I
found this book a joy to read and once I
started reading did not want to stop.
The book is aimed at the teenage market but
I feel many adults will enjoy it as well.
