Review from ceruleana (Manhattan, NY) at amazon.uk:At the end of the fourteenth century, England was riddled with plagues, wars, uprisings, and political and religious strife. King Richard II, son of Edward the Black Prince, was crowned in 1377, when he was just ten years-old. His two uncles, John of Gaunt, and Thomas of Glouster, vied for power during the Protectorate, the young King's minority. Meanwhile all Christianity was suffering through the Great Schism. Pope Boniface VIII and King Philip the Fair of France seriously quarreled, to put it mildly, about Church tithing and taxation. Finally, Boniface declared the primacy of the Church over secular authorities, the superiority of Popes over kings. Ultimately this resulted in two Popes, one in France and one in Rome. The Church, which had tremendous power in England, wanted to acquire more wealth through tithing. The monarchy wished to tax the Church's considerable property, and institute an additional poll tax on the people. As always, the poor were penalized most. Almost a century before, in 1297, a mob of villagers and serfs burned out a group of Benedictine monks who withheld spiritual services, including the Eucharist, pending offerings they could not afford. Now the peasants were ready to revolt against the latest tax approved by John of Gaunt. In Oxford, English theologian and reformer John Wycliffe criticized the Church's abuses and false teachings. As the novel begins, he is working on an English translation of the Bible - the first European translation done in over 1,000 years. Since the printing press had not been invented yet, only the wealthy had access to the hand printed, beautifully illuminated copies of the Bible. "The Word" was written in Latin, or in Norman French, and the poor, and most women of all classes, did not study languages nor could they read. Wycliffe, backed by John of Gaunt, believed that everyone should have access to Holy Scripture - that God is not something the clergy had a right to keep for their exclusive use. These beliefs were considered heretic. As the author, Brenda Rickman Vantrease stresses, heresy was not the real issue here - the acquisition of power and wealth were. This was purely "a matter of alliances and appearances," and of mass political and spiritual oppression. Finn, a master illuminator, works for the Church, decorating hand-written pages of scripture with gloriously painted miniature works of art. He is presently illuminating writings of the apostle John for the powerful Abbott of Broomholm. Finn is also secretly employed by Wycliffe, whom he does not charge, to illustrate his English translation. One of the Broomholm Abbey's more venal priests pressures Lady Kathryn of Blackingham Manor to give the artist and his daughter lodgings. She is afraid of the consequences if she does not agree. Recently widowed, with twin fifteen year-old sons to support, as well as her serfs and villagers, Lady Katheryn has little money left to give to the Church, let alone to feed and clothe her family, and pay taxes and tithes. Fearing for her sons' inheritance, she makes a place at her manor for Finn and his daughter. Her decision to do so will change the course of her life, and the lives of all who depend on her. This is a richly textured novel, filled with a multitude of colorful images, sounds, smells, events, and human stories which portray the pageantry and the cruelty of English life in the Middle Ages. The narrative also homes in on one particular noble family, and their dependents, illustrating the workings of feudal life up close and personal. Ms. Vantrease explores, through her narrative, the feudal system with an emphasis on the roles of various members of medieval society and their place in the social hierarchy. She also looks at the role of religion and that of the Church, as well as man's greed for wealth and the acquisition of personal power. There are also wonderful descriptions of the illuminating process. "The Illuminator" is peopled with a resplendent cast of characters and their interactions with family, friends, lovers, servants, and enemies, are revealed in the narrative. Obviously, there's Finn the Illuminator, and his lovely young Rose; Lady Katheryn; her twin sons Colin and Alfred; Half-Tom, a dwarf and a hero; Hugh Despenser, the greedy, corrupt Bishop of Norwich; Sir Guy de Montaigne, the Sheriff of Norwich, who is intent on marrying Katheryn for her land; Julian of Norwich, an anchoress filled with love and compassion, who has dedicated her life to God and to reveal Him to those who seek her out; the evil overlord Simpson; John Ball a charismatic peasant priest who preaches for "ecclesiastical poverty and social equality" for clergy; and so many others. The author really brings these individuals to life on the page, with all their foibles and complexities - she illuminates them.
At face value, this book was quite an interesting read. It kept me relatively engrossed, except for the parts where characters are having long-winded religious battles in their heads. This book does tend to be very dramatic - everything from physical attraction to religious beliefs are drawn out like a soap opera, in which everything bad that could happen does happen. Set in a time where English isn't even an official language, and in which corruption marks the church, this story takes things a little far. Every religious figure in the book is either corrupt, crazy, or both. The hermit abbess is the only relatively straightforward character, and even she starts ranting about religion and the maternal aspects of God for four pages to nobody in particular. There are a couple of loose ends in this story, which remain completely unexplained at the end, that I really wanted to see tied up. The story begins with an intimate firsthand look into a day in the life of John Wycliffe, which serves to set the tone for the story and explain his dedication to his beliefs. However, we never get this point of view again - for the next couple hundred pages, Wycliffe is only mentioned as a far-off person who just keeps on ordering prints, like the person everyone hates at Kinko's.----SPOILERS---Where does Finn come from (and what nobility is he related to)? We don't know much about him at the end of the story. All I remember, really, was that he's balding and clean and is good at art.How did Agnes leave the house without getting mobbed by the angry mob?What happened to the angry mob such that Finn was allowed to just saunter in a save the day?Magda sees auras...and all she was used for in this book was as a foreshadowing tool. What a waste of a potentially awesome character development opportunity.Seeing as there's no more manor for Kathryn to live in, wouldn't it make sense for Finn, her, Jasmine, and Agnes to leave the country together?Did the panels ever get finished by Finn? Because if they didn't, and historically the panels are complete, then who finished them?
Do You like book The Illuminator (2005)?
This book was a birthday gift from my dear friend Barbara. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction...specifically works similar to The Da Vinci Code. (Which I have not read yet. I'm getting there.) The inner-jacket text describes it best -- The Illuminator is a glorious novel of love, art, religion and treachery at an extraordinary turning point in history." And so it is. This was the first book in my New Life to be subjected to random highlighting. Much more satisfying now
—Andrea Karotkin
The Illuminator was an excellent read! Wonderful characters and believeable circumstances. I think Vantrease did a great job intertwining the lives of real and fictional characters. In a discussion with the author, Vantrease acknowledges that two of her characters were not initially intended and ended up taking roles she had not expected...and I think these are the two best characters in the book: sweet Magda and loyal Half-Tom. These two characters take on key roles and, without their actions, the plot would have taken a different path. The plot manages to balance many different themes: love, loss, religious corruption, loyalty, revenge, faith, and friendship. Even characters who want the same things (freedom, love, acceptance) make very different choices and express themselves in very different ways making them all seem more realistic and flawed. While some people see the ending as too depressing, I feel it was a realistic (although heartbreaking at times) ending given the historical context. Kudos for this author's first novel...hopefully there will be more (the ending seemed to allow for a sequel).
—Mirah W
Interesting. The historical part seemed pretty authentic, but the dialogue and the characters seemed a little more 20th Century than 14th. That makes it an easy and entertaining read, though, so I'm not complaining. It was a fun read, and I felt like I learned a little bit about English history in the bargain.The Epilogue seemed a little forced - like it had been an afterthought when someone decided there should be another book. Maybe it was just calling it an Epilogue that made it feel that way, though. Why not just make it the last chapter?A lot of books seem to be #1 in a series. I guess that is because a lot of people get attached to characters and want to keep reading more about them. I find that few can hold my interest past #3, even with characters I really like. I'd rather read one good book ten times than ten mediocre books, but that's just my opinion...
—Jan
