An interesting and thought provoking historical fiction read that engaged me the whole way through and gave a god level of history around the plague etc

A good historical fiction that tells a story through the eyes of Tom, a common man who's tired of what's going on. Unrests, revolts, the Plague: there's a lot going on and the author did a good job in delivering a book that entertains and is thought provoking at the same time.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I initially picked up this book because I love (I know it's weird) to read about the plague. I had thought this would be Tom's account of the plague. But that isn't what it is. I didn't enjoy this book because it wasn't what I thought it would be. But with that being said the writing is fantastic, it's like you are in the 1300's. The story is descriptive and very well written.

I wish the synopsis hadn't lied and sucked me into thinking this book was something it wasn't, but I'm also glad because I wouldn't have been able to read Mr. Bannister's work.

*Many thanks to Paul Bannister, Lume Books, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
A good presentation of the tumultuous times of the Peasants' Revolt and the Plague through the eyes of Tom Thatcher, an ordinary man tired of all injustice he witnesses.
This historical fiction offers insight into the period and is more into presenting the times than developing characters. It reads well and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more of the background of the peasants' revolution, however, there is no real depth in the way the characters are portrayed. More of a chronicle than a novel.
My fourth star is for terrific research on the part of the Author, including language.

I DNF'ed this book at 30%. I hate not finishing a book however, I just could not get on with the writing style.

I feel the story didn't flow particularly well and the main charachter was unlikeable. Maybe this wasnt the right time for me to read this book so it may be a book that I come back to in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lume Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased opinion.

Unfortunately, I dnf this at 33%.

Even if this is a book that has a lot of potential and really has the ability to catch you, there are a couple of things that kept me from making it all the way to the end.

But first, the good thing: you can tell that the author knows a lot about history and really knows what he is writing about. He is able to create a whole world around you and absorb you with smells, with sensations and with all the details of the time. There are paragraphs in which I felt transported to another era, and this is why I'm so sorry I didn't finish it. It really has my interest and I would have liked to know the end of what the author proposes, but it was not possible.

The thing is, I feel that there are sentences that are written a bit strangely. I thought it might be an attempt to write how it was done in earlier times, however, sometimes I find it so difficult to understand what a sentence means that it took me completely out of the narrative. These are details that run over the pace of the book, and when it happens a couple of times in a row, it pulls me out so much that I feel like I have to stop reading the book for a while.

Anyways, it is just a small editing detail that I think is easy to correct. I would love to be able to pick up this book someday and give it the time and attention it deserves, but it is very difficult for me if there are parts that I find difficult to understand.

Here is a story of the peasant’s revolt in England in 1381- about how it all began. Set in the 1341, this story traces the journey of a peasant called Tom Thatcher. He becomes increasingly frustrated by the strict laws that govern his life and the lives of the hard-working but impoverished serfs. After becoming embroiled in a fight, an accidental death forces him to leave his home to escape being hanged.
Following a few turbulent months, Tom returns home to find everything has changed. His beloved bold wife Lizzie is no more. Unable to stay, he seeks a pardon from the Pope for past wrongs and is sent off to Caffa to fight in a siege. Bloody battles ensue, new skills are learned and friendships are formed.

And while everything else continues to change, the call to fight for the rights of the peasants, and the desire to free them from near starvation, is growing ever stronger. The events build up, culminating in the Peasant Revolt of 1381.

What impressed me the most was the vocabulary. It is so much in sync with the times, the Europe of the fourteenth century comes alive before your eyes. There is also a deadpan way the writer states out alarming facts, like how Tom scares the Pope into absolving him of his sins, by spinning a tale around Jesus’s baby teeth that he procured from a quack. When contrasted with the generally sensitive tone of the prose, it makes for entertaining moments.

The plight of the peasants makes one realise how much of our privileges we take for granted. The peasants toiled on their pieces of land, and paid the Baron; the men still had to offer him free labour on ‘boon’ days. They had no right to choose the crops they produced, and were barred from growing cash crops. The peasants hardly ever ate meat, although they bred cattle for the same purpose, because the meat was ‘food for the upper class’. Yet they had to gift the Baron- Salmon at Michaelmas, twelve dozen eggs and six dozen eels at Easter, a dozen hens at Christmas.

Then there were the corrupt middlemen and the pilfering soldiers, and the priests of the church who must be payes tithes. The woes are many, the bread available is little, not to mention the smuggling of silk-wool-. And the atrocious taxes: to raise cattle, to marry a daughter, to raise a son- because all belong to the Lord/ Baron, and you must pay to keep your own family.

The disillusionment of Tom, from a peaceful peasant who happens to be skilled at archery and at fighting with the quarterstaff, to the making of a rebel is outlined finely. You understand the reasons for the revolt, and gasp at the total lack of apathy of all thosein power- be it the King or the church. A refreshing account of the trying times, by all means. That plague brokeout in this setting and wiped off half of England’s population was a double tragedy. But this bok is not concerned with it. And here comes my personal grudge with this book.

I was looking out for a book on The Plague, any of the numerous catastrophic outbreaks. I came across this book, that has plague in its title, and the book cover shows a man with one of those famous beaked masks. And that is how I picked it up. The prologue only goaded me on- with its macabre description of the death of an unsuspecting, mighty and cruel Tatar, from a flea bite. I turned to the first chapter hungrily- and then to the next, and then the next. No plague. Only Rage. It took me a good three fourth of the book to realise, Tom’s life would unfold without being plagued by, well, the Plague. Imagine yourself reading a lovestory thinking there is a murder mystery…because the title says murder for love, and the cover has a corpse on it. And then all you get are love-lorn quotes!

So here is my review. This book is a life-like documentary of the peasan’t revolt. You will read it like an observer, empathising for the ones who suffered, feeling for them, but never really feeling one with them.

My rating: 3/5 if I don’t let my grudge over the absence of ‘plague’ deduct half a point!

thank you NetGalley and Lume Books for this e arc in exchange for my honest review!
this book was interesting! lots of information dumping on the 1300’s about war and plague. i was definitely lost in some areas bc of how much the storyline jumped around, it was kinda slow at first but i found myself getting more interested in the plot towards the middle and more towards the end. if anything, it was a cool accounting of the history that went on during that time. i just wish i could’ve connected more to the characters, i did feel bad for Tom considering he lost two wives and couldn’t seem to catch a break. i also was bummed that it kind of abruptly ended???? i needed more closure on the Peasant Uprising.

Definitely a great read for readers avid of history! I found this novel extremely interesting even though I sometimes felt as though I was losing a bit the thread of novel: maybe because of so many (long) accounts of historical events, battles , the plot got me somewhat confused! However, I did learn a lot and that is always positive! The characters could have been drawn with more depth, in my opinion.
I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.