Download Your Copy Book Of Colours Conceived By Robyn Cadwallader Formatted As EPub

own a book, especially a beautifully illuminated Book of Hours was a sign of wealth and prestige in theth Century, This very engaging novel is about the making of such a book by John Dancaster,a London illuminator or limner and his atelier, His wife Gemma, herself a skilled limner, newly apprenticed son Nick and his senior apprentice Benedict all assist in either the making of the colours, drawing the decorations or the elaborate task of layering on the colours and gold leaf when required.
To assist in such a massive job, John also hires a skilled limner newly arrived from Cambridge, William Asshe and much of the story is seen through his eyes.


I really enjoyed the detailed description of the illustrating of the book, Each chapter is prefaced by a little gem of an excerpt from a book that Gemma is secretly writing on the art of illumination for Nick, As a woman Gemma cannot be acknowledged as a limner and must hide how much she helps out when actually she is a wonderful artist, I also enjoyed the description of the type of illuminations used to illustrate the text the beautiful letters at the start of the text, religious scenes from the bible, gorgeous vines and fruit and flowers in the margins but also the whimsical scenes of ordinary men and woman and amusing animals.


The Book of Hours in this novel is being made for a wealthy noblewoman Lady Mathilda Fitzjohn as a status symbol to help her show to the world her familys improving status.
She has asked that it not only contain prayers and texts to help her pray but illustrations that would reference her and her husbands families and prospects, At the time the book is commissioned,, her husband Robert has been called to fight against King Edward II and his favourite Hugh Despenser who he has allowed to seize power and property.
Mathildas story is told in chapters alternating with the illumination of the book, as she waits for the revolt to end and her familys fate to be known, The writing is just as luscious as the descriptions of the illuminations and I enjoyed the details of the process as much as the overall story and historical setting.


With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Harper Collins for a digital copy of the book to read “let all of life be there in the book, from high to low, animal and monster, story and joke, devotion and dance, for God the Great Artisan made it all.
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Book of Colours by Robyn Cadwallader has been widely reviewed by Australian Women Writers Challenge participants since its release in April of this year, and as it fits into the historical fiction category, my editorial area, Ive had the privilege of reading all of these glowing reviews.
I was determined to read this novel, sooner rather than later, and I am so glad I did, Its taken me longer to read it than what is my norm, four nights instead of two, but I can offer two reasons for this:

, Despite being onlypages, the type is very small so its actually a much longer novel than the standard large font novels that typify commercial fiction,
. Its what I like to call linger worthy, Not only was I slowing my pace and taking my time, I was going back to reread sections, particularly the passages that make up Gemmas book, The Art of Illumination, which I found to be particularly fascinating and insightful.


“Now, day by day, as she painted in the book of hours, she thought over the words she needed, then added a little more to the pages of her book.
She was glad it would be hers alone, Her thoughts, her knowledge, her years of experience, ”

Passages of Gemmas book, The Art of Illumination, head each chapter in a subtle, yet telling, manner, As I already mentioned, these were a fascinating insight into not just the processes of illumination, but the actual art of it, the appreciation of it, Intended initially for her daughter, but later given to her son, Gemmas intent is to pass on all she has learnt about being a limner, even though her gender prevents her from actually trading as one or bearing the title.
As a mark of protest, she signs her name to the book, labelling herself as the author, before gifting it to her son, breaking with custom that places women into the roles of helpers rather than authors and artists.
Despite the Book of Colours being set in the earlyth century, I felt such a kinship to the two women of this story, This is not because Robyn has modernised their experiences, not at all, but rather, its because she has captured that commonality between women that stretches over the centuries, Fitting creative careers in around other jobs and responsibilities, often receiving less acknowledgement and remuneration for these creative efforts working under the shadow of men who are attributed as having greater talent and knowledge of relevant matters on account of merely being male.
Im not intending to draw direct comparisons between our society today and that ofth century London, Im merely noting this affinity I felt for the women within this story, how tangible their struggles to be taken seriously were and how this struck a chord with me.
Both Gemma and Mathilda, despite being poles apart in terms of class, were more alike than each would have realised, Gemma running her husbands business without credit and Mathilda running her husbands estate without credit, Each of them chafing at the dismissal and the discrimination that prevented them from being their own masters,

This is not only a story about women though, Its also a story about class, and trade, and persevering in the face of personal failings, Will and John each had to overcome their burdens, to accept their weaknesses and press on, I admired how Robyn wove these struggles into the creation of the artwork for the book of hours, She demonstrated the deep personal connection an artist has to their work, and how this can reach out and connect artists to each other, This is very much a novel that reveres art and books, and Robyns descriptions of the illuminations were so vivid, it made me really wish Book of Colours came illustrated itself.
Despite books being largely hidden from the masses and reserved for the wealthy, the artists illuminating the pages believed in the beauty of their work and in the value they added to the words scribed within.
To illuminate a book was a privilege reserved for the best artists, and that reverence for working on a book was evident within each of the characters within this novel.


“After a time I began to think about the little girl digging the book out of the ashes and opening it, seeing it for the first time like I did.
Its as if she rescued it, that damaged book, ”

With a touch of fantasy in the form of a gargoyle shadowing one of the characters, Book of Colours is a richly layered story that brings to life the ancient art of illumination against the volatile background that was London in the earlyth century.
Robyn informs gently, weaving detail into her story with a masterful ability to unconsciously teach you so much, while still maintaining the entertainment value that distinguishes a novel of historical fiction from a book of historical fact.
Robyn Cadwallader first came to my attention through reviews of her previous novel, The Anchoress, which I am yet to read, Having enjoyed Book of Colours as much as I did, I wont be leaving The Anchoress to languish on the tbr pile for too long, Book of Colours is a unique novel of quiet perfection, with a satisfying

ending that steers away from fairytale happy ever afters and remains grounded in reality, I lingered over this novel, savouring its magnificence and appreciating Robyns enormous talent as an author, Like sitelinkThe Anchoress, Cadwallader is interested in the role of the Church in Medieval English life, and the agency of women in a society that stratified people by class and gender.
Here, she uses an illuminated Book of Hours as the lens for her exploration,

I liked this a lot! Cadwallader knows her stuff, and so the characters are engaging without being anachronisms, The book revolves around two women: Mathilda, a minor noblewoman who commissions the book, and Gemma, the wife of the illuminator illustrating the book, who is a talented limner artist herself.
We also get the perspective of Will, a limner who works with Gemma, Set in a time of upheaval, famine and civil war, Cadwallader has her characters ask questions about what it means to be born into a place, and whether or not it's possible to change what seems to be divinely ordained.


Cadwallader takes us into the world of guilds and skilled artisans, where women were often skilled contributors, though were not recognized in the formal guild structure, In limning, or illuminating shops, it was common for women to train the apprentices, and so Cadwallader gives us Gemma, child and wife of limners, and skilled painter in her own right, but constrained by gendered understandings of talent.
Cadwallader also explores what it means to be a noblewoman and have power but only through a husband, and how that power can be exercised when that husband is absent.


If you like historical fiction, this is definitely worth your time, Be sure to look for some images of illuminated books of hours as you read! There's a lot freely available, and seeing them as I read really enhanced this for me.
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