Merivel -- Rose Tremain Marks 7 Nov 2013
1. This is the sequel to Restoration which the group read earlier this year. It is 16 years since the events of the earlier book and Merivel has found his old journal to remind himself and us of what had happened. Now he has his Manor back and a beautiful 17-year-old daughter, but she is lonely and wants to go away with friends to stay by the the sea. Making the best of this Merivel travels to Versailles to the Court of The Sun King. However he is not destined to recreate his relationship with Charles II with this French king, living in poverty and finding it difficult to even gain access to him for even the briefest time. However he makes the acquaintance of the beautiful Louise and together they rescue a bear and have a very brief affair before her sodomite husband breaks it up. He returns to England to find his daughter very sick and while she's recovering the King comes to stay for what seems like an unrealistically long time. In fact Margaret goes back to Court with Charles worrying Merivel about his intentions. So Merivel travels to Switzerland to visit Louise and is all but ushered into Louise's bed by her father. Having agreed to marry her, and fought a staged duel with her husband, he has to hasten back to the bedside of the dying King. This act duly taking place he finds himself without an income, with his manor all but destroyed by the servants running amok in his absence, his Faithful Retainer, Will dead, but his daughter happily settled. So he has little choice but to return to Louise, however he makes the fatal mistake of calling on his old lover in London where a last dalliance rather shockingly proves the end of him.
Merivel is described by the group as being compassionate with a sense of humour but licentious. He's a lusty man. The King was the real obsession of his life. Several people noted the parallels to Tom Jones. One member felt she didn't like his character and wondered if there was something she was missing. Another found him very real, with his heart ruling his head. He had a sad life with a rather sad end.
In general people had mixed feelings, some liked the love story, the section in Switzerland and the duel, although one in particular disliked the fact that he was writing about whether animals have souls.
People questioned whether the book stood on its own or whether it really only stood as a sequel. Again there were different feelings as to this. Some felt that expectations were rather too high having read the first one. One or two had not read the first book and still enjoyed this one. Which would seem to be the ultimate test.
Merivel is described by the group as being compassionate with a sense of humour but licentious. He's a lusty man. The King was the real obsession of his life. Several people noted the parallels to Tom Jones. One member felt she didn't like his character and wondered if there was something she was missing. Another found him very real, with his heart ruling his head. He had a sad life with a rather sad end.
In general people had mixed feelings, some liked the love story, the section in Switzerland and the duel, although one in particular disliked the fact that he was writing about whether animals have souls.
People questioned whether the book stood on its own or whether it really only stood as a sequel. Again there were different feelings as to this. Some felt that expectations were rather too high having read the first one. One or two had not read the first book and still enjoyed this one. Which would seem to be the ultimate test.
2. I like Rose
Tremain - I like her style very much and I enjoy historical fiction.
I’m not sure how I feel about the character of Merivel - the book
is a personal journal and shows many admirable qualities - he is
compassionate and has a sense of the ridiculous, but I was troubled
by his licentiousness. I suppose that this probably reflects the ways
of the court. I wonder if he is portrayed as someone who aided and
abetted, or even influenced the behaviour of the King. It is a while
since I read Restoration - those of you who have read it more
recently would possibly know. 6/10
3. The final years of
Merivel, up to an including the kings death and the betrothal of his
daughter. He is still a lusty man, but more introspective. He is
infatuated with Louise until her wish for 'playing' gets too much and
he has to fight a duel for her. It could be a history of the time of
a man made rich by the kings benefice. Is it a good book? Hard to
say. Difficult to recommend. It did not really stand on it's own, but relied on you having read the first volume, which we read a couple of months ago. We did wonder why it took 10 years for her to write the sequel to Restoration.
Skios -- Michael Frayn Marks : High. 4, Low. 2 Average. 3.5
- Dr. Norman Wilfred, a world celebrity in the field of scientific management of scientific research, descends from a first class flight with champagne pampering to the island of SKIOS.
He is looking forward to delivering his classic lecture at the prestigious Fred Toppler Foundation Annual Conference. Unfortunately for Dr Wilfred, arriving at the same time are the soft smiling eyes and tousled blond hair that top off the younger, slimmer body of impulsive chancer Oliver Fox. Fox is having some doubts about spending the week with his latest conquest Georgie. He absent-mindedly picks up Dr Wilfred's suitcase at the luggage carousel, is mistaken for Dr Wilfred by Mrs Toppler's PA, the discreetly tanned, discreetly blonde, Nikki, and makes a spur of the moment decision to play the hand fate has dealt him.The story of the next few days involves Russian Oligarchs,Greek shipping magnates, money laundering, theft of ancient statues, a discussion on the probabilistic nature of determinism in the universe, the inability of foreigners to tell Greek taxi drivers apart, various attempts at sex, a grossly implausible number of misunderstandings and coincidences and an unexpected ending or two.
Our verdict was short and unanimous. A particularly irritating farce that was mainly a painful read . It might well work as a play but not as a book. We could happily have moved swiftly on but Chris insisted on mentioning one or two funny bits that tickled his schoolboy sense of humour and waffling on about Oliver Fox being the personification of creativity and spontaneity we all admire in writers who just make things up as they go along. No-one was convinced by this. (admits Chris)
- An irritating farce. 3/10
- It is like a 'norman
conquest' play with mistaken identities and bed-hopping. Frayn is a
playright. It takes place on the Greek island of Skios, where Norman
Wilfred is to give a lecture to a charitable foundation, and his
place is usurped by a young bounder 'just because he could' Bounder
is supposed to be enjoying an illicit week with a married woman, in a
resort arranged by another lover, and Wilfred ends up there and
starts to like it, except for sensible thoughts of responsibilities.
It all comes together in a climax as The Bounder starts to give
Wilfred's famous lecture, and chaos ensues. The author sort of gives
up and supposes at this point. Very light read,
lots of misunderstandings. Not a classic, 3
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