Books with author Madeleine A Polland

In the mid 500s AD, Irish monks came to Gaul to help restore Christianity in the aftermath of barbarian invasions which had laid waste the Church. Fingal's master at the Abbey in Ireland, Brother Columban had been chosen to go and Fingal secretly follows him. He endures years of hardship as he travels all over Gaul searching for his beloved Columbanus. And yet as he travels and tells others of the wondrous Columbanus and his teaching of God, many are converted and come to serve God with Columbanus. Finally, Fingal realizes how he himself must serve God, and recognizes how God has used his hardship and questing to bring many into His sheepfold. One of Polland's finest stories, weaving adventure and poignancy into a tale of a quest for God's will.

Brought to Rome from the British campaign by a kindly Roman officer, young Gretorix is made body slave to Diomed, the crippled son of a Roman senator. Both captives in their own way, the two boys become fast friends, and when Diomed hears of the man called Simon Peter, who heals the sick, he sends Gretorix to learn more about the new religion. Woven into this moving story of friendship and faith is the account of St. Peter's last days in Rome. This is a beautifully told tale of the early Christian movement, set against the flamboyant era of Nero's decadent reign. Originally published in 1963.

It is the year 1209 and time for gathering of the clan at the fort of the Red King of Connacht. The Irish nobles are to choose between Fergus, the King's son and Felim, the King's brother, for the heir to the throne. But Fergus is missing, trapped within the monastery at Athenmore by a surprise advance of the Norman enemy. And Felim is secretly plotting to overthrow the King . . . So begins the griping story of the children of Cormac the Red King of Connacht, Grania and Fergus, whose courage, devotion to honor, and ingenuity in the face of great trials win them the respect of Irish and Norman alike.

Chuiraquimba has lived all her life in the forests, the daughter of a powerful chief. When her father abandons her dying brother, she runs to the "Black Robes" for help. She and her brother are welcomed into the Jesuit reductions and come to believe in the Christian religion. Slave traders however hunt the Guarani, poaching them from the reductions despite the priests efforts to convert the slavers and reform the practice of slavery. Eventually the priests gather the remaining Guarani and move south over the falls along the Parana River to a better location. Along the way, Chuiraquimba's faith is tested, but she never falters and ultimately finds hope waiting at the end of her journey. Based on the true events of 1600s Paraguay.

This indeed is perhaps his best work as he places you inside the characters which are sketched precisely. Written in the middle of his career it captures much of his style. The images are clear and magnetic. The ending is gripping. One can feel the intense purpose and need to take out this bridge and yet see the fragilities of military strategy and execution.

On a hillside in ancient Crete, a young boy tends his father's goats. A girl about his age, dressed in finery, appears on his hill and then the adventure begins. The girl, the Princess of Knossos, and the goatherd are captured by Egyptian slave traders. To hide her identity as the Princess, the boy puts on her ring--the symbol of the double axe. Mistaken then as the Prince of Knossos, he is treated royally while she becomes a slave. He eventually finds a way for them to esacpe. How will they ever make it back to Crete?