Title: The Miller’s Boy
Author: Barbara Willard
Series: The Mantlemass Chronicles, book 1
Major Themes: War of the Roses, England, Milling
Synopsis: Thomas wanted to leave his grandfather’s mill and live with a sister, and his other sister wanted to leave the mill and get married—but they had to stay and care for their grandfather.
When I read The Lark and the Laurel and then The Sprig of Broom, I thought they were the first two books in the Mantlemass Chronicles. Then, I found a list of the books in the series and saw that some people actually consider The Miller’s Boy to be the first, so we read that one next. It certainly is set before the beginning of The Lark and the Laurel, so I would have to agree that it is the first. It is shorter than the other two, however, and includes a lot less of the events in England at the time; it focuses almost totally on the life of the miller’s grandson and of Lewis Mallory, who had just come to live at Ghylls Hatch.
Publisher’s description:
Each day, Thomas Welfare prays for two things. The first is a fine steed to carry him away from the life of backbreaking toil in his grandfather’s mill. The second is a friend—a boy his own age to roam the forest with. The arrival of young Lewis Mallory answers Thomas’ second prayer—but could he also fulfill the first? The Miller’s Boy is a tale of a deep friendship between two boys. It takes place when Lewis first came to the forest, long before the Mantlemass stories begin.
My thoughts:
The Miller’s Boy is a beautiful picture of life among the common people during the time of the War of the Roses. It is a story of friendship that crosses social lines, and a story of an old man who could not accept anyone else getting ahead of him. It is also a story of the love of a brother and sister for each other as they did what they could to care for their grandfather.
I enjoyed learning about windmills and how they were used for grinding grain in this time period. Two different mills were described; Thomas Welfare’s grandfather had an old mill, and a rival built a new, much larger one nearby. The news that the second one was being built sent the grandfather into a fit of anger such that he tried singlehandedly rebuilding his old mill bigger—with horrific results. There are hard scenes in this story, and also beautiful ones. If you are studying this time period, try to find a copy of The Miller’s Boy to get a better feel for daily life among the ordinary people.
WARNING: Chapter 1: Praying to Mary. Chapter 4: “One for Lucifer,…One for Beelzebub, Satan’s son.” Chapter 5: “Jesu, what a.…” Chapter 6: Two boys fight. Chapter 7: “…felt the old man was inspired by demons,” “this storm came out of hell.” Chapter 9: “Oh dear Lord Jesu!”
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 10 – 12, 12 – 15
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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