The Clerkenwell Tales

by Peter Ackroyd | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: Global Overview for this book
Registered by RowanneM on 6/8/2007
Buy from one of these Booksellers:
Amazon.com | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Bol.com
10 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by RowanneM on Friday, June 8, 2007
The scene is London, in 1399. It is the last year of the fourteenth century, and there is talk of an apocalypse. Richard II is on the throne, yet strange signs and portents are troubling the latter part of his reign. By the side of the River Fleet in Clerkenwell the people are restless, disenchanted with the church and their King. The streets of London are rife with rumour, heresy, espionage and murder and at the centre of the confusion is the nun, Sister Clarice, who has been vouchsafed visions of the future. Is she a genuine prophet, or the tool of earthly powers? This is a story of adventure and suspense set in the late medieval world. As in many of Peter Ackroyd's novels the distant past is no longer a foreign country but something alarmingly close and authentic. As one critic has put it, 'he is our age's greatest London imagination'.

Journal Entry 2 by RowanneM at The Tun Bar & Cafe in Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom on Thursday, March 4, 2010

Released 14 yrs ago (3/4/2010 UTC) at The Tun Bar & Cafe in Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Being released at the Edinburgh Book Crossing Meet-up!

Journal Entry 3 by wingCassandra2020wing from Roslin, Scotland United Kingdom on Friday, March 5, 2010
Picked up at meetup - thanks

Journal Entry 4 by wingCassandra2020wing at Roslin, Scotland United Kingdom on Thursday, October 2, 2014
The Clerkenwell Tales by Peter Ackroyd - ok

Really not sure how to assess this. Peter Ackroyd picks such interesting subjects, but somehow I find him hard to read. Hawksmoor almost defeated me. This one was easier, but still not a quick read.

This is London at the turn of the century - 1399. Henry Bollingbrook is about to replace Richard II on the thrown of England, there are mysterious portents in the city and the citizens are restless and nervous. In amongst this there is Sister Clarice, a Nun in Clerkenwell who is having visions of the future.

Ackroyd tells the tale of these times in the style of Chaucer (although thankfully not in his language!) - each chapter told from someone else's perspective.

All very clever but it's not a period of history I know very well and I did find myself getting a bit confused.

Journal Entry 5 by wingCassandra2020wing at Hemma in Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom on Thursday, October 2, 2014

Released 9 yrs ago (10/2/2014 UTC) at Hemma in Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I plan ‘releasing’ this book at the next Edinburgh Bookcrossing Meet-up. The Edinburgh BookCrossing meetings are held every first Thursday of the month - we’re currently hosted by Hemma Bar, 73 Holyrood Rd, Edinburgh EH8 8AU

Journal Entry 6 by wingCassandra2020wing at Roslin, Scotland United Kingdom on Friday, October 3, 2014
No takers at meetup, so decided to bring home and kick off a bookray :-)

Journal Entry 7 by wingCassandra2020wing at Roslin, Scotland United Kingdom on Sunday, January 25, 2015

Released 9 yrs ago (1/26/2015 UTC) at Roslin, Scotland United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Posting out to vekiki - the first on the list of the BookRay :-)

http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/20/512181

vekiki uk-> Europe
vaga-bonde switzerland ->
penelopewanders switzerland -> Europe
ReetPetite uk -> anywhere
derbyshireE11 uk -> anywhere
catsalive Australia -> anywhere
Billbooks Australia -> anywhere
Olivia_Lo Taiwan -> anywhere

Journal Entry 8 by Vekiki at -- Somewhere in London 🤷‍♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, January 28, 2015
arrived safe & sound

Journal Entry 9 by Vekiki at -- Somewhere in London 🤷‍♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom on Monday, February 23, 2015
on it's way to the next reader

Journal Entry 10 by Vekiki at -- Somewhere in London 🤷‍♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom on Monday, February 23, 2015

Released 9 yrs ago (2/23/2015 UTC) at -- Somewhere in London 🤷‍♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

in the post on its way to the next reader

Journal Entry 11 by wingvaga-bondewing at Pregny-Chambésy, Genève Switzerland on Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Arrived today in Switzerland, thanks Vekiki for mailing it.

Journal Entry 12 by wingvaga-bondewing at Pregny-Chambésy, Genève Switzerland on Thursday, March 5, 2015

Released 9 yrs ago (3/5/2015 UTC) at Pregny-Chambésy, Genève Switzerland

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I found reading this book quite difficult: first I have not read Chaucer, so the parallel between the two books was lost on me, and then there is a lot of vocabulary I didn't understand. Yet I was glad to discover this author and his vivid painting of a troubled period in history.
I mailed the book this morning to penelopewanders

Journal Entry 13 by wingpenelopewanderswing at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Monday, March 9, 2015
From the big city to an Alpine village... this arrived today. I'm leaving on a trip to Scotland soon - I'll try to tuck this into my bag and send on from there... Hopefully I'll get the next address in time to do so.
Thanks for making this available - looks intriguing!

Journal Entry 14 by wingpenelopewanderswing at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Thursday, March 12, 2015
I read this shortish book on a trip from Switzerland to Glasgow. It had been a long time since I'd read anything set in this period, and even longer since I'd read the Shakespeare play about Bolingbroke and co... If ever I go time-travelling, I do not want to land in that period. Between the religious fanatics and other crazies, the rampant disease and skewed ideas about the workings of the human body, that was not a healthy time to live. I can't say I loved the book. The most interesting bits concerned Sister Clarice, in my opinion. Although there were a few other interesting characters, they were wiped out like flies practically as soon as they were introduced. I didn't feel the story held together very well, and at the same time there didn't seem to be something which melded the whole at the end either. I'm glad to have read it nonetheless, as it was an good reminder of a period I hadn't thought of in a long time.

Journal Entry 15 by wingpenelopewanderswing at Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Thursday, March 12, 2015

Released 9 yrs ago (3/12/2015 UTC) at Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Read this ring on the trip over to Scotland, and have now posted it off, down to England. Thanks for rmaking it available and sending. Enjoy!

Journal Entry 16 by wingReetPetitewing at Beeston, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom on Sunday, March 15, 2015
Thanks penelopewanders. Hope you enjoyed Scotland.

Journal Entry 17 by wingReetPetitewing at Beeston, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom on Friday, March 20, 2015
I think this was a difficult read because it has different 'languages', the educated & religous talked in quotes and stories where the common people had an everyday speech, bawdy & joking.
I liked the 'immersion' in medieval life of London, the rivers, professions, buildings etc.
Thanks for the bookray Cassandra2020
I've PMed the next person for their address.

Journal Entry 18 by wingReetPetitewing at Beeston, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom on Friday, March 27, 2015
Posted to derbyshireE11

Journal Entry 19 by DerbyshireE11 at Bakewell, Derbyshire United Kingdom on Monday, April 6, 2015
Arrived safely - apologies for the delay in journalling. Am looking forward to reading this - I spend a lot of time in London but haven't read much about it in this period.

Journal Entry 20 by DerbyshireE11 at Bakewell, Derbyshire United Kingdom on Monday, August 24, 2015

Released 8 yrs ago (8/24/2015 UTC) at Bakewell, Derbyshire United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Fascinating book about a period that seems a long time ago!

Now in the post to Australia - happy reading.

Journal Entry 21 by catsalive at Rooty Hill, New South Wales Australia on Friday, September 11, 2015
Thanks, DerbyshireE11. Love the postcard.

Journal Entry 22 by catsalive at Rooty Hill, New South Wales Australia on Friday, October 30, 2015
I have had this for too long now, my apologies, but life got in the way. I have read a few chapters & can see that it is very cleverly written but it does require a fair bit of concentration - something of which I am in very short supply these days. I don't want to stall the ring any longer so will get this off to Billbooks in the near future.

Thankyou for including me, Cassandra2020. I'm just sorry I couldn't do it justice.

Released 8 yrs ago (11/9/2015 UTC) at -- Mail, by hand, rings, RABCKs etc, Australian Capital Territory Australia

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sent on to the next reader, Billbooks.

Journal Entry 24 by Billbooks at Malvern East, Victoria Australia on Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Here now will be my next read

Journal Entry 25 by Billbooks at Malvern East, Victoria Australia on Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Too clever for its own good. I had read Canterbury Tales many decades ago but really except for the chapter headings there ended a lot of similarity. I really wanted to understand the twists and turns in the plot but at the end it just left me with a headache. Now off to Oliva

Journal Entry 26 by Olivia_Lo at Xinzhuang 新莊, Taipei County Taiwan on Monday, January 18, 2016
The book has arrived!

Are you sure you want to delete this item? It cannot be undone.