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Reviews tagging 'Torture'
Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot by Antonia Fraser
1 review
angelofthetardis's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
2.0
Slightly outside my usual comfort zone of the sixteenth century, I saw this and was drawn to the fact that it's by one of the Queens of narrative history, and it's about a fascinating moment in time which I'd like to know more about.
In general terms, the book does impart some very interesting takes on the motives and background of the plot, as well as exposing the fact there is a debate between historians as to whether there was actually a plot at all. However, you really have to have your head on straight to concentrate and take in all of the information. I've read this book over a couple of days, but I'll be honest, for the most part I've totally forgotten about most of it. It is not a light read. I wasn't expecting it to be, but then I've read other books by this author and they at least felt like the flowed and there was a point to the text.
In this case, the introduction suggests that she's going to set out the evidence and consider the Pro-Plot/No-Plot arguments, but this is very quickly forgotten for more of a straight narrative history. However, she spends about the first half of the book setting out the wider context of the country in 1603-1605, allowing the main conspirators to sneak in one by one. Guy Fawkes of course gets a little bit more focus, but then you're into the plot, discovery, trial and executions at breakneck speed. Then the last quarter of the book focuses on one particular Jesuit priest who wasn't directly involved in the plot at all but knew about it because one of the plotters came to him in confession. I don't feel that I actually learned anything about the plot itself, the conspirators and/or their deeper motivations, which is really disappointing.
It seems that the author was more drawn to the background characters; the priests, wives and wider family of the plotters. This does make a certain amount of sense when you consider that the vast majority of the main 13 are related by blood or marriage (only Guy Fawkes and one other lack family ties). However, this shifts the focus away from the story you're here to read. I admit a couple of the women are fascinating, but it's not enough to justify prioritising them over the plotters.
She's also deeply invested in the architecture of the various properties, particularly in relation to the priest holes and hiding places built in. Again, very interesting, but there's just not enough detail, so once again it detracts from the narrative.
I understand that this book isn't new; first published in 1996, it is written in more of the old fashioned style of non-fiction (and before you shout, yes, I was born before this book was published!); a quite dry exploration of the period in question. I think it needed another pass with an editor (quite a lot of repeated little facts and phrases in here) and a tighter focus on the subject matter. If you're a newbie to this subject, then this book definitely isn't for you.
In general terms, the book does impart some very interesting takes on the motives and background of the plot, as well as exposing the fact there is a debate between historians as to whether there was actually a plot at all. However, you really have to have your head on straight to concentrate and take in all of the information. I've read this book over a couple of days, but I'll be honest, for the most part I've totally forgotten about most of it. It is not a light read. I wasn't expecting it to be, but then I've read other books by this author and they at least felt like the flowed and there was a point to the text.
In this case, the introduction suggests that she's going to set out the evidence and consider the Pro-Plot/No-Plot arguments, but this is very quickly forgotten for more of a straight narrative history. However, she spends about the first half of the book setting out the wider context of the country in 1603-1605, allowing the main conspirators to sneak in one by one. Guy Fawkes of course gets a little bit more focus, but then you're into the plot, discovery, trial and executions at breakneck speed. Then the last quarter of the book focuses on one particular Jesuit priest who wasn't directly involved in the plot at all but knew about it because one of the plotters came to him in confession. I don't feel that I actually learned anything about the plot itself, the conspirators and/or their deeper motivations, which is really disappointing.
It seems that the author was more drawn to the background characters; the priests, wives and wider family of the plotters. This does make a certain amount of sense when you consider that the vast majority of the main 13 are related by blood or marriage (only Guy Fawkes and one other lack family ties). However, this shifts the focus away from the story you're here to read. I admit a couple of the women are fascinating, but it's not enough to justify prioritising them over the plotters.
She's also deeply invested in the architecture of the various properties, particularly in relation to the priest holes and hiding places built in. Again, very interesting, but there's just not enough detail, so once again it detracts from the narrative.
I understand that this book isn't new; first published in 1996, it is written in more of the old fashioned style of non-fiction (and before you shout, yes, I was born before this book was published!); a quite dry exploration of the period in question. I think it needed another pass with an editor (quite a lot of repeated little facts and phrases in here) and a tighter focus on the subject matter. If you're a newbie to this subject, then this book definitely isn't for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Religious bigotry, and Torture
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
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