The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown
This dual timeline story brings to light the Holy Maid of Kent, namely Elizabeth Barton.
The story begins in 1525, with Elizabeth Barton
at the age of nineteen. She is placed on a farm where she finds the work very
hard and doesn’t like it, but her visions open the door for her. She is taken
from the farm and brought to St. Sepulchre’s Priory to become a nun. Her
visions are recorded by her spiritual advisor – Edward Bocking. With the help
of a local patron, he is able to publish her visions.
Her visions attract many pilgrims and attention
of powerful men. She is presented to Cardinal Wolsey and used to fight against a
new religious influence which is taking over the country. Her visions are used
to keep Henry VIII close to the Church and not divorce his wife Katherine of
Aragon.
The story of Elizabeth Barton, who becomes a
tool in men’s hands who wanted to stir the country in certain direction, is
revealed in a linear way which is well-narrated and making an interesting read.
The modern day timeline involves a professor,
Alison, who discovers a lost manuscript of Elizabeth Barton. Her success secures
her an invitation to an exclusive consortium to the crumbling English manor located
close proximity to where Elizabeth Barton lived. This timeline turns into a
behind-door style mystery.
Modern timeline woven with period timeline is a matter of preference. The modern timeline while trying to solve the mystery from the past gets consumed with tensions of human interactions.
Overall, the story has a good flow and is
well-laced between those two timelines.
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