Pulse en una miniatura para ir a Google Books.
|
Cargando... A Burnable Book (2014)por Bruce Holsinger
   ALA The Reading List (165) mom (178) Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro.  nordie | Oct 14, 2023 |    ) zizabeph | May 7, 2023 |  ) Nefersw | Jan 14, 2022 | I was initially attracted to this book shortly after reading Richard II. A traitorous book that supposedly prophesys the king's assassination is making the rounds in medieval London. Many are skeptical, but some may be inspired to act, and that means that just about everyone of every political persuasion wants it. There's just one problem: the book is missing. This isn't a story of the royal and titled as most historical fiction about this time period is. Our protagonist, based on the real-life poet John Gower, is not nobility, and most of our other protagonists are maudlyns--prostitutes. One, Eleanor/Edgar Rykener, is even inspired by a historical account of someone trans/gender fluid (these terms are concepts not being around at the time, we don't know for sure, but Eleanor seems to prefer being a woman). Sadly, I probably won't get around to a longer review. (  ) books-n-pickles | Oct 29, 2021 | Geoffrey Chaucer persuades a fellow poet - John Gower - to find the manuscript and therefore prevent the death of the King. An interesting story, but I felt at times there was too much description which slowed the pace of the tale ( ) Vesper1931 | Jul 29, 2021 | sin reseñas | añadir una reseña
Pertenece a las seriesJohn Gower (1) Premios
Fiction.
Literature.
Thriller.
Historical Fiction.
HTML: In Chaucer's London, betrayal, murder, royal intrigue, mystery, and dangerous politics swirl around the existence of a prophetic book that foretells the deaths of England's kings. Bruce Holsinger's A Burnable Book is an irresistible historical thriller reminiscent of the classics An Instance of the Fingerpost, The Name of the Rose, and The Crimson Petal and the White. London, 1385. Surrounded by ruthless courtiersâ??including his powerful uncle, John of Gaunt, and Gaunt's artful mistress, Katherine Swynfordâ??England's young, still untested king, Richard II, is in mortal peril, and the danger is only beginning. Songs are heard across Londonâ??catchy verses said to originate from an ancient book that prophesies the end of England's kingsâ??and among the book's predictions is Richard's assassination. Only a few powerful men know that the cryptic lines derive from a "burnable book," a seditious work that threatens the stability of the realm. To find the manuscript, wily bureaucrat Geoffrey Chaucer turns to fellow poet John Gower, a professional trader in information with connections high and low. Gower discovers that the book and incriminating evidence about its author have fallen into the unwitting hands of innocents, who will be drawn into a labyrinthine conspiracy that reaches from the king's court to London's slums and stewsâ??and potentially implicates his own son. As the intrigue deepens, it becomes clear that Gower, a man with secrets of his own, may be the last hope to save a king from a terrible fate. Medieval scholar Bruce Holsinger draws on his vast knowledge of the period to add colorful, authentic detailâ??on everything from poetry and bookbinding to court intrigues and brothelsâ??to this highly entertaining and brilliantly constructed epic literary mystery that brings medieval England glo No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
Antiguo miembro de Primeros reseñadores de LibraryThingEl libro A Burnable Book de Bruce Holsinger estaba disponible desde LibraryThing Early Reviewers.  Debates activosNingunoCubiertas populares
 Google Books — Cargando...GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyClasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio: (3.53)
¿Eres tú?Conviértete en un Autor de LibraryThing. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4
The book can be split into two parts: the first part with the book in question falling into the hands of Agnes and Millicent – who cant read it, but know enough to realise the danger it presents but not having the leverage to get rid of it, with Edgar having the likely contacts, but needing to get his hands on the book itself. Meanwhile, Gower has been tasked by his friend Geoffrey Chaucer to find the book, appreciating what a book predicting how the current King is going to die is a dangerous book in itself.
The second half of the book is where John Gower finds out just how many secrets have been withheld from him, and where he gets sucked deeper into the politics and manoeuvring of King Richard’s court. The race is then on to prevent the assassination of the King at the predicted time, and to flush out any further dangers facing the throne. Not all threats and intrigue comes from England, and it is the international connections that can prove the most dangerous
There is a smallish cast, but it’s with the supporting characters – such as Lancaster and Oxford with their multiple names, and the fluid relationships that can prove confusing (A is married to B who is uncle to C, who is married to D but is having an affair with A) but the cast list at the front goes some way to helping.
The book manages to bring a version of London and Southwark alive, with even the seedy parts of town (on either side of the river) have their own rules and hierarchy – it’s a good reminder that many of the streets within London are named after what is found or done there, sometimes in explicit detail.