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Recent Reviews for E L Noel
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The Threshing Floor (Book) - 11/7/2001 10:08:13 AM
A wonderful story by talented Historical Fiction writer E.L.Noel that should not be missed! A true-to-life story that will hold the reader captive throughout the entire story.
Victoria Taylor Murray
'Thief Of Hearts'
'Forbidden'
The Threshing Floor (Book) - 8/23/2001 3:58:37 PM
Wonderful story full of intrigue
and action. As a reader,
I was on the edge of my seat.
The Threshing Floor (Book) - 2/23/2001 5:22:53 PM
Sir James Greybold, Commander of Knights, awaits a battle which threatens not only his life but, more importantly, his honor and sworn obedience. With cunning, his
superiors set about their plan of deceit and greed. Battling against his country’s enemies, the infidel Saracens, Greybold learns instead that the real enemies are a far greater threat.
After losing a battle doomed for failure, Greybold attempts to free prisoners taken by Saracens, trading his own life for the freedom of his men. He manages to escape but upon returning to his commander he is stripped of his rank and dishonored with the charge that he has, by freeing his men with his own life, performed an act of ransom, breaking a cardinal rule of the Templer Knights. Greybold is forced to defend his name and the honor of those who have needlessly lost their lives. Throughout,Greybold’s faithful sergeant, Anthony of South Wales, brings not only his loyalty but just the right balance of levity to the story.
“The Threshing Floor” takes off running and never loses its pace. Taking place in and around Jerusalem in the year 1187 A.D., the book vividly depicts the atmosphere of the times, a time when men died for the honor of their country and for those in charge, whether or not it was deserved. Noel’s research is painstakingly accurate without being painful. Her descriptions of the countryside and its people are so vivid I felt as though I rode astride a mount at Greybold’s side (unlike a lady of that time would!). Throughout the knight’s great struggle, the reader is keenly aware of the plush surroundings of royalty, the rough terrain of the battlefields, the prickling heat of
the desert, the toughness of men like Greybold. I could feel on my own shoulders the heavy weight of knight’s armor.
Noel’s characterization melds with the times she depicts. Her analogies of Greybold and the wolf he harbors within (“wolf inside stretched and snarled”) gives the character a dimension of strength and cunning curbed only by his deep Christian faith and his vow of obedience. The book takes surprising turns and twists pitting loyalty against betrayal, and challenging the reader to anticipate what more could possibly happen to this knight of boundless energy and integrity. Noel’s poetic narration brings
an ancient flavor (“If he failed, he faced the King a disgraced man, the stone of his word turned to powder and blown away by the wind of dishonor.”) that defies putting the book aside.
“The Threshing Floor” is a superior book. I strongly recommend it.
Review by Mary E. Trimble, author of “Rosemount”
http://www.whidbey.net/marytrimble
Bascombe's Cross (Short Story) - 12/11/2002 10:26:20 AM
I enjoyed the account of James' training very much...I just wish I knew more of the honorable knight who'd taken him under his wing! Any possibility of more? :-)
Bascombe's Cross (Short Story) - 9/17/2001 12:29:54 PM
My last name is Bascombe, which is odd because there is a book named after it.
Bascombe's Cross (Short Story) - 6/6/2001 1:27:24 PM
look forward to reading more of your work
m j hollinghsead, please take a peek at my short stories as well. ...........;0)
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