''Kay the Left-Handed'' is a

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

Leslie Barringer Leslie Barringer (1895–1968) was an English editor and author of historical novels and historical fantasy novels, best known for the latter. Life Barringer was a Quaker, born in Yorkshire, England. He served in an ambulance unit during World W ...

set in twelfth century

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was first published in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Heinemann Heinemann may refer to: * Heinemann (surname) * Heinemann (publisher), a publishing company * Heinemann Park, a.k.a. Pelican Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States See also * Heineman * Jamie Hyneman James Franklin Hyneman (born Se ...

in 1935; an American edition from Doubleday followed later the same year.

Plot

The book is set in the area of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

in the twelfth century, beginning with the 1189 massacre of the Jews in York, in which the protagonist, Kay FitzRomund, is a reluctant participant. Kay is an orphan seeking to better his lot, whose rise is aided by a glib facility with words and a prudent distrust of his fellow men and hampered by a soft heart and his own temper. Apprenticed to a scrivener, he loses his position through a tavern brawl; later, he fortuitously acquires a knowledge of buried treasure, whose location he trades to Prince John in return for preferment. The prince was desperately in search of extra wealth at this time - a fact known to Kay - as in September 1189, Prince John had already declared his intention of joining the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

. Kay loses both his new status and his right hand when he kills Bertrand de Montfort, a personal enemy. Consigned to outlawry, he eventually succeeds in reestablishing his respectability under a new identity.

Reception

Margaret Wallace, reviewing the novel for the ''New York Times'', called it "a more than usually mature story" for its genre, "full-blooded and thoughtful" and "as exciting and filled with adventure as anything ever conceived by Sir Walter Scott." She noted that the author did not share the "illusions concerning the romantic glamour of the Middle Ages" common to such stories, and so, unlike most, it was not suitable for children. ''Kirkus Reviews'' notes that the book, " ough less idealistic and romantic in handling, ... might appeal to the

Jeffery Farnol Jeffery Farnol (10 February 1878 – 9 August 1952) was a British writer from 1907 until his death in 1952, known for writing more than 40 romance novels, often set in the Georgian Era The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1 ...

market."Review
in ''Kirkus Reviews''.

References

1935 British novels Historical novels Novels set in York Novels about orphans Fiction set in the 1180s Heinemann (publisher) books Novels set in the 12th century {{1930s-hist-novel-stub