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funny
relaxing
medium-paced
Bored detective laid up in hospital investigates the character of Richard III (who lived 400 years earlier) as if it were a case in his own era. If you're a sucker for detective fiction like I am, I definitely recommend.
informative
mysterious
medium-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
I enjoyed this, although I didn't love it. I think my chief problem with the story is that the conversations between Grant and Carradine are often fairly repetitive. There's a lot of, "Yes, you're right about this," and "Yes, I didn't think of that," and it doesn't make for particularly exciting reading. I do like that this is a quiet detective novel and the mystery is fully historical -- there's no ridiculous twist where someone tries to kill Grant for UNLEASHING THE TRUTH or any such nonsense. Still, I do feel like the scenes between these two characters could be more lively, as they take up the greater majority of the book. Perhaps if we got to know and care a little more about their own personal lives. (We do learn some, just nothing particularly interesting.) On a positive note, I followed most of the history as Tey presented it, and I know very little about that particular time period. In fact, basically all I know about Richard III comes from my Intro to Shakespeare class that I took maybe eight years ago.
I'd actually kind of love to see this as a Masterpiece Mystery special. If the actors playing Grant and Carradine had some chemistry, their scenes might prove to be a great deal more entertaining. Plus, I'd really love to see an actor play several versions of Richard III, depending on which history source they're discussing at the time.
I'd actually kind of love to see this as a Masterpiece Mystery special. If the actors playing Grant and Carradine had some chemistry, their scenes might prove to be a great deal more entertaining. Plus, I'd really love to see an actor play several versions of Richard III, depending on which history source they're discussing at the time.
An excellent novel that makes you question how history is recorded and interpreted over the centuries. I’ve long realized that the history we learn in school is full of holes, half-truths, and propaganda. A fascinating exploration of how history is rewritten by the winners and taken for granted by anyone who doesn’t want to do a bit of their own digging.
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was reading another mystery which referenced the story of Richard III and it referred to this book about 3 times in the first 20 pages. Since I knew I had a copy sitting on my shelf, I decided to read it. I liked this book better than the other one -- I learned a great deal I never knew about Richard III and it felt like a natural progression of learning, the way the characters went about it. I was amazed to discover how wrong the history books still are, since the story told by Shakespeare is still what most people know about Richard III, who seemed to have been a really decent king. I will definitely be looking for other books by this author, because I enjoyed her style and the recurring characters.
This is a truly brilliant book. I first read it over 30 years ago, and I've re-read it several times since. It spurred my interest not only in Richard III but in the way that historical sources could be/are used to shape the narrative of events, both contemporaneously and in the future. Probably the two most striking examples of this in Western European history are Richard III and Joan of Arc.
I just finished re-reading The Daughter of Time, this time after reading the other Alan Grant mysteries (which I had not read before). I am again struck by the extraordinary structure of this work. Tey used the historical sources of her time to not only challenge the dominant narrative but also to explore the biases--both obvious and unconscious--in historical writing. There's a moment, about 60% of the way in, where Alan reads a letter from a cousin in Scotland; in relating her own tale of false history that has become the dominant narrative, Laura notes how strongly people resist challenging a narrative with which they've become comfortable. It's easy to see that reluctance today when it comes to things like political or religious ideologies, but it's important to remember that historical narratives shape our view of the world without our conscious knowledge, and it is these unconscious biases that can be so debilitating to our ability to see the world from others' perspectives.
Tey's gift for characterization is again present. It's important to remember that all of the "action" takes place in Grant's hospital room, where he is confined to bed. And yet the novel is never claustraphobic. Once again, Alan Grant is a thoughtful and sympathetic entry to this mystery, and it's lovely to interact again with Marta Hallard (if Tey had continued writing, would she and Grant have paired romantically, as well as platonically? it's clear, in To Love and Be Wise, that Grant has given the matter some thought, even if he isn't sure it would work out). But it's the characters that we won't see again--the Midget and the Amazon, the matron, the surgeon, and the adorable Brent Carradine, who becomes Grant's enthusiastic partner--and the characters that emerge from Grant and Carradine's research and discussions--Richard, Morton, Henry VII, Elizabeth Woodville--who come so delightfully alive and make the reader forget that we've never left Grant's hospital room.
There's a reason that the British Crime Writers' Association named this the greatest mystery of all time. It is beautifully constructed, argues well the evidence known at the time, brings to life individuals who died over 450 years before, but doesn't neglect the "side" characters who are not critical to the mystery but do permit Tey to explore certain themes.
I just finished re-reading The Daughter of Time, this time after reading the other Alan Grant mysteries (which I had not read before). I am again struck by the extraordinary structure of this work. Tey used the historical sources of her time to not only challenge the dominant narrative but also to explore the biases--both obvious and unconscious--in historical writing. There's a moment, about 60% of the way in, where Alan reads a letter from a cousin in Scotland; in relating her own tale of false history that has become the dominant narrative, Laura notes how strongly people resist challenging a narrative with which they've become comfortable. It's easy to see that reluctance today when it comes to things like political or religious ideologies, but it's important to remember that historical narratives shape our view of the world without our conscious knowledge, and it is these unconscious biases that can be so debilitating to our ability to see the world from others' perspectives.
Tey's gift for characterization is again present. It's important to remember that all of the "action" takes place in Grant's hospital room, where he is confined to bed. And yet the novel is never claustraphobic. Once again, Alan Grant is a thoughtful and sympathetic entry to this mystery, and it's lovely to interact again with Marta Hallard (if Tey had continued writing, would she and Grant have paired romantically, as well as platonically? it's clear, in To Love and Be Wise, that Grant has given the matter some thought, even if he isn't sure it would work out). But it's the characters that we won't see again--the Midget and the Amazon, the matron, the surgeon, and the adorable Brent Carradine, who becomes Grant's enthusiastic partner--and the characters that emerge from Grant and Carradine's research and discussions--Richard, Morton, Henry VII, Elizabeth Woodville--who come so delightfully alive and make the reader forget that we've never left Grant's hospital room.
There's a reason that the British Crime Writers' Association named this the greatest mystery of all time. It is beautifully constructed, argues well the evidence known at the time, brings to life individuals who died over 450 years before, but doesn't neglect the "side" characters who are not critical to the mystery but do permit Tey to explore certain themes.
I am a fan of books that give you different historical perspectives, and this one concerning Richard III and the murder of the princes in the tower was interesting. Detective Grant was kind of a schmuck, but he did do a lot of reading so there is that.
Habia oido decir que era bueno. No sabia hasta que punto. Elegantemente escrito, investigación de primer orden, un detective enormemente atractivo y, de propina una actualisima reflexión sobre la verdad y la propaganda. Por si fuera poco añade una nueva razon, por si hiciera falta alguna para detestar a los odiosos Tudor y al malvado Enrique VIII siniesto sucesor de un usurpador y, yo quedo convencido, asesino.
funny
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes