“But Amanda was dead – buried nine months ago in the red earth of North Carolina, an ocean away. A heartbeat away. And this painting, so much older than Amanda or her mother or her grandmother, could not possibly portray her. But it did.” (Quotation page 3)
Content
When Amanda Byerly dies at the age of only twenty-nine, she leaves her husband Peter, filled with deep grief. He leaves America and moves to the cottage in Kingham, England, which they had bought and renovated together. Here he leads a completely secluded life, withdrawn from everybody, friends and family. Until one cold February day he enters a bookshop in Hay-on-Wye and flipping through the pages of an old, beautifully bound book, he finds a piece of paper, a definitely Victorian watercolour. The painting shows a woman who looks like Amanda. His grief, together with his curiosity as an antiquarian bookseller tell him that he had to solve this mystery, to find out everything about a hundred-year-old portrait of his wife, born 1966, hidden in a first edition from 1796 about Shakespeare forgeries. Who was the artist of the watercolour, which shows only the initials B.B. and could this quest bring Peter Byerly back to real life?
Theme and genre
This novel is about old books, bookbinding and restoring, about valuable collections of antiquarian books, but also about friendship, family, family secrets and love. It is a story of fiction with historical literary background.
Characters
The main character of the story is Peter Byerly, bibliophile, booklover and expert for antiquarian books. Historical characters, Shakespeare and other Elizabethan writers, famous book collectors and librarians as well as famous forgers surround him.
Plot and writing
The story moves between four storylines, the actual researches of Peter Byerly take place between February 15 and February 22, 1995, with an epilogue in June 1995. The second timeline is the story of Peter and Amanda, and takes place in Ridgefield between 1983 and 1994. The two historical timelines cover the period between 1592 and 1720 and from 1856 to 1876. This combination of fiction and facts is interesting and fascinating, lively and still believable.
Conclusion
An interesting, entertaining story and a cozy, enjoyable read, not only for booklovers.