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A review by erboe501
A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger
3.0
It is 1385, and London is a dangerous place. A book of prophecies foretelling the deaths of English kings threatens King Richard II’s life. John Gower, poet and friend of Geoffrey Chaucer, must use his connections with the bureaucracy and underworld of the city to uncover the conspiracy and save the realm. Bishops, maudlyns, transvestites, and mercenaries all play a role in this intricate novel of historical fiction.
Holsinger, a decorated scholar in medieval literature, performed extensive research for this book. It shows on every page. There are almost too many details, in fact. My main issue with the book is how complex it is, which could actually be a compliment. I had a hard time keeping names straight and found myself bogged down at times by all of the descriptions, but Holsinger masterfully laid out the plot so that little bits fell into place as the narrative progressed. Nothing was so much of a surprise as to feel implausible, nor were any of the revelations too obvious. It was hard to put the book down at the end of a chapter, and I found myself reading late into the night to discover the next link in the mystery.
I got a vivid sense of life in London in medieval times. The focus on maudlyns (prostitutes) and a swerver (cross-dresser) in particular brought color and humor to what might have otherwise been a dry political mystery. Such frank discussions of sexuality are difficult to find in modern books.
A Burnable Book was dense, but worth the read.
Holsinger, a decorated scholar in medieval literature, performed extensive research for this book. It shows on every page. There are almost too many details, in fact. My main issue with the book is how complex it is, which could actually be a compliment. I had a hard time keeping names straight and found myself bogged down at times by all of the descriptions, but Holsinger masterfully laid out the plot so that little bits fell into place as the narrative progressed. Nothing was so much of a surprise as to feel implausible, nor were any of the revelations too obvious. It was hard to put the book down at the end of a chapter, and I found myself reading late into the night to discover the next link in the mystery.
I got a vivid sense of life in London in medieval times. The focus on maudlyns (prostitutes) and a swerver (cross-dresser) in particular brought color and humor to what might have otherwise been a dry political mystery. Such frank discussions of sexuality are difficult to find in modern books.
A Burnable Book was dense, but worth the read.