The Bookseller Tale Oxford Medieval Mysteries Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Ann Swinfen Philip Battley Books
Download As PDF : The Bookseller Tale Oxford Medieval Mysteries Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Ann Swinfen Philip Battley Books
Oxford, Spring 1353. When young bookseller Nicholas Elyot discovers the body of student William Farringdon floating in the river Cherwell, it looks like a drowning. Soon, however, Nicholas finds evidence of murder. Who could have wanted to kill this promising student? As Nicholas and his scholar friend Jordain try to unravel what lies behind William's death, they learn that he was innocently caught up in a criminal plot. When their investigations begin to involve town, university, and abbey, Nicholas takes a risky gamble - and puts his family in terrible danger.
The Bookseller Tale Oxford Medieval Mysteries Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Ann Swinfen Philip Battley Books
I read a lot. So much, in fact, that I never post reviews; it takes away precious moments of my already limited reading time. The vast preponderance of my reading material is historical fiction, and of that majority, probably half are Medieval English mysteries. The other half are historically-accurate renderings of primarily Plantagenet England; I am a ridiculously devout fan of Elizabeth Chadwick and Sharon Kay Penman.Taking my usual taste into consideration ought to be sufficient for many other historical fiction/mystery aficionados, so I will not go into the details of this book; suffice it to say, I agree with what another reviewer said: This book is a *gift*. I could not have been more raptly absorbed by any other historical fiction book I've read to date. I devoured this one in less than two days (no mean feat... I have seven children), then promptly downloaded the second book in this series, and finished it in a day. I was disappointed to the point of frustrated depression that there is not yet a third book available! (But slightly mollified to read at Ann Swinfen's website that book 3 will hopefully debut in March... I've waited longer for less worthy successive texts.). I cannot recommend this jewel enough. It's one that I intend to purchase the paperback copy of, to add to my hand-picked legion of Most Worthy books on my largest bookcase. If you're wavering, don't; I promise you will be drawn in and fall in love before the end of the first chapter.
Product details
|
Tags : Amazon.com: The Bookseller's Tale: Oxford Medieval Mysteries, Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition): Ann Swinfen, Philip Battley: Books, ,Ann Swinfen, Philip Battley,The Bookseller's Tale: Oxford Medieval Mysteries, Book 1,Ann Swinfen,B06XWB1C45
People also read other books :
- Be Wine Savvy Wine For Dummies eBook Joelle Nevin
- Survival Guide for Artists How to Thrive in the Creative Arts edition by Elena Parashko Arts Photography eBooks
- Views AFoot Or Europe Seen with Knapsack and Staff Bayard Taylor 9781142988227 Books
- Foundling Mick Jules Verne 9781484012628 Books
- Space Trippers Book 2 Just Passing Through eBook A Lightbourne
The Bookseller Tale Oxford Medieval Mysteries Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Ann Swinfen Philip Battley Books Reviews
I’m so used to reading books set in the 21st century that use today’s complex technologies and move at faced-paced speeds, that this story seemed too unsophisticated and slow at first. But then I realized it accurately reflected the real pace of life in the 14th Century. It forces you to slow down with it. Add to this an authentic historical background and setting and a 1st person perspective and you get the sense you are there. One reviewer complained of the accounts of all his travels by foot and felt it was unnecessary, but I disagree. Yes, it does get a little tiring, but that’s the point. That’s what you had to do. Always. It wasn’t a choice, unless you were wealthy enough to own a horse. As a reader, it’s something you have to adjust to and accept because that’s how it was. For me, it added to a life that is naturally healthy—full of sunshine, fresh air and natural exercise. Add the Christian ethic of wholesome speech and a generosity towards one’s neighbors and you get a sense that life could have been pretty good without today’s complexities and technologies. Of course, this is romanticized a bit on my part, but still there is much truth here. Anyway, I liked this lil world and look forward to escaping back into it very soon with the next book of the series.
At first I was distracted by the mechanical shortcomings of Ms. Swinfen's writing overuse of commas (the so-called Oxford comma is one thing, but this goes way beyond that); many, many non-sentences--clauses that would have been more appropriately tacked on to the parent sentence by (ironically) separating them with commas instead of periods; and redundancies, such as explaining that the bookbinder is situated on an island surrounded by water. Also, many of the author's incomplete edits remained in the finished text. One of the perils of self-publishing is the lack of a good editor's eyes.
So, why four stars? Once I decided to ignore the gaffes and quirks, and concentrate instead on the story itself, I discovered that Ms. Swinfen weaves a very good tale. I finished the book quickly, not because it was too simple a read, or because I'm a fast reader, but because I cared about the characters (who, I assume, will be even more fleshed-out in future installments), and because I really wanted to see what happened next. The ending wasn't a complete surprise, and I noticed one reviewer gave it away--for shame!--but getting to it was a fun ride! I've already bought and read the second installment. I'll review that next. (HINT I liked that one too.)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are engaging, the plot is engaging, the locale is beautifully layed out and plays a significant role in the quality of the story, and the pacing never lags.
I've only just recently discovered Ann Swinfen. It's like a valuable gift that is unexpected. I fully intend to read as many books as she has written. I hope she adds to this series soon and frequently.
Set in mid-fourteenth-century Oxford, the series features Nicholas Elyot. Set to become a scholar at Merton College, he chose instead to marry—at the time, one could not do both—only to lose his beloved wife to the Black Death. He now lives with his two children and his widowed sister and maintains a small scriptorium that supplies students with books to copy as well as a bookshop. On his way home one evening, he fishes a body out of the Cherwell that turns out to be that of a gifted young scholar. It soon becomes clear that the young man was murdered and that the authorities intend to do nothing about it. In post-plague Oxford, violence is not uncommon, but Nicholas’s inquiries expose a complex and troubling conspiracy in which the dead student has played at best a minor role.
Like the same author's Chronicles of Christoval Alvarez and The Testament of Mariam, both of which I love, this is a fast-moving tale with vivid characters and a rich sense of the historical background, delivered in ways that never overwhelm the story. I no sooner finished it than I dove into The Novice's Tale. And the only thing that keeps me from yearning for book 3 is that the eighth Christoval novel came out today.
I'm looking forward to the rest of this series - as a student of the Middle Ages I was delighted to find a book set in medieval England that is not simply an acceptance of the Enlightenment's canards about the period. Ms. Swinfen's knowledge of broad general concepts and intimate details does honor to her scholarship. In addition, the plot is well constructed and the characters individualized and attractive. Keep up the good work!
I read a lot. So much, in fact, that I never post reviews; it takes away precious moments of my already limited reading time. The vast preponderance of my reading material is historical fiction, and of that majority, probably half are Medieval English mysteries. The other half are historically-accurate renderings of primarily Plantagenet England; I am a ridiculously devout fan of Elizabeth Chadwick and Sharon Kay Penman.
Taking my usual taste into consideration ought to be sufficient for many other historical fiction/mystery aficionados, so I will not go into the details of this book; suffice it to say, I agree with what another reviewer said This book is a *gift*. I could not have been more raptly absorbed by any other historical fiction book I've read to date. I devoured this one in less than two days (no mean feat... I have seven children), then promptly downloaded the second book in this series, and finished it in a day. I was disappointed to the point of frustrated depression that there is not yet a third book available! (But slightly mollified to read at Ann Swinfen's website that book 3 will hopefully debut in March... I've waited longer for less worthy successive texts.). I cannot recommend this jewel enough. It's one that I intend to purchase the paperback copy of, to add to my hand-picked legion of Most Worthy books on my largest bookcase. If you're wavering, don't; I promise you will be drawn in and fall in love before the end of the first chapter.
0 Response to "∎ PDF Free The Bookseller Tale Oxford Medieval Mysteries Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Ann Swinfen Philip Battley Books"
Post a Comment