THE BOOKMAN'S TALE by Charlie Lovett

 THE BOOKMAN'S TALE

by

Charlie Lovett

    In The Bookman's Tale, by Charlie Lovett, we meet Peter Byerly, a bookseller from North Carolina who is living in Kingham, Oxfordshire. He moved to Kingham after the recent death of his wife, Amanda. While browsing in a bookstore one day, Peter was surprised to find a Victorian era painting of Amanda that had been inserted into a book on Shakespeare forgeries. We accompany Peter as he tries to unravel the mysteries surrounding the painting. Along the way, we learn about a longtime feud between two neighboring families and about Shakespeare forgeries. Resolving the mystery even requires that Peter authenticate a book that allegedly formed the basis for Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale.

    The Bookman's Tale is a lovely book. The complex plot meanders through three different time periods, leaving me wishing that I had paid more attention to the dates in the chapter headings. I am a book collector wanna be and always love books about books and book people. But Lovett's book included more detail than others that I have read, including a description of the process of repairing/rebinding a book that I found fascinating.

    I thoroughly enjoyed The Bookman's Tale, and I highly recommend it.