[cpr]

The Master of Hestviken (The Axe quadrilogy) by Sigrid Unset. Life-changing-ly good. (There's always Kristen Lavrandatter as well.)

The Soldier of a Great War by Mark Helprin. Amazing meditation on life & beauty.

The Cornerstone and The World is Not Enough by Zoe Oldenbourg. Even though they're translated from the French, you'll never read anything like it, in terms of conveying the life and struggles of a Crusade-era Norman knight. I finished it utterly exhausted and humbled, astounded at how great a man's life could be.