A review by professor_dinosaur
To Calais, in Ordinary Time by James Meek

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I’m very torn about this book. The characterization is excellent. It meandered a little, there were segments (the scene with the kingmother, nearly anything that happens when they actually

get to France

) I would have cut entirely. Thomas’ segments were infuriatingly long. I understand the point is he’s overeducated, but these segments often dropped the energy built by the much more interesting stories of Will and Bern. I thought the sex scenes were generally tasteful, if overabundant. This is a good read if you like the characterization of fantasy with the stakes unique to historical fiction.