A Poultice for a Healer (Chronicles of Isaac of Girona) [Paperback]

Caroline Roe (Author)

Book Description

Series: Chronicles of Isaac of Girona | Publication Date: November 2, 2004

Isaac of Girona returns in the two-time Anthony Award-nominated series.

Isaac's duty to the ailing Bishop postpones his daughter's wedding. But murder can't be rescheduled when a wounded messenger dies before delivering an urgent missive for the Bishop.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Canadian author Roe offers another intricately plotted tale (after 2002's Draught for a Dead Man) of Isaac of Girona. The blind Jewish physician cures illnesses and solves crimes in southern Spain and Mallorca in the middle of the 14th century, when Muslims, Jews and Christians lived mostly peaceably side by side, if not together. (However, during Holy Week and immediately after Easter, residents of the call, the Jewish quarter of Girona, bar their gates and isolate themselves for their own protection.) While Isaac is treating Berenguer de Cruilles, Bishop of Girona, a fatally poisoned man comes to warn the bishop of others' treachery. The wedding of Isaac's daughter, Racquel, must be postponed until Daniel, the bridegroom, can sail to Mallorca to learn whether a newly arrived herbalist is an imposter. Much of the book's interest lies in the way Isaac uses his knowledge of physiology and herbs, as well as his senses of smell and taste, to analyze the contents of the sometimes poisonous mixtures he encounters. Racquel and Yusuf, a Muslim student of Isaac's, also lend a hand with the detecting. Most of the narrative moves at the slow pace of the period, but Roe ends it with the heady rush her readers have come to expect. FYI: Roe (the pseudonym of Medora Sale) has been nominated twice for Anthony Awards.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Caroline Roe is the pseudonym of acclaimed mystery author Medora Sale. She is a graduate of the prestigious Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto. She holds a Ph.D. in Medieval Studies. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (November 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425198669
• ISBN-13: 978-0425198667
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,376,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful historical fiction, November 6, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Poultice for a Healer (Chronicles of Issac of Girona) (Hardcover)

In 1354 medieval Spain, Bishop Berengeur de Cruilles trusts Isaac the blind Jewish physician so when he falls ill, he summons the man to care for him. Isaac's daughter Rachel, as his assistant also comes to help. An herbalist arrives, desperate to see the bishop to give him a warning but the poison in his bloodstream kills him before he can tell his excellency about the threat.

In Girona, two young men each claims that they are heir to a large inheritance. One of them Jacob disappears during a pirate attack. The other claimant Luca an herbalist attempts to set up a practice. When two of his patients are murdered by poison that he had a messenger deliver, the townsfolk's want him tried and executed. Isaac implores the Bishop to wait before convening the court because he believes it was not Luca who delivered the poison. He also believes that these events are somehow related to the dead herbalist who tried to warn the bishop. In his own intuitive yet practical way Isaac tries to expose the guilty party.

Medieval Spain comes vividly to life in the reader's mind after reading A POULTICE FOR A HEAVEN. It feels as if the author is chronicling events that she witnessed. The characters are well developed and it is fascinating to see the relationship between Christians and Jews during a period of religious strife. The people of Girona peacefully coexist with only minor troubles breaking out between the two religions. The protagonist might be blind but he sees more clearly than most people. Fans of historical fiction centered on a good mystery will want to read this novel.

Harriet Klausner