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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This book has everything – a story that is told from different points in time, a great main character, and a mystery that concerns the authenticity of William Shakespeare’s plays. I liked the writing and the story very much!
One of my favourite books in any genre
I have recommended this book to all my literary inclined friends. The book is beautifully written and gives a fascinating look at Shakespeare theories, manuscripts, and the world of old book dealing. All this while examining deep grief and recovery. One of the best I have read in awhile – and I read all the time.
I did not think a story about a bookseller would be all that exciting, but I literally could not put it down. Excellent story line and the characters are great. Excellent book, I highly recommend it
I really enjoyed the “history of a mystery” and insight into the bookseller/bibliophile world. I plan to read more works by this author.
An enjoyable read especially if you ever read any of the doubters of Shakespeare’s works.
The subtitle says it all – A novel of obsession – but in a good way. Weaving the 3 time periods together is entertainingly educational with lots to learn about collecting and restoring old books.
skipped around 3 different time periods, somewhat hard to keep track of
This is a great book for book lovers. Very clever and entertaining.
Very interesting plot, never read anything like it
This is a lovely story of a deceased wife helping her beloved husband to discover an antiquarian manuscript to prove Shakespeare wrote his own plays
and a new love.
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.
I couldn’t put it down. The story just drew me deeper and deeper. I had tears in my eyes at the end.
It was nice to read a book full of intelligent decent people and not a drug addict or murderer in sight.
A complex tale that explores the history of a particular valuable book as it changed hands over decades. Told partly from the point of view of a modern-day book restorer, the reader is given an insider’s tour of book trading, restoring and intrigue as the history of the book unfolds back to its beginning. Fraud or history changing? Compelling tale, lovingly told by a book lover.
This was an enjoyable read! As much as I love historical fiction and a good mystery, I agree with other reviewers that the switching back and forth between eras got a bit tedious at times. Entertaining and interesting read!
loved it
Loved learning about a whole new realm of book lovers I never knew existed…and enjoyed the weaving of the characters throughout history…
A novel which has literary characters mixed with a modern day storyline was great. Three plots running concurrently was an interesting twist.
A great read with good thorough story line.
Imaginative rare-book tale. Not perfect, but definitely a good read.
The book introduced me to the world of book restorers and book forgerers too. I also learned about the world of people who buy and sell ancient books and that they are sometimes less than honest.
I found the book to be tedious and confusing at times as the author tried to weave together three plot lines : Shakespearean times, the protagonist’s life as a student and married man followed by his life after his wife’s death.