The Illuminator

Fourteenth century England: a time of plague, political unrest and the early 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 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 dangerous secret, an alliance with Lady Kathryn of Blackingham Manor, a widow struggling to protect her inheritance from the depredations of the Church and Crown. Their relationship will take readers to the heart of a calamitous time.