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A Plague on Both Your Houses Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles Susanna Gregory 9780751516951 Books

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A Plague on Both Your Houses Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles Susanna Gregory 9780751516951 Books

'A Plague on Both Your Houses: The First Chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew' was not a book I would have chosen to read. My wife downloaded the book onto my Kindle as a Christmas present thinking that I would like it. At first, I wasn't so sure. While she is a big fan of historical mysteries, I am more a fan of historical non-fiction. I'd rather read about the facts as they are known than someone's made up story set in against a historical backdrop; still after some reluctance I gave the book a try.

Getting into the book was the hardest part. Chapter One introduced you to Mathew Bartholomew and his world, setting the stage for the rest of the story. Unfortunately, I found that this chapter wasn't very gripping and to me, it felt drawn out and ponderous. One of the problems with the book is the chapter format. Each chapter feels more like a large section that is broken up into sub-chapters. Each subsection is filled with detail and is important to the overall story, however I thought the author could have had written the book with shorter, more succinct chapters that would have moved the story along at a better pace.

It was only as I got into Chapter Two and beyond that I started to get interested in the story. Even with the long, drawn out chapters the plot was interesting and the characters were engaging. I soon found myself drawn into the tale and anxious to finish it.

Without getting into details, I will say that Mathew Bartholomew is no Cadfael, however he is an interesting character. He is portrayed as a caring, concerned, intelligent scholar living in a time where common sense was in short supply and where superstition and conformity were commonplace. He is not a detective and he is not portrayed as one. In fact, sometimes he comes across as not being the sharpest quill in the college, especially when it is obvious to the reader that he should be doing something other than sleeping when he should be acting. Still, his positive characteristics out way the negative, and the reader finds themselves liking Mathew Bartholomew.

The story takes place during the Black Death and this event takes up a good portion of the book, and at times the `mystery' aspect of the book takes a back seat to the historical events. It is nice to see that the author has not made Bartholomew cleverer than the historical norm.

Overall, I feel that 'A Plague on Both Your Houses: The First Chronicle Of Matthew Bartholomew' is a good read and I recommend it. As you read it, you will find that the protagonist, Mathew Bartholomew grows on you. In the end, I think you will enjoy this book.


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A Plague on Both Your Houses Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles Susanna Gregory 9780751516951 Books Reviews

Another reviewer praised Sansom's Shardlake books by likening them favorably books by Susanna Gregory. On that basis I decided to give her first Bartholomew book a try. I will not be reading another of these. There really is no comparison. I found this book to be tedious and repetitive. The red herring is implausible, but no more so than the real motive for the crimes. The best parts are the vivid descriptions of the plague.
Took me a bit to get into the spirit of the thing but now I'm hooked! I've enjoyed many medieval sleuths, including Brother Cadfael, Dame Frevisse and Owen Archer and wasn't sure I wasn't going to find a redundant character here. Happily, Susanna Gregory's reluctant protagonist is a truly "individual" individual and I thouroghly enjoyed Bartholomew's debut!
I have picked up a couple of books lately because they were called "Historical Fiction" but they tainted what good writing is.
Well researched, based on true events and well written.I think all authors wanting to write about history in a fictional vein, should study some of the masters in the field. Starting here...
So good you'll want more... and as of now, there are 22 books in this series. This is the only series I re-read. Just like being in 1335 England. I really like this series, my sister thought it was too graphic, medically speaking, just a note of caution to the very delicate reader. Start with this one and enjoy the whole series.
PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES introduces us to Matthew Bartholomew, a 14th Century physician working at the University of Cambridge. Bartholomew, whose medical views are ridiculed by other less progressive doctors, investigates the suspicious death of a high college official, the first in a series of deaths that he soon realizes is connected with a shadowy power struggle between the Oxford and Cambridge colleges. As the body count rises, these deaths become overshadowed by the onslaught of the Black Death, which has been sweeping through Europe and now England.

On the book's plus side, Gregory certainly has an eye for detail; her depictions of Cambridge circa-1348 transport you back to that time. Likewise the characters were fairly well-rounded and I enjoyed Bartholomew.

The book, however, is a long stretch of road, being 402 pages long. I felt some of Bartholomew's endless speculations after each new murder were repetitious. How many times can you read "Could so-and-so be...?" "But then how did...?" "And what is so-and-so's role in this?" before enough is enough.

Frankly I thought the Black Death was a much more interesting subject than the intercollegiate rivalry plot element. Gregory's descriptions of the disease's utter devastation made for gripping reading. I would have much preferred she dumped the Oxford-Cambridge intrigue and focused the story on the incredible impact the Black Death has on a town like Cambridge and the efforts of a 14th Century physician to save the townspeople.

In short, the book has shortcomings but also enough merit that readers should enjoy the story and look forward to the next installment of Bartholomew's adventures.
I never really warmed up to the character of Matthew Bartholomew, although he was obviously the good guy. There were way too many peripheral characters and I found it impossible to keep them straight. The conspiracy was confusing. There was a lot of spoken explanation at the end but it didn't really clear things up for me. It was okay, good enough to stick with until the end, but I won't be reading more in the series. I guess this was recommended to me because I enjoy the Matthew Shardlake series, but those books are much, much better than this book.
'A Plague on Both Your Houses The First Chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew' was not a book I would have chosen to read. My wife downloaded the book onto my as a Christmas present thinking that I would like it. At first, I wasn't so sure. While she is a big fan of historical mysteries, I am more a fan of historical non-fiction. I'd rather read about the facts as they are known than someone's made up story set in against a historical backdrop; still after some reluctance I gave the book a try.

Getting into the book was the hardest part. Chapter One introduced you to Mathew Bartholomew and his world, setting the stage for the rest of the story. Unfortunately, I found that this chapter wasn't very gripping and to me, it felt drawn out and ponderous. One of the problems with the book is the chapter format. Each chapter feels more like a large section that is broken up into sub-chapters. Each subsection is filled with detail and is important to the overall story, however I thought the author could have had written the book with shorter, more succinct chapters that would have moved the story along at a better pace.

It was only as I got into Chapter Two and beyond that I started to get interested in the story. Even with the long, drawn out chapters the plot was interesting and the characters were engaging. I soon found myself drawn into the tale and anxious to finish it.

Without getting into details, I will say that Mathew Bartholomew is no Cadfael, however he is an interesting character. He is portrayed as a caring, concerned, intelligent scholar living in a time where common sense was in short supply and where superstition and conformity were commonplace. He is not a detective and he is not portrayed as one. In fact, sometimes he comes across as not being the sharpest quill in the college, especially when it is obvious to the reader that he should be doing something other than sleeping when he should be acting. Still, his positive characteristics out way the negative, and the reader finds themselves liking Mathew Bartholomew.

The story takes place during the Black Death and this event takes up a good portion of the book, and at times the `mystery' aspect of the book takes a back seat to the historical events. It is nice to see that the author has not made Bartholomew cleverer than the historical norm.

Overall, I feel that 'A Plague on Both Your Houses The First Chronicle Of Matthew Bartholomew' is a good read and I recommend it. As you read it, you will find that the protagonist, Mathew Bartholomew grows on you. In the end, I think you will enjoy this book.