Agnes — Judy Ferro

Charlemagne not only united most of Europe by 800 AD, he launched a Carolingian Renaissance of art, architecture, music and learning. He recruited scholars from Italy and the British Isles to teach Christianity, establish scriptoria and teach court and clergy to read and write. This is a fictional coming-of-age story set in his court. When the King discovers a 9-year-old kitchen maid flourishing a scribe's large plume, he impulsively orders her to attend school with his own children. Five years later Agnes is a kitchen-maid who can read and write Latin, at home with neither the nobility or the kitchen staff. Barred by her gender from acting as an agent of the King, Agnes tries without success to envision a future as a kitchen worker, wife, and mother. Ultimately, she must choose between a life of love or of service.