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LiseWorksI've always loved this Era. Even as a teen king Henry Vlll always fascinated me. The deceit of each character just to get ahead. The torture in order to get to what they thought was the truth. The fighting just over religious beliefs. The lies and the fall from grace was incredibly bad.7mo
KarisimoThe pacing/style of the investigation and the character of Shardlake reminded me so much of Louise Penny‘s Inspector Gamache series which I love!7mo
The_Book_NinjaI‘ve not read a book like this since I read a few of the Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan. There‘s an Athelstan in this book, I wondered if it‘s an homage🤷🏻7mo
See All 33 Comments
DeblovestoreadI‘m really enjoying this. I recently read a biography of Anne Boleyn and this feels like a continuation of that in a way.7mo
OutsmartYourShelfThe Tudor period is my second favourite time period to read about (first is Imperial Rome) whether fiction or nonfiction.
It's quite slow in parts but it feels a bit like a cross between P.C. Doherty's 'Hugh Corbett' series & Ellis Peters' 'Cadfael' (although both were set in earlier time periods.) I liked both of these series so it bodes well.7mo
dabbe@LiseWorks I love this era, too. I've always been fascinated by his six wives and what happened to them. And those dresses! I always thought I would have loved to have lived during this period--until I learned how awful it really was--especially if you weren't wealthy.7mo
dabbe@Karisimo I've only read one Gamache (which I loved); I need to read more! 🤩7mo
dabbe@The_Book_Ninja Definitely could be since the Sorrowful books came first. I also think there was a real Brother Athelstan, too.7mo
dabbe@Deblovestoread Yay! I'm loving rereading it, too. I forgot so much, so it's like I'm reading it for the first time! 🤩7mo
dabbe@OutsmartYourShelf I've not heard of the series you've mentioned. I'll have to look into them and add them to my never-ending TBR! 🤩7mo
AnneCecilieFor me this is a reread, but this first book was read approx. 15 yrs ago. So I know I love it, but I don‘t remember much. I love Sansom‘s eye for historical detail and showing us how this period was like.7mo
dabbe@AnneCecilie It's a reread for me, too, and about as many years ago! I'm rereading it like it's the first time because I've also forgotten quite a bit.7mo
kwmg40Since I'd read this first book not too long ago, I decided not to reread, so I'm a bit fuzzy on the details, but I wanted to follow the discussions. I love reading about the Tudor era, and it's nice to read a book set in this time period where the main character is not a member of the royalty. It gives a different perspective from many of the Tudor-era books I've read in the past.7mo
LibrarybelleFinally finished last month‘s reading! I have a fascination with the Tudor era and will read anything I can find. This is my first time reading Sansom, and I am really liking this. It‘s a really good behind-the-scenes look at the changes in Henry VIII‘s reign. I came to this knowing the violence and the unstableness of the era, and Sansom does well highlighting these elements and the brutality. Shardlake is quick to temper but very insightful.7mo
dabbe@Librarybelle I love his flawed character--and his brilliance! 🤩7mo
lil1inblueI'm a little late, but I finally caught up on my reading! I'm glad my previous curiosity (obsession?) with this era is paying off so far - I haven't needed to do any context research. I do appreciate that this isn't about the usual royal drama. Also, I am fascinated by the relationship between Shardlake and Mark. The change between them as the story evolves is very interesting.7mo
MollyannaSo I finally got caught up. I am loving this novel. Sansom does such a wonderful job of immersing you in the time and setting. It has The Name of the Rose vibes.7mo
dabbe@Mollyanna You just gave me another book to add to my TBR! Glad you're loving it so far. 🤩🤗😀7mo
MollyannaThe movie is also decent. It stars Sean Connery and a very young Christian Slater.@dabbe@lil1inblue I think the fact that they are flawed shows the human experience of our detectives. It helps to relate to them.7mo
dabbe@Mollyanna So true! That's one of the traits of a hero (according to Joseph Campbell's monomyth). I taught a Hero's Quest unit to all of my students, whether standard or honors. It is the essential building block of all stories. And our heroes have to be flawed--otherwise we can't related to them. Sometimes a perfect hero might work (James Bond, perhaps), but very rarely.7mo
BookWrymI am all caught up to this point. First time reading enjoying it so far. Interesting that Shardlake as an agent of Cromwell is the hero when typically he would be a villain. Love that Shardlake has a disability and that it is not just used to make him seem different I appreciate the comments about pain and needing to rest.7mo
dabbe@BookWrym Great points. I also think Shardlake is showing some signs of being dissatisfied with the the Reformation and Cromwell's machinations, so maybe that could be why he's the hero.7mo
PageShifterI am really enjoying this. I love the setting & atmosphere. Even though I'll start to feel frustrated because I don't see any hint of who might be the murderer.5mo
dabbe@PageShifter I'm glad you're liking it! And don't feel bad--you're in excellent company with all of us! 🤩😂🤗5mo
It's quite slow in parts but it feels a bit like a cross between P.C. Doherty's 'Hugh Corbett' series & Ellis Peters' 'Cadfael' (although both were set in earlier time periods.) I liked both of these series so it bodes well. 7mo