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leoniedominique's review against another edition
3.0
“Wickedness is too common in the world for us to think much of why and wherefore. It is more natural to ask about the rarer thing and wonder why people sometimes do good.”
patrick_114's review against another edition
4.0
tightly written with multiple layers of meaning. wonderful details of life in the middle ages and nice murder mystery to boot! i would read more from this author based on this.
alijc's review against another edition
3.0
A bit of a mystery, but only a bit. Who dun it was never a burning question. What was more important was how the ragged band of players stumbled upon asking the questions that proved the girl's innocence. Well, what was actually important was the changes to plays and to society in general in the decades after the Black Death appeared in England.
xenid's review against another edition
3.0
3 1/2, rightly speaking.
I have no idea what I was expecting...just not that? It's one of those concepts that I think would do better as a movie. The whole story is so visual and so much about visual storytelling that I think it suffers for the medium.
Honestly, I do know that I was expecting a much more dramatic, bloodier end. All's well that ends well? For peasants in medieval England tangled up in a public scandal of the local rulers? I think the fuck not.
I have no idea what I was expecting...just not that? It's one of those concepts that I think would do better as a movie. The whole story is so visual and so much about visual storytelling that I think it suffers for the medium.
Honestly, I do know that I was expecting a much more dramatic, bloodier end. All's well that ends well? For peasants in medieval England tangled up in a public scandal of the local rulers? I think the fuck not.
literaryliaisons's review against another edition
3.0
Disappointed in the ending reveal... I guess in the mid-90s it was a little less cliché than it is now to have a queer-coded killer and a pederastic priest as the culprits.
Still, I absolutely loved learning more about the life of traveling players in the 1300s. As a scholar of Restoration and 18th century theatre, it’s awesome to learn more about earlier theatrical practices. Especially the common language of gestures / mime and archetypal figures that players used to convey stories to their audiences!
Also I know we’re supposed to find the lords despicable and cruel and needlessly lavish in a time of plague and famine — and they are all of these things and more, to be sure — but I loved the little bits of jousting included in the narrative, and hearing our narrator Nicholas describe the parade of handsome noblemen on their steeds ready to participate in the games was such a treat~
Still, I absolutely loved learning more about the life of traveling players in the 1300s. As a scholar of Restoration and 18th century theatre, it’s awesome to learn more about earlier theatrical practices. Especially the common language of gestures / mime and archetypal figures that players used to convey stories to their audiences!
Also I know we’re supposed to find the lords despicable and cruel and needlessly lavish in a time of plague and famine — and they are all of these things and more, to be sure — but I loved the little bits of jousting included in the narrative, and hearing our narrator Nicholas describe the parade of handsome noblemen on their steeds ready to participate in the games was such a treat~
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Pedophilia and Sexual violence
amalia1985's review against another edition
4.0
"It was a death that began it all and another death that led us on."
In 2004, I watched a beautiful film starring Willem Dafoe and Vincent Cassel, among others, titled "The Reckoning". Since then, I was trying to find the book that inspired the movie. It wasn't until 2015 that my search finally ended and two years later, I can say that Unsworth created a very memorable and darkly beautiful novel.
Nickolas is a young priest that has broken his vows of chastity. Running away from his diocese, he comes across a company of traveling players who carry a macabre burden. They decide to stay in the nearest village and perform a play out of their usual repertoire which includes Biblical stories. However, a crime that has caused quite an upheaval in the community becomes the inspiration for a new play. And this is when the implications begin.
"....no one fears players...."
The book is a treasure for those of us interested in the tradition of Morality plays or Mysteries, as they are also called. Through pantomime and verse and with complex -for the time-special effects, the actors used to perform religious themes that would be well- known to the audience, peasants and nobles alike. Depicting local incidents and contemporary events was unheard of and would remain so for quite some time. Here, Martin, the leader of the company, decides to break the rule and perform the murder of a young boy. To do so, the company must investigate the disappearence and murder of young Thomas.
Nickolas and Martin are the main characters. In many ways, they're very similar. They are clever and brave but their morality is dubious. They understand one has to depart from the righteous path in order to eat and to defend those in need during harsh times. The rest of the company are people with interesting background stories, like Stephen and Margaret, but the book is too short and there is very little character development.
The writing is beautiful and powerful. The marvelous, haunting wintry atmosphere is very important to the feeling of the story and I could feel as if I was walking in the medieval market as the snow was falling silently upon the grey tower and the huts. There are many issues addressed in the novel. The Plague carries victims in its passing, but death doesn't come from illness exclusively. Humans are the worst, most ruthless murderers. Poverty makes people obey and bend the knee to every Lord that oppresses them in every level without question. Nickolas' thoughts and his interactions with Martin and the King's Justice provide much food thought on psychological and social issues. The freedom of choice, the notion of duty, the hypocrisy and violence. The crime and the punishment.
As I said, the only negative element is the small length of the novel. I wanted to see and understand more of the characters. I wanted to see a rounded closure to the stories of the players, to the fortune of the village and the justice performed. Apart from that, this is an excellent book that I can't place in one genre. Mystery, thriller, Historical Fiction, psychological study and the list goes on. It is fast - paced, memorable and full of vivid images. However, on my opinion, this is a rare case of the film being more completed and well-rounded than the book. The two complement each other in a perfect way.
In 2004, I watched a beautiful film starring Willem Dafoe and Vincent Cassel, among others, titled "The Reckoning". Since then, I was trying to find the book that inspired the movie. It wasn't until 2015 that my search finally ended and two years later, I can say that Unsworth created a very memorable and darkly beautiful novel.
Nickolas is a young priest that has broken his vows of chastity. Running away from his diocese, he comes across a company of traveling players who carry a macabre burden. They decide to stay in the nearest village and perform a play out of their usual repertoire which includes Biblical stories. However, a crime that has caused quite an upheaval in the community becomes the inspiration for a new play. And this is when the implications begin.
"....no one fears players...."
The book is a treasure for those of us interested in the tradition of Morality plays or Mysteries, as they are also called. Through pantomime and verse and with complex -for the time-special effects, the actors used to perform religious themes that would be well- known to the audience, peasants and nobles alike. Depicting local incidents and contemporary events was unheard of and would remain so for quite some time. Here, Martin, the leader of the company, decides to break the rule and perform the murder of a young boy. To do so, the company must investigate the disappearence and murder of young Thomas.
Nickolas and Martin are the main characters. In many ways, they're very similar. They are clever and brave but their morality is dubious. They understand one has to depart from the righteous path in order to eat and to defend those in need during harsh times. The rest of the company are people with interesting background stories, like Stephen and Margaret, but the book is too short and there is very little character development.
The writing is beautiful and powerful. The marvelous, haunting wintry atmosphere is very important to the feeling of the story and I could feel as if I was walking in the medieval market as the snow was falling silently upon the grey tower and the huts. There are many issues addressed in the novel. The Plague carries victims in its passing, but death doesn't come from illness exclusively. Humans are the worst, most ruthless murderers. Poverty makes people obey and bend the knee to every Lord that oppresses them in every level without question. Nickolas' thoughts and his interactions with Martin and the King's Justice provide much food thought on psychological and social issues. The freedom of choice, the notion of duty, the hypocrisy and violence. The crime and the punishment.
As I said, the only negative element is the small length of the novel. I wanted to see and understand more of the characters. I wanted to see a rounded closure to the stories of the players, to the fortune of the village and the justice performed. Apart from that, this is an excellent book that I can't place in one genre. Mystery, thriller, Historical Fiction, psychological study and the list goes on. It is fast - paced, memorable and full of vivid images. However, on my opinion, this is a rare case of the film being more completed and well-rounded than the book. The two complement each other in a perfect way.
1siobhan's review against another edition
4.0
"It was a death that began it all and another death that led us on."
When Nicholas, a runaway priest, joins a group of players in 14th century Britain, he does not know that he would soon solve a murder most foul. Is the young woman that was convicted really guilty? Who killed 12 year old Thomas Wells? And what about the monk? An excellent, intelligent and short story. The beginning is a bit slow but it becomes more and more exciting.
"There was only God inside the barn, sitting on the straw, drinking ale."
When Nicholas, a runaway priest, joins a group of players in 14th century Britain, he does not know that he would soon solve a murder most foul. Is the young woman that was convicted really guilty? Who killed 12 year old Thomas Wells? And what about the monk? An excellent, intelligent and short story. The beginning is a bit slow but it becomes more and more exciting.
"There was only God inside the barn, sitting on the straw, drinking ale."
vonnegutian's review against another edition
3.0
To finish my author A-Z of 2017, I powered through this, Barry Unsworth’s ‘Morality Play’ to finish the challenge with hours to spare. Luckily, it was an entertaining book which made finishing it quickly a pleasurable experience.
It tells the tale of a renegade clergyman who having wandered out of his diocese and sleeping with a woman, adjoins himself to a wandering band of actors living hand to mouth during the dark ages. With one of their ensemble recently deceased, they take in the minister and head to a nearby town to try and bury their late companion. And it is within this village that they become embroiled in the tragic deaths of young boys under suspicious circumstances. Carried on a macabre and judicious wave of artistic furore the company decide to take the hitherto step of ditching their biblical enactments to instead perform an impromptu play of the most recent murder when, after gathering evidence from various town sources, they stumble upon a suspicious verdict as to who the town believe commits the crime: the boy’s deaf mother, no less.
Part philosophical treatise on ‘the roles we play’, part mystery, part historical, medieval narrative, this short novel offers substantial intrigue and ideas about medieval life and what it is to portray oneself and others. It’s an engaging, fast-paced novel that transports you to a time of a brutal and primitive England, where the finesse and talents of artists and artisans exist precariously amidst the oppressive royal and religious regimes. 3/5
It tells the tale of a renegade clergyman who having wandered out of his diocese and sleeping with a woman, adjoins himself to a wandering band of actors living hand to mouth during the dark ages. With one of their ensemble recently deceased, they take in the minister and head to a nearby town to try and bury their late companion. And it is within this village that they become embroiled in the tragic deaths of young boys under suspicious circumstances. Carried on a macabre and judicious wave of artistic furore the company decide to take the hitherto step of ditching their biblical enactments to instead perform an impromptu play of the most recent murder when, after gathering evidence from various town sources, they stumble upon a suspicious verdict as to who the town believe commits the crime: the boy’s deaf mother, no less.
Part philosophical treatise on ‘the roles we play’, part mystery, part historical, medieval narrative, this short novel offers substantial intrigue and ideas about medieval life and what it is to portray oneself and others. It’s an engaging, fast-paced novel that transports you to a time of a brutal and primitive England, where the finesse and talents of artists and artisans exist precariously amidst the oppressive royal and religious regimes. 3/5
sapiophial's review against another edition
1.0
The story was ok, but I really did not enjoy reading this novel. I was just engaged enough to want to finish it and find out what happened, but I figured out the ending about half-way through. There seemed to be a lot of introductory-sounding narrative, and then I got to the end of the book and found out that that was the narrative. Certainly not a favorite, and in my opinion a waste of time.