A mysterious portrait ignites an antiquarian bookseller’s search through time and the works of Shakespeare for his lost love. Charlie Lovett’s new book, The Lost Book of the Grail, is now available. Guaranteed to capture the hearts of everyone who truly loves books, The Bookman’s Tale is a former bookseller’s sparkling novel and a delightful exploration of one of literature’s most tantalizing … exploration of one of literature’s most tantalizing mysteries with echoes of Shadow of the Wind and A.S. Byatt’s Possession.
Nine months after the death of his beloved wife Amanda left him shattered, Peter Byerly, a young antiquarian bookseller, relocates from North Carolina to the English countryside, hoping to outrun his grief and rediscover the joy he once took in collecting and restoring rare books. But upon opening an eighteenth-century study of Shakespeare forgeries, he discovers a Victorian watercolor of a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Amanda.
Peter becomes obsessed with learning the picture’s origins and braves a host of dangers to follow a trail of clues back across the centuries—all the way to Shakespeare’s time and a priceless literary artifact that could prove, once and for all, the truth about the Bard’s real identity.
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I really liked this book and couldn’t wait to get to the end to see how things turned out. There are three time periods in the book and the author alternated among them. As the main character was searching for answers in the present, the information he was discovering was unfolding in the past. It dealt with antiquarian books by real authors such as Shakespeare, a love story, and a mystery. The setting was both in the South of the USA and in England.
Too contrived
Great book. Terrific fun read. Great character development.
Loved it. A death scene near the end even made me cry, which only a handful of books have done.
This book is very well-written and takes you back through history, mainly literary. The main characters are interesting, both tragic and romantic.
Enjoyed every word
I got a like tired of the search for the “holy Grail” but learned a lot about elizabethan writes
I will read more by this author! If you love books and libraries, this is a book for you! Highly recommend.
I saw this in the library and just had to pick it up. The title alone is an outright challenge to “read me” if you are a book lover. I was not disappointed. It’s the tale of a book seller who discovers a portrait of his recently deceased wife, tucked away in an antique book from the eighteenth century. From there, the chase is on!
This is the first I’ve read of Charlie Lovett, but will not be the last. He goes to great lengths to portray the feelings of a book lover toward books in general. I just found it to be a gem.
A cracking good mystery with a lot of wonderful knowledge about bibliophiles and, I think, their importance in the world.
I could not put this book down. Absolutely wonderful. Going from one era to another was done so smoothly, which doesn’t always happen.