A Place Beyond Courage: William Marshal, Book 1

After reading of Marshal John Fitzgilbert's insouciant concern for his 4th son in "The Greatest Knight," I was fully ready to continue my dislike the Marshal. This account, however, transforms Fitzgilbert into a fully three dimensional character: one who actually loved his family and sacrificed for them despite his callous brag of having the "hammers and anvil" to forge better ones.Elizabeth Chadwick deftly weaves historical accounts into the realm of possibility to flesh out the life of a man who, like the country of England herself, was caught between the warring factors of Duke Stephen de Blois and Empress Matilda of Normandy over the English throne during a time that would become known as The Anarchy.Having little in material possessions to pass on to his fourth son, the Marshal as he was known, was able to pass on to William whatever intangibles that were necessary for him to become the most famous knight of all time. William saw his father as two sides a a mirror. On one side was the feckless father whose own broken promise could have lead to the hanging of his young son. At the same time, John became one of the most staunchest supporters of Empress Maude to the point of risking his life on many occasions and sustaining grievous injuries that maimed him for life.Marshal was both an accomplished fighter as well as a seasoned courtier who knew how to work the system for his own maximum gain. If nothing else, William developed a sense of duty acting as a six-year-old hostage to guarantee Marshal's compliance to the King. Despite his father turning traitor and putting his own son's life in forfeit, young William would develop his father's positive knightly values of honor, chivalry, and loyalty.

I first read this book on a vacation to Hawaii in 2013. As lovely as that time during the day I found myself anticipating the evening return to John and Sybilla's world. Such is her extraordinary talent as a storyteller coupled with well-honed gift of writing. She is The Marshal of the Pen.This work is one of my favorites. The careful weaving of what is known and what must be created with the precise shades and textures as well as restraint is on full display in this book. John, Sybilla, William, the Empress, Patrick, Stephen, Henry arise in three dimensions. The story's lens moves from the larger view to zoom in without a shimmy or shake. The reader has been invited into a marvelous world.I am an avid fan of Elizabeth Chadwick. I am converting even the non-history lovers I know to history by introducing them to her books. A friend who finished the Marshal series I sent her as a gift for post thesis graduation gift, has been snapping up her other books. We are boon companions in this world with lovely friends to visit.Come join us with the others in Chadwick 's entourage. There's never a dull moment here. You'll love it.

This was a very enjoyable read... I love English medieval history....this author, Elizabeth Chadwick, writes very similarly to Sharon Kay Penman who is a well know, very accomplished author...she says on her blog that they are friends. I've read everything that Sharon Kay Penman has written..and recommended them all and I'm well on my way to reading all of Ms. Chadwick's books and recommend them too. I'm anxiously awaiting the final book about Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife to Henry II....Her first two books about Eleanor (spelled Aleanor by Ms. Chadwick as this was how it was spelled in Aleanor's time) were excellent.

This is a prequel of sorts to The Greatest Knight, and is the story of John FitzGilbert, the father of William Marshal. The story takes place amidst the backdrop of England's civil war between Henry's daughter Matilda and her cousin Stephen who usurped her crown, as John tries to juggle his perilous position between the two rivals for the crown.John's first marriage to Aline (the best he could make at the time in his position) does not fare well as she is weak of mind as well as spirit, and when he chooses to side with Matilda he makes a more advantageous marriage with Sybilla, who bears John several children including William. The characterization of John started from a cat that always lands on his feet to a loving husband and father, facing the most difficult decision of his life. The author did a marvelous job of bringing John, Aline and Sybilla to life, and most especially the young William. I was totally entranced at the way William was portrayed, from his exuberant first word to his innocent knowledge of the danger he was in whilst being held hostage by King Stephen.While this is not a page turning, sit on the edge of your seat, action filled novel, I was thoroughly entertained throughout. As always with Chadwick's books, the way she brings the medieval period to life in such a graceful and effortless way, be it the sights, sounds, smells, food, clothes and battles is just awesome. As quoted on some of her book jackets, the next best thing to time travel. Five stars.FTC disclosure: my copy purchased in 2007 from Amazon UK.

John FitzGilbert is my 24th great grandfather. I am related through Margaret, his daughter and William's little sister. It's been a joy to find how the family lived so long ago. I truly appreciate Ms Chadwick's excellent research and her great skill at bringing history, all of it, to life is such an absorbing and entertaining way. Thank you.

I've read the complete set of Elizabeth Chadwick's William Marshal books now, and I have thoroughly enjoyed them. They are fiction, of course, and should be read as such, but her research has clearly been extensive and thorough, and they give an excellent idea of how life was really lived in those days (at least, at the higher levels!) Marshal is a fascinating character (especially as he happens to be a very distant ancestor of mine), and it is a period of history which I find especially interesting. Books of this type are very helpful in pulling together names, places and events which can otherwise just become lists in the history books, and breathing life into characters. Within the genre of historical fiction Elizabeth Chadwick's books are among the very best and I would thoroughly recommend them.

I enjoyed this book very much, it was a great read, and it filled in many blanks in my knowledge and understanding of the period. I had read before about William Marshall, and his courage and ability , and of the turbulent times in which he lived and prospered, but this account of his early life helped explain how his nature and survival instinct enabled him to become the great hero that he undoubtedly was . I could definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the period.

This is the first book in the William Marshall series, dealing with his father, John. This is a really fantastic book and although the ending is happy, three quarters of the way through the book it was so sad I actually cried! It is so realistically written and the characters are so real, that I could sympathise with all of them, especially John, the father who was between a rock and a hard place at one time but had to stand by the courage of his convictions.

Another wonderful book by this fabulous author Elizabeth Chadwick. Many years ago I read the complete saga of William Marshal and thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt that a dear friend had left my life when I came to the end. So second time around I'm enjoying it as much as before. I cannot recommend these books more highly they are a wonderful read for any age group.

I heard about William Marshall on a trip to South Wales and then decided I wanted to know more. I did not realise he was following in his father's footsteps. Had to start at the beginning and am not regretting it. Historical fiction at its best