Reviews

Моралите by Barry Unsworth

angus_mckeogh's review against another edition

4.0

Excellent period piece. Medieval times. Plague. Bodies stacking up. A traveling band of actors. A monk on the run. A murder. A condemned girl. The writing was phenomenal. The story was engaging. The setting was flawless. I really liked this book. Luckily it’s my first Unsworth, and he has a glut of other extremely interesting sounding historical novels. A new author. I’m well chuffed.

darthie's review against another edition

dark informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

zoefruitcake's review against another edition

5.0

I started this book with no expectations and found it was actually one of the best books I have read in a while. It starts with runaway cleric, a band of players and a wild country in winter and develops into a murder mystery set in a time where justice was despatched without any investigation.
It finished too soon, I wanted to stay in that world and find out what happened next

x_tora's review against another edition

informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

constantreaderaaron's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.75

cowboyugly's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

dhall58's review against another edition

medium-paced

1.25

bennought's review against another edition

5.0

An interesting murder mystery that is not only set within the fascinating world of late medieval England, but is also solved through the impromptu acting of a travelling troupe of players who attempt to present a play about the murder to the townspeople. As a historian who studies, among other subjects, both theatre and medieval England, this book obviously caught my interest. I'm often put off by murder mysteries/thrillers, because they're all too often formulaic and sensational. But Unsworth uses beautiful prose and the unique methodology of 'forensic science' to create a novel that is fascinating in its style, plot, characters, and historical world. Instead of trying to beat the reader over the head with the history of the novel-- a distracting and annoying failing of many authors-- he often slides the historical facts, tidbits, etc. in smoothly so that they flow along with the story itself seamlessly. I read the entire book in a single day, in almost one sitting! While it is a fairly short book (and a quite read), this does not detract from the pull which the book had; it was a page-turner which I had much difficulty putting down.

niraghae's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

alisonjfields's review against another edition

3.0

So this is a relatively engaging medieval murder mystery that is somewhat burdened by the weight of its own prose, which has the feel of trying too hard to not be anachronistic-ish and therefore calling too much attention to itself. And I get the theatrical setting and allegorical intent (see the title) but I'm not sure why tumblers need to speak like priests. I like the idea of players as amateur sleuths more than a wink at "Hamlet" there), better than their actual sleuthing (the mystery itself is not much of a headscratcher). But if you've already read all the Eco you can stomach, this will probably engage you by the poolside.