
Set in London just before the Peasants' Revolt - that remarkable, revolutionary uprising of the lower classes - this is a story about power the place of women in the roiling and turbulent world of the early fourteenth century; what power they have, how they wield it, and just how temporary and conditional it is.
Rich, deep, sensuous and full of life, Book of Colours is also, most movingly, a profoundly beautiful story about creativity and connection, and our instinctive need to understand our world and communicate with others through the pages of a book. (Summary and pic from goodreads.com)
My Review: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I like to go to museums. I actually went to a really cool
one recently that had the traveling Pompeii exhibit. There was a surprising
amount of stuff for a place that had been covered in several feet of ash! One
of the things that I was impressed with is seeing their books—books that had
been hand written and had beautiful drawings and paintings in them. This is
not, of course, the first time I have seen this kind of book, but these ones
stood out to me because of how old they were and also how well-preserved they
were considering they’d survived a volcano and all. They were cool. Very cool.
However, when you’re at a Pompeii exhibit you appreciate all the things that
are there but you can’t help wonder when you’ll see those bodies that are so
famously preserved for all to see. Or am I just the morbid one here? Anyway,
after reading the Book of Colours, I
wish I would have spent a few more minutes in front of those books.
Now. I know that Pompeii took place at a completely
different time than The Book of Colours
takes place, but when I started reading this book these were the first books
that came to my mind (and is also probably the most recent museum I’ve been
to). The Book of Colours takes place in
1322, and that is, my friends, a very long time ago. Yes, it is Medieval Times,
and I think that sometimes we forget how long ago that was or how different
life was back then. I mean, the story about the Pied Piper takes place right
around here. That seems like a very far away fairytale, right? Whether or not
it is, this is when it is said to have taken place. I’ve mentioned this before,
but sometimes putting historical reading in context with other historical
events is mind-blowing. I love finding out interesting stuff like that.
So this happened a long time ago. In some ways, life was
so unfamiliar then that it was almost unrelatable. Everything was so different,
even from what I’m used to reading about when I read historical fiction.
However, Cadwallader did an excellent job of creating a time and place. Even the
language was such that I felt like I was brought into this world and it was
fascinating. When things are so unfamiliar, it takes a certain kind of writer
to be able to bring us there. Little things matter and little things really
make all the difference. Yes, the overarching life and the broad strokes of
living back then are crucial, but filling in the gaps is really important in
order to create an authentic feeling place and time and take us along with
them. Cadwallader totally did this, and every time I picked up the book I could feel
myself transported to that most unfamiliar time and place in a way that made me
feel like I understood how different it was, and yet be able to find
connections and understanding in a way that I had not felt before when I’ve read
books set in a medieval era.
This book had a lot going for it, and one of the things I
really enjoyed was the story of Gemma, a female limner who lived at a time when
being a female limner was not a possibility. The social structures, whether
between male and female or rich and poor were super interesting, and I think
made for compelling reading. These people were facing real difficulties, and I
think that without reading something like this book it is difficult to
understand what life was like. This is a time hop book in a sense that there
are two stories going on in an almost parallel fashion, but they are just a
couple months apart. This makes sense in the end, and I appreciated the chapter
headings being a clear delineation and place marker for what was going on.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the coolest thing
about this book—learning about a Book of Hours, how it is made, how it is
painted, why it is made, etc. It was fascinating! I loved the descriptions at
the beginning of each chapter that discussed different facets of being a limner
(whether it be mixing paint, applying paint, considering story, etc.), and you
bettah believe that I was doing all kinds of research adjacent to reading this
book. It was fascinating! It really brought me new respect for this beautiful
art form, and I even looked up a man mentioned by the author who does modern
art in the Medieval Style and definitely browsed his online offerings (so
cool). Another thing this book did that surprised me is not only did it offer
me a great insight into a Book of Hours and the painting that went into it, but
it made me reflect on my own understanding of religion and scripture. How would
things be different if I had my own personal painting (with myself, people important
to me, and maybe my house and land) integrated into scriptural stories? Would I
understand things better? Would my worship be more personal? I dunno but this
was awesome. I looked at lots of beautiful pictures online of old Books of
Hours and it was just so cool. I really enjoyed learning about it. It was so
well-researched so well-presented that I enjoyed it a lot.
If you enjoy historical fiction, especially historical
fiction that takes place in medieval times, or if you like learning about art
forms, especially ones that may not be readily familiar or common today, I highly
recommend this book. I think you would enjoy it!
My Rating: 4 Stars
For the sensitive
reader: There is some discussion of sex and some occasional language, but it is
all rather tame.