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gilroi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A lovely novel, there's really nothing negative I can think to say about it. It only missed out on a full five star rating because I didn't find it a transcendent life experience or something with a massive amount of staying power (for me, personally, at least; I know the book is nothing new and stays beloved in the minds of many). I personally found it very touching and heart-warming, and am glad I read it, but if not for its fame I'm not sure I'd remember it. Then again, if not for its fame, I wouldn't have read it in the first place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
pyrdek's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
vanityclear's review against another edition
5.0
I read a little bit around the publication of this book, in 1989. While the novel is great on its own, it takes on a special depth when you realize that (1) its setting in the 1660s was intended as a commentary on the absurd opulence of the 1980s, (2) historical novels were by that point in a romantic rut and were pooh-poohed by most critics (rightly or wrongly I can't say); Restoration restored the genre and paved the way for Hilary Mantel to find a publisher for A Place of Greater Safety more than ten years after she'd finished it.
I also find it excruciatingly funny that most critics swooned over Tremain's realistic portrayal of a man's inner world, when the opposite is rarely commented upon.
I also find it excruciatingly funny that most critics swooned over Tremain's realistic portrayal of a man's inner world, when the opposite is rarely commented upon.
catelam's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
bel017's review against another edition
1.0
Seems more to me that it's about the damage of falling in love with the wrong person, rather than the dangers of excess, but I'm not enjoying it at all and have missed big chunks out of it (skipped from roughly pg 50 to 100, read a couple of chapters then skipped several more then did that again) so it's fair to say that I may be wrong. It's the first book I can recall that I've skipped pages of (other than to avoid a violent scene or similar) but I feel guilty for missing several book club books so really want to finish it, I've read that at the end he becomes a better person so hopefully the end is better than the beginning.
... So glad I didn't finish this. The descriptions given at book club weren't encouraging. there needs to be a 'didn't finish' option in the set shelves.
... So glad I didn't finish this. The descriptions given at book club weren't encouraging. there needs to be a 'didn't finish' option in the set shelves.
moonshinealmanac's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely adored the first third of this book, which encapsulated the absurdity, vivaciousness, and sordid nature of the early years of the Restoration. Merivel is a wonderfully humorous and lovable protagonist, but his story takes a turn which, although quite in keeping with the capricious nature of Charles II's royal court, meant that the novel lost a little of its joy for me as it progressed. I also feel like its final act, and the death of Katharine, seemed a bit contrived and detracted from the events of the middle of the plot. This is a story about a man finding his identity in an era of facade and pantomime, and was fantastic in its evocation of seventeenth-century London; perhaps it was just a little too bittersweet for me.
ocritchley94's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
bumblethebee's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
captainfez's review against another edition
5.0
A Booker Prize contender, Restoration follows the journey of Robert Merivel, a medical student-cum-lord who is made useful to Charles II of England - first for his spaniel-saving qualities, and then for his buffoonery and willingness to provide extramarital cover.
The world of court is recreated extremely well. The grasping for favour, the bonds of the pecking order - all is vibrantly constructed. The desire for position, preferment is palpable.
The characterisation is rich. Charles II is a dick, albeit one with a touch of heavenliness, while Merivel and his associates are vividly drawn. There's a touch of Hogarth about the way the gourmand's baser desires are indulged, always offset by his contemporary Pearce, all black rigidity and judgement.
Reading Restoration put me in mind of Peter Carey's Oscar and Lucinda: the relationship between Merivel and Pearce strongly reminded me of the arm's-length love between Oscar and Theophilus Hopkins. The rigidity of faith held against excesses of the physical plane, embodied in a relationship.
Given its 17th Century setting, it's fitting that this is something of an alchemical story: a tale of transformation from shit into gold in a crucible of loss, heated by the Great Fire. There's more to it than this, obviously, but the trip taken from student to dilettante to man is engrossing and affecting. Excellent stuff.
The world of court is recreated extremely well. The grasping for favour, the bonds of the pecking order - all is vibrantly constructed. The desire for position, preferment is palpable.
The characterisation is rich. Charles II is a dick, albeit one with a touch of heavenliness, while Merivel and his associates are vividly drawn. There's a touch of Hogarth about the way the gourmand's baser desires are indulged, always offset by his contemporary Pearce, all black rigidity and judgement.
Reading Restoration put me in mind of Peter Carey's Oscar and Lucinda: the relationship between Merivel and Pearce strongly reminded me of the arm's-length love between Oscar and Theophilus Hopkins. The rigidity of faith held against excesses of the physical plane, embodied in a relationship.
Given its 17th Century setting, it's fitting that this is something of an alchemical story: a tale of transformation from shit into gold in a crucible of loss, heated by the Great Fire. There's more to it than this, obviously, but the trip taken from student to dilettante to man is engrossing and affecting. Excellent stuff.
emmafwhitworth's review against another edition
4.0
I found this to be a very touching and absorbing read with a well-built world and a real feeling of the passage of time. It perfectly encapsulates the era with its extremes of excess and restraint. A very moving character study and a love letter to an under-appreciated period of history.