Historical fiction, contemporary fiction, mystery
Mystery is not my favorite genre but The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett was a book club selection. This story was told via 3 separate time periods: 1500s-1800s, 1980s, and 1990s. It was effective except the sections were so incredibly short that I got whiplash trying to keep up with the speed at which the author was moving the reader. I would literally just get my mind settled into the current setting and then the section would end and we'd jump to a new timeline. It really bugged me. I threw up my hands a few times. I didn't WANT to move to a different time period yet. It was stressful! I'd have preferred that his sections were at least two times longer.
I appreciated the author's passion for antiquarian books yet I never did grow to share it. The details he provided were probably fascinating to other antiquarian book lovers, but not to me. The main storyline that interested me was finding out how Peter's wife had died. Their love story was sweet and unusual. I found several of the characters' actions in the 1990s nonsensical but I cannot elaborate without spoilers. Suffice it to say, that's part of the reason I usually dislike mysteries. They are too staged and unbelievable to me, generally.
I will summarize by saying that if you like antiquarian books and mysteries and the debate around the existence of Shakespeare, you'll probably enjoy this novel a lot.
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