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In the village of Meadowstead, everyone knows that once they’re in their middle years, they’re going to die. Eventually, their body will no longer be able to provide the Nobels who rule over them, and the Lord and Lady will essentially mark them for death. When the day comes for Jendar and Mathias to put their own mother onto the funeral pyre, they’re devastated. But more than that; they’re angry. And not just at the senseless death of their mother. Life in Meadowstead is set to strict regulations. They can only marry whom they’re told, can only work in the trades they’re told and must never, ever leave the village and valley. When Jendar and Mathias do leave the village and discover the ancient ruins of a vast city, they slowly realise they’ve been bred like lambs to the slaughter; nothing more than livestock for the blood thirsty Nobels. As they chance upon a message left for them by an unknown Nobel, the chance for them to end the Lord and Lady’s cruel rule is within grasp.
Meadowstead is pretty much a novel of two halves. The first half is the background of life in the village, all told from Jendar’s perspective. It’s quite slow, with a frustrating amount of erroneous detail. When the brothers’ mother passes away, Hollin’s repeats the information about standard mourning period in the village several times, as well as the use of the black sash or ribbon. The narration is somewhat plodding, seeming to try to find it’s way through the intricacies of village life as though sleepwalking. The brothers’ awe of the discovery of the ancient city is likewise stinted – never seeming to fully convey the depth of their wonder, while at the same time over-describing it.
That said, once Meadowstead reaches the second part – ‘David’s Story’, the book seems to change its pace. Maybe it’s because it’s from first person point of view, or maybe the fact that this part spans millennia, but the story flows better. It’s much more fluent, with the emotions of David simmering away, with just the right amount of seasoning. It becomes a much more enjoyable novel from that point onward.
S. A.
First published on Reedsy Discovery as part of their ARC program. You can read the original review here.
Meadowstead is available to buy from Jack Hollins’ website by clicking on the name of the book.