Bride of Tancred (Bantam Gothic, N7482)

First published in Great Britain in 1967, I believe this may have been one of Diane Pearson's first novels, if not her first. It was published in the U.S. under the title "Bride of Tancred", which certainly gave away the whole story .. so the orginal British title, "The Loom of Tancred", to me, would have been better off unchanged. Although this literary effort is not quite up to her later literary standards, it certainly shows great promise of an author to be reckoned with. If you read her novels "Summer of the Barshinskeys" or "Csardas" first, you will probably appreciate this early effort more. Its a rather dark, typically English story with a surprise ending .. it reminded me somewhat of Wuthering Heights.

Originally published in the USA under the name the Bride of Tancred (?), I read this book in 1973. This is a timeless story of a young Quaker woman, raised in a strict religious community. When she finally leaves home to work at Tancred, she feels free for the first time. But fear starts to intrude on her new life and she ultimately needs to rely upon her faith in God to save her from the horror she slowly uncovers. The end satisfies, leaving the reader to wish Diane Pearson had written more. Excellent read; highly recommend.