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A review by mediaevalmuse
A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger
4.0
A historical fiction novel written by a medievalist? Starring John Gower? Concerning a dangerous book? SIGN ME UP.
Things I Liked
1. Historicity: Because this book is written by a medievalist, a lot of the descriptions are well-researched and portrayed more accurately than someone without a background in medieval studies. This accuracy serves to ground the story in a historical past that is not romanticized (a refreshing change from typical fiction which views the middle ages as some heathen, magical time).
2. Eleanor/Edgar: I love this character! Edgar/Eleanor is a biologically male individual who works as a female prostitute and identifies as a female in a male body. Holsinger uses both pronouns (“he” and “she”) to describe this character, and moves this character throughout medieval England in a way that is not cliche or stereotyped, but instead, is given interesting motives not dependent on his/her gender. It’s a fantastic way to view the middle ages as way more complicated and less uptight (religiously?) than most people would have originally thought.
3. Multiple Storylines: Some people found the shifting perspective to be confusing, but I personally loved that readers aren’t stuck in one perspective for extended lengths of time. Also, the changing perspectives give readers to see all walks of life: rather than only seeing the aristocrats and court life, we get views of the streets, the law, etc. Such a broad range gives us a more panoramic view of the world in which the novel takes place.
Things I Didn't Like
1. Tone: Holsinger has a tendency to write in a matter than can be interpreted as over-dramatic or cheesy. While I think this type of writing can be useful and even appropriate for some works of fiction, in this novel, it only serves to detract from the action and render it less grave. Sometimes the tone is a bit fun in the book, but overall, I could have done with less drama.
2. Overexplaining: To be fair, most readers know very little about the Middle Ages (especially the politics of the Middle Ages), and thus, a little explanation is needed. However, for me, I found these explanations to go beyond what was appropriate and border on tedium. There were many moments that Holsinger could have left implied or shown rather than told, such as Gower’s impressions of various figures. A little more leaving things unsaid would have pushed readers to draw their own conclusions and make the novel feel more mysterious.
3. Stakes: Ok, this might seem to be contradictory to my last point, but it seems like, despite all the overexplaining, Holsinger didn’t communicate enough the gravity of the situation with the book. Why is it so important to preserve the king’s life? (Duh, he’s the king… but modern readers don’t necessarily care because this is a trope used again and again with historical conspiracy plots.) Without giving too much away: Why hadn’t people been looking for the book longer? (The answer is in the novel, but if I were Gower, I would be wondering this from the start… why is this book business only blowing up now - at the 13th of 13 prophecies - and not before? Something fishy is happening.)
Recommendations: Definitely pick this book up if you're a fan of books set in the Middle Ages (post-Norman Conquest) or of books about books. You might also like this book if you liked Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose or, I would venture, Carlos Ruis Zafon's Shadow of the Wind.
Things I Liked
1. Historicity: Because this book is written by a medievalist, a lot of the descriptions are well-researched and portrayed more accurately than someone without a background in medieval studies. This accuracy serves to ground the story in a historical past that is not romanticized (a refreshing change from typical fiction which views the middle ages as some heathen, magical time).
2. Eleanor/Edgar: I love this character! Edgar/Eleanor is a biologically male individual who works as a female prostitute and identifies as a female in a male body. Holsinger uses both pronouns (“he” and “she”) to describe this character, and moves this character throughout medieval England in a way that is not cliche or stereotyped, but instead, is given interesting motives not dependent on his/her gender. It’s a fantastic way to view the middle ages as way more complicated and less uptight (religiously?) than most people would have originally thought.
3. Multiple Storylines: Some people found the shifting perspective to be confusing, but I personally loved that readers aren’t stuck in one perspective for extended lengths of time. Also, the changing perspectives give readers to see all walks of life: rather than only seeing the aristocrats and court life, we get views of the streets, the law, etc. Such a broad range gives us a more panoramic view of the world in which the novel takes place.
Things I Didn't Like
1. Tone: Holsinger has a tendency to write in a matter than can be interpreted as over-dramatic or cheesy. While I think this type of writing can be useful and even appropriate for some works of fiction, in this novel, it only serves to detract from the action and render it less grave. Sometimes the tone is a bit fun in the book, but overall, I could have done with less drama.
2. Overexplaining: To be fair, most readers know very little about the Middle Ages (especially the politics of the Middle Ages), and thus, a little explanation is needed. However, for me, I found these explanations to go beyond what was appropriate and border on tedium. There were many moments that Holsinger could have left implied or shown rather than told, such as Gower’s impressions of various figures. A little more leaving things unsaid would have pushed readers to draw their own conclusions and make the novel feel more mysterious.
3. Stakes: Ok, this might seem to be contradictory to my last point, but it seems like, despite all the overexplaining, Holsinger didn’t communicate enough the gravity of the situation with the book. Why is it so important to preserve the king’s life? (Duh, he’s the king… but modern readers don’t necessarily care because this is a trope used again and again with historical conspiracy plots.) Without giving too much away: Why hadn’t people been looking for the book longer? (The answer is in the novel, but if I were Gower, I would be wondering this from the start… why is this book business only blowing up now - at the 13th of 13 prophecies - and not before? Something fishy is happening.)
Recommendations: Definitely pick this book up if you're a fan of books set in the Middle Ages (post-Norman Conquest) or of books about books. You might also like this book if you liked Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose or, I would venture, Carlos Ruis Zafon's Shadow of the Wind.