Isabel experiences the typical culture shock adjusting to her new life in Wales, but perhaps her greatest antagonism is to Gwirion, whose companionship is greatly valued by Noble even though Gwirion has no technical rank or stature. At the beginning of the novel the young Isabel is imported to Wales to marry Noble for political purposes, in order to "seal an uneasy truce" she is the niece of Roger Mortimer, who had several times tried to conquer Noble's kingdom. This novel, by Bay Area writer Nicole Galland, however, challenged and mostly foiled my expectations, proving itself a wallop of a first novel that manages to remain entertaining and engaging in spite of its distant setting and great length.Īt bottom, "The Fool's Tale" is a story of three people: the king of Maelienydd, named Maelgwyn ap Cadwallon, also known as Noble his previously Norman wife, Isabel and Gwirion, the "fool" of the novel's title (even though the novel is not actually narrated by Gwirion), Noble's lifelong friend and resident harpist and prankster.
Not being a medieval historical fiction buff, I came to "The Fool's Tale" with certain preconceived and not terribly sanguine notions - there would probably, I thought, be lords, ladies and humor that, though intended to be "bawdy," instead would end up just being corny.
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