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The Templar's Garden

Catherine Clover

3.47 · Rating details · 15 ratings · 11 reviews

A young woman forced to fight for her beliefs. A chaplain with a secret that could determine the fate of a kingdom.

England, 1452. Under the reign of King Henry VI the country is on the brink of civil war after the Hundred Years’ War.

Young mystic Lady Isabelle d’Albret Courteault’s family is forced to flee the Duchy of English Gascony for a new and unforeseeable life in Eng ...more

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Kindle Edition, 343 pages

Published November 12th 2020 by Duckworth

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Oct 14, 2020 ABCme rated it liked it

Shelves: kindle, netgalley

1450's Britain. Isabelle, a young noblewoman with a divine calling and Père Charles, her chaplain and tutor go on a pilgrimage to the west country amidst the threat of war. Beautiful historical fiction filled with visions, scripture, architecture of holy places and human suffering, moving at a calm pace.
Being the first part of a trilogy the book has an open ending. I'm looking forward to see the story continue.

Thank you Netgalley and Duckworth for the ARC. ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Moony (The Burglar Baggins) MeowPoff rated it it was ok

* I got this E-ARC from Duckworth Books and Netgalley in exhange for a honest review *
I am glad to see so many others liking the book but it really missed the mark for me. I didn`t like the characters and story felt bland and sometimes too long at times, even though it jumped ahead very sudden and quickly. I didn`t feel it was charachter development og growth. ...more

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Dec 30, 2020 Anika rated it liked it

The premise of this book, the first in the Maid of Gascony series, is that Isabella, a teenage noblewoman living in late medieval France, falls in love while journeying through the world in the footsteps of the Knights Templar, tracking down lost Christian relics. It’s like an odd mashup of The Thorn Birds and The Da Vinci Code. Did I need this combo? Maybe. I’m not sure. I am sure, however, that the writing style is a smidge less exciting than the premise. This book reads like a master’s thesis The premise of this book, the first in the Maid of Gascony series, is that Isabella, a teenage noblewoman living in late medieval France, falls in love while journeying through the world in the footsteps of the Knights Templar, tracking down lost Christian relics. It’s like an odd mashup of The Thorn Birds and The Da Vinci Code. Did I need this combo? Maybe. I’m not sure. I am sure, however, that the writing style is a smidge less exciting than the premise. This book reads like a master’s thesis in history, which will turn off some people while exciting others.

At least 75% of the novel is exposition on the events, characters and architecture of medieval Europe. An illustrative paragraph:
"…our ship was fitted with two triangular lateen sails, positioned on masts at either end of the deck, designed to catch the wind and provide a fast sailing time between ports. In the middle stood a much heavier square-rigged mast. Glancing around, I noticed that none of the other ships in the port had two different types of sails. Once on board, I would discover another important distinction of our ship: enclosed cabins that provided shelter from the piercing winds that would suddenly whip up around us out of nowhere. It was clear that the Salamanca had been selected specifically for her speed and the level of comfort she afforded her passengers."

While I deeply, deeply appreciate a well-researched text and atmospheric historical detail, there are times when it becomes indiscriminate. Yes, that’s the main character describing a boat. She’s on this boat for all of five minutes. How much do we really need to know about this boat? It floated. Imagine if, as Frodo and Sam departed for Mount Doom, Tolkien interrupted their heartfelt declarations of devotion to tell us how many oars were on the rowboat? (Actually, maybe he did.)

Besides the boats, the rest of The Templar’s Garden moves very slowly. The character’s feelings are rendered in sentences as categorical as this:
"Alone with a man of such remarkable character in the dark of the hallway, I felt timid: I sensed an intense passion for him developing in my heart."

Has any woman ever said to herself, alone in a dark hallway with someone she feels intensely passionate about; that she “sensed an intense passion…developing in her heart”? I’d rather hear about her breath, her heart rate, her involuntary movements.

Clover clearly cares deeply for history, but like any historical novelist, she also alters it, deftly. Consider the relic at the heart of book one. Clover refers to it as the Mandylion, and also as “the shroud that covered our Lord and Saviour after he was taken down from the cross.” I did find online references to a Mandylion, and also to the Image of Edessa, but I couldn’t find a single relic by that name that matches Clover’s description. Other artifacts do, although their veracity is up for debate. Of course, The Templar’s Garden doesn’t care whether the Mandylion is real, just that Isabella believes it is.

Isabella is protected on her journey by descendants of the Knights Templar, whom Clover posits continued to exist in secret after they were famously dissolved by King Philip IV of France on a Friday the 13th back in the 1300s. Clover says the Knights were dissolved by the King (and later the Pope) because they presented him with a “counterfeit cloth” (ie, a fake Mandylion). Historically, I believe the explanation is that he owed them a lot of money he didn’t want to repay, which is simultaneously less surprising and more shitty. The real moral of that story is that it’s a bad idea to lend money to feudal kings. The real moral of Clover’s story, however, is probably more pleasant and less tangible.

It’s worth a warning that this book contains two extremely graphic rapes. It’s not possible to skip over them, really, because they affect the plot. Rape was a part of women’s lives in the 1400s as it is today, but these two episodes stand out for their extreme violence. Not for the first time, I wondered why we don’t put content warnings on books, because this story probably could have used one. So instead, I’ll offer it to you now. ...more

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Jan 07, 2021 English rated it really liked it

This isn't my usual fare. I have to say it started out more as a traditional Historical Romance, and I'm not entirely sure I cared for the conclusion. It's ending up as more of a Da Vinci Code esque thriller featuring the Knight Templar and an ancient relic.

I gave 3.5 stars mostly because I liked the historical details, and the characterization was interesting, however I deduct a star for a few things

- Unnecessary rape scene (not graphically described)
- Buying into the unproven idea that Quee ...more

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Nov 12, 2020 Sara rated it liked it

Historical fiction is not a a genre I read a lot of. While this title, does info dump like most of the genre, the story was still easy to follow. The characters were interesting enough to feel compelled to see where their story was going. The protagonist, Lady Isabella gives a pleasant narrative. There were elements I found uncomfortable and some plot devices that would have registered a simpler solution than what was presented. Overall, an interesting read and I'm looking forward to see where t ...more

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Dec 02, 2020 Shrav rated it liked it

Thank you to NetGalley, author and the publisher for the ARC of this novel.
This novel is set in 1450's France and England amidst the tensions between the two countries. Its the story of a devotional Isabelle and Pere Charles. Its a historical fiction which revolves around the mystery of an artifact and the brotherhood of Knights Templar. Interspersed are the visions, scriptures and the architecture of the Churches of that historical period. ...more

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Jan 14, 2021 Polly Krize rated it liked it

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had thought this book was more historical fiction and romance, but it seemed to develop well as I read on. First in a trilogy, this is about a young woman living in 1450s France following the trail of the Knights Templar, trying to identify an artifact they have. I think I will look for the 2nd book, just to see how they progress...

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Dec 15, 2020 Krista rated it liked it

I'm not going to give a synopsis of the plot, you can get that elsewhere. I'm actually confused about how I feel about it. It was kind of two books in one as the plot went. That said, I did enjoy the story and interested to see where the series goes. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest review on #TheTemplar'sGarden. ...more

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Nov 13, 2020 Alexis (hookedtobooks) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020, historical-fiction, ebooks

Thank you, Duckworth and Netgalley for the copy of this book.
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CW: violence and sexual assault.
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This book follows Isabelle as she matures into a young woman during a dangerous time in history. The War of the Roses is about to start, there is tension between England and France, and Isabelle's family safety and religion seem threatened. Her family moves from Gascony to England in fear of the French army, since her father has pledged loyalty to the English king rather than the French, which sends th ...more

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Nov 22, 2020 Dearna (Words of the Roses) rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020-releases, netgalley, historical-fiction

3.5

For full review:

"Your words, like your actions, are always of such comfort.”

I will start by saying that I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank so much the team over at Duckwork and NetGalley for sending a copy my way!

I was so excited to see this title pop up on Netgalley. I am always on the lookout for historical fiction set in the medieval period. While I enjoyed this book, I was a touch underwhelmed. I was hoping the narrative would explore the tense political land ...more

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Nov 01, 2020 Eszter Szika rated it liked it

The Templar’s Garden is the first part of a historical fiction trilogy about England during the War of the Roses.
I enjoy reading historical novels, especially about the English history. This book is engrossing and beautifully written. Lady Isabelle’s character was really interesting.
In general it was a delightful read about the old times. Looking forward to the next book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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