"He was as fresh as the month of May." - Chaucer

May 6, 2007 7:24 PM

Looking for a book - modern fiction, middle ages genre (not a romance novel!)

I'm looking for a book I once read that was set in the Middle Ages, and had a storyline involving (among other things) the life of a peasant family. One of the key scenes was the father getting a splinter stuck in his finger, which then became horribly infected. Cue a gangrenous arm and the poor man dying in a darkened hut. I don't remember much else but the sense of grinding poverty, chilblains, and dirt.

posted by Liosliath to writing & language (9 comments total)

How modern are we talking about, here?
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 7:49 PM on May 6, 2007

I'm sorry, this is not the same book, but if you like this sort of thing, Doomsday Book by Connie Willis is really good.
posted by thebrokedown at 8:01 PM on May 6, 2007

BLF - I can't recall, but I would guess the latter half of the 20th century.
posted by Liosliath at 8:05 PM on May 6, 2007

Was it The Pillars of the Earth? It's been a long time since I read this Ken Follet opus but it sounds similar. And, it's a great epic read.
posted by longsleeves at 8:36 PM on May 6, 2007

Longsleeves, that little excerpt on Amazon seems familiar, I think you may have it!

I'll run over to the bookstore tomorrow and check it out. Woo!
posted by Liosliath at 8:44 PM on May 6, 2007

Dorothy Dunnetts Lymond Chronicles are the bomb. The first one is called The Game of Kings. You cannot go wrong with those books. Fantastic.
posted by damiano99 at 11:23 PM on May 6, 2007

I'm seconding Pillars of the Earth. What a great read that was and still is my of my favourite books. Even if it's not the book you're looking for you should have a go at it.
posted by LunaticFringe at 6:00 AM on May 7, 2007

Was it The Clerkenwell Tales?

Also second The Doomsday Book.
posted by media_itoku at 8:05 AM on May 7, 2007

Well, I'm done with The Pillars of the Earth, and it wasn't the right book, though it was a great read.

I'll try The Clerkenwell Tales next - I don't think that's it, based on the excerpt...but no matter, these are great recommendations anyway.
posted by Liosliath at 6:04 AM on May 8, 2007