The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession

But, with the constant switching from century to century, back and forth, it was challenging to switch back and forth with the writer. It had a splendid ending, but many times throughout I did want to quit it.

I enjoyed the story though I found the jumping between different eras a bit confusing at times when trying to follow the characters. So many novels are using this strategy of parsing out the story in different time frames or through various voices. At times I long for something linear again. The story itself is quite engaging.

This is a fairly interesting novel with accurate descriptions of the way a book is forged and a forgery detected. While it kept you busy reading with curiosity, The chapters jumped from one time frame to another quite at random without any reason. The love story was a simple fairy tale, enjoyable but simplistic, and the parts about book restoring and the Shakespearian type authors very interesting.

This was an interesting read. At first it was difficult jumping between three story lines, from different times, but as the book went on and characters became familiar, it was fun to see how the three story lines interconnected. For anyone who loves a good mystery.

For anyone interested in fictional literary mysteries or just a good mystery, this book is a real winner.
Author Charlie Lovett has created a gem that tells a series of interconnected stories rambling through the centuries entwined with love and book history. His description of the hero's introduction to rare books sent tremors rumbling threw this reviewer's body. He knows true book love.
Its such a good book readers will have to take it in short bites that allow for digesting of the perfect pictures and snap shots the author creates. If you're not already a bibliomaniac you maybe before you finish this treasurer. This book's a keeper.

This was a very interesting and suspenseful novel. I actually dreamt about it as the story unfolded. The character are engaging and the premise, finding proof that Shakespeare existed and wrote the plays attributed to him, exciting to any reader. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned more about document forgery, the history of Shakespeare folios, and the obsessive search for answers to a 500 year old mystery. The plot moves forward alternating the deep past, known only to the reader, with time present until both time lines merge and answers are reached. The reader knows the answer but wonders if the characters will reach the same conclusion.

I wasn't overly impressed with this book. It was an interesting read at some points, but it seemed like the author was trying to unsuccessfully imitate the Da Vinci Code at times. There were too many parts of the story that just weren't believable.

Glad to see the authorship question used as the subject. Hard to believe that someone who, by the documented signatures, was barely literate could write a sweet little note to his friend or be the author of the worlds most noted literary works . For those interested, there is a world of scholarly articles on this subject, presenting both sides. Hopefully some day that "Holy Grail" will be found and the mystery solved.

This book is somewhat derailing. The chapters toggle between this time and that time. This time being the 20th century, where lives a book antiquarian grieving for his recently departed wife; and that time being the 16th and 17th century wherein the mystery behind the Shakespeare debacle unravels.

I nearly gave-up reading this book because I don’t like being pulled out of character wherein I’m just beginning to feel comfortable. And, I don’t read ‘love’ stories for a reason. Most are sappy, drenching in predictability that invariably elicit an eye roll or two. Well, there are exceptions, of course (The Notebook, and The Bridges of Madison County immediately come to mind). So, having said this, I‘d be remiss if I didn‘t mention that Lovett has managed to slither-in a ‘love’ story, of sorts, within the pages of this book about books.

When Peter Byerly flips through an 18th century study of Shakespeare’s forgeries, a small Victorian watercolor falls out – and catapults Peter into a quest to locate the artist. The miniature painting, though 100 years old, clearly bears a striking resemblance to Peter’s dead wife. In Peter’s search for the artist, he falls into a rather sticky rare find: the *Pandosto. A text, written by Robert Greene in 1588, and said to be the template for Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. It has been noted, in The Bookman’s Tale, that within the pages of the Pandosto is the marginalia handwritten by Shakespeare himself.

Weaving historical data throughout his fiction, Lovett gives the book lover a taste of the sublime whilst Peter makes it his mission to find the real William Shakespeare of Stratford.

[Peter] “….. slipped through an open doorway into the back room, where books lined every wall. He closed his eyes for a moment, imaging the cocoon of books shielding him from all danger, inhaling deeply that familiar scent of cloth and leather and dust and words. His rushing pulse began to slow, and when he opened his eyes he scanned the shelves for something familiar-a title, an author, a well-remembered dust jacket design-anything that might ground him in the world of the known.” page 2

https://blacknightblues.wordpress.com/

I wasn't overly impressed with this book. It was an interesting read at some points, but it seemed like the author was trying to unsuccessfully imitate the Da Vinci Code at times. There were too many parts of the story that just weren't believable.

Glad to see the authorship question used as the subject. Hard to believe that someone who, by the documented signatures, was barely literate could write a sweet little note to his friend or be the author of the worlds most noted literary works . For those interested, there is a world of scholarly articles on this subject, presenting both sides. Hopefully some day that "Holy Grail" will be found and the mystery solved.

This book is somewhat derailing. The chapters toggle between this time and that time. This time being the 20th century, where lives a book antiquarian grieving for his recently departed wife; and that time being the 16th and 17th century wherein the mystery behind the Shakespeare debacle unravels.

I nearly gave-up reading this book because I don’t like being pulled out of character wherein I’m just beginning to feel comfortable. And, I don’t read ‘love’ stories for a reason. Most are sappy, drenching in predictability that invariably elicit an eye roll or two. Well, there are exceptions, of course (The Notebook, and The Bridges of Madison County immediately come to mind). So, having said this, I‘d be remiss if I didn‘t mention that Lovett has managed to slither-in a ‘love’ story, of sorts, within the pages of this book about books.

When Peter Byerly flips through an 18th century study of Shakespeare’s forgeries, a small Victorian watercolor falls out – and catapults Peter into a quest to locate the artist. The miniature painting, though 100 years old, clearly bears a striking resemblance to Peter’s dead wife. In Peter’s search for the artist, he falls into a rather sticky rare find: the *Pandosto. A text, written by Robert Greene in 1588, and said to be the template for Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. It has been noted, in The Bookman’s Tale, that within the pages of the Pandosto is the marginalia handwritten by Shakespeare himself.

Weaving historical data throughout his fiction, Lovett gives the book lover a taste of the sublime whilst Peter makes it his mission to find the real William Shakespeare of Stratford.

[Peter] “….. slipped through an open doorway into the back room, where books lined every wall. He closed his eyes for a moment, imaging the cocoon of books shielding him from all danger, inhaling deeply that familiar scent of cloth and leather and dust and words. His rushing pulse began to slow, and when he opened his eyes he scanned the shelves for something familiar-a title, an author, a well-remembered dust jacket design-anything that might ground him in the world of the known.” page 2

https://blacknightblues.wordpress.com/

This was a decent story. However it was confusing at times keeping track of events in three different time periods. Very interesting information about locating, purchasing and collecting old books. The author did an excellent job describing the process of restoring old books.

Very much enjoyed it on various levels—the mystery, the antiquarian books, the treble timelines. Character development of the contemporary characters flat, however. Contemporary plot-line predictable, simplistic, and shallow. till, a fun read, and nicely written. Not literary fiction.

The author has a different way of writing, but once you get into the story, your interest is so high you need to know what happens next! This book is very much for anyone who is interested in Shakespeare.

It's about books, and history, and young love, and overcoming setbacks and being courageous enough to follow an unexpected path. On top of all that, it's really well written. The author excels at creating characters and a sense of place. What a perfect read.

Storyline of this book was difficulty for me relate with. It was a lot of back & forth between early century and present day! Not an easy read. I couldn't get into it. The perspectives this story was written from was difficult to stay attached to.

A wonderful story about books, and Shakespeare, and love. All are set in the 1600s as well as the 1990s, and at times the movement from then to now is a bit confusing. I wish I had used a pen and paper to jot down names and years. The sub-title, A Novel of Obsession, is fairly accurate although it took me a while to see who was obsessed, and with what. The story is about a grieving widower named Peter Byerly and his quest to validate or expose a volume that might or might not contain notes in Shakespeare's own hand. There is a sub-plot about a watercolor from the 1600s whose subject looks exactly like Peter's deceased wife. Well duh, that would indicate a family resemblance to me, but Peter doesn't think of this until the conclusion of the book. Anyhow, the story unfolds and certainly held my interest. It is well thought out, and presented in readable and informative fashion. There is a lot about how a book is put together, bindings, and covers, and print that reflects a lot of research by the author.

I loved the book. Loved learning about book binding. antique books and collecting. what's necessary to document ownership of a very old book. and it's a lovely story of two young serious students and their love of books.

I really enjoyed this book. Well written, interesting characters and fascinating history. Gave me a new appreciation of books and book collectors through the centuries. Ironically, I read it on my Kindle! I will definitely look for another book by this author.

Loved how he switched between present past and further past - interwave the stories and bringing everything to life - as an Anglofile and having visited Hay on wye - it was a thrill to benbroight back to it

“The Bookman’s Tale: A Novel of Obsession” is written by Charlie Lovett. Mr. Lovett is the full-time writer and author of 15 books as well as being a former antiquarian bookseller and an avid book collector.

The story centers around Peter Byerly, a bibliophile, an antiquarian bookseller, a book restorer, a recluse, and most recently a widower, who suffers from social anxieties. He is still grieving for his recently-deceased wife Amanda Devereux, when he finds a Victorian-era watercolor that resembles Amanda. He starts on a search to identify the painter and the subject in the painting. While doing this, he stumbles across an early edition of Robert Greene’s ‘Pandosto”, which is believed the source material for Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.” The storylines switch back and forth from 1995, when Peter finds the copy of the ‘Pandosto’, then to the 1980s, when Peter begins his career in rare books and starts his relationship with his wife Amanda, and the times between 1592 through 1870s regarding the ‘Pandosto’ and the various hands it goes through

At first I was reluctant to read another mystery regarding Shakespeare, but I decided to try it and I really liked it. It does not read like a non-fiction book disguised as a boring novel. However, I did stop reading it a couple of times because some parts of the novel left me wanting but the story line kept pulling me back. I felt the story was well written, enjoyed the historical insights and learned a lot about forgery methods.

On the down side, the novel does start off slow and drags a little throughout, especially when it deals with the details of Peter and Amanda’s relationship (too much detail). In addition, the jumping back and forth between timelines, with their numerous subplots, left me confused on what was happening and the people involved and their relationships to the current time. However, I got back on track and enjoyed the story in the end.

If you are a bibliophile, love reading books about books, or a Shakespearean enthusiast with a knack for a mystery, this is the book for you. Mr. Lovett does an excellent job with using his antiquarian expertise to weave a very good story. I highly recommend this book.

I really liked this book! It was the perfect escape for a long weekend when it was too hot to do much more than sit in the AC and read. I took off one star simply because I didn't buy into how quickly Peter's personality changed during the course of his "investigation" or the way the end seemed to quickly tie things up in a neat package. Life is messy...and Peter's life was certainly messy when we meet him at the start. I felt the end would have been better had Lovett not tried to create a cliched HEA. Although I will say that I look forward to reading more from the author.

Cliche story plotting. Although author's love of books is evident, writing and especially structure of story plodding, and quite dull in places leaving the reader with a "get on with it" attitude. Writer couldn't decide whether it was a romance or a mystery or an action thriller and the result is a poor version of all three. A lackluster attempt at a Da Vinci Code- like story. Falls flat.

I was grabbed into the first pages from the the store site where I had cleverly, or so I thought, signed up for their book membership allowing for a mere 9.99 per month read any book. Oh I was so excited I went into the books listed and alas the Bookmans Tale had to be purchased, and so I did. I began to read chapter two which was not the same story I was confused but I paid for it I will finish. I then went to the next chapter and now I was reading another different tale. By chapter nine I figured it out. The author did a very different tale weaving three different times in the 1600's, the 1980's and the present time 1995 which each chapter ended in a suspense and I had to read two chapters to get back to that story line but the two chapters each ended in suspense and then I could not put it down until the last tale was bedded down. Bravo to Mr. Lovett nicely down and totally surprised and a bit baffled by the terms and forgery of books new for me.

Very good novel! Have received phone calls from friends thanking me for referring this book. We all wonder why this never made the number one list. Well written, intriguing, and holds ones interest. Great author.

The writing style of this book was very unpolished. While I did enjoy the chapters that referenced the antique books, I have
to say the chapters dealing with the love affair/sexual attraction between the main characters was juvenile at best.
Those particular chapters were so awkward that I skimmed over them quickly they were such an embarassement to the author.

All in all, I would not read another of Charles Lovett's books should there be others.

An educational foray into the history and construction of book binding. I enjoyed the story and the history lesson woven together with a compelling mystery. It was an easy read but was kept in the dark until the very end.

Was riveted by this book from start to finish. It covered all of my favored topic areas, mystery, intrigue, Shakespeare, bibliophiles, a bit of romance, and so much more. Can't recall the last time I enthusastically gave five stars to a book, but The Bookman's Tale is a winner for me.

This book reminded me of the film Shakespeare in Love. You feel like you understand the times in which Shakespeare wrote and lived. This book has it all -- history, mystery, and love. I have recommended it to many of my friends and would recommend it to you.

This book is quite fascinating, and I think will be my next submission to my book readers group. The detail in this book has lead me to purchase other books to further enlighten about Shakespeare, his time, and his friends and fellow writers. WONDERFUL!!!