The Road to Damietta

by Scott O'Dell

Overview

The Newbury Award-winning author delivers “what may be his finest novel” in this young adult narrative of Saint Francis of Assisi and the Fifth Crusade (Publishers Weekly).
 
Rich in the atmosphere of thirteenth-century Italy, The Road to Damietta offers a fascinating new perspective on the man who became Saint Francis of Assisi: the guileless, joyous man who praised the oneness of nature and sought to bring the world into harmony.
 
Thirteen-year-old Ricca di Montanaro, who secretly loves the young Francis, watches in awe as he disavows his rich father and declares himself a servant of Christ. Following him on his journey, Ricca recounts Francis’s attempt to bring peace amidst the bloodshed of the Fifth Crusade.
 
“Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace,” he said. “Where there is hatred, let me sow love, where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.” And so he set off on the road to Damietta…

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547562049
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	01/16/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	318
Lexile:	980L (what's this?)
File size:	630 KB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Scott O’Dell (1898–1989), one of the most respected authors of historical fiction, received the Newbery Medal, three Newbery Honor Medals, and the Hans Christian Andersen Author Medal, the highest international recognition for a body of work by an author of books for young readers. Some of his many books include The Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Road to Damietta, Sing Down the Moon, and The Black Pearl.

Editorial Reviews

O'Dell, one of the few American winners of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, among other honors, has written what may be his finest novel. He notes that his book ``leans heavily upon'' Francis of Assisi by Arnaldo Fortini, translated by Helen Moak, who also added valuable findings of her own. The Fortini biography is deemed the best of countless histories of the saint, but O'Dell's novel is unsurpassed at recreating the human beings in the orbit of St. Francis and the places where the great events of his life occured. The narrator is Cecilia Graziella Beatrice Angelica Rosanna di Montaro (based on Angelica di Rimini, a contemporary of Francis). Called ``Ricca,'' the girl is 13, secretly burning with love for Francis Bernardone. The foppish, pleasure-bent youth is scorned by other men in Assisi, but adored by most women, including Ricca's slightly older friend, Clare di Scifi, whose family demands that she wed ``advantageously,'' which is the aim of the di Montaros for Ricca. Transfixed by Francis, the girls witness his public disavowal of his rich father when the scapegrace strips off his clothes and declares himself a mendicant for Christ. This is the beginning of the wanderings that take Francis and his band to Damietta where men of the Fifth Crusade slaughter the Saracens, in the name of Christianity. Ricca follows Francis and, through her words, we experience the horrors and the loss of hope when the saint's rapport with Sultan Malik-al-Kamil fails to bring peace. Bishop Pelagius, leading the crusade, drives his soldiers to further brutalities while the sultan shows the mercy expected from followers of the Nazarene. Back in Italy, Ricca is with Clarenow founder of the Poor Clares who imitate Francis's brotherly bandwhen the saint dies. It will be a long time before readers cease to feel the impact of O'Dell's drama and the influence of the saint who urged us to love each other and ``all things great and small.'' (12-up)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 7-10 This novel of 13th-Century Italy is both the story of Saint Francis of Assisi and of Ricca di Montanaro, a self-centered young noblewoman who falls in love with him. Francis Bernardone, the son of a wealthy merchant, was a handsome pleasure seeker much adored by the ladies of Assisi. Through Ricca, readers see him transform through the years into a deeply religious man devoted to peace, a oneness with nature and faith in God. Ricca's family is horrified by her continued pursuit of her love and sends her to a convent in Venice. But Italy becomes caught up in the zeal of the fifth Crusade, and Ricca follows Francis to Damietta in Egypt where she witnesses the horrors of war and a city under siege. There she also comes to realize that Francis is truly devoted to his religious life and will never return to the secular world. The sights, smells and biases of 13th-Century life are vividly and realistically portrayed. Although the strong, willful character of Ricca is believable, Francis remains elusive and underdeveloped. Much of Francis' dialogue includes quotes from his poetry. While they do reflect his philosophy, they are not sufficient for solid character development. However, Ricca's strength and the rich historical background make this an enjoyable reading experience. Cynthia M. Sturgis, Ledding Library, Milwaukie, Oreg.

School Library Journal

O’Dell . . . has written what may be his finest novel. It will be a long time before readers cease to feel the impact of O’Dell’s drama and the influence of the saint who urged us to love each other and “all things great and small.” Publishers Weekly —

From the Publisher