Book Review: Chaucer's Tale

Title: Chaucer’s Tale: 1386 and the Road to Canterbury

By: Paul Strohm

Rating: ☕ ☕ ☕ (3)

I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this book and thus had a hard time writing this review. Paul Strohm clearly did a great deal of research and put a lot of effort into this book, but I felt like this became more about the history of London in the late 14th Century and less a micro biography of Chaucer.

Don’t get me wrong, I really did like the book and if it had been packaged as a history of London or the politics of England during the time of Chaucer, I wouldn't be so conflicted. So much time was spent on the history, social dynamics, politics, and other notable persons of the time, that Chaucer became a minor player in his own story. A chapter would begin with some aspect of Chaucer’s personal or professional life, and then Strohm would spend the next 30 pages discussing something related and Chaucer would all but disappear until the author circled back and discussed how it could have influenced Chaucer’s writing. He might include a passage from Chaucer’s work to illustrate his point, but anything related directly to him was a fraction of what was written about the setting. Frequently I had to remind myself that the book was about Chaucer, and not London or later, Kent.

The passages quoted from Chaucer’s work were what I really liked about the book. I loved how Strohm used the Old English and the modern vernacular. He did an excellent job choosing passages that related to the chapter. It was only during these brief interludes when I felt the focus was on Chaucer.

Though I really enjoyed the book, due to the unfocused nature of the narrative, I can’t justify giving it a 4 cup rating. But because I personally liked it overall I’m giving it a rating of 3.

**NetGalley provided me with an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**