The Lost Book of the Grail

I started recommending THE LOST BOOK OF THE GRAIL by Charlie Lovett before I had even read half of it. This is a complicated, yet charming, mystery story combined with a gentle romance (in the latter aspect, similar to The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion). The setting is Barchester, England, a fictional town which may sound familiar because it’s related to the writings of Anthony Trollope; there are even more literary references to P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves, to Arthur Rackham, and to others, including, of course, Malory’s Morte d’Arthur and associated texts. 

The main character in THE LOST BOOK OF THE GRAIL is curmudgeonly Arthur Prescott, about forty now, but introduced to the Arthur stories as a child by his grandfather, former rector of St. Cuthbert’s and canon of Barchester Cathedral.  Prescott’s life has a distinct pattern (morning prayer and weekly walks, work as an English professor, research in the Barchester Cathedral library, Evensong or Compline) until Bethany Davis, younger (twenty-six), clever, and American arrives to digitize the manuscripts.  She believes that “technology is exploding the possibilities for libraries” whereas Arthur says instead, “the only time I employ digital technology … is when I use my fingers to turn the pages.” 

While pursuing an ongoing debate about the purpose of libraries (to share information or to preserve culture; to provide outreach and opportunity for creation of new knowledge or as a place for quiet contemplation), Arthur and Bethany discover a mutual interest in the Holy Grail. They set out to solve the mystery of a missing text thought to be written about the sixth century St. Ewolda and the cathedral’s founding. Interspersed throughout the novel are accounts of previous monks and priests who lived and worshiped at Barchester.  Those stories, ranging from 560 through the 1980’s can be a bit confusing, but reinforce the idea of faith and community as well as reflecting English history.  Some deal with the Reformation or Cromwell; others provide fascinating insights to medieval carvings or to less-known stories like the Glastonbury Thorn. 

Mystery lovers will enjoy THE LOST BOOK OF THE GRAIL which has plenty of code-cracking, secrets and surprises and certainly deserves the starred reviews it received from Library Journal and Publishers’ Weekly.