~one part history
~one part mystery
~one and a half parts love story
~a pinch of thievery mixed with greed
~season with centuries-old family feud
~throw in spicy and complex characters
Mix well with undying love until beautifully bound, and sprinkle with plenty of twists.
Read, read and read again, or until your literary appetite has been satisfied.
Some authors just know how to get their audiences' attention, and what better way to get a book lover's attention than to write about books? The Bookman's Tale is the story of Peter Byerly, a socially anxious student at a small college in North Carolina who finds his escape and passion in the rare book collection of his school. Miraculously, the school's library also leads him to another passion, Amanda, the love of his life. Her love of Victorian art and his of Elizabethan literature leads them to England where they eventually buy a cottage in the small village of Kingham. It is to this cottage that Peter retreats after Amanda tragically dies. Grieving Peter is barely existing when a chance encounter with a mysterious watercolor leads him into an unparalleled opportunity to finally answer a question scholars have debated for generations: Who wrote the plays and sonnets attributed to William Shakespeare? But first he must navigate around desperate book sellers and pig-headed academics, discovering for himself what is original or merely brilliantly forged. Reputations and millions of dollars are at stake, and all is not polite cups of tea in the world of antiquarian books.
In The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett, the author has cooked up one of the best stories I've read this year. I absolutely loved it and hated to reach its end. I hope he writes another book for dessert...soon!
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