Scan barcode
thebookishowl4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Death, Body shaming, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, Gore, Torture, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Racism, Classism, Mental illness, and Homophobia
robintchappell's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Torture
buildingtaste's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Torture, Blood, Murder, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Animal death
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Misogyny
Not at all in the cozy camp of mysteries. Lakes of blood and extensive torture, corruption, abuse, etc.cin19's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Medical content, and Death
Moderate: Mental illness, Torture, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Racism, Homophobia, and Violence
thelassinlinen's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Incest, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Religious bigotry, Violence, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Bullying, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Death, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Sexual content, Medical content, Murder, Torture, and Sexual assault
singalana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Minor: Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Animal death, Fatphobia, Chronic illness, Death, Blood, Child death, Kidnapping, Murder, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Torture, and Homophobia
dimins's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Where Sansom shines is really the historical context of the story. He's apparently got some degrees in English history and it shows. Sansom goes into a visceral degree of detail about the sights, the sounds, and the smells of 16th century England, particularly London. The historical context of the English Reformation and the clashing of the Roman Catholic Church and the burgeoning Protestants in royal favour, both struggling with corruption within its ranks, was very well done and immersive. The first few chapters do take some time to really get things going though, and I almost DNFed at some points.
The central mystery, however, reads like text-based RPG. This isn't to say that it was unenjoyable. I weirdly liked it, but maybe it's because I like text-based RPGs to begin with. When our crime-solving hero Shardlake interrogates other characters, it's a very straightforward to-and-fro dialogue, like: "What were you doing in the infirmary?" "I was mixing herbs." "Who were you mixing it for?" "Brother Francis complained of a sore leg, so I was mixing it up for him." The above is completely imaginary dialogue, but that's basically how most interrogations went in the whole book. Once again, I didn't mind this style at all and I can't explain why.
I'm on the fence about our hero Shardlake. In some areas, he seems like a sympathetic character with a moral compass that most of the other characters around him lack, and is therefore worth rooting for. He also has some type of spinal deformity that makes him a hunchback, something that affects the way characters interact with him and also his own perspective about people and himself. What really annoyed me about him was
The book also brings us Brother Guy who is described as being a "Moor". I can't recall off the top of my head now where he's supposed to come from, but he's a brown-skinned Catholic monk in England, so that's a pretty interesting and diverse choice to make for a pre-2010 book. I liked Brother Guy's interaction with Shardlake, and he's easily my favourite character in the cast. Of all the monks in the monastery, only Brother Guy seems to act and behave like he's a religious fellow. Every other monk in this one has some pretty atrocious behaviour.
On the treatment of certain characters:
Overall, an enjoyable historical mystery which I'm keen to continue.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Murder, Homophobia, Torture, and Ableism
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Gore, and Fatphobia
Minor: Racism