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A review by milesjmoran
Music & Silence by Rose Tremain
4.0
He holds fast to a shroud. Rain begins to beat down on him and the wind whips his elflock around his neck like a noose, but he pays none of this any heed. In moments, his gaze has returned to the men high above him. They are beginning to furl the topsail, dismantling their airy kingdom inch by inch. And when at last they climb down, some of them boys no older than twelve, King Christian holds out his hand to them in a gesture of admiration. And his eye scans the space of sky where the topsail flew and the rain clouds sweep in, billow upon billow.
After completing Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies, I was desperate for more historical fiction so I decided to pick up a book I've been meaning to read and have had on my bookshelves for years. In spite of being read in the wake of the incomparable Cromwell trilogy, I still thoroughly enjoyed this.
Following a multitude of narratives, a mixture of the fictional and historical, Music & Silence is predominantly a character study, following her characters as they fall in love, err, deceive, betray, reflect, and heal, and, for the most part, it is done beautifully. My favourite moment in the entire book is when we follow a young King Christian IV when he learns of 'shoddy work' and receives a bag of buttons as a gift - that's all I'm going to say, but that was by far my favourite chapter in the book. There are many subtle, gently brilliant instances such as these throughout the novel, and they were a pure delight to read. Some perspectives were more interesting than others; I particularly enjoyed Kirsten Monk's sections as she is so vibrantly selfish yet incredibly soft-hearted and naive at times. I found the fictional characters Peter Claire and Emilia to be a little weak at times, especially in comparison to their real counterparts. King Christian VI and Kirsten Monk were by far the most fascinating voices in here, so the book slipped a little in my favour whenever we strayed, for example, to Peter Claire's narrative.
I found the sexual nature of this book at times gratuitous - it tipped into the lewd sometimes and I found some of it uncomfortable to read (particularly in the character of Magdalena). It just felt out of place with the rest of the book, in my opinion. I also thought that some scenes were overdrawn and, when they were completed, had unsatisfying conclusions. Some story-lines felt pointless and fell really flat, disappearing without another murmur, and I found that perplexing.
Overall, I loved many aspects of this book, and will hopefully pick up Restoration by Tremain soon.
After completing Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies, I was desperate for more historical fiction so I decided to pick up a book I've been meaning to read and have had on my bookshelves for years. In spite of being read in the wake of the incomparable Cromwell trilogy, I still thoroughly enjoyed this.
Following a multitude of narratives, a mixture of the fictional and historical, Music & Silence is predominantly a character study, following her characters as they fall in love, err, deceive, betray, reflect, and heal, and, for the most part, it is done beautifully. My favourite moment in the entire book is when we follow a young King Christian IV when he learns of 'shoddy work' and receives a bag of buttons as a gift - that's all I'm going to say, but that was by far my favourite chapter in the book. There are many subtle, gently brilliant instances such as these throughout the novel, and they were a pure delight to read. Some perspectives were more interesting than others; I particularly enjoyed Kirsten Monk's sections as she is so vibrantly selfish yet incredibly soft-hearted and naive at times. I found the fictional characters Peter Claire and Emilia to be a little weak at times, especially in comparison to their real counterparts. King Christian VI and Kirsten Monk were by far the most fascinating voices in here, so the book slipped a little in my favour whenever we strayed, for example, to Peter Claire's narrative.
I found the sexual nature of this book at times gratuitous - it tipped into the lewd sometimes and I found some of it uncomfortable to read (particularly in the character of Magdalena). It just felt out of place with the rest of the book, in my opinion. I also thought that some scenes were overdrawn and, when they were completed, had unsatisfying conclusions. Some story-lines felt pointless and fell really flat, disappearing without another murmur, and I found that perplexing.
Overall, I loved many aspects of this book, and will hopefully pick up Restoration by Tremain soon.