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The Bookseller's Tale
- Oxford Medieval Mysteries, Book 1
- Narrated by: Philip Battley
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
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Summary
Oxford, Spring 1353. When young bookseller Nicholas Elyot discovers the body of student William Farringdon floating in the river Cherwell, it looks like a drowning. Soon, however, Nicholas finds evidence of murder. Who could have wanted to kill this promising student? As Nicholas and his scholar friend Jordain try to unravel what lies behind William's death, they learn that he was innocently caught up in a criminal plot. When their investigations begin to involve town, university, and abbey, Nicholas takes a risky gamble - and puts his family in terrible danger.
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What listeners say about The Bookseller's Tale
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- D. J. Wilkinson
- 21-03-18
A lovely tale set in a wonderful place
Oxford is one of my favourite places on the planet. History is a passion. Literature is a calling. Having all three beautifully woven together in a delightful murder mystery is a delight. A lovely listen and I am now looking forward to the rest of the series with relish. If you too love Oxford and or history you will find this exquisitely researched book a delight.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Michelle
- 19-01-18
A vivid depiction of the past, with a mystery thrown in
Much fascinating details about life shortly after the Black Death, most of it accurate based on my reading, with an occasional mildly jarring anachronism. The bookseller is likeable & mostly sensible, except when he needs to be stupid to create the necessary plot crisis.
I look forward to seeing how this series develops.
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8 people found this helpful
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- K
- 02-08-17
Simple but satisfying.
This was one of those gentle stories that will never challenge you. I do not think less of it for that. Sometimes you don't want great literature; writing that will wrack you with angst and leave you wringing your hands at the the state of the human race. Sometimes you just want to be told a story that will take you on a brief escape somewhere else and lull you back into your real life with as small a jolt as possible. This is one of the latter.
The main character is quaint and endearing. His family situation leaves scope for both a small level of independence and yet he remains bound by responsibility and so the reader won't be wondering if he'll sail off into the horizon at any point. The setting and time frame makes the plot interesting and fairly original - most author's go for historically more documented times. I suppose this means that the author is less likely to be caught out of with the odd historical inaccuracy.
Generally, a relaxing and engaging tale that may have been a bit more lively will a less monotonous narrator.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Rachel
- 29-07-17
The Booksellers Tale
Excellent tale. Interesting and informative about the times following the plague in England in the 1300s. The next book, The Novices Tale is better yet. Hope there will be more in the series.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-09-19
Tedious
Having listened to numerous books read by David Thorpe, I have been very disappointed with this because of the monotonous tone of the narrator. I couldn't get into the rhythm of the story as a result and struggled to get through it, hoping it would improve. sadly, I won't listen to the rest of the series because of the narrator.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Frankieboy
- 29-01-19
medieval crime drama
Oxford medieval crime enjoyed very much good story keep me listing looking for to hearing another
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2 people found this helpful
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- April Game
- 21-01-18
Disappointing
What would have made The Bookseller's Tale better?
The performance is so wooden it could make even a very engaging and tightly written mystery boring.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
The monotone of the narrator killed this book for me.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Ann D
- 13-08-22
thoroughly enjoyable
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the narrator and the characters. Nice details and descriptions without being too wordy.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Clare0116
- 04-08-22
A really enjoyable mystery
The daily lives of University scholars, tradesmen and families in the years following the Black Death and the greed of one man.
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1 person found this helpful
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- J M Jeynes
- 25-12-21
Lightweight
Although giving a fair impression of medieval life after The Death, the plot itself was fairly simplistic and quite easily unravelled. An unchallenging experience.
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1 person found this helpful