Down the Common

by Ann Baer

Book Overview

Gifted with an appreciation of beauty, Marion, the carpenter's wife, becomes the salvation of her village because she gratefully receives the bounty of the world in which she lives. Marion is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0871318180
• ISBN13: 9780871318183
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: M. Evans and Company
• Length: 234 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

An Extraordinary Book

This book, which details the life of an ordinary woman living in a remote, poor medieval village is extraordinary. I had it from the library, but I am buying a copy to send to my daughter who is in China for her Junior Year Abroad. I cannot remember when I last read a novel with such moving power, and one which I was so reluctant to end, for all that I stayed up until 2 am this morning to finish it. It is simply remarkable. We learn only as much as Marion herself knows about her village and its communal life. It is certainly medieval, but she does not understand that years have dates, nor does she understand geography. From the internal evidence her nameless village seems to be in Kent, some time after the Norman invasion (1066) as is evidenced by the names, but probably before the beginning of the Hundred Years' War (circa 1340). My best guess is that it takes place in the thirteenth century, give or take a few decades. In English medieval (and later) parlance, a "corn" was any grain kernel, not American maize. In Marion's village this is wheat - barley is called barley. I wish those whose knowledge of medieval Europe comes primarily from movies and romance novels would read actual history, so as not to mislead others through their ignorance. Marion's village is remote, backward, and poor. Sir Hugh, the local landowner, is such minor gentry that he does not seem to be a knight. The village receives supplies from the outside world in return for its wool once a year, and the only other visitor it might have is a tinker who occasionally appears to mend broken pots, knives, and the like. It is tremendously difficult for modern people to understand how extremely isolated some places were, and how slow things were to change. Still, the first glimmerings of change appear in the village that year, which I will not mention as I do not wish to spoil the pleasure of new readers. Marion herself is a wonderful creation; a fully actualized woman, with ideas of her own, skilled in housewifery, kind to others, but not a fool. She has a hard life, and she knows it, but she also has many pleasures, and is constantly aware of the beauty around her. John Wain, in his masterful biography of Samuel Johnson remarks that those of us who live after the Industrial Revolution can only imagine how physically beautiful England was,

Just a Note on "Corn"

One reviewer commented on the presence of "corn" in Marion's village, and pointed out that "corn" is a New World crop that would not have been present in England until the 17th century, but she's only partly correct. Maize is a New World crop. The word "corn," when used by a British author, actually simply means "grain," which is probably wheat, or possibly another grain crop. I am a medieval historian, and found the book quite realistic. I agree with the critical reviewer that it is possible or even probable that a woman like Marion would have had more experience with nearby markets, though I doubt how many of those would have had "traveling minstrels." As for the inability of the reader to ascertain the date of the book, I think that is actually quite telling and appropriate (and personally, I date the "beginning of the Middle Ages" to sometime in the 6th century or so!). For those who would like a less fictionalized book about the experience of a woman in a medieval English village, I strongly recommend Judith Bennett's A Medieval Life: Cecilia Penifader of Brigstock.

Womanhood, Motherhood, and Wifehood of any era

Regarding Ann Baer's novel "Down the Common, A year in the life of a medieval woman" I complement the author's insight into the awesome burdens, the small joys, and the weighty responsibility accompanied by womanhood, motherhood, and wifehood of any era. Most of the reviews listed here are complimentary but, I wish to address those who found fault with this novel's medieval history accuracy. This story represents the lives of ordinary people. I see no need to attach it to a specific year or location. Though modern-day historians do possess considerable record of life in the Middle Ages I challenge anyone to *prove* the village represented in this book to be inaccurate. The only improvement I can imagine, for this thought provoking, pleasurable novel, would be for it to cover more than one year in Marion's life.

This was a one-of-a-kind book Enjoyed it immensely.

This book chronicles a year in the life of a medieval village woman, bringing to life a time for which we have very little documentation. The author has woven a tapestry of family life which lets us see medieval life through the eyes of a serf rather than those of a nobleman. The book is a great find. I hated to finish it, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Middle Ages.

A superb book that carries the reader to medieval times

This book truly captures the essence of "life" in medieval times. It is not overly romantic as are many stories of this era, rather it offers insight into the daily activities and thoughts of an ordinary peasant woman. The physical, emotional and social challenges that she faces, while they take place in a time long ago, have relevance for our times today. Aside from the "story" of Marion and her perspective of her small world, the prose of the book is so well done, that the reader is able to see, smell, taste what life must have been like centuries ago. One could also sense the frustrations, the hopes, the joys, and fear of life for Marion. I finished the book with an appreciation for the life of this woman and for how far we have come since then.