The Story of Silence

I absolutely loved this book! I loved that it was set in Cornwall, and as someone who has been there a lot, it meant that I knew all the places the travelled to! I love the character development in this and thought that the book portrayed some very important messages incredibly well!

This is like everything I ever wanted from an Arthurian retelling but never knew I needed: preposterous, adventurous, full of heart and with a main character whose difficult circumstances and incredible journey are lovingly described.

Myers really captured the feel of tales from this era; it reminded me of a class I took in medieval German literature (which, incidentally, I hated - but that was entirely the lecturer's fault. The actual literature I adored!) with its occasional sheer absurdity.

At the heart of it, The Story of Silence is about gender, and it was really fascinating to learn that it was based on a real 13th century tale, discovered in 1911. And the story is, of course, about Silence, whose determination to be a knight, resilience, and sheer goodness were honestly just delightful to read.

I gave this four stars because the pace felt a little meandering at times, but overall I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for an Arthurian-era tale with what feels like a very modern take on gender.