Jane Johnson: Pillars of Light

Pillars of Light is a powerful and moving novel about the triumph of the human spirit against all the odds. It will delight fans of Philippa Gregory, Ken Follett and Diana Gabaldon. In the Syrian city of Akka, Nathanael, a young Jewish doctor, and a Muslim girl called Zohra are about to fall in love. But Saladin's army has just taken Jerusalem, and soon their own city will be engulfed by war. Meanwhile in England, John Savage, a foundling boy, runs away from his cruel life in a priory with the Moor, a mysterious man driven by a dream of perfection. They join a band of conmen travelling through the English countryside faking religious miracles for cash, until they are recruited in Richard the Lionheart's army and sent to regain the Latin Kingdom from the infidel. Akka awaits. But even in the midst of war, lovers find ways to make transactions of beauty.