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The Restoration is over and Robert Merivel, renowned physician and courtier to Charles II, now faces the anxieties of middle age. Questions crowd his mind: has he been a good father? Is he a fair master? Is he the King's friend or the King's slave? In search of answers, Merivel sets off for the French court. But Versailles leaves him in despair, until a chance encounter with a seductive Swiss botanist allows him to dream of an honourable future.
In the year 1629, a young English lutenist named Peter Claire arrives at the Danish Court to join King Christian IV's Royal Orchestra. From the moment when he realizes that the musicians perform in a freezing cellar underneath the royal apartments, Peter Clair understands that he's come to a place where the opposing states of light and dark, good and evil, are waging war to the death.
Lev is on his way from Eastern Europe to Britain, seeking work. But Lev has an outsider's vision of the place we call home. Lev begins with no job, little money, and few words of English. He has only his memories, his hopes, and a certain skill preparing food.
Joseph and Harriet Blackstone emigrate from Norfolk to New Zealand in search of new beginnings and prosperity. But the harsh land near Christchurch where they settle threatens to destroy them almost before they begin. When Joseph finds gold in the creek he is seized by a rapturous obsession with the voluptuous riches awaiting him deep in the earth.
Eleanor of Aquitaine's story deserves to be legendary. She is an icon who has fascinated readers for over 800 years. But the real Eleanor remains elusive - until now. Based on the most up-to-date research, award-winning novelist Elizabeth Chadwick brings Eleanor's magnificent story to life, as never before, unveiling the real Eleanor. Young, golden-haired and blue-eyed Eleanor has everything to look forward to as the heiress to wealthy Aquitaine.
In a silent valley stands an isolated stone farmhouse. Its owner is Aramon Lunel, an alcoholic so haunted by his violent past that he’s let his hunting dogs starve and his land go to ruin. Meanwhile, his sister, alone in her modern bungalow within sight of the Mas Lunel, dreams of exacting retribution for the unspoken betrayals that have blighted her life. Into this closed world comes Anthony Verey, a wealthy but disillusioned antiques dealer from London.
The Restoration is over and Robert Merivel, renowned physician and courtier to Charles II, now faces the anxieties of middle age. Questions crowd his mind: has he been a good father? Is he a fair master? Is he the King's friend or the King's slave? In search of answers, Merivel sets off for the French court. But Versailles leaves him in despair, until a chance encounter with a seductive Swiss botanist allows him to dream of an honourable future.
In the year 1629, a young English lutenist named Peter Claire arrives at the Danish Court to join King Christian IV's Royal Orchestra. From the moment when he realizes that the musicians perform in a freezing cellar underneath the royal apartments, Peter Clair understands that he's come to a place where the opposing states of light and dark, good and evil, are waging war to the death.
Lev is on his way from Eastern Europe to Britain, seeking work. But Lev has an outsider's vision of the place we call home. Lev begins with no job, little money, and few words of English. He has only his memories, his hopes, and a certain skill preparing food.
Joseph and Harriet Blackstone emigrate from Norfolk to New Zealand in search of new beginnings and prosperity. But the harsh land near Christchurch where they settle threatens to destroy them almost before they begin. When Joseph finds gold in the creek he is seized by a rapturous obsession with the voluptuous riches awaiting him deep in the earth.
Eleanor of Aquitaine's story deserves to be legendary. She is an icon who has fascinated readers for over 800 years. But the real Eleanor remains elusive - until now. Based on the most up-to-date research, award-winning novelist Elizabeth Chadwick brings Eleanor's magnificent story to life, as never before, unveiling the real Eleanor. Young, golden-haired and blue-eyed Eleanor has everything to look forward to as the heiress to wealthy Aquitaine.
In a silent valley stands an isolated stone farmhouse. Its owner is Aramon Lunel, an alcoholic so haunted by his violent past that he’s let his hunting dogs starve and his land go to ruin. Meanwhile, his sister, alone in her modern bungalow within sight of the Mas Lunel, dreams of exacting retribution for the unspoken betrayals that have blighted her life. Into this closed world comes Anthony Verey, a wealthy but disillusioned antiques dealer from London.
With enemies advancing on all sides and Cardinal Richelieu's health failing, France is at breaking point. Yet salvation may arrive in the most unlikely form.... Born into poverty and with terrible deformities, Sebastian Morra is a dwarf with the wit of Tyrion Lannister and three foot, four inches of brazen pluck.
A rags-to-riches tale, Jonah's journey spans the breadth of human experience, from the intricacies of Edward III's political intrigues to the cutthroat world of international trade, from the triumphs of war to the agonies of personal loss - love, friendship, joy, heartbreak and glory. Set largely in London, the Scarlet City, the centre of medieval England, the Scarlet City trilogy is a thrilling portrait of the age and the people who made it so rich, colourful and extraordinary.
September 1919: 21-year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver some letters to Marian Bancroft. Tristan fought alongside Marian’s brother Will during the Great War, but in 1917 Will laid down his guns on the battlefield, declared himself a conscientious objector and was shot as a traitor, an act which has brought shame and dishonour on the Bancroft family. But the letters are not the real reason for Tristan’s visit. He holds a secret deep in his soul. One that he is desperate to unburden himself of to Marian, if he can only find the courage.
India, 1922. In Panikhat, 50 miles from Calcutta, the wives of officers in the Bengal Greys have been dying violently, one every year and always in March. All the deaths are bizarre and seem accidental. The only link between them is the small red roses that mysteriously appear on the women’s graves on the anniversaries of their deaths. The first victim perished in a fire, the second was bitten by a cobra, another was thrown off her horse into a ravine, while the fourth drowned.
Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar, read by Juliet Stevenson. This voyage is special. It will change everything.... One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock hears urgent knocking on his front door. One of his captains is waiting eagerly on the step. He has sold Jonah's ship for what appears to be a mermaid.
We're all something else inside.... 1952. Standing in a cold Suffolk field with her family, six-year-old Mary Ward has a revelation: I am not Mary. That is a mistake. I am not a girl. I'm a boy. So begins Mary's heroic struggle to change gender. Moving from the claustrophobic rural community of the 1950s to London in the swinging '60s and beyond to the glitter of America in the '70s, Sacred Country is the story of a journey to find a place of safety and fulfilment in a savage and confusing world.
From the author of the best-selling Notes from an Exhibition comes an irresistible, searching, and poignant historical novel of love, relationships, secrets and escape. To find yourself, sometimes you must lose everything. A privileged elder son, and stammeringly shy, Harry Cane has followed convention at every step. Even the beginnings of an illicit, dangerous affair do little to shake the foundations of his muted existence.
When The Far Pavilions was first published 19 years ago, it moved the critic Edmund Fuller to write this: "Were Miss Kaye to produce no other book, The Far Pavilions might stand as a lasting accomplishment in a single work comparable to Margaret Mitchell's achievement in Gond With the Wind." From its beginning in the foothills of the towering Himalayas, M. M. Kaye's masterwork is a vast, rich, and vibrant tapestry of love and war that ranks with the greatest panoramic sagas of modern fiction.
It is1792 and Europe is seized by political turmoil and violence. Lizzie Fawkes has grown up in radical circles where each step of the French Revolution is followed with eager idealism. But she has recently married John Diner Tredevant, a property developer who is heavily invested in Bristol's housing boom, and he has everything to lose from social upheaval and the prospect of war. Diner believes that Lizzie's independent, questioning spirit must be coerced and subdued. She belongs to him.
Ralph and Anna Eldred live in the big Red House in Norfolk, raising their four children and devoting their lives to charity. But the constant flood of 'good souls and sad cases' welcomed into their home hides the growing crises in their own family. From the violent townships of South Africa to the windswept countryside of Norfolk, this is an epic yet subtle family saga about what happens when trust is broken...
Nineteen thirty-four, London. Into the decaying cul-de-sac of Bleeding Heart Square steps aristocratic Lydia Langstone fleeing an abusive marriage. However, unknown to Lydia, a dark mystery haunts Bleeding Heart Square. What happened to Miss Penhow, the middle-aged spinster who owns the house and who vanished four years earlier? Why is a seedy plain-clothes policeman obsessively watching the square? What is making struggling journalist Rory Wentwood so desperate to contact Miss Penhow?
Here is a new audio edition of the acclaimed BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of Anthony Trollope's gently satirical tales of provincial life, available together in one download. Nearly 20 hours of ironic, witty, and wonderfully written drama is contained in this audiobook. The cast includes Anna Massey, Alex Jennings, David Haig, Rosemary Leach, Kenneth Cranham, Emma Fielding, and Brenda Blethyn.
When a twist of fate delivers an ambitious young medical student to the court of King Charles II, he is suddenly thrust into a vibrant world of luxury and opulence.
Blessed with a quick wit and sparkling charm, Robert Merivel rises quickly, soon finding favour with the King, and privileged with a position as 'paper groom' to the youngest of the King's mistresses. But by falling in love with her, Merivel transgresses the one rule that will cast him out from his new-found paradise. Determined to be restored to the King's grace, Merivel begins a journey of self-knowledge and soon discovers that the King's pleasure is equally matched by his wrath.... Rose Tremain's novels have won many prizes including: the Whitbread Novel of the Year (Music and Silence); the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Prix Femina Etranger (Sacred Country); the Sunday Express Book of the Year, the Angel Literary Award and shortlisted for the Booker Prize (Restoration) and a Giles Cooper Award (for her radio play, Temporary Shelter). Her novel The Colour, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, and selected for the Daily Mail Reading Club promotion. In June 2007 Rose was made a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
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The character of Merivel bursts out of the opening pages and I was immediately beguiled by his roller coaster account of his life and fortunes. Merivel may be treated as a fool by the King's court but he is not stupid. He is just inclined to follow his own devil may care instincts and as a result gets involved in all manner of scrapes. This book focuses on his relationship with King Charles II and the massive impact this has on his life. The best parts however are his interactions with his best but disapproving friend Pearce, and the ordinary but vividly colourful characters that light up this book.
There are some massively funny sections, for example his frustrations at not being able to paint his Russians or play a musical instrument and his hilarious and exasperated interchanges with the people who try to teach him. There are also some very touching elements and Merivel's words and actions show him on occasion as being a likeable, vulnerable and humane man. You must however not be disillusioned into thinking Merivel is in any way saintly.
Paul Daneman gives many theatrical flourishes to his reading and his fearless approach adds to the comedy and pathos. I have had a recent run of very dull books that have driven me to the point of bored despair but this has restored my faith. This story and presentation is a breath of fresh and extremely invigorating air.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
I can't remember why I bought this - maybe it was a special offer. Anyway, I didn't know what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised. The narration was excellent, and really made the protagonist come to life. I suspect I would not have liked it so much on the page.
I really enjoyed this and was sorry when it finished.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
I enjoyed this hugely. A wonderful story, full of humour as well as drama, great characters and setting. Also, beautifully read. Found myself totally immersed in it. Highly recommended.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
If you could sum up Restoration in three words, what would they be?
Unusual historical novel
Who was your favorite character and why?
Merivel a real character. A very different sort of hero.
What about Paul Daneman’s performance did you like?
Very well read.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No.
Any additional comments?
Rose Tremain is an excellent author. I have only just discovered her and now making up for lost time.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
What did you like most about Restoration?
The character of Robert Merivel is engaging, infuriating, hilarious and at times shocking. His excesses and tribulations are entertaining and his search for meaning in his life are well perceived and narrated by Tremain.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
A book to relish - beautifully written and never predictable.
Any additional comments?
I have read many of Rose Tremain's books and this must be her best.
6 of 8 people found this review helpful
Politicians should read this and learn that if their experiences were wider, they'd be less mono-minded and dogmatic. Marvellous reading by Paul Daneman.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Wonderfully read story, very funny at times, moving and poignant . Beautifully written giving the reader a real sense of witnessing the unfolding events. Must go back to the ending though
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Great main character, superbly well read, thoroughly engaging story. I don't know how true the insights to the times are but I would guess from Ms Tremain's professionalism, insightful!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Is there anything you would change about this book?
Why would a respected author like Rose Tremain dedicate two books to a buffoon and a loser? 'Restoration' slides in a downward spiral, and we have no reason to pity the ill fated protagonist. Then, in the second book in the series, 'Merivel', the main character continues to wallow even further through misery as the clueless king's ex-fool. I must also be the fool for even attempting part two. Thankfully Audible allowed me to return the book.
What will your next listen be?
I will return to more elevating and exciting historical fiction. I've read most of Ken Follett's. I get confused with Hilary Mantel. There is lots to explore in Cornwell and Scarrow. There is always CJ Sanson's hunchback. Roy Clements is stuck in the 15th and 16th centuries. I think we are all bored with Philippa Gregory's delving between the Tutor sheets. Maybe I am ready for the highly educated tales of Simon Scarrow.
Have you listened to any of Paul Daneman’s other performances? How does this one compare?
This man is the only reason I have suffered as much as I have through this miserable book. Mr Daneman is a brilliant actor and a master of accents, voices and inflections.
Did Restoration inspire you to do anything?
Yes -- ask Audible to receive the book returned unfinished. I will find my historical fiction with another author.
5 of 8 people found this review helpful
I love Rose Tremain and thought this story was very good but I did find the narration a little hard to engage with at times - I wasn't a big fan of the actor changing voices for different characters as he invariably gave them rather irritating ones. But overall very enjoyable.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful