Chaucer and the House of Fame [Hardcover]

Philippa Morgan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 2004

The fourteenth century is probably best remembered for the conflicts that raged between England and France, known collectively as the Hundred Years War. Begun by Edward III of England who laid claim to the throne of France, it had eventually run its weary course by the reign of his weak and ineffectual grandson Henry VI. Yet in 1370 the Hundred Years War was only a half of the way through, with England in imminent danger of losing most of her territorial possessions in France. At this critical moment in time, Geoffrey Chaucer, court envoy, ambitious poet, and protege of the king's powerful son John of Gaunt, is sent on a secret mission to the territory of the Comte de Guyac to persuade the French nobleman to stay loyal to the English cause. After a hazardous journey, Chaucer and his companions reach Guyac's stronghold on the Dordogne in south-west France. The welcome is warm - Chaucer was once in love with Isabelle, the Comte's sister - but within a few days everything has changed. At the end of a hunting expedition, Guyac's body is discovered with a crossbow bolt through the throat. Suspicion points at the new English arrivals. So Chaucer must discover the real culprit if he is to save his own neck. The investigation will turn the poet and diplomat into a fugitive and the truth will not emerge until Chaucer joins Gaunt's brother Edward - known to history as the Black Prince - at the siege of Limoges, one of the crucial events in this endless war.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Geoffrey Chaucer of Canterbury Tales fame becomes the latest historical literary figure turned sleuth, in British author Morgan's outstanding debut. Drawing on fragmentary 14th-century official records, Morgan skillfully weaves Chaucer's actual experiences as an English diplomat into a gripping tale of murder and intrigue. In 1370, with the English facing the loss of valuable territory in Aquitaine, Chaucer is enlisted to convince a French nobleman to continue his allegiance to England. The mission has a personal resonance for the poet, who was once the captive of the count in an earlier phase of the Hundred Years War. During that confinement, Chaucer fell in love with his captor's beautiful wife, and those persistent emotions only complicate his delicate political negotiations. The diplomatic challenges are compounded by a string of mysterious deaths at the hand of a ruthless assassin whose loyalties are obscure, and the negotiations are stymied when the count is killed during a wild boar hunt—at the hands of a person unknown. As unlikely a candidate as Chaucer might be for the role of detective, Morgan easily suspends disbelief. Spot-on period detail and tight plotting, plus a significant unresolved story-line, augur well for any sequel.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* In her debut mystery, Morgan succeeds where many old hands have failed. Set in 1370, the novel tells the story of a soldier and diplomat sent by the king of England to persuade a French nobleman to maintain his loyalty to the British monarch. When he arrives in France, our hero discovers that the nobleman has died, apparently in a hunting accident. Suspecting foul play, the diplomat determines to solve the murder. It's a solid, well-told story, recommendable for plot alone, but what really makes this one special is Morgan's portrayal of her hero, who happens to be Geoffrey Chaucer, future author of The Canterbury Tales. In other series starring real-life authors as sleuths, the heroes have attained their literary fame when the stories begin, but by casting Chaucer only as a wanna-be poet, Morgan adds a fascinating element to her characterization. In addition, she has clearly done her homework but knows that the secret to good historical fiction is parceling out information to the reader gradually and naturally, avoiding indigestible chunks of backstory. She also understands that readability requires a more contemporary manner of speech than is absolutely authentic, but she treads this dangerous line carefully. By adroitly avoiding the pitfalls that trap many writers of historical mysteries, Morgan has created a central character and a story that will leave readers clamoring for more. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 341 pages
• Publisher: Constable (August 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184119817X
• ISBN-13: 978-1841198170
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,761,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful historical, June 14, 2005

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chaucer and the House of Fame (Hardcover)

I wasn't certain about Chaucer in a mystery, but this worked mainly because the character was used in a believable way. Chaucer was, in fact, a diplomat as well as poet. The story is more political suspense, than a traditional mystery. There is a very effective sense of threat and danger that runs as a top note through the story, as well as an excellent twist at the end. There are stories within the story and a wonderful feel of time and place. I think it does help to know the actual history. For history lovers who don't need high action, I highly recommend it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderfully absorbing read, October 13, 2004

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chaucer and the House of Fame (Hardcover)

In this wonderfully readable and engaging debut mystery novel, Philippa Morgan has penned a book where actual historical events share the stage with a suspenseful intrigue subplot and a murder-mystery subplot, making "Chaucer and the House of Fame" a thoroughly exciting and absorbing read.

When it begins to look as if the fragile peace between the French and the English are about the breakdown over the lands in Aquitaine, the Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt, sends one of his most trusted diplomats, Geoffrey Chaucer, in order to persuade the Comte de Guyac, a very influential French landholder from the region to continue his support of the English. But almost from the very beginning of the dangerous journey to Aquitaine, Chaucer senses that he is being shadowed. And he is right, for a very dangerous and determined spy-assassin is on his tail. Will the spy-assassin get to Chaucer before he can carry out his mission of persuasion? Soon, however Chaucer finds that he has exchanged one set of dangerous circumstances for another. For the household of Guyac is quite divided about whether or not they should support the English; and soon after Chuacer's arrival his gracious host is murdered during a boar-hunt. Was the Comte de Guyac murdered so that he would not throw his support behind the English? And was he murdered by the spy-assassin who has been dogging Chaucer's footsteps, or by someone from within the Guyac household? As Chaucer struggles to come up with answers, he uneasily begins to realise that his life is in even more danger than ever...

Set in 1370 and during the 100 year war, Philippa Morgan does a wonderful job of making the historical and political realities of the period a vital part of the novel, and not in a dense and uninteresting manner, but in a very vital, vivid and exciting way. You can really feel the suspense mount as you read of the spy-assassin closing in on Chaucer and his party, and feel the dread deep in your stomach as you realise that some other innocent or the other would be killed off by our villain in his murderous quest to get closer to Chaucer. The mystery subplot of who killed the Comte and why was rather well handled too -- there were plenty of suspects to keep one happily absorbed in speculating as to the identity of the murderer! But for me what really kept the novel humming and exciting was the suspenseful intrigue subplot as Chaucer and his cohorts to their level best to evade those who seem to have murderous plans for them. All in all, with factors like a good story fantastically told, colourful and vivid historical detail, and wonderfully realised characters, "Chaucer And The House Of Fame" is a read not to be missed by any avid mystery fan.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A first rate first novel!, July 12, 2005

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chaucer and the House of Fame (Hardcover)

Philippa Morgan's debut novel "Chaucer and the House of Fame" is a welcome addition to the medieval mystery genre! Taking a page (or two) from history, as it were, Morgan gives us Geoffrey Chaucer (later to be known as the "father of English literature"), a young man on a state mission from John of Gaunt, King Edward's youngest son and a big part of the royal ruling family at that time.

It is the time of the 100 Years War and the squabbles-deadly as they were-over French/English ownership of some of the minor kingdoms in France. Chaucer is on a secret diplomatic mission to Aquitaine to try to secure the support of Henri, Comte de Guyac, long an English supporter but now beginning to waver, as it appears the French may be winning. Accompanying Chaucer are his two aides, Alan and Ned.

Ironically, in Morgan's story, Chaucer had been held prisoner by the Comte some ten years earlier and, as history notes, was eventually ransomed and returned safely to England. While in the Comte's care, Chaucer, young poet he was, falls in love with Rosamund, the beautiful wife of the Comte. Now, Chaucer (married and with his own family) is quite curious to see how he will be received!

Leaving London in early May, the trio becomes involved in a number of deadly events along the way and they begin to doubt if they'll ever arrive in Aquitaine! Along the way, they team up with a group of actors (Loup's Troop), all the time being shadowed by as evil an antagonist you'll find by the assumed name of Hubert. The pace of the novel really picks up when, on the second day during a wild boar hunt, Henri, Comte de Guyac, is killed in what appears to be an accident. Chaucer senses that this is a murder.

And as "murder will out," now it is a race of time to solve not only this murder but to tie up all the other loose ends in the story, and there are many!

Morgan, however, is quite up to handling the myriad directions the books takes us! For one, her characters do a credit even to Chaucer, as she's able to capture the essence that he would have wanted evoked: the bawdiness is there, the humor, the satire, the social significance, and, of course, Morgan adds the "murder mystery" aspect. She gives Chaucer much free reign (he's involved in telling his own tale to his aides at the same time he's trying to solve the murder) and,using the Chaucerian technique of the frame story, maintians full control of all aspects of a well-written novel.

Fortunately for us, it appears that she's clearly set the basis for a series and a welcomed series it would be. Her Chaucer makes an excellent sleuth!