The Lost Books – Romance and Adventure in Tudor Times

An absolutely delightful book that has aspects of fairy tales with all levels of medieval society. You'll find plenty of echoes of wicked people reformed, greedy ex-abbots, beautiful maids, pirates, and lovers. I particularly enjoyed the appearance of each of the 12 Days items. My one complaint is that the author was not good with matching her story to the historical times, slipping and putting Elizabethan items in a story that was set in Henry VIII's time.

A very entertaining novel! I loved the characters who were very original, even the romance was surprisingly fun to read about! I also enjoyed the language used: an older form of English with unusual vocabulary.... A very pleasant novel which often put a smile on my face. I warmly recommend it!
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest.

Morwenna is the kind of heroine I instantly connect with. She’s pragmatic, no-nonsense, focused on her goals—which is why I found it utterly hilarious that we meet her when she is profoundly exasperated by the antics of Henry Truelove. Henry, the son of a local gentleman, is attempting to woo Morwenna by sending her as many of the gifts mentioned in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” as he can afford before going into debt. The pear trees were useful. The partridges were tasty. By day five, however, Morwenna is starting to run out of places to put all the birds. This kind of comically overplanned scheme is just the first of many in Mo Conlan’s gently entertaining novel The Lost Books.

Set in rural Cornwall some years after Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, The Lost Books is a rambling collection of plots centered on Morwenna, Henry, a former monk named Tom, at least two of eight milkmaids, and others who call themselves the Holy Pirates. This loose band formed in response to Henry’s efforts to keep his family from being taxed into poverty at the hands of an unscrupulous family of tax collectors. Later, the same group will scheme against a greedy abbot who is enriching himself by selling off things he stole from his old monastery before anyone else could get their hands on them. Tom inspires the group to find and save the books—described as beautifully bound literal and figurative treasures—before they can be sold to people who might destroy them or keep them hidden away in private collections.

This bare-bones summary doesn’t nearly capture the elaborate schemes cooked up by the Holy Pirates to thwart their enemies and achieve their ends. As I read about Morwenna and Henry’s plans (involving a lot of cross-dressing, plays within plays, and a few quick changes), I was strongly reminded of some of the more eye-rolling plots conjured up by some of Shakespeare’s characters (looking at you, Viola and Hamlet). The stakes never really rise above the level of Shakespeare’s comedies, either, and it’s very easy to spot which characters are going to end up getting married. It’s funny to watch it all play out, even if some of it isn’t very believable, and I could easily picture the characters rushing back and forth across a stage.

Fans of historical fiction looking for a bit of low-stakes entertainment will enjoy The Lost Books, especially if they’re familiar enough with Shakespeare to spot the callbacks.

This wasn't what I would usually expect from historical fiction, but I liked it. I thought the writing had a lovely lighthearted tone, a touch of humour, and an air of sincerity that I found endearing. The chapters were short, so this made a light, easy read, and a relaxing evening read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

There's humour, a vivid historical background, and a cast of well round and vivid characters.
A light and compelling story I loved. The author did a good job and I liked the storytelling
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Mo Conlan’s latest book is a fascinating foray into the world of the Tudors and sixteenth century England through a smaller lens which focuses on Squire Henry Truelove and Morwenna and their experience following the dissolution of English monasteries. Conlan uses the linguistic style and cultural values of the period to add to the atmosphere and tone of the novel. This novel is a fascinating blend of action, romance, and fiction set in rural Tudor England, and Conlan has populated it with fascinating characters and clever references to songs and other pieces of media, Easter eggs which readers are sure to enjoy. As for the characters themselves, Henry and Morwenna are both lively characters, and Conlan has given them some fascinating comrades, who are equally dynamic and developed, to work with throughout the novel. Conlan’s clever use of Tudor English and the culture, history, and economics of the period really creates a fascinating scene and atmosphere that enhances the narrative and the characters. This novel is an interesting, complex, and engaging novel of Tudor England, and readers will enjoy the unique mix of prose, language, and characters that Conlan creates for The Lost Books -- Romance and Adventure in the Tudor Times.

Really original. Reading it during Christmastime is a hilarious and unexpected surprise (the novel doesn't have a strong Christmas settings per se, but the courting technique adopted by the protagonist is to shower his beloved with gifts following the "Twelve Days of Christmas" song. A gem that I didn't expect, also for the... challenging management consequences it brings for the family that finds itself invaded by improbable gifts. Very, very funny).

And the rest of the plot unfolds with lightness, irony, and originality. The choice to have the characters speak in a language that truly echoes Tudor English is interesting: not being a native reader, I can say that I found some passages challenging (know it if English is also your second language!), but certainly the originality is appreciable.

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The Lost Books: Romance and Adventure in Tudor Times by Mo Conlan is a novel taking place in England, written as if it would have been at the time. Ms. Conlan is a seasoned journalist and writer.

Henry Truelove, a squire from Cornwall, wants only one thing, to marry Morwenna. However, Morwenna will not marry him even though she loves him because she doesn’t want to be anyone’s property and give up her farm.

The story takes a turn when Morwenna’s family farm gets taxed to the point where they’ll lose the estate. However, Henry, Morwenna, and a band of “holy pirates” fight together to save their farm and rescue lost holy books in the process.

I love books about books and this one looked like it would be entertaining and original. The “book about books” part is a small aspect of the overall narrative which has more to do with modern concepts of class, gender equality, and corruption in the government and church.

The Lost Books by Mo Conlan is a charming novel with a modern message, which had me on the fence. The novel’s narrative and writing style had me believe that it has taken place at the times of the Tudors, but the contemporary ideas took me out of it.
That’s not to take away anything from the importance of the themes mentioned.

I enjoyed the colorful characters which include an ex-pirate, ex-priest, ex-enslaved sailor, ex-nuns, and more. Lots of “ex’s” but it’s all fun and ends with a whimsical play / justified heist for a feel-good ending to a humorous and compelling narrative.

The romance part, to my surprise, was a lot of fun for me to read. Those types of stories are usually not what I enjoy, but combined with a heist and the overall whimsical tale it worked.

The older form of vocabulary was a lot of fun to read at first but became a bit of a challenge later on. This is not the author’s fault, I enjoyed it, but I would recommend picking up another book if you’re going to read it before bed, or while tired.