The Illuminator

“A bold first novel blending a sweeping portrayal of the distant past with intricate family drama . . . ample in romance, mystery, and adventure.” —The Boston Globe

It is England, in the fourteenth century—a time of plague, political unrest and the earliest stirrings of the Reformation. The printing press has yet to be invented, and books are 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, Brenda Rickman Vantrease’s The Illuminator is a glorious story of love, art, religion, and treachery at an extraordinary turning point in history.

“Vantrease has joined the ranks of writers who have the gift of weaving stories that blend history with fiction . . . This book rings with authenticity.” —Nashville City Paper

“A remarkable debut novel.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Lovely in the way it recreates a long-ago era.” —Good Housekeeping

“An absorbing, expertly told tale, plainly and forthrightly written and embroidered with plenty of homespun detail.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)