THE TAPESTRY

The third installment in Bilyeau's award-winning trilogy finds Joanna Stafford vowing to live a quiet life weaving tapestries after her Dominican priory is closed by King Henry VIII. When she's summoned to Whitehall by the king, who admires her weavings, she discovers her life is in danger. Nicola Barber's excellent narration brings Henry VIII's court to life, introducing listeners to a variety of historic figures, including the scheming Thomas Cromwell and naïve Catherine Howard. Barber handles multiple characters, including a diversity of male voices, with impressive ease and offers an especially engaging portrait of Joanna, a complex, likable heroine with spunk and brains to spare. Both a lively and accurate history lesson and a well-crafted suspense novel, this production will satisfy an array of listeners, keeping them enthralled for hours. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2015]