FICTION

A Burnable Book

by Bruce Holsinger
Morrow. Mar. 2014. 464p. ISBN 9780062240323. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062240347. F
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Medieval historian Holsinger's first novel is an absorbing narrative exploring royal power and dissent in 14th-century England. King Richard II has many enemies beyond the borders of his kingdom and within. Factions among lords, the clergy, and commoners conspire to take the throne. Geoffrey Chaucer, at work on a series of sketches of everyday England that will become The Canterbury Tales, and an unlikely range of prostitutes, poets, butchers, and nuns are at the twisted center of this plot. With the help of poet John Gower, Chaucer seeks a treasonous book, often fatal to those who possess it, that prophesies a royal death. Multiple plotlines evolve, as noble servants and ignoble knights fight to the death to save the kingdom or bring it down.
VERDICT Medieval England never tasted so rich nor smelled so foul as in this descriptive and intricately layered mystery. Holsinger is at his best describing the everyday lives and privations of the lower classes. He succeeds in elevating the missing manuscript genre to new heights that will entertain readers of both fiction and nonfiction. [See Prepub Alert, 9/9/13.]
Reviewed by Catherine Lantz, Morton Coll. Lib., Cicero, IL , Dec 01, 2013
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