Mary Hoffman is another of my favourite authors for young adults, though she writes in a different style to most that I read. Troubadour will probably appeal more to girls than boys, as it is essentially a love story, though anyone who enjoys historical fiction will find it fascinating.

It is the year 1208 and the Papal Legate is brutally murdered. Bertran de Miramont, a troubadour, witnesses the act and gives chase to the killer, but loses him. Unfortunately, Bertran is not just a wandering minstrel, but a Cathar – a heretic. The Pope convinces the Barons of Northern France to rid the Languedoc of the heretics and so begins the Albigensian Crusade, a most bloody period of French history. Elinor, younger daughter of a minor French nobleman, is secretly in love with the Troubadour and runs away from home just at a time when the countryside around her family home erupts into chaos.

This book is not an easy read when compared to many books for the YA market and will probably not find the broad appeal of Mary’s Stravaganza series. However, for those who enjoy books by Celia Rees and Pauline Francis, this story is a ‘must read’. The depth of Mary’s research is clearly demonstrated throughout. Even the thought of how much reading she must have done to collate the information needed to write a book like this makes my mind boggle with admiration. To then weave a touching story that flows seamlessly throughout all the history is a superb achievement.

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