Return of Martin Guerre

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Jolly Good Stuff - Rated
With style, wit and authority, Davis takes a fascinating court case from the late middle ages and using original sources and her own opinion, paints a vivid picture of life in early Reformation era Languedoc. Its hard not to empathise with the characters she introduces us to, and in the end we don't know whether to cheer at the return of the eponymous Martin Guerre, or to jeer. Read it and see, and make up your own mind.

The book rips along at a fair pace, and that leads me to the only quibble I have, and the only reason it gets 4 stars instead of 5 - the book is too short. Much much more could have been made of the material, and the core thesis could easily have bourne a study twice, or perhaps even three times, the actual length without ever becoming stale or boring; as it is, it feels a bit rushed.

All things considered though, this is a learned work on a fascinating subject, and a brilliantly written addition to the field of social history.