The Plague Tales - Ann Benson (1997)Earlier I had read The Physicians Tale by Ann Benson, and only realised half way through that it was the third in a series. So The Plague Tales is the first of the series, and establishes two stories. The first of the fourteenth centuary Jewish Physician Alejandro Canches, who finds himself expelled from Spain after being caught doing an autopsy. Eventually he finds himself with the family of Edward III, in the midst of the plague.
In modern day England, a small sample of cloth and dirt, dug up from an old grave, realeases the plague into modern society. Janie Crowe is a medical archeologist, who has come over from the states to do research, and she finds herself caught up at the beginning of an outbreak.
3/5 - the story was beginning to make sense now, although I was confused by the last two paragraphs, where the young daughter has the name of the police/biocop from the UK. Now I am going to have to read the second book.
1 comment:
Hey, I couldn't agree more that the ending to The Plague Tales was a little more than confusing.....and frustrating too, after mostly enjoying the rest of the book. The futuristic tale has many gaping holes in it, unlike the Medieval tale which was very engrossing in places. When you figure out what the last two paragraphs were all about, please clue me in!!!! Thanks.
Carol in Norfolk, England
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