“Set in dangerous times preceding the Battle of Hastings, On Falcon’s Wings is the ardent story of forbidden love between a Norman noblewoman and a Saxon Lord. Avicia and Edric know their love is impossible, but circumstances dictated by the fate of kings thrust them together and wrench them apart.
Avicia, wife of a knight under William, Duke of Normandy, accepts a hasty marriage, but cannot forget Edric, the tall, blue-eyed Saxon with whom, in her youth, she shared a kiss and a love of falcons.
Edric of Newington, bound by blood and shame to England's royal line, struggles with his identity and blames his ambitious kinsmen, the Earls of Godwin, for cursing his life. He sides with Edward, but when the king clashes with the nobles and aligns himself to the Norman Duke, Edric's family demands his loyalty. He is forced into a loveless marriage, which increases his ardour for the beautiful, wilful Avicia across the English Channel.
When their paths cross, in England and Normandy, Avicia and Edric come together in an explosion of desire and guilt. They face ridicule, betrayal and retribution from the Duke and Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, yet their love endures.
On Falcon’s Wings spans two continents and a quarter of a century in which Lisa Yarde lays bare the human condition in love and war. Ms Yarde opens a widescreen view of history to reveal the relationship between 11th century England and Normandy. Then, cleverly, she moves the lens closer to focus on the conflicting factions within the realms and closer still into the everyday lives of these ancient families. Yet all the while, she trains the spotlight on the passionate Edric and Avicia. At times, the lovers' plight brought me to tears
In the horse rides along mud-soaked roads and the taste of food in the great halls, in the steamy love scenes, the torture and the horrific battle scene – one of the best I've read – this is more than a love story. On Falcon’s Wings is an experience of medieval life on a grand scale, essential reading for history buffs and lovers of good books.
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