The Lost Book of the Grail: A Novel Hardcover – February 28, 2017

Do you like reading books? Not those e-things or audio things I mean books. I'm talking about books with paper pages with ink on them, with texture, with weight, with fragrance and color both real and imaginary. Yes, those kinds of books. Do you like them? Do you also like those books to contain stories with mysteries and quests and would it be even better if such stories were set in a small English town populated by an endearing collection of inhabitants? Well if you answered in the affirmative to any or all of those questions then you will probably be as charmed by this book as I was.This book is about one Arthur Prescott. Arthur is an Englishman of the old school. He is 40 years old and a professor of literature at a university close to the town of Barchester, England. Arthur doesn't like his students referring to him by his first name, undignified. He is a technophobe of the highest order and cringes at the idea of his university library being referred to as a "media center". Arthur loves books and everything about books and his personal fortress of solitude, his personal sanctuary, is the library of the Cathedral of Barchester an edifice of long history and little financial support. The library however does possess some 83 volumes of handwritten manuscripts that are centuries old and Arthur treasures these manuscripts above all else. Arthur, however, has a secret.As a young boy Arthur annually visited his beloved grandfather at his home in Barchester. It was his grandfather that introduced Arthur to books and it was from his grandfather that he learned that he was named after a famous English king of legend, Arthur of Camelot. Thus began Arthur's life long fascination with all things Arthurian. But Arthur's fascination wasn't simply some boyhood phase. After some time Arthur's grandfather pledges him to a secret that he must never reveal. It seems that the Holy Grail of Arthurian legend maybe real and that it has a definite connection to Barchester.Arthur grows to adulthood and takes a teaching position at the university not far from Barchester where he now resides. He spends his life pursuing the mystery imparted to him by his grandfather and it seems to revolve around the 6th century martyred Saxon saint that founded the religious community that built the nearby ruined priory and the extant cathedral. Unfortunately, virtually nothing is known of this saint as her life story was contained in a book now lost and in this book may also be the key to finding the Holy Grail. Now a young American woman arrives at the cathedral and invades Arthur's sanctuary, the cathedral library.Employed by a mega-rich American collecting Biblical artifacts to house in a Bible museum he intends to build this young woman is in Barchester to digitize the medieval manuscripts in the library and make them available free online. Arthur is horrified. The woman is the opposite of everything Arthur believes in but she is no patsy. She stands her ground against this English curmudgeon and their banter is most entertaining. Her name is Bethany and she too has a secret. Her arrival in Barchester is no accident of fate. This book will ensnare you in the mystery of finding the Book of St. Ewoulda and then learning the secrets that might lead to the recovery of the Holy Grail. Along the way you will learn about Arthur Prescott and his love of books and the people that inhabit his life and the town of Barchester. This book is pure mystery and quest without evil villains or explosions or people disappearing or dying mysteriously. This book was just fun and delightful and I highly recommend it. (less)flag8 likes · 7 comments · see review

This book is an unusual thriller in that it does not contain a superhero or gratuitous violence. It involves the reader who gets his thrills from the pursuit of mysteries and ancient secrets. The story is well constructed and executed, and the writing and characterization are first-rate. It involves a teacher at a college attached to an over 1000 year old cathedral who is working on a history and guidebook to the cathedral. The narrative shifts between the present time to various points in the past, when threats from Vikings, civil wars, and religious oppression endangered vital manuscripts from the original sixth century church. These manuscripts dealt with the church's lost saint and the existence of the holy grail itself. I won't spoil the mystery with too much detail, but the story is an edge-of-seat experience. There is a favorable ending to a fantastic but believable story.

I was truly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Thousand year old Church of England history is usually not my thing to say the least. However, I am a bit of a Holy Grail enthusiast, so the title and book description enticed me. Lovett captures the ritual of English religious life at a somewhat remote and second class cathedral and uses flashbacks to compare and contrast the happenings of hundreds of years to today. The story is fun and draws the reader into the tale in a very addictive way. I highly recommend the book. Enjoy!

I enjoyed this book,. The characters were interesting and distinct. I liked the mystery the two main characters had to solve and the way they used clues from art and literature to find the treasure. I loved the story of Ewolda, even if I find remaining a virgin in order to serve God seemed far fetched in the 8th century. Especially when remaining chaste caused her death. But it's a story so I accept it. The secondary characters were also likable. On the whole it was a very comforting story and the description of the town and the cathedral was like being wrapped in a warm blanket.The one thread I didn't like was the idea that Arthur loved the church ritual (which I like too)to the point of attending the daily liturgical offices of prime, evensong and compline, but insisted that everyone know he didn't believe in God. Throughout this book we were supposed to believe there was this struggle with himself and his friends who were believers. I didn't really understand it and thought it was a rather lame conflict.All in all it was a good book worth reading and I recommend it.

Arthur Prescott is a hidebound lecturer at the local college. From the time that he was nine, he has been obsessed with tales of the Grail. One day he finds his world turned upside down by a young woman, Bethany Davis, who has been sent to digitize the holdings of the Barcester Cathedral library.With the help of Bethany, Arthur finally completes a guidebook for the cathedral. One thing that had bothered Arthur and kept him from finishing the guidebook was not having the stories of St. Ewolda. He finally manages to finish the guidebook but in the process starts the hunt for a missing encoded book. He, Bethany, Oscar and David manage to find the book and translate it. In the process they find the tomb of St. Ewolda and the spring of healing water associated with her.I really enjoyed this book. The story moved at a fast pace.

I got this book mostly on the good reviews posted on Amazon and also on the recommendation of friends. The writing is wonderful, Mr. Lovett has a great way with words. The subject matter is books, history, the grail, a mystery and an interesting cathedral and town. I like the character of Arthur Prescott but why we had to have an annoying abrasive character like Bethany thrown into the mix is beyond me. Hence I am only giving the book 4 stars.

Few times in my life have I read anything as well written, as entertaining and as satisfying as The Lost Book of the Grail. It was everything I had hoped it would be. Well done, Mr. Lovett.

J'avais beaucoup aimé "the bookman's tale", et depuis j'essaie de lire les autres romans de Charlie Lovett.Celui-ci est vraiment passionnant, avec comme toujours chez cet auteur la recherche d'un livre perdu...Mais aussi une plongée dans l'histoire d'une abbaye et de son architecture, une brochette de héros attachants, la quête du Graal - et même le conflit entre amateurs de vieux livres et partisans du numerique, que je me garderai bien de trancher, car sans ma Kindle je n'aurais pas pu lire cet excellent roman !!!Mais il y a un hic, c'est que comme les précédents, j'ai dû le lire en anglais... Ce qui est sûrement très bon pour moi, mais bien moins pratique et agréable que s'il était traduit .Par pitié, vous les éditeurs, traduisez Lovett !

More than I hoped it would be! It`s believable, a bit romantic and invites a question of faith. A great mix of medieval and contemporary stories.

While I can't really say this was a bad reading, I was dissapointed. The story was a bit boring at some point and the characters were flat. I won't talk about the end that made me sigh from boredom. Having read far worse, I grant it 3 stars; but having read far better from Lovett (the bookman's tale, NOT first impressions that dissapointed me even more than this one), I feel a bit too generous on that rate.