Song of the Sparrow

infobox Book |
name = Song of the Sparrow
translator =


image_caption =
author = Lisa Ann Sandell
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States, Australia and New Zealand
language = English
series =
genre = Historical novel, Adventure novel, Young Adult Novel
publisher = Scholastic Press
release_date = 1 May 2007
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 416 pp (1st HB)
isbn = ISBN 0439918480 (1st HB)
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Song of the Sparrow" is a young adult novel by Lisa Ann Sandell, published in 2007. It is written completely in lyrical form. It is set during the Dark Ages in Britain and is a retelling of the story of The Lady of Shalott a figure from Arthurian legend.

Plot summary

When Elaine of Ascolat's mother is murdered by a Pict warrior, her home is burned and her father, two brothers, Lavain and Tirry, and herself move to a war camp. Elaine is only 8 years old. She quickly makes friends with Arthur, Lancelot, Tristan, Gawain, and many others. Over the years, Elaine turns into a beautiful young girl of seventeen, with long, fiery red hair. She does all of the mending, washing, and healing of all three hundred and fifty soldiers in the camp. She is seemingly in love with Lancelot, for he was her "playmate" when she was younger. Suddenly, when Aurelius, the leader of the entire Briton army, is poisoned by a Saxon spy, Arthur is left to lead and unite all of Britain. The night that Arthur is proclaimed leader, Lancelot tells Elaine he must go and win the favor of Lodengrance, for he is needed at Arthur's round table. When Elaine learns of Arthur's plan of attacking first against the Saxons, instead of the usual defense, she feels impending doom. She fears she has caused a bad omen when pricking her finger while mending Tirry's cloak.

Matters are made worse when Lancelot returns, with Lodengrance and Lodengrance's daughter, Gwynivere. Lancelot is obviously in love with her, and they flirt outwardly, even though Gwynivere is betrothed to Arthur. This cause immediate hatred between the girls. Elaine is heart broken when Lancelot ignores her. When the men go off on a five-day march to fight against the Saxons, Elaine follows. When she is within hearing distance of Arthur and the army, three Saxon warriors leap from the trees. They attack her, one stabbing Elaine's arm. Suddenly, Gwynivere, who has been following Elaine, reveals herself and attacks the warriors. The girls are taken prisoner, and tied to a pole in a tent at the Saxon camp. There, the girls reconcile, and Gwyn helps Elaine with her wound. A day or so later, the girls plan their escape. Elaine runs through the camp, distracting all the men, while Gwyn escapes to warn Arthur and the army, who are camping at Mount Badon that the Saxons have learned of Arthur's plan.

Elaine manages to divert the Saxons while Gwyn escapes, but is shot with an arrow while attempting her own escape, by river. The Britons find her, and Gwyn nurses Elaine back to health with the help of Tirry, Lavain, Arthur, Lancelot, and most of all, Tristan. When Elaine is well enough, they travel back to their previous camp. Along the way, Elaine and Lancelot talk, and come to the conclusion that Lancelot is hopelessly in love with Gwynivere, who has fallen in love with Arthur, and that Elaine does not truly love Lancelot. Later, Tristan confesses his jealousy of Elaine and Lancelot, and his love for her. Elaine then realizes that she, too, loves Tristan.

When everyone is back at camp and settled, there is a feast at the Round Table. Arthur speaks of the building of Camelot.

Characters

*Elaine of Ascolat, also known as Elaine of Astolat - Best known as The Lady of Shalott, the 17-year-old heroine of the book is the only girl in the British battlecamp serving under Arthur, who will eventually become King Arthur of the Britons. Elaine is the camp healer, using plants and herbs to cure the soldiers when they are wounded. Elaine has been in love with Lancelot for many years, despite his brotherly feelings towards her. When a new girl, Gwynivere, arrives in camp, the girls become rivals, until they are thrown into a situation of grave danger, in which they must work together to save their people and ensure the future of Briton.

*King Arthur - Arthur is not yet king in Song of the Sparrow, but he is the young military captain and leader of the Britons. The book tells the story of his coming to found the kingdom of Camelot. He strikes a deal with another knight of the realm and, in doing so, Arthur promises to take the knight's daughter, Gwynivere, as his wife.

*Lancelot - Arthur's second-in-command, Lancelot is a great knight. He took Elaine under his wing when she first came to the camp and has been her protector since. When he is sent to collect Gwynivere and her father, Lodengrance, Lancelot falls under her spell.

*Tristan - A knight in Arthur's army, Tristan is a charming, mischievous friend of Elaine's. He has a dark and tragic history (the book tells the story of his life after his encounter with Isolde), but will be saved by love.

*Gwynivere - Sandell's Gwynivere is the spoiled daughter of Lodengrance and arrives at the battlecamp betrothed to Arthur. She is cold and haughty, and cruel to Elaine. Eventually, she will have the opportunity to help save the camp.

Miscellaneous

According to the Author's Note at the end of "Song of the Sparrow" Lisa Ann Sandell describes why she decided to write about Elaine of Ascolat and retell the story of The Lady of Shalott, saying, "The stories, the myth of King Arthur and his companions live on and persist throughout time because they deal with such incredibly important and universal, such fundamentally human themes as love, friendship, loyalty, justice, faith, peace and hope and they resonate with the eternal chimes of truth, regardless of history or fact."

Sandell studied Arthurian legend at the University of Pennsylvania and noticed that the women in these stories were portrayed as weak, passive characters. She wrote Song of the Sparrow to "release Elaine from these shackles." [cite news |title= Interview with Lisa Ann Sandell |url=http://www.chasingray.com/archives/2007/11/she_stayed_with_me_through_the.html |work=Chasing Ray |date=2007-11-06|accessdate=2008-07-04 ]

References