‘There is never a dull moment on this trip … The vicissitudes of John’s journey are a delight to follow … The result is a vividly atmospheric sense of period and, in character of John the Pupil, a richly comical and engaging hero … Learned, funny and strikingly original, this is a hugely enjoyable read’ Rose Wild, The Times‘The cover blurb for his seventh novel compares David Flusfeder with Umberto Eco and Quentin Tarantino … this is a novel far more original and ambitious than such a description would suggest … His sentences [are] elegant, unusual, often beautifully and brilliantly measured … It is hard not to see all too much of our contemporary conundrums wrapped up in John's. His narrative is made of diversions and other people's words … Can we really believe it? Does he – John or the translator – even believe it? This uncertainty brings out further questions – What should I allow others to know? How honest can I be? How much of my experience is my own? – questions that are explored with generosity and rigour in this superbly written and intellectually stimulating novel.’ Stuart Evers, Independent‘Original, unusual, intriguing: Flusfeder just keeps getting better and better’ Mail on Sunday‘Flusfeder writes impressively measured prose, provides a convincing look inside the medieval mind, and provokes some interesting ideas’ Daily Mail‘Flusfeder brilliantly recreates both the mental and physical landscapes of medieval Europe’ Mail on Sunday‘Plunges the 21st-century reader into a world where very little is recognisable. The fact that Flusfeder achieves this so triumphantly is highly impressive’ Telegraph‘It is certainly a lively tale and will appeal to anyone who is a fan of Umberto Eco’s “The Name of the Rose”’ AN Wilson, Financial Times‘Umberto Eco through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino’ Louisa Young, Daily Mail
