By Simon LeVay $16.95; Lambourn Press; 422 pages
In his second novel, The Donation of Constantine: A Novel, Simon LeVay explores the intricacies of the Catholic church and the power it exerted over Europe in the middle of the eighth century.
LeVay intertwined the lives of historical figures with fictional characters to tell the story of a transformative time for the Catholic Church.
The book is a captivating story of Pope Stephen II's papacy and his desire to save Rome from the Lombards; subterfuge between Deacon Paul ( Pope Stephen's brother ) and Sister Leoba ( a Vatican scribe ) surrounding the Donation of Constantine; the role that Omar ( a Muslim who crafted and sold Christian relics ) plays in that subterfuge, Zaid ( Omar's son ) and Lenora's ( a Christian neighbor of Zaid's ) unlikely love story; Pope Stephen II's travels to secure the support of the Frankish King Pepin; and the war between Pope Stephen II and the Lombards, which King Aistulf led.
The book is peppered with just enough detail about Catholic traditions, rites and prayers for readers to understand the inner workings of the Catholic church during this era.
The best parts of the book feature Zaid's and Lenora's joint and separate paths, and Sister Leoba's story.
Although you might disagree with a character's actions, the reasons behind them are made clear with the way LeVay describes the feelings and motivations of each. This is where LeVay shines as an historical fiction author.
Aside from the anachronistic use of floozy and rascal in the beginning of the book, LeVay does a great job of transporting the reader back to a time when travel was time consuming and arduous, relics were held in high regard, and Rome was in a period of decline.
LeVay includes an afterword where he explained who the fictional characters were as well as additional information about the historical figures and events that took place. He also explained how he embellished some of their stories or merged events to streamline the overall story.
The Donation of Constantine: A Novel is a gripping, suspenseful and intricate tale. For readers who love history and historical fiction, especially how the inner workings of the Catholic church affected the landscape of Europe during the medieval era, I would highly recommend this book.