The World Is Not Enough

THIS historical novel (translated from the French) is a striking departure from the garish fustian which has discredited the genre. In her saga of a petty knight’s family in twelfthand thirteenth-century France, Miss Oldenbourg has sought an authentic re-creation of medieval life. She describes, in unromanticized detail, the everyday routine of the castle of Linnières, the marriage customs of the period, the hunts, tournaments, and feasts; the vicious family vendettas, the unending civil wars, and the Crusades. The central motif of her intricate tapestry, crowded with personages, is the married life of Baron Ansiau of Linnières and his lady. Those who have a penchant for the massive period piece, and would like to see it handled with artistry, should find this to their taste.