The Illuminator

Vantrease, Brenda Rickman

ISBN 10: 1593975961 ISBN 13: 9781593975968

Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 2005

Synopsis

A glowing first novel that brings us “historical fiction in the grand epic manner, beautifully felt and written”*
It is England, in the fourteenth century—a time of plague, political unrest and the earliest stirrings of the Reformation. The printing press had yet to be invented, and books were rare and costly, painstakingly lettered by hand and illuminated with exquisite paintings. Finn is a master illuminator who works not only for the Church but also, in secret, for John Wycliffe of Oxford, who professes the radical idea that the Bible should be translated into English for everyone to read. Finn has another secret as well, one that leads him into danger when he meets Lady Kathryn of Blackingham Manor, a widow struggling to protect her inheritance from the depredations of Church and Crown alike. Finn’s alliance with Lady Kathryn will take us to the heart of what
Barbara Tuchman once called “the calamitous fourteenth century.” Richly detailed and irresistibly compelling, The Illuminator is a glorious story of love, art, religion, and treachery at an extraordinary turning point in history.

About this title

About the Author

BRENDA RICKMAN VANTREASE is a former English teacher and librarian who has traveled extensively in the British Isles. She holds a Ph.D. in English and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Reviews

Narrator Jones approaches this mesmerizing tale of medieval England with a dignity more befitting Masterpiece Theater than the muck and violence of a 14th-century feudal society. His very proper British inflections sound most appropriate when he portrays members of the nobility, like Lady Kathryn of Blackingham Manor, or her lover and adversary, Finn, the illuminator. However, Jones's attempts to mimic the lower-class intonations of peasants such as Agnes, the cook, or her remarkable scullery maid, Magda, prove grating, and distract from this truly delectable tale of passions deferred, loves tested and society shifting. Though the abridgement captures the spirit of Vantrease's novel, it cannot conceal bald spots where material was clearly trimmed. Kathryn and Finn's passion for each other, though exquisitely described in places, feels like it brewed primarily off stage. Other plot threads, like Finn's association with the heretic John Wycliffe, who believed in translating the Bible into common English, are regrettably truncated. Indeed, though this is a tidy and spirited audio adaptation, listeners would do better to invest in the unabridged edition. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover (Forecasts, Feb. 7).(Mar.)
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Simon Jones nails the chivalry of master illuminator Finn and the strength and gentleness of Lady Kathryn as they maneuver through a world of treachery and double crosses in fourteenth-century England. Set before the Reformation, Vantrease's novel revolves around Kathryn's Blackingham Manor as she and her twin teenaged sons take in Finn and his teenaged daughter. As romance develops, so do revolution and betrayal. Sound writing, attention to historic detail, and superb character development--even among supporting characters--make for a good story. Jones's reading elevates the work further with his own verbal depth and handling of each character. Even with an abridgment that diminishes the roles of several key characters, the combination of writing and narration is sublime. H.L.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1593975961
• ISBN 13: 9781593975968
• Binding: Audio CD