2008-04-22 A light delight

Having the Decorators in is a follow up to Reay Tannahill's earlier novel Having the Builders in. Dame Constance's extension that caused her so much trouble in the former novel is now complete, but she needs something to grace the walls of her new great chamber. Hangings perhaps, or wall paintings. She decides on the latter and employs an Italian painter to craft her some murals. However, as with the building work, not everything goes smoothly. The peasants are revolting (!) and various refugees seeking security away from the violence wash up on her doorstep, including objectionable merchants and their lovelorn daughters, pilgrims and self-important clerics. Her son Gervase is in need of a wife, but the one who would prove ideal for him doesn't want a husband. It's enough to give any woman a migraine, but Dame Constance is made of sterner stuff.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable novel. It's light and frothy and goes down easily. There isn't that much of a plot, more of a series of charming vignettes showing the life and times of the 14th century. Some of the sensibilities are occasionally forced towards the 21st century (Flora's resolution for example), and sometimes the research is put into the novel for research's sake, but on the whole I really enjoyed this book and it was a palate cleanser between more weighty tomes of historical fiction. A strong 4 stars from me and 8.9 out of ten in my reading journal.
On another note, I was very sorry to read that Reay Tannahill had died. A sad loss to the world of historical fiction.