Book Review
Jan. 26th, 2007 08:19 pmThe Clerkenwell Tales
by Peter Ackroyd
This brief novel's greatest strength is the way it brings 1399 London to life. The conspiracy/thriller storyline is actually kind of bland, but the vivid depiction of the city during the late middle ages is glorious - I could very nearly hear and smell the place as well as seeing it in my imagination. Ackroyd also cleverly riffs on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, a facet that I probably would have enjoyed more if I'd read The Canterbury Tales.
by Peter Ackroyd
This brief novel's greatest strength is the way it brings 1399 London to life. The conspiracy/thriller storyline is actually kind of bland, but the vivid depiction of the city during the late middle ages is glorious - I could very nearly hear and smell the place as well as seeing it in my imagination. Ackroyd also cleverly riffs on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, a facet that I probably would have enjoyed more if I'd read The Canterbury Tales.