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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly, the more Tey I read, the less impressed I am. I liked Miss Pym disposes a lot, and I still do, but I have yet to be favorably impressed by Inspector Grant. Also, the amateur historical research that went on in this book kind of made me twitch.
3.5. Really enjoyed the writing and characters and hints of true brilliance, but got caught up in history I don’t know. Maybe I would have loved this book more if I knew my Plantagenets better. Or if I didn’t care about the history part at all
I really enjoyed this 65 year old book about the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. I have always been interested in the Tudor period and it was an enjoyable way to extend my knowledge of the time just before the Tudors and to find out more about Richard III, the supposedly "evil uncle". I am not sure how much of the information contained in the book is still correct after 65 years of further study, but it certainly sparked my interest. A short and enjoyable read for crime and history lovers.
I would certainly like to read more Josephine Tey books after reading this one.
I would certainly like to read more Josephine Tey books after reading this one.
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time, published in 1951, is a fairly short book of 185 pages, but it’s dense in information about British royal history, dating back to Richard II.
I’m not familiar with Tey’s other work, so I was unaware that the protagonist of this mystery, Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard, is the lead in a series of detective novels written by this author. I came to the book strictly by virtue of its focus, i.e., an investigation into whether Richard III really did order the killing of his two nephews residing in the Tower of London, as well as the disposal of other family members.
The conceit of this story is pretty clever. Inspector Grant, who is laid up in a rehabilitation hospital due to a serious fall that has left him with a broken leg, has nothing to occupy his active mind. His friends and co-workers visit him, leaving behind flowers, books, and puzzles, but he’s still restless. Finally, Grant’s actress friend Marta figures out what might engage him and brings along a stack of prints of various historical figures, most of whom were the center of mysteries or conspiracies in the past. She recalls Grant’s interest in reading people, discovering whether he can look at their faces and tell what their characters and personalities might be. Through this exercise, Grant comes across a portrait of the notorious King Richard III. Initially unaware of who he is, Grant surmises that this man might be an academic, a scholar, or a judge. He’s astounded to find out the fellow is Richard III and toys with the notion that maybe “historians” have gotten it wrong about him, intentionally or not.
When Marta sees Grant’s interest in revisiting the history of Richard, she asks a young American man, who has been dating a fellow actress, to stop in and see Grant. Brent Carradine, when not hanging around the theater waiting on his lady love, has been doing historic research at the British Museum. Once Brent visits Grant, he is delighted to help him, and soon enough, they work together to ferret out letters, diaries, and documents, contemporary to Richard’s time, to try and discover the real man, rather than relying on historical accounts written decades later by third parties with axes to grind or personages to protect.
Through this fascinating exercise, Tey paints a compelling account of the relationships between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists. And, most importantly, focuses on familial relationships, revealing the true nature of Richard III and his usurper Henry VII. Frankly, afterwards, you will never look at historical accounts the same way again. This was an entertaining “A+” read for me. The only downside was the fact that there were so many “Henrys,” “Edwards,” and “Richards” in the family, that there were times one needed to re-read paragraphs and review the royal family tree over and over. (Fortunately, one was included in the book.) But in the end, you might find yourself doing some independent research of your own, as you find yourself questioning all of your assumptions about the infamous Richard.
I’m not familiar with Tey’s other work, so I was unaware that the protagonist of this mystery, Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard, is the lead in a series of detective novels written by this author. I came to the book strictly by virtue of its focus, i.e., an investigation into whether Richard III really did order the killing of his two nephews residing in the Tower of London, as well as the disposal of other family members.
The conceit of this story is pretty clever. Inspector Grant, who is laid up in a rehabilitation hospital due to a serious fall that has left him with a broken leg, has nothing to occupy his active mind. His friends and co-workers visit him, leaving behind flowers, books, and puzzles, but he’s still restless. Finally, Grant’s actress friend Marta figures out what might engage him and brings along a stack of prints of various historical figures, most of whom were the center of mysteries or conspiracies in the past. She recalls Grant’s interest in reading people, discovering whether he can look at their faces and tell what their characters and personalities might be. Through this exercise, Grant comes across a portrait of the notorious King Richard III. Initially unaware of who he is, Grant surmises that this man might be an academic, a scholar, or a judge. He’s astounded to find out the fellow is Richard III and toys with the notion that maybe “historians” have gotten it wrong about him, intentionally or not.
When Marta sees Grant’s interest in revisiting the history of Richard, she asks a young American man, who has been dating a fellow actress, to stop in and see Grant. Brent Carradine, when not hanging around the theater waiting on his lady love, has been doing historic research at the British Museum. Once Brent visits Grant, he is delighted to help him, and soon enough, they work together to ferret out letters, diaries, and documents, contemporary to Richard’s time, to try and discover the real man, rather than relying on historical accounts written decades later by third parties with axes to grind or personages to protect.
Through this fascinating exercise, Tey paints a compelling account of the relationships between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists. And, most importantly, focuses on familial relationships, revealing the true nature of Richard III and his usurper Henry VII. Frankly, afterwards, you will never look at historical accounts the same way again. This was an entertaining “A+” read for me. The only downside was the fact that there were so many “Henrys,” “Edwards,” and “Richards” in the family, that there were times one needed to re-read paragraphs and review the royal family tree over and over. (Fortunately, one was included in the book.) But in the end, you might find yourself doing some independent research of your own, as you find yourself questioning all of your assumptions about the infamous Richard.
I absolutely adored this book. I bought this book while perusing the tables of my local bookstore. There are often stories I haven't heard of stacked with stickers for purchasing deals & seeing as I spend so many hours in the store as it were, I always have extra time to look through discounted items.
There's so much that I want to praise when it comes to this story. Tey truly blew me away with the number of details placed within the plot, which I'm sure takes a significant amount of time to research. This is an aspect of stories that I deeply appreciate; when I read a book & I can tell the amount of effort that the author put forth into creating the story.
When it comes to this book I would advise you to go into it not expecting a riveting crime novel. The main character is bed-bound throughout the entire book & so the reader only receives information or movement in the story when an outside character comes to visit the detective. Though this may appear to complicate any forward movement in the plot, Tey found a way to write about a character who goes nowhere physically all while filling the dialogue with pertinent information & valuable secondary characters.
If you enjoy history & crime & reading a story in which both of these genres are explored, I would recommend you this book. Though I will admit that some of the historical aspects flew over my head—I was never very invested in English history—I remained enthralled in the detailing which lead to the climax & plot reveal. Overall, I just really loved this book.
There's so much that I want to praise when it comes to this story. Tey truly blew me away with the number of details placed within the plot, which I'm sure takes a significant amount of time to research. This is an aspect of stories that I deeply appreciate; when I read a book & I can tell the amount of effort that the author put forth into creating the story.
When it comes to this book I would advise you to go into it not expecting a riveting crime novel. The main character is bed-bound throughout the entire book & so the reader only receives information or movement in the story when an outside character comes to visit the detective. Though this may appear to complicate any forward movement in the plot, Tey found a way to write about a character who goes nowhere physically all while filling the dialogue with pertinent information & valuable secondary characters.
If you enjoy history & crime & reading a story in which both of these genres are explored, I would recommend you this book. Though I will admit that some of the historical aspects flew over my head—I was never very invested in English history—I remained enthralled in the detailing which lead to the climax & plot reveal. Overall, I just really loved this book.
So interesting! I would love to read more history in this super digestible format.
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This concept shouldn't have worked, but it was BRILLIANT.