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Company of Liars

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Company of Liars

By: Karen Maitland
Narrated by: David Thorpe
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About this listen

 On this day of ill omen, plague makes its entrance. Within weeks, swathes of England will be darkened by death's shadow. While panic and suspicion flood the land, a small band of travelers comes together to outrun the breakdown in law and order.

But when one of their number is found hanging from a tree, the chilling discovery confirms that something more sinister than plague is in their midst. And as the runes warn of treachery, it appears no one is quite what they seem, least of all the child rune reader, who mercilessly compels each of her companions to tell their stories. And face the consequences...

©2008 Karen Maitland (P)2008 Oakhill Publishing Ltd Historical Mystery Fiction Exciting Scary

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All stars
Most relevant
This is quite different from what I usually listen to, but I'm very glad I made the break. It's 1348 and the black death is sweeping England. Nine unlikely travel companions are thrown together and unite in their quest to outrun the pestillence by heading North.
The characters are nicely drawn and we get to know them through the stories they tell while sitting around the campfire trying to keep warm. The author evokes the mid 14th century well and the book seems to be well-researched (although I'm not an expert on medieval England, so it could all be rubbish!!). There is a bit of mystery thrown in, but although there are murders involved, it's not a traditional murder mystery. The end of the story is not as strong as it might have been, and clues to one of the twists in the tale are given early in the book. There is a final twist, which some might find cliched, but I enjoyed. Finally, what made this a 5-star for me was David Thorpe's narration - the story on its own would have been a four. The voice characterisation is great and consistent throughout - he really helps to bring the characters and the stories to life. Highly recommended!

A Medieval Road Movie - Well worth a listen

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These liars - or story tellers and self preservationists, and the mystery of the gruesome murderer among them - kept me company on many a long wintry walk. It is essentially a Medieval murder mystery set in the horror and chaos of the plague, but so much more. The narrator made the main character, our guide the perfectly named Camelot, instantly likeable, and it's written with great intelligence, so even if some of the tales are far fetched and fairytale-like, it's more psychological than fantastical, and could be read any way you choose. It's a great way of absorbing the Medieval way of seeing the world, especially if like me you are secular and atheist. I found myself being seduced into a superstitious mindset that made me shocked at my own susceptibility towards the end. I never thought I was into Medieval yarns, being more of a Roth and Updike fan, but this was enlightening and inspiring in so many ways, and hugely addictive. Only down side for me was a little too much explanation when the murderer is unveiled - I suppose it seemed a bit clunky since the rest was so haunting. But the world Maitland conjures stays with you long after you finish the book.

Utterly bewitching

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A fascinating, interesting, but ultimately frustrating historical novel. Karen Maitland paints a vivid picture of a group of people, nine in all, who band together to avoid the Plague and pestilence of England in 1348.

The group don't know each other but come together over their shared search for safety from the pestilence which they seek to outrun as they head north and east. In the chilly, damp, and putrid environment we learn of the role of the Church, the blame heaped on the Jews, the myths, and stories that kept people alive and moving. As each member of the group tells his or her own story, we gain insights to the intrigue surrounding them, and of the group's fragile links to the villages and villagers, churches and cemeteries, saints and relics, corruption and homophobia that characterised society at the time.

Maitland weaves a compelling tale of hidden clues, murders, and mystery, as each member of the Band seeks to explain him or her self, understand the others and reflect on their lives. The book is carefully researched shedding light on traditional remedies, the Church as it sought to position itself as the saviour of the people while protecting its own, the efforts of desperate groups to separate themselves from the mainstream in order to survive.

A particularly powerful piece of writing related the sheer terror of two men summonsing anything and everything they'd ever heard about childbirth to assist a member of their party to deliver her son. Normally in the hands of traditional midwives and older women, the men need to make seemingly desperate decisions to facilitate survival of both mother and child... Harrowing at the best of times but doubly reinforced by traditional gendered roles.

Certainly an interesting listen, but somewhat convoluted and over-dark, beset by cruelty and distrust, but perhaps what it was like at the time...

Murder, mischief, intrigue during the Black Death

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at circa 20 hours its quite a book, but it seemed to fly by. Their are no obvious flaws in the research (i have little knowledge of the era, but am very critical re: plot holes, annoys my friends no end!) some of the backwards attitudes / beliefs of the characters are deliciously medieval and the use of the word "pottage" tranported me back a few hundred years by itself :) .. I liked the twist, though i might say there was more than one imo ... weidly though, I was sure that I had read a review with a subtle but effective spolier on this site, but when i came back to complain I can't find it! Was it removed or has the pestilence got to me? ;)

very good for 1 credit

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Phew! I’ll gladly forgo the authors next attempt. Too many situations emphasised with needless additional descriptions in case you missed the point became tiring. Appreciated the narrator’s commitment to improving the experience but even he seemed to struggle as it felt like most incidental characters had west country accents regardless of how far north they’d travelled.

A tiresome read regrettably.

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