Contemporary Fiction
The Book of Hours
Back of the Book:
“If you’ll forgive me for saying so, the matter is out of your hands,” replied the real estate agent. “The inheritance taxes are two years overdue, notices have been filed, and a date for the foreclosure action has been set. I regret to inform you that, come the end of next week, unless you can raise six hundred and thirty thousand pounds, the estate is not yours to keep.”
After his wife’s death, Brian Blackstone’s days and hours had become a meaningless blur. But now, recovering from a tropical fever, he finally arrives in the English village of Knightsbridge to confront the inheritance he doesn’t want to claim. His wife had insisted that Castle Keep was a place of enchantment, and urged him to hold on to the crumbling property. Impoverished and alone, Brian feels only the despair of trying to honor her dying wish.
Then a mysterious letter sends Brian on a search to find the secrets of the ancient estate. And the local doctor, Cecilia Lyons, though suspicious at first, soon becomes an ally in the fight to save Castle Keep before it can be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Before he comes to the end of his quest, Brian will learn that the power of prayer can reach through the centuries in a surprising and wonderful way. Will he find renewal for his spirit and healing for his broken heart? And can he learn once again to count each hour as a blessing instead of a burden?
My Review:
I loved the mystery of trying to figure out what the letters meant. They sent the characters on wild chases of discovery. You never knew what they were going to uncover next and what treasure or secret the castle would give up.
The character development of Brian was written very well. You could clearly see how he started off as a man not wanting to live and how he was transformed through this whole process. T. Davis Bunn did a great job of making it believable.
The love story in this book isn’t the main story arc, so it didn’t have as much attention as many of the other books I’ve read. It fit into the story well, and didn’t detract from it. I’m just used to the love story being the primary arc and not a quest to save something else. I enjoyed it, but don’t pick up this book if all you are looking for is a love story. There’s so much more to the book than that.