The Norman and the Secrets of the Castle - by Eleonora Davide - Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 The Norman and the Secrets of the Castle

by Eleonora Davide

 

Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

  

Eleonora Davide's skilled pen immerses us, once again, in the fascinating, mysterious, and equally fraught pitfalls of the medieval world.

As in the previous two novels of  The Norman Saga, in this latest work, Eleonora, while leaving her imagination free, tries to remain as faithful as possible to the events and historical characters that have occurred over the centuries in her Irpinia. She does this thanks to a profound study and meticulous research among the pages of some historians of her land.

However, contrary to what happened in The Norman and Dominus, the Code of Fate, in The Norman and the Secrets of the Castle, the Author changes by coloring the novel with Fantasy tones.

Along with the components also present in the previous publications of this series – the structure of the Castle, life in the manor, activities carried out by both the lords and their servants, fights, and plots of all kinds that regulate the life and politics of the time, sense of sacredness and religiosity – she adds new ones. First of all, is the mysterious and equally sudden disappearance of Martino, the young main character of this book, who, by getting too close to a wall of the remains of the Monteforte Castle, where at sunset he had gone for a walk with his beautiful and beloved Marianna, falls and vanishes into thin air.

So, while the girl, among the bushes and the ruins of the manor, continues to call him desperately looking for him and fearing the worst, Martino lives an experience that leads him, between one stage and another, to cross the Middle Ages, becoming an eyewitness of some historical events of his Monteforte, or rather Mons Fortis, as those he meets on his path call it.

Thanks to what he initially cannot understand, whether it is a dream, a hallucination, or, on the contrary, a journey into another dimension or through time, Martino finds himself among the tents of military camps ready for battle with the enemy: we are, in fact, in the midst of the feudal era in which we witness continuous conflicts not only between the Normans and the Lombards but also between the various Lords, each of whom claims the right to a particular territory and everything found on it.

Martino, given his evident behavioral diversity, but also linked to what others perceive as his strange language and clothing, sometimes passes for a fool, other times for a madman, still others for an individual who, although perplexing, arouses curiosity and interest ... Depending on the circumstances, he finds himself in the presence not only of dangerous, violent characters who should definitely be kept away but also in front of the Lords of the time, first of all William the Carbon, Lord of Monteforte – well yes, precisely that of the Palio, he will find himself thinking.

He will also meet valiant warriors and self-revealed representatives of the temporal power of the Church who have made History – the one with a capital H reported in the books but also the local one, made up of ordinary people and people who would undoubtedly deserve greater attention in the following centuries and who, unfortunately, whatever the reason, they have gone entirely unnoticed or almost so.

The narrative, in addition to being compelling and intriguing, so much so that it fascinates the readers from the first to the last page, keeping them in suspense, presents some exciting themes. Among these, perhaps the most important is precisely the observation that the Author herself makes through Martino, with which the reader is encouraged to make an objective criticism of the History and the characters and events mentioned in it: Who decided who should appear as a true protagonist in history books and which events had greater relevance than others?

The novel highlights how the 'minor' stories are as important as those commonly handed to us through books. For individual communities, it is, in fact, fundamental to know and delve into local History because it is the one closest to them, made by their ancestors – whether patricians or plebeians – and it is precisely where the roots of their traditions and their culture lie.

Another exciting aspect is the journey that Martino takes 'through time,' probably crossing temporal and spatial limits and exceeding those of matter in its physicality.

His journey through time proves to have a double utility: on the one hand, it allows him to be an eyewitness, and in some cases even a protagonist or co-protagonist, of events which – as History will later demonstrate – will determine the future, not only of individuals but of entire communities, and on the other hand it allows him, who comes from a future world, to anticipate to his interlocutors what will happen and, in some cases, how to be able to solve a problem and even defeat the enemy in battle.

Martino, in fact, despite humbly admitting his limitations in terms of knowledge of History, using information obtained from reading some books on the subject, including novels assigned as homework for the holidays, as well as information material distributed by the Pro Loco, will even suggest to Marquis Bertoldo of the house of the Hohenburg, Lord of Monteforte, how to win the battle against the enemy using the "Frisia’s Horses." The latter, he will explain to Bertoldo and his men, is a defensive obstacle, already used by the ancient Romans, which Publius Vegetius Renatus has fully explained in his treatise on the art of war Epitoma rei militaris, i.e., The art of war, written between late 4th and early 5th century A.D.

Although Martino's journey through time often appears more like a nightmare from which there seems to be no way out rather than a beautiful adventure, there is no shortage of pleasant moments and positive experiences.

Among the notable figures, he meets Cielo D'Alcamo "a poet... whom Frederick II had appreciated, praised and supported, until his fame as a man of letters had spread throughout the Kingdom..." (Davide, 2023, p. 150) and whose performance at the Castle reminds Martino of rock star concerts, leading him to the conclusion that, after all, nothing has changed over the centuries: music still exercises great power over the public today just as it did then.

He also witnesses how the guests of honor are received with celebrations in which the regal decorations are accompanied by the equally luxurious clothes the men and women wear for the occasion, all accompanied by rich and tasty banquets in which there seems to be no shortage of anything. Courses of animals of all sorts, from birds to "roasts with spices and covered in honey...", sauces, bread and wine in abundance, fish, fruit, mushrooms, cheeses and desserts of all kinds (pp. 154, 155) they follow one another at the table with the women who work hard to make sure that all the dishes are served at the right time, in the perfect way and that everyone present appreciates and enjoys the food so lovingly and carefully prepared.

Therefore, the Norman and the Secrets of the Castle is a novel written in a flowing style like the Author's. It will fascinate adults and children, stimulating, in those who do not already have it, an interest in reading and, above all, in History. It will also remind each of us that "the weapons with which we fight for life are not only those of steel but also those of knowledge" (p. 88) and that, to use the words that Martino addresses to Leandro, a friend he met on his journey back in time, "Books... [are] a very effective means of transport between the centuries." (p. 140)