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Shop nowThe Illuminator - Abridged
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We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreA glowing first novel that brings us "historical fiction in the grand epic manner, beautifully felt and written"*
It is England, in the fourteenth century—a time of plague, political unrest and the earliest stirrings of the Reformation. The printing press had yet to be invented, and books were rare and costly, painstakingly lettered by hand and illuminated with exquisite paintings. Finn is a master illuminator who works not only for the Church but also, in secret, for John Wycliffe of Oxford, who professes the radical idea that the Bible should be translated into English for everyone to read. Finn has another secret as well, one that leads him into danger when he meets Lady Kathryn of Blackingham Manor, a widow struggling to protect her inheritance from the depredations of Church and Crown alike. Finn's alliance with Lady Kathryn will take us to the heart of what
Barbara Tuchman once called "the calamitous fourteenth century." Richly detailed and irresistibly compelling, The Illuminator is a glorious story of love, art, religion, and treachery at an extraordinary turning point in history.
BRENDA RICKMAN VANTREASE is a former English teacher and librarian who has traveled extensively in the British Isles. She is the author of the novels The Illuminator, The Mercy Seller, and The Heretic's Wife. She holds a Ph.D. in English and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Simon Jones has appeared in the films Miracle on 34th Street (the remake), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Green Card, and Monty Python's Meaning of Life, among others. He has been featured on Broadway in Blithe Spirit, The Real Thing, Benefactors, and Private Lives. His off-Broadway appearances include Woman in Mind, Terra Nova, The Home Place, and the role of C.S. Lewis in Shadowlands. Simon has read more than 50 audiobooks. His extensive work as narrator has resulted in admission to the rank of a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine, and he was named “Narrator of the Year” (2005) by Publishers Weekly. In 2006, his audio recordings were nominated for nine “Audie” awards, and two of them won in the “Unabridged Fiction” category and the top prize “Audio Book of the Year.” He studied at Cambridge University and the legendary Cambridge Footlights Dramatic Club.
Reviews
“Brenda Rickman Vantrease's The Illuminator is one of the most engaging books I've had the pleasure to read in many years. Extraordinary characters of an extraordinary period in history are portrayed with passion that only an accomplished writer can deliver...This is simply a wonderful book.” —Terry Kay, New York Times bestselling author of The Valley of Light and To Dance With the White Dog
“A wonderful novel--a tumultuous panorama of Wycliffe's and Chaucer's England, with an absolutely compelling and irresistible heroine.” —Max Byrd, author of Grant & Shooting the Sun