Dance of Stone

This book is not really a traditional romance novel and would probably best be classified as historical fiction with gay characters, although there is a romance. It reminds me of [b:The Last of the Wine 67696 The Last of the Wine Mary Renault https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403194003s/67696.jpg 413858] in that it's very deep in the main character's perspective (although not in first person), and the reader is left to draw a lot of conclusions. The writing style is beautiful, too. Because it isn't structured like other romance novels I've read, I wasn't ever sure about where the plot was going, so I was excited to keep reading. But it's a slow-paced book.Hugh is a mason, something between a workman and an architect, and he's totally dedicated to his craft. All he really wants to do is build churches, but unscrupulous men throw his life off course several times. He is a very good person, someone who always does the right thing, but he's also very stubborn and doesn't always see the big picture in life. He has to learn to accept love, which happens through a series of harrowing experiences, each one leaving him more vulnerable than the last. He's a lonely man, and the narrative is pretty lonely, too. He holds himself apart from other people, which makes it very satisfying when he finally gets together with his love interest. But I didn't feel like they were in love until nearly the last page.The author really brings the setting of 12th century England to life, both in everyday details and in the way that everyone is at the mercy of a few powerful men, even those like Hugh who have achieved a small amount of power, but especially queer people, women, and minorities (there are some Jewish characters). The Church is central to everyone's existence, and the story shows how easy it was for some to abuse that fact in order to take advantage of others.This is the second book I've read from Manifold Press, and they've both been amazing. I look forward to continuing to explore their releases.