Welcome to Day #3 of The Book of Boy Blog Tour!
To celebrate the release of The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (on shelves now!), blogs across the web are featuring exclusive content from Catherine, plus 5 chances to win a copy of The Book of Boy!
Fun Facts on the Middle Ages
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
I had such a blast researching The Book of Boy! First of all, the REAL Middle Ages are only a scooch away from fantasy. How often do we read about mysterious footsore travelers reaching inns to eat stew and drink from tankards? Add a dragon and a sword and you have yourself a novel. Add a demon instead, and you’ve got what a medieval person would call bitter truth. One of my favorite images from my research involves a fourteenth-century eyewitness account of Saint Bernard exorcising a demon: a black fire-breathing demon the size of a pigeon, flying out of a woman’s mouth. This actually happened, apparently. Everyone saw. Any reader who accuses me of taking liberties in The Book of Boy should spend a few minutes brushing up on the medieval world view.
For a while I became obsessed with bridges because The Book of Boy for a while actually featured demons. We all know demons can’t cross water, but how did humans do it? Were the ancient Roman bridges still standing, a thousand years after the empire’s collapse? I learned eventually that most Roman bridges were long gone; a millennium is a long time to best gravity. In cities, bridges were often built and taxed by royalty who notoriously siphoned the tolls for personal use: “London Bridge Is Falling Down” chastises an English queen for allowing the bridge to fall into ruin. Outside of cities, monks might take on bridge maintenance as a form of devotion in the way others cared for the ill and the poor: a missing bridge resulted not only in lost trade but more importantly in lost souls if pilgrims couldn’t reach their shrines. That said, bridges were generally in bad shape. Travelers described crawling over massive holes, and cursed the despicable locals who treated bridges as stone quarries.
My second great research tangent was Vikings. I so wanted Vikings to attack the ship that Boy sails to Rome. I boned up on Viking navigation, Viking migration, Viking hordes . . . lots on Vikings. But no matter how I cut it, I couldn’t fit them in. By 1350 Vikings were ruling countries, not looting them: see William the Conqueror. So, alas, I whisked my hero to Rome sans marauding.
Finally: spices. This is somewhat ironic given that Boy doesn’t really eat, but I deep-dived into medieval cookery. I learned, for example, that contrary to modern belief, people back then did not use spices to disguise bad food; meat was fresher than today. In Out of the East: Spices and the Medieval Imagination (2009), Paul Freedman describes how people ate spices—tons of spices—not only because they were luxuriously expensive but also because they were considered healthy, kind of like a modern-day spa. I’ve always loved cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, ginger, pepper . . . but now I eat them in lieu of a pedicure.
Praise for The Book of Boy
* “Scuffles and sacrifices, ferocious animals, and dastardly thieves abound as Boy and Secundus are slowly revealed to readers—and each other. This is also a beautiful piece of bookmaking, from the woodblock-style design elements to the manuscript-like paper. A vivid, not-to-be-missed story.”
— Booklist STARRED review
* “Light and darkness have never clashed with such fierce majesty and eloquent damnation. Murdock weaves an engrossing tale. ...Blend epic adventure with gothic good and evil, and add a dash of sly wit for a tale that keeps readers turning the page.”
— Kirkus STARRED review
* “Fresh, immediate, and earthy: the fakery, the faith, the embedded stories, the escapades. The story is beautifully served by its package...Most remarkable and unusual is the character of Boy, a complex and compelling being whose defining quality is goodness.”
— Horn Book STARRED review
About the Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock lives in Philadelphia with her husband, two brilliant, unicycling children, several cats, and a one-acre yard that she is slowly transforming into a wee but flourishing ecosystem.
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
For a while I became obsessed with bridges because The Book of Boy for a while actually featured demons. We all know demons can’t cross water, but how did humans do it? Were the ancient Roman bridges still standing, a thousand years after the empire’s collapse? I learned eventually that most Roman bridges were long gone; a millennium is a long time to best gravity. In cities, bridges were often built and taxed by royalty who notoriously siphoned the tolls for personal use: “London Bridge Is Falling Down” chastises an English queen for allowing the bridge to fall into ruin. Outside of cities, monks might take on bridge maintenance as a form of devotion in the way others cared for the ill and the poor: a missing bridge resulted not only in lost trade but more importantly in lost souls if pilgrims couldn’t reach their shrines. That said, bridges were generally in bad shape. Travelers described crawling over massive holes, and cursed the despicable locals who treated bridges as stone quarries.
My second great research tangent was Vikings. I so wanted Vikings to attack the ship that Boy sails to Rome. I boned up on Viking navigation, Viking migration, Viking hordes . . . lots on Vikings. But no matter how I cut it, I couldn’t fit them in. By 1350 Vikings were ruling countries, not looting them: see William the Conqueror. So, alas, I whisked my hero to Rome sans marauding.
Finally: spices. This is somewhat ironic given that Boy doesn’t really eat, but I deep-dived into medieval cookery. I learned, for example, that contrary to modern belief, people back then did not use spices to disguise bad food; meat was fresher than today. In Out of the East: Spices and the Medieval Imagination (2009), Paul Freedman describes how people ate spices—tons of spices—not only because they were luxuriously expensive but also because they were considered healthy, kind of like a modern-day spa. I’ve always loved cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, ginger, pepper . . . but now I eat them in lieu of a pedicure.
*****
Blog Tour Schedule:
October 22nd – Chat With Vera
October 23rd – Christy's Cozy Corners
October 24th – Beach Bound Books
October 25th – Java John Z's
October 26th – Bookhounds
October 23rd – Christy's Cozy Corners
October 24th – Beach Bound Books
October 25th – Java John Z's
October 26th – Bookhounds
A young outcast is swept up into a thrilling and perilous medieval treasure hunt in this literary page-turner by acclaimed bestselling author Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
This epic and engrossing quest story is for fans of Adam Gidwitz’s The Inquisitor’s Tale and Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and for readers of all ages. Features a map and black-and-white art by Ian Schoenherr throughout.
Boy has always been relegated to the outskirts of his small village. With a large hump on his back, a mysterious past, and a tendency to talk to animals, he is often mocked by others in his town—until the arrival of a shadowy pilgrim named Secondus. Impressed with Boy’s climbing and jumping abilities, Secondus engages Boy as his servant, pulling him into an action-packed and suspensful expedition across Europe to gather the seven precious relics of Saint Peter.
Boy quickly realizes this journey is not an innocent one. They are stealing the relics and accumulating dangerous enemies in the process. But Boy is determined to see this pilgrimage through until the end—for what if St. Peter can make Boy’s hump go away? A surprising and unforgettable tale for readers of all ages.
Praise for The Book of Boy
* “Scuffles and sacrifices, ferocious animals, and dastardly thieves abound as Boy and Secundus are slowly revealed to readers—and each other. This is also a beautiful piece of bookmaking, from the woodblock-style design elements to the manuscript-like paper. A vivid, not-to-be-missed story.”
— Booklist STARRED review
* “Light and darkness have never clashed with such fierce majesty and eloquent damnation. Murdock weaves an engrossing tale. ...Blend epic adventure with gothic good and evil, and add a dash of sly wit for a tale that keeps readers turning the page.”
— Kirkus STARRED review
* “Fresh, immediate, and earthy: the fakery, the faith, the embedded stories, the escapades. The story is beautifully served by its package...Most remarkable and unusual is the character of Boy, a complex and compelling being whose defining quality is goodness.”
— Horn Book STARRED review
About the Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock lives in Philadelphia with her husband, two brilliant, unicycling children, several cats, and a one-acre yard that she is slowly transforming into a wee but flourishing ecosystem.
GIVEAWAY
- One (1) winner will receive a copy of The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
- US/Canada only
