The Physician's Tale

The Plague Tales #3

by Ann Benson

Sweeping us from plague-ravaged Europe to the terrifying near future, acclaimed author Ann Benson brings two eras brilliantly to life. The Physician’s Tale is a spellbinding saga of two healers separated by six centuries, both facing terror and trials, bound together by history, science, and destiny.

In the near future, in the hills of the American Northeast, a group of men, women, and children band together for survival against nature and human enemies, huddling in the only corner of the world they know. Among these people is Janie Crowe, a physician whose son is her greatest hope and deepest secret. Etched into Janie’s memory is the ancient journal of a Jewish man of medicine–a man who fought for survival in his own age of plague.

In Europe, in the age of the Black Death, Alejandro Canches must hide his identity–and break his oath as a physician for the sake of his and his loved ones’ lives. As France and England are locked in war, and disease lays waste to both, Alejandro’s daughter Kate is caught in the clutches of King Edward of England. Betrayed by a patient, hunted by the king, Alejandro makes a desperate journey to Windsor itself, where a clever scribe named Geoffrey Chaucer has hatched a fantastic plan for Kate’s escape....

As the story of Alejandro and his family builds to a gripping climax, and as Janie’s life is racked by trials and the dawning of a new age, The Physician’s Tale brings together a rich cast of friends and lovers, traitors and healers. Unraveling mysteries of science, history, and the human heart, Ann Benson has created a stunning chronicle of courage in the face of darkness–in a work of vibrant storytelling and unrelenting suspense.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Science Fiction, Suspense, Romance, Dystopia

528 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now that I've come on here on goodreads and discovered that this is apparently the third book in a series, I understand why I spent a lot of the book feeling like I was missing something. I agree with the previous reviewer who said that it's a mistake on the publisher's part to not more clearly mark this on the book cover. I got it from the library, and nowhere on the cover does it say that this is book three in The Plague Tales... just lists the other books in the series as previous books by the author. A shame, given that I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had the background information.

That said, I found the book to be entertaining and interesting, but nothing particularly special. Perhaps if I had read the previous books the characters would feel better developed to me, but as it is, they felt rather flat and two dimensional. There were a lot of plot points that felt a little too convenient or easy or just hard to believe, and I felt that in the end there were a lot of questions left unanswered. Perhaps I will try reading the previous books and see if it fills in the blanks for me. I also felt, however, that the use of some of the historical characters was a little weak, and the explanation of some of the science in the present day plot line was also a little weak. I just kind of wasn't buying it, and I think an important job of an author of a book like this is to make sure you sell me on whatever mythology you create. Additionally, I didn't like how she seemed to be trying to work these strange and out of place fantastical elements into a story that seemed to be otherwise intended to be realistic and scientifically based. I love a good fantasy story, but it just felt out of place in this book. Again, I just wasn't buying it.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh lord, I am so sad b/c this is the final book in this series that began with The Plague Tales, continued with The Burning Road and Thief of Souls, all in such a compelling way. I just love how Ann benson has created characters that are so amazingly dear to my heart that I find myself thinking about them as if they were real, wondering what happened after each book, especially the character of Alejandro Canches, the Jewish physician from the 1300s! She manages to wed the past and the near future in such a smooth, wonderful way, there is no way on earth you won't be disappointed in reading any of these, although I'd certainly recommend beginning at. . . well, the beginning! You learn about the original infestation or wave of the Black Plague in Europe, or the blue sickness, as they called it at the time, in a way that isn't preachy or boring, but incredibly interesting and real, as if it were happening today. Check it out!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised to read negative reviews of this book considering that I enjoyed it so much. It can be difficult to read since it flips between the past and the future. I have to admit that at times I would get involved in one part of the story so when the author switched the narrative it could be frustrating, but the narrative flipping is also what makes the story interesting.
You can read this one without reading her other books, The Plague Tales, The Burning Road and Thief of Souls, but it does help to read them first and get some background.
I only gave the book four stars because I felt a little let down by the ending. The author skips forward several years in both the past and future sections of the book. In the past section, there was really no more elaboration needed, but the skip forward in the future section just seemed too abrupt and it seemed as if I had missed something.
I highly recommend all four of Ann Benson's books.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the third book in the series and I have to say, a lot of the background given would have been best served in one of the first two 600 page tomes. Also, the time jump at the end isn't specified which leaves a lot to the imagination and not in a good way. Too many loose ends in this one but I'm a trooper and was going to finish the thing.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical fiction at its best. This is number three of a trilogy and could be enjoyed as a stand-alone, but I strongly recommend that all three books be read in order and preferably close together, as I unfortunately have not done.
Oh how I have loved this series. I wish there were more, but now I need to read Chaucer!
I love it when a good book pushes me to research more.
Middle ages, plagues, and modern medicine. It's told in alternating chapters. The fourteenth century and the present, the experiences of a brilliant physician in his life during plague years and another modern physician who accidentally releases the same plague on the modern world, their adventures and survival.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book, not knowing it was book 3 of series when I started it. That being said, this book stands up well on its own in being a complete story. I was left with some minor questions as to certain chatecter's motivations and questions about the societal landscape and politics, but when you start at book 3... it's to be expected. An interesting read. Part fiction, part fantasy, part history.

[Elsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro ligero que mezcla fantasía y realidad para crear una historia sensacional y entretenida. Quizá se me queda un poco flojo el final, quedan algunas preguntas en el aire, pero en general es un libro entretenido y fácil de leer, quizá no aconsejado a quienes estén cansados del tema pandemia pero que resulta ameno.

[Barbara]

A fitting ending

A good ending to the trilogy that began with the story of 2 physicians faced with healing during a plague. Leaves the reader with a satisfying sense of circulatory and continuation. Readers from 2020 will also be struck by how many parts of the book predicted our current state of affairs

[Mandy Schimelpfenig · Rating 5 out of 5]

The conclusion to the Plague Tales delivers everything I wanted. Again we follow two timelines with characters struggling again the fallout from plague. I absolutely love the doctor and his peripheral fight to save his adoptive daughter. The history is rich and the addition of Geoffrey Chaucer is delightful. A very satisfying end that I never wanted to reach.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was wondering how Benson would wrap this up. Huge leap in time for Alex, and really unbelievable since the world had basically regressed hundreds if not thousands of years.

How do you revive the world with pneumatic trains in one generation.

Nevertheless a good trilogy of books…could have been four.

[Vera Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting ending for the series

To visit both past and future, hoping nothing of the future comes true is a true tale of heroism, hatred and kindness. To know what blindness there was in the past doesn't mean it doesn't happen in the future. One can only hope we learn from the mistakes of the world.

[Roberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha sido como leer dos novelas en una. Capítulos impares, una historia. Capítulos pares, otra. Esa detalle me ha gustado. Trama medieval más entretenida que la actual, pero ambas interesantes y bien escritas.

Un par de puntos negativos. El primero, demasiado amor a primera vista y romanticismo empalagoso. El segundo, todo se desencadena muy rápido al final de la novela.

[Kelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than The Burning Road, the female lead wasn't as obnoxious. I still found the medieval portions of the book far more inviting. Author created a huge gap in story line that could be filled at a later date with another book.

[Melissa Crespy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel better than Burning Road. The plot was better, there was more action, and the characters, to my mind's eye, were better. I'll admit that this romantic reader enjoys the 14th century story a bit more than the "futuristic" one, but both are well-drawn.

[Sarah McNair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually don’t read this genre but I couldn’t put it down! I’m so excited to find and read the next two in this series.

[Bruno Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente!!! Mi libro favorito del año. Muy bueno el desarrollo de las historias paralelas pero conectadas

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me ha resultado muy muy largo. Creo que es un planteamiento original pero no me ha llegado.
Un aprobado justo.

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Physician's Tale by Ann Benson was originally published in 2006. The Physician's Tale continues the story and/or includes characters found in Benson's previous books, The Plague Tales, The Burning Road, and The Thief of Souls. The formula Benson started in these tales is to have each chapter written as parallel narratives, one set in 21st century America and the other in 14th century Europe (or 15th in Thief of Souls) . The near future events are in the wake of a global epidemic while the earlier tale is during the plague-ridden era of the Black Death. This installment of her series isn't as well defined and sharply conceived and written as the previous books. There were times when you would lose interest in what was happening in both centuries. The Physician's Tale will be a definite read for fans despite it's falling a bit flat. For those who are not acquainted with Ann Benson's work, you do need to start with the first book, The Plague Tales, in order to fully appreciate them and follow the story line. While this installment is likely a 5 for fans, it's not as good as the previous books and likely deserves a 3, so I'll give it a rating of 4. http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/

[Callie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book was very interesting. It was a book with two stories in it; one of the past, following the life of a physician during the Black Plague, the other a dystopian civilization trying to survive after a devestating plague war that wipes out most of earth's population.

Problem? Each story line was filled with multiple characters and complex storylines, and you shift back and forth from one story to the other with EVERY chapter! I couldn't keep the details straight and more tragically, couldn't get invested in the many characters. So...I decided to skip the story of the past and continue with the futuristic one, which was more interesting to me. With this self edit (I know, I know, the author would kill me if she knew) I really came to enjoy the story and certainly care about the characters! By the time I reached the end of the novel, I realized why she had included both stories, but really, I didn't need them to appreciate this very interesting and creative novel.

Too bad the author didn't have a friend or editor that let her in on this BEFORE publishing.

[Kir · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read the first two books in this series, skipped over the third one somehow, and then finished it out with this one. In the series, Benson creates two timelines: one in 14th century Europe, where a Jewish physician uses remarkable insight to study the human body and plague cures; the other in the near future, where people have become immune to antiobiotics through their overuse and the world is ripe for an outbreak of a horrible pandemic--a virus that mixes components of bird flu and the plague to wipe out a majority of the population. The survivors then band together in small communities to survive, and one of them, Janie Crowe, a surgeon, uses the journal of the medieval physician to gain insight into the past and the present. A good read, but a bit heavy-handed with scientific and moralistic stuff in the modern times.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a severe error on the part of the publisher to note nowhere on the book that it was actually part of a series. Without context, the story was extremely weak- characters' motivations seemed feeble and "deep" emotions and relationships were apparently baseless. That said, the story seemed like it coulod have been interesting within the context of a longer series. The author wrote both the medieval past and near future scenes well; it just lacked emotional resonance without the support of a longer story!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the previous two novels in this series, so I was a little disappointed by The Physician's Tale. Both halves of the book were overcrowded by the author's commitment to bringing back every possible character from the previous books, and even a few from a totally unrelated novel. The section set in the future was interesting, in a 28 Days Later kind of way, but the section set in medieval France and England was very similar in theme and structure to the earlier novels. I really felt that there wasn't much new in store for Alejandro and Kate.

[Darshan Elena · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love books that shift between historical periods and character perspectives, and I appreciated the book's attention to historical information regarding the plague. Such love, however, was undone by this novel's racism. I detest books with racist premises and effects, and I was flummoxed to discover the racist dimensions of this novel. Here comes the spoiler: the modern plague comes through Mexico, and it sole survivors are white folks with a particular gene sequence that originates in more or less Celtic lands. Now that's an original narrative premise!

[Dan Anders · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sad to say, but I finished this book almost half because I felt like I had to...I hate to discard anything before finishing. I felt this book was way too similar to the first book; was like reading the same story over again. So much jumping between time periods tended to get annoying after the first few dozen jumps. Worst part I think was the ending...seemed like the author just wanted to wrap up too fast...I think she could have played out the futur-setting events more fully than just skipping like 15-20 years into the future.

[Jaralee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good page turner with an interesting plot. It takes place in the very near future when humanity is trying to survive in pockets around the U.S.A. after biological warfare. It connects to the time during the Black Plague in the 1400s when a physician from present day, finds the journals of a physician from the earlier time. Both are trying to protect their communities and loved ones from the presenting infections within their Era. There is also some connections that are a bit out there, but very interesting to contemplate.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really more like 3.5 stars. I am definitely going to have to read more of her books. I like the mix of the past and the future. I definitely preferred her tale in the past but it was fun to read both of them. She did have a down right goofy premise- but I thought her vision of the world hit by a plague of sorts was interesting. Hope it never happens- but it makes me want to beef up my emergency preparedness!

[Manuel Barrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great addition to the concept of historical fiction despite some of the jingoistic premises upon a near future dystopic world comes to be. I found the juxtaposing of a doctor during the European plague of the 1300's with a future set of doctors and accompanying charactrs during a similar scourge created by collusiong between religious zealots--Christian and Islamist--a great device. A small element of science fiction is included, but I will let the reader figure that out

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Benson manages to give you both a believable future history and a believable historical fiction....and ties the two together in intriguing ways. The suspense and plot pacing are great and the ending satisfying. What is most rewarding is the way her stories from past and future are strikingly relevant to our present."

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this book took me a while to finish, not because it wasn't good, more because it was my "car" book, or the book I kept in the car to read while picking up kids, going to appointments, etc. That said, there were some definite slow spots, I feel she drug the storyline out too long at times but in the end I liked the book overall. An interesting mix off past and future.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the back and forth between historical fiction and post-disaster scenario. The story was well written and interesting, though the ending was rather anticlimactic. It was a good airplane read (which is mostly how I read it) and I'd recommend it if you wanted a decent thriller-mystery to pass the time.