Short and sweet! I really hope we get more of these characters and this world! I will read pretty much everything in this setting. The Han*** 4.35 ***
Short and sweet! I really hope we get more of these characters and this world! I will read pretty much everything in this setting. The Hand and Seraphina are my favorite ...more
The book is unique and enchanting, in its own way, but the way it is structured is not for those who have a hard time with jumping timelin*** 4.15 ***
The book is unique and enchanting, in its own way, but the way it is structured is not for those who have a hard time with jumping timelines and story arks. The constant POV changes are confusing in the beginning, but eventually everything comes together at the end. The abrupt switches are very deliberate, pointing to a story well planned and executed, so once the reader gets accustomed to the rhythm of it, they can concentrate on the jist of the author 's ideas.
I loved the story, which was the connecting thread to all timelines and was fascinated by it being created by an uncle for his dying niece, trying to keep her in this world longer, extending her life by keeping her interested in every new chapter... Also, my original motherland was mentioned several times, so it made me smile ...more
A very well told story of the advance of Henry V on France, culminating with the battle of Agincourt. Our protagonist is Nicolas Hook, a fictional WelA very well told story of the advance of Henry V on France, culminating with the battle of Agincourt. Our protagonist is Nicolas Hook, a fictional Welsh bastard of a minor Lord, who is a Forester and an archer. After hitting a priest, he becomes an outlaw and joins a mercenary company, headed to the front. Eventually he ends up as an archer for Lord John Cornwell.
Nic Hook is the eyes the author uses to show us the life and motivations of the regular soldiers, as well as giving us glimpses of the same for Henry V and his retinue. As usual, this author doesn't spare our sensibilities and the book can get difficult to read when it comes to rape, pillaging, and slaughter, but none of it is gratuitous or out of place. History is about facts, or at least as close as we can get, but it is not pretty. Despite all that, the author is a master of telling the military tale in a compelling and engaging way. I didn't put the book down once I started it and it is a very quick read. Is it the most accurate or complete look upon that famous battle - no. But it is in its way just enough to spark your interest and encourage you to find out more about it. Recommend it for all interested in the history of the time (1415 c. e.), as well as those who love a good story of a low-born lad kicking some noblemen down a bit ...more
“I wish to God,” said Gideon with mild exasperation, “that you’d talk—just once—in prose like other people.”
What a storyteller! In my eye*** 4.65 ***
“I wish to God,” said Gideon with mild exasperation, “that you’d talk—just once—in prose like other people.”
What a storyteller! In my eyes, Dorothy Dunnett can do no wrong, but I am not blind to certain elements of her story construction which are not very desirable. She is a wordsmith, a great historical researcher, a creator of characters who are larger than life and walk the gray area between good and evil to a degree you are never sure where they stand, are smart, devious, and perfectly fit their time period. I have rarely read authors who manage to weave historical facts with fictional characters in such a seamless manner. Her immense knowledge of language and literature through the ages is breathtaking, and I for one truly appreciate it. However, most of those qualities are the same ones which seem to repel many a reader, and I understand that too. I am a firm believer that you should read whatever makes you happy and speaks to you. It just so happens that what some may perceive as cumbersome or bloated, I find beautiful and a gymnastics for the brain. I love the manner in which she creates her dialogue, despite not loving very much how she complicates the plot by linguistic misunderstandings and characters, whom I would like to shake and say "just say what you mean, not just what is true, but misleading when taken out of context!!!". That is actually my biggest pet peeve with all of her work. To me that leads to unnecessary manufactured drama, when there is enough drama in the story to begin with. But I know many of my favorite authors use this method, so I have learned to live with it.
Otherwise the story, about Francis Crawford of Lymond of Scotland, second son of a noble family, during the Rough Wooing period between England and Scotland after the death of Henry the Viii, is brilliant and informative, but also managed to make me care deeply about some of the characters, to a degree I actually cried like a baby when one of them met her demise under very cruel circumstances. If I could have, I would have strangled her assailant with my own hands! Had bad dreams all night....
The final chapters include a trial, where the author brings one of the best arguments about the meaningless of the concept of Patriotism I have ever come across! Despite our best desires to accept that as many cultural differences as there are, we as people, as human beings are the same, when you bring the fervency of Patriotism in the mix, all best intentions of harmony between different peoples goes out of the window... I am not saying it is a bad thing, I am just saying it is a bit absurd when you look at the big picture...
I will recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction which stays true to the period and tends to get a bit verbose, but in a good way, in my opinion. Of course, I accept that many would probably not enjoy it, so make sure you get an excerpt before you commit to buying it.
This is a very ambitious undertaking, and I think the author bit a bit more than he could chew... The span of history he attempts to cover*** 3.65 ***
This is a very ambitious undertaking, and I think the author bit a bit more than he could chew... The span of history he attempts to cover can never be adequately dealt with in one book. Something has to give, and I think in this case character development suffers the most. Yes, this is a book where the main character is the city and area of Sarum, modern day Salisbury itself, and the humans are there just to facilitate its changes and as a camera for the reader to observe through. Starting from the first settlers of the area thousands of years ago, to the end of the last century, the story of the city is given in broad terms, but by way of the intimate relationships between several families and their descendants, and the many ups and downs they go through, which shape the bones of the city itself.
I love the idea of the whole endeavor, but I couldn't help but wish at times for closure and more detail regarding some of the characters, while at other times I craved to see more of the overall history of the time. The author has named the chapters after the bigger events of the British history, but not so much as to give it to us in detail, but only as a frame of the time he is addressing and how it influenced the picture in Sarum. So, in the beginning, the time passing between chapters was measured in centuries, and starts getting tighter and tighter the closer we come to today. This allows for only loosely connected by genetics and eventually names characters, not allowing the reader to let themselves connect emotionally with any of them, since more often than not there is no closure, leaving us wondering what happened. I had no real issues with the historical parts, since the author obviously has a wonderful grasp of British history and he does a great job framing the attitudes of the citizens of Sarum as they pertain to the bigger picture. The religious and political strife, as well as the treatment of women and the Jews is portrayed brilliantly, as harsh as it comes out - there is no point of softening the truth, and life is not kind to all at all times...
Overall, I am very impressed that the author was able to tame this vast beast of a story into the pages he did - I am sure he had to use a big machete and edit with it all kinds of stuff he could have added to the story, because otherwise there would not have been a finished product. I am actually thinking about reading some of the other books he has written, now that I know what to expect. I wonder if he does as well with the cities and counties he has not grown up with and for which he doesn't feel the same obvious affection. I guess I need to Read To Find Out ...more
I truly enjoyed this witty and entertaining Victorian era set story! The writing was delightful and I wish the author would consider writi*** 4.55 ***
I truly enjoyed this witty and entertaining Victorian era set story! The writing was delightful and I wish the author would consider writing more about those characters! Actually, I think I would be glad to know he is writing anything... I have no idea why this seems to be his only book, at least as registered on this site... Shame. I would have loved to read more of this!!!...more
Where have I been and how come I had never heard of this author, Dorothy Dunnett??? And even this time around, I took a chance at her book*** 4.75 ***
Where have I been and how come I had never heard of this author, Dorothy Dunnett??? And even this time around, I took a chance at her book because someone had listed her under Fantasy genre, which at least for this book, is not true at all. This is pure Historical Fiction at it's best! I was reminded of the classic historical adventures, full of intrigues, political machinations, and lush historical settings in the most vibrant cultures of Europe in the early 1400's. This author is a jem, and I had totally missed her...
The book is about Nicholas, a young man of dubious birth and very confusing behavior, which most of the time drove me crazy, but obviously it all was mostly deliberate. However, when it wasn't, it stole my heart...
There are many characters, many more are mentioned and I think it is not just in passing, but all have an appointed purpose if not now, at least in the future of this 8 book series. As in any Historical Fiction of worth, our fictional characters are intertwined with bunches and bunches of real historic figures, many of whom were significant in the way the world was shaped at the time. I love this era, despite not being an expert, and had great time figuring out the real from the imagined. The author is exquisite in her ability to bring the time period to life without getting knees deep in descriptions and explanations, her language rich and colorful without being obtrusive, and some of her turn of phrase very amusing, without distracting from the plot. I was riveted throughout, and stuck with it even when I was very angry with some actions of the characters.
There was a loss of a main character, which brought tears to my eyes, despite me not really liking him at all... It is obvious that Ms. Dunnett is going to be killing folks and others are going to have to go through the ringer, and I think she is one of those who can do it without gratuitous violence and with a measurable punch... Overall, I am very excited to have stumbled, (literally, since I found her books in a lower shelf at a used books store), upon this addictive storyteller, and am looking forward to seeing where she takes me with this one......more
We have to start with the indisputable fact - this book was written in 1934! Depression era United States. If you, like me, are a fan of t*** 3.75 ***
We have to start with the indisputable fact - this book was written in 1934! Depression era United States. If you, like me, are a fan of that era's black and white mystery movies and radio serials, you know exactly what you are in for. This is a very typical example of the times. Think Holmes and Dr. Watson but in New York. Also, our Holmes, Nero Wolf, is a very heavy, mostly homebound, eccentric gentleman who has a passion for Lilies, and our Watson, Archie, is not a doctor at all, but a scrappy young man, who is the quintessential American of his time, brash, brassy, and despite his humble circumstances, able to feel like a consequential person with good self esteem and always up for a challenge. Archie is the eyes and legs for Wolf, doing all of the field work and gathering evidence, while Nero is the brains of the operation. They seem to have figured out how to work in perfect harmony, and we are introduced to them when a lady from Italian descent comes to them and ask for help to locate her brother. Nero takes the case and soon discovers it is more complicated than it looks.
I read the book with some friends, and I was not surprised that some of the socially acceptable jargon of the time, and some of the mores, were off-putting to some of them... I totally understand and agree, that this casual bigotry toward Italians or those of Latin origins, is not acceptable now, nor was it ever OK. But I didn't feel like the author promoted the attitude, and also I think it is easy for us to judge from our position in 2020, while for him it was not an affectation, but the time he lived in. No matter how much we wish things in history could have been the way we wish them to have been, they were what they were... Overall, I didn't find it offensive personally, but just a heads up. I had fun reading it, and some of the choices the author took were totally different from what I thought would happen in my head, so this made me excited to read even more of the series. Looking forward to it ...more
I am torn on this one... I actually really liked the writing style and storytelling, but I had issues with the characters and the way the*** 3.33 ***
I am torn on this one... I actually really liked the writing style and storytelling, but I had issues with the characters and the way the author chose to go with the story itself. I try very hard not to judge how an author decides to write their story and characters, because it is their story. But despite how objective I try to be, I had a hard time liking any of the main characters... Of the main three I warmed up to Thaniel most, despite his questionable choices, and the side character I really loved was Katsu... If you have read the book I don't need to remind you how his story went... Six was adorable as well ...more
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