This book was both touching and a hoot. George, a young gay man who was recently fired and who recently went through a break up is presently earning less than a living as a dog walker when two of the dogs he is walking escape. As he dashes into a nearby park to look for them, he tumbles into the same location but at some point in medieval time that is not immediately apparent. When he meets some locals, he cannot understand the old English language and he ends up imprisoned in on the estate of an aristocrat who is not at home at the time. He is an oddity and word about George gets around. He learns the language but keeps saying he is from another time so of course everyone thinks he’s crazy. What’s fun about this book is how George adjusts to this world that his equally trying to make sense of him. How the lack of electronics, at first overwhelming, becomes unimportant. Because each day one works hard to survive and the simplicity is suddenly appealing to George.
Since the publisher’s description shares too much, I can add that the society George is adjusting to is England in the 1300s. George eventually moves on with the help of a servant named Simon and comes in contact with the not so kindly king who has decided that whatever or whoever George is, he can use him to address a serious problem affecting the kingdom, While the depiction of this era seems to be beautifully correct historically to my limited knowledge self, it is, after all a time travel book. So eventually, it branches out into a little more magical realism, well realism in 1300, to take us into a fairy tale of sorts. The characters are phenomenal. The story sweet and salty. George is coming of age in times past and we follow him in the era for a longish time to a surprising but appropriate ending. Samuel Barnett masterfully narrated this novel, complete with accents that are memorable and great voices for each character. It’s largely humorous, but oddly serious. What can I say?
They Called me Bookworm 