Name: The Heaven Tree
ISBN: 9780751504736

Edith Pargeter

England in the reign of King John - a time of beauty and squalor, of swift treachery and unswerving loyalty. Against this violent, exciting background the story of Harry Talvace, master mason, unfolds. Harry and his foster-brother Adam tasted injustice young and together fled to Paris, where Harry's genius for carving drew him into friendship with the enigmatic Ralf Isambard, Lord of Parfois, and the incomparably beautiful Madonna Benedetta, a Venetian courtesan. In their company he returned to his native Shropshire to build a church for Isambard beside Parfois castle. Soaring heavenwards, the tree of stone became an arrow of light; but as it flowered darkening shadows presaged jealousy, pitiless revenge - and death.

The Heaven Tree

Simon Elliott Stegall

This book is kind of like The Fountainhead of medieval fantasy. It's about a cathedral builder in the 1200s. There are parts of this book that are very much worth 5 stars. But there are also some flaws that, sadly, cost the book as a whole two stars in my estimation.

First, the good stuff. The writing is beautiful. Pargeter was obviously someone very much moved by beauty, and she is able to transmit the longing that it inspires very well in her prose. The descriptions of the cathedral (the eponymous heaven tree) are some of the most gorgeous prose passages I've read this year. This is mostly where the 5-star passages come from. 

Flaws: the main characters are perfect. They are SO perfect. They are the MOST beautiful, the MOST clever, the MOST spiritual, the MOST sexual, the MOST gifted individuals you will ever meet. I call this the Kvothe Syndrome. Many fantasy books die slow deaths because of this disease. 

Fantasy authors tend, in my opinion, to indulge themselves, especially in the formation of main characters. They create characters that represent their ideal people-- characters they would like to fall in love with. If the reader also falls in love with that character, great. But if the reader DOESN'T, then they will be disgusted by the lavish praise the author heaps on their own character by making them SO DAMN BEAUTIFUL AND CLEVER. I got very tired of hearing Pargeter describe Harry Talvace's "flashing sea-green eyes." I get that you are head over heels for your own character. But stop. Even Rand (Rand!!) did better than that with Howard Roark. At least he was ugly.

By contrast, the villain in this book is way, WAY more interesting than the main characters, because he has desires that can never be satisfied, like a real person. He cannot leverage his genius against the world to achieve everything he ever wanted, like a real person. He is brokenhearted and betrayed. He's the best character.

Second flaw: there is too much historical context. I wanted more cathedral building. There is a solid 50 pages where we leave the building sight and dabble in English politics. Good in Penman. Not good in a book about cathedrals. 

This book could have been great. Really, really, great. The premise of an artist struggling to create a masterpiece through adversity is great. And I actually really enjoyed large swaths of it. But these loose ends make me sad. They unravel the book for me.

The Heaven Tree

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