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Bezig met laden... Nacht over Clerkenwell roman (2003)door Peter Ackroyd
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. En el año 1399 circulan rumores apocalípticos por una Londres turbulenta y laberíntica. Un grupo de notables se dirige a una cita secreta. Un asesinato y una serie de explosiones sacuden la ciudad. El convento de Santa María y el priorato de los caballeros templarios se comunican por un túnel subterráneo, el mismo en el que sor Clarisa vino al mundo. Bruja merecedora de la hoguera para unos, profeta para otros, la monja se declara « hermana del día y de la noche, hermana de los bosques» y sus vaticinios inquietan a los feligreses desencantados de la Iglesia y del mundo. Mientras tanto, la secta Dominus urde su trama y no se detiene ante nada. Very disappointed; the reviews on the cover led me to expect great things. The author obviously knows a lot about medieval London, which provides a few weeks interesting moments, but the book's structure is actually a major weakness in my view. The chapter headings lead you to believe you are getting something akin to the marvellous Canterbury Tales. However all it does is keep introducing more and more characters who are involved in some way with a dastardly plot that I never got to grips with. I soon got confused as to who all these people where, who was deceiving who and why. I was also unable to identify with a single character; the one who started to emerge as a sort of hero was not allowed to continue in this role beyond a couple of chapters. I have Peter Ackroyd's London on my shelf to read; I have heard good things about it; it is a much bigger book so I hope the reviews are right this time. "The Clerkenwell Tales," by Peter Ackroyd, is set in 1399 London; a young nun starts hearing the voice of God and she becomes a prophet, foretelling, among other things, the death of Richard II. Meanwhile, there are hidden groups of men, conspirators, working toward making the nun’s prophecies come true, by whatever means necessary…. This is a nicely constructed novel, modeled on Chaucer with each chapter being someone’s tale, or the part that individual plays in the overall plot - there’s even a Wife of Bath here! Ackroyd writes with a mixture of elegant prose and very earthy imagery, not unlike one might expect of 14th Century England, and the story itself is quite a lot of fun. His final chapter, “The Author’s Tale,” is actually comprised of his notes about the book, including what exists now in locations mentioned in the story; to be honest, I was never quite sure how much of his story is real and how much imagined. Fans of historical fiction will get a kick out of this one; recommended. The Clerkenwell Tales by Peter Ackroyd - ok Really not sure how to assess this. Peter Ackroyd picks such interesting subjects, but somehow I find him hard to read. Hawksmoor almost defeated me. This one was easier, but still not a quick read. This is London at the turn of the century - 1399. Henry Bollingbrook is about to replace Richard II on the thrown of England, there are mysterious portents in the city and the citizens are restless and nervous. In amongst this there is Sister Clarice, a Nun in Clerkenwell who is having visions of the future. Ackroyd tells the tale of these times in the style of Chaucer (although thankfully not in his language!) - each chapter told from someone else's perspective. All very clever but it's not a period of history I know very well and I did find myself getting a bit confused.
As usual, Ackroyd's learning is as impressive as his imagination, ranging from astrology and religious debate to the deep-rooted iconography that shaped the medieval mindset. But it is the description of daily life, of meals and mystery plays, of footwear and farting, which makes the past a smelly and fascinating presence. The London of The Clerkenwell Tales is stalked by terrorists who use the most advanced explosives the 14th century can offer to destroy five churches, and the churches are chosen for the significance of their locations. Fans of Hawksmoor will recognise not only this theme, but also the subversive theology, the debate between reason and belief, the labyrinths under churches, the blackmail, the way gentlemen in taverns pee where they're sitting, and the purgative powers of flagellation. Onderdeel van de uitgeversreeks(en)Werd geïnspireerd door
'I am sister to the day and night. I am sister to the woods.' Sister Clarisse, a nun in the House of St Mary at Clerkenwell, experiences visions. She dreams of the English King. Are her prophecies the babblings of the crazed? Or can she 'see' a future in which Henry Bolingbroke overthrows Richard II? This clever and colourful novel begins with The Nun's Tale, and continues with The Friar's Tale, The Merchant's Tale and The Clerk's Tale-. Thus, story by story, Peter Ackroyd builds his portrait of medieval London. The people are disenchanted by the Church, with its wealth and corruption, its Pope in Rome and its Pope in Avignon. But heresy is dangerous- almost as dangerous as rebellion. This is a novel about spies and counter-spies, radicals and idealists, murderers and arsonists, sects and secret societies... Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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