Romantic and stubborn, eleven-year-old Isi plans to marry for love and be mistress of her own castle. But life in 1198 is full of threat and a series of tragic events teaches her growing up is hard.

When Isi falls for Hugh, a French nobleman, he consents to marry her, but only for her dowry. She longs for more. Hoping a jealous man will fall in love, she flirts with a king. The flirtation backfires: King John abducts and marries her. Now trapped in cold, warring England with a malicious husband, Isi must hide her yearning for Hugh and find her own power. If she fails, she won’t live to return to her beloved.

Inspired by real historical figures—Isabelle d’Angoulême, Hugh de Lusignan, and King John of Magna Carta fame—Behold the Bird in Flight is set in a period that valued women only for their dowries and childbearing. Isabelle’s story has been mainly erased by men, but the medieval chronicles suggest a woman who developed her own power and wielded it—in court and in bed. And as the woman behind the throne, who’s to say she didn’t influence history?

‘Behold the Bird in Flight’ is the debut novel from the pen of American-based author, Terri Lewis. The book is written in the third person and the past tense and we see most of the action from the perspective of Isabelle, the only child and heir of Aymer Taillefer, Count d’ Angoulême in southwestern France.

We join the story when Isi is eleven and we then share her life for the next seventeen years. She leaves her parents under a cloud and travels to the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of western France and the home of Hugh X de Lusignan, with whom she falls in love. History suggests that Isi may have actually become betrothed to Hugh’s father (Hugh IX). In the author’s version of events, Isi’s intended future husband is the son, rather than the father. However, Isi is ether kidnapped or voluntarily leaves the security of the Lusignan home to wed England’s King John. We leave the story at the end of his reign. A footnote tells us of her subsequent life.

Much of the early story is told in great detail but this is not the case as the years go by, so perhaps the pace is a little uneven. However, the characterisations are extremely effective with others allowing us into their thoughts intermittently. The descriptive passages evoke a real feel of life in the thirteenth century with all its pitfalls, superstitions and omens of ill-fortune. These obviously played a huge part in day-to-day living and the author uses this to her advantage when needing a reason to send Isi away from her home at such a tender age.

The outline of the story is based on fact and I commend the author for her thorough research into events of the time. This is a period of medieval history about which I knew very little so I’m also grateful to her for giving me a thirst for more knowledge.

Whilst originally being a little dubious about agreeing to review this novel, I’m extremely glad that I did as it proved an excellent read. This will appeal to anyone who enjoys historical stories which breathe life into some lesser known historical figures. I award 4.5 stars.

Terri Lewis fell in love with medieval history in college. Not the dates or wars, but the mysterious daily lives of the people. Building on this love, she read and travelled widely, marvelling at Europe’s preserved towns and castles. Finally, two sentences in a book bought at Windsor Castle led her to write Behold the Bird in Flight. Terri’s writing has been honed through workshops with Jill McCorkle, Laura van den Berg, and Rebecca Makkai, and she has published in literary magazines. She lives with her husband and two lively dogs in Denver, Colorado.