An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears

fuzzyhistory — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 06:22:51 +0000

While I used to devour mysteries as if they were a source of life’s sustenance, I have not read more than a few over the past couple of years. They became too formulaic, if not entirely predictable. Many of the historical mysteries just didn’t offer enough history to hold my attention. Thus, when I read that An Instance of the Fingerpost was hailed as a literary mystery set against the background of the English Restoration, I was intrigued.

It did not disappoint. Told from four points of view - two of which are actual historical characters - the novel centers around the murder of Robert Grove, a senior fellow of New College in Oxford. Four characters relate the circumstances of his death. None are lying, but only one knows what really happened.

This clever presentation kept me stumped up to the end. Moreover, whodunnit was incidental to the real intrigue taking place in Charles II’s court. This involved a conspiracy to rival the Popish Plot.

An Instance of the Fingerpost is an intellectual’s mystery story. You may need a scorecard to keep the evidence, the players, their biases and interpretations in order. Along the way, you’ll pick up a lot of the history of the era. I counted no less than 8 actual historical figures – Richard Lower (one of the first physicians to experiment with blood transfusions), John Locke (philosopher), Robert Boyle (chemist), Thomas Ken (bishop), John Thurloe (spymaster for Oliver Cromwell), John Wallis (mathematician), Anthony Wood (historian) and Christopher Wren (astronomer/architect).

When historical fiction leaves me hungering to learn more about the history, it’s done its job. An Instance of the Fingerpost is my second favorite read of the year, falling only behind As Meat Loves Salt, which is a very different kind of story told, ironically, during a slightly earlier time period. Rating: Excellent

Stealing Athena by Karen Essex

fuzzyhistory — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:44:50 +0000

9 August 2008 — fuzzyhistory

Stealing Athena tells the story of the deconstruction of the Elgin Marbles during the early 19th Century. Originally belonging to the Parthenon, the Elgin Marbles comprise marble sculptures created, or supervised, by the Greek sculptor Pheidias. In 1801, Thomas Bruce, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, received permission to remove them to England. He did so over the course of several years at great expense and not without mishap.

While the politics of both countries regarding this event, as well as the disruption of the Napoleonic Wars, provide interesting background, the story centers around the lives of two women – Bruce’s (called Lord Elgin) wife, Mary, and Aspasia, the consort of the Athenian politician Perikles during the 4th Century B.C. Both women suffer to a greater or lesser degree because they live in a world that did not recognize their status except as a man’s chattel.

Thus, the premise of the novel intrigued me. But, unfortunately, the anachronistic portrayal of Aspasia, as well as oft-mentioned feminist ideals out of context with the times and anachronisms in conversations amongst ancient Greeks (particularly, the use of modern coarse slang) contribute to my overall dissatisfaction with the book.

If this were the sum of the problems with the novel, I might still have rated it “good” as defined in my chart. But the story fails to engage. I became bored at about page 150 and remained bored until the end. I was unable to connect with either Elgin or Mary.

Elgin was an irritating conniving vengeful bully, who despite his role in government, remained clueless about people and politics. Mary, more a woman of her times than Aspasia, was too innocent and saintly – a Mary Sue. Rating: Fair.

Fuzzy History: Learning History through Fiction » book review

An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears

Stealing Athena by Karen Essex