The Fool's Tale

by Nicole Galland

This is a story that takes place in Wales in the year 1198. Maelgwyn ap Cadwallon (known to his intimates as Noble) is king of a small Welsh kingdom that is constantly struggling with its more powerful neighbors. As the book opens he takes to wife Isabel, the niece of his Norman rival, Roger Mortimer. Isabel has a difficult time adjusting to the strange, and often neo-pagan, customs of her new Welsh kingdom but she has an even harder time adjusting to Noble's philandering and most especially to the brazen and rude humor of Noble's best friend: the castle prankster Gwirion.

The book centers around these three central characters: Noble, the quintessential monarch who manages to be both selfish and selfless at the same time as only a monarch can be; Isabel who struggles with homesickness and the many restrictions placed upon her life as the political consort of a Welsh monarch; and Gwirion who in some ways is the most complex character in the story.

This was a very engaging read and I found it hard to put it down. Be cautioned though, there is A LOT of sex in this story. None of it is graphic (nothing stronger than a PG-13) but there is quite a lot of it and indeed the entire plot hinges around it.

If you have it lying around, give it a read. Otherwise, I would only recommend you seek it out if you're really into this kind of story.