Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant Scholarship, Weak Execution
Review: This is a novel with an interesting or even perhaps a unique concept. It is a story, or a sequence of events, told by four separate narrators. Each of the narrators brings his own set of perceptions and misperceptions to the mix, as well as his own sense of what of importance should be related. The story takes place in Oxford, England, in the 1660's. A king has just been restored to the throne after several years of Cromwell, and the country is still bitterly divided. Pears has clearly done his homework. Not only does he have an understanding of the history of this era, he also has a thorough understanding in the way of men's thinking in general during these times. To varying degrees, all of their thoughts and actions were guided by what they perceived was the will of God; even their debates and discussions with one another were heavily influenced by their religious upbringing. Indeed, their efforts to improve their understanding in the sciences and other technical areas was impeded by it. And this brings about the first problem. These men are so backward in their thinking- to be sure reflective of the times-that it becomes very tedious to wade through their obviously outdated musings. The first narrator, for example, a physician, debates endlessly with other physicians the medical procedures of the day, such as applying dog feces to a swollen eye or bleeding somebody to get their bad blood out. Yes, it is important that we get an idea of the kind of the backward thinking that went on then, but do we really need to read page after page of it? And the other narrators, with their dopey ideas of religion and philosophy and the place of women in the world are just as lengthy, and just as tedious. The second problem is in the nature of the novel's concept itself. With four narrators, you not only get four different views of events, but also, by necessity, four self-centered views entirely. Thus, with each narrator, we not only get a slew of additional characters, we also get a whole new set of plots, counterplots, and subplots. To further complicate matters, none of these fellows are entirely reliable, so keeping track of all of this, and then trying to determine what of this we should retain and what of this we can safely discard, is extremely difficult. Mr. Pears should be highly commended for both his elegant and articulate writing style, and his magnificent scholarship. And he does, finally, put everything together with the last narrator. But, sadly, instead of breathlessly turning pages to find the answers to the vast number of perplexing questions posed, I instead found myself simply glad that the darn thing was coming to an end.
Rating: 
Summary: An Instance of Utter Tedium
Review: I have to preface my review by telling you that of the numerous books I have read, and the few that I have elected not to finish due to their inability to sustain the promise that I first saw in them, this book is the only one that I truly resent. After having my interest piqued by the numerous favorable comparisons of this novel to one of my favorites (Eco's The Name of the Rose), I brought it home from the bookstore eager to dive right into it. After slogging through the first hundred or so pages I found myself lacking the resolve to continue, but felt obliged to carry on to see if it would measure up to my expectations in the end. After a further hundred pages, I finally had to put it down having come to the decision that going on would be a waste of time. Just to see if others had come to the same conclusion as I had, I got on my computer and started reading the reviews on Amazon. This made me reconsider my decision and attempt to get through it and read this wonderful ending that people were raving about. Returning to the book, I managed to grind my way through fifty more pages before resorting to skimming to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I can honestly tell you I was missing nothing. The ending was not only incredible, it was a complete disappointment, as was the book as a whole. Mr. Pears' characters are flat and his four narrators never achieve any kind of individuation that makes their recitations distinguishable from the others. the plotting of the book is plodding, never generating the interest that must be there to sustain the reader of a novel of this size. Although he inserts many historical facts to interest the reader, he never successfully integrates any of these tidbits into the story. I personally found myself at several points in the book saying to myself, "There he goes again, trying to show how much research he's done". In the end there is one phrase that sums up my opinion of this book, don't waste your time or your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Tough, but Rewarding
Review: Warning: This is not a pick it up and finish it in a day kind of book. No matter how many historical mysteries you read you will not be able to get through this book in a day, or even several days. That being said, it is one of the most rewarding mysteries you are likely to read. Pears's incredibly detailed depiction of Oxford in the late seventeenth century bristles with life, lust, and treachery. First through the eyes of a wandering Italian Marco da Cola, and then through the eyes of other major figures like John Wallis and Anthony Wood, we are introduced to the strange events surrounding an even stranger person: Sarah Blundy. The history of science and medicine is very accurate and very well-treated (not always the same thing!), especially in the sections on Wallis and Wood. The pace of the book does pick up the deeper we get into the twisting paths of Oxford life and legend, but I don't think that makes the first two accounts any less riveting. Instead, it brings home how different people see the same events, and makes us evaluate more critically every "fact" we think we know. This would be a great book to take on a one-week vacation, since it will probably get you through the whole thing without having to take 6 books with you. If you like historical mysteries or historical fiction, or even the history of medicine, I highly recommend this book to you. PS. The ending knocks you off your feet. Totally unexpected!
Rating: 
Summary: Keep At It
Review: As I read though the first part of the book, I was intrigued, then as I continued I realized that this book demands an active reader. Three quarters of the way through, I was frustrated at its slow pace, but too far into the book to put it down. When I finished, I was rewarded and encourage others to keep going NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES!
Rating:
Summary: Dry And Boring
Review: How dry and boring can one book be? This book could have been less than half its size and still been too long. How many times can we hear the same story repeated over and over? Four times is four too many! I'll admit that the original idea was a good one, but Pears just wasn't able to carry it off. By the time I finished I was not only relieved, I wished all the characters would just drop dead and ESPECIALLY Sarah Blundy. When Pears finally did reveal the "truth" about this dubious woman, my only thought was "Oh, come on! What a cop out! Finally, I have to agree with those reviewers who said The Name of the Rose is NOTHING AT ALL like An Instance of the Fingerpost. Rose is literature, while Fingerpost is pulp fiction!
Rating:
Summary: *yawn*
Review: Wow, was this ever a boring read. I'm very surprised by all the praise this book has received. I hardly recognise the book I read with what is being described here. The characters were flat and the story just didn't move along.
Rating:
Summary: A Challenge To Get Through, But Ultimately Rewarding
Review: Let's start with the obligatory comparison to The Name of the Rose. Because of its lyricism and depth, The Name of the Rose is a better book than An Instance of the Fingerpost. Yet, while it doesn't reach the level of The Name of the Rose, An Instance of the Fingerpost is good enough to stand on its own. Much of the reason behind this success can be attributed to the book's elaborate plotting. I enjoyed comparing the different descriptions given by the narrators of the same scenes. I also enjoyed looking up the little clues after they had blossomed into major plot points. Such effects could not be possible without a plot that is comprehensively planned and executed. Pears also does a good job in giving each narrator a distinct voice. Da Cola comes across as slightly pompous; Prescott as obsessed; Wallis as paranoid; and Wood as humble. These tones give the reader a clear indication of each narrator's personality and perspective. Even the characters that aren't narrating the story have a strong sense of personality, which enhances the story's believability. While the book has a great plot and strong characters, it does have lapses in the flow of the story. I frequently wondered why Pears was spending so much time focusing on a particular story point. Sometimes, the importance of this detail was revealed. Other times, it wasn't (like the excruciating detail given to the first blood transfusion experiment). While this may have been a case of Pears placing "red herrings", it simply bogged the story down. Getting through An Instance of the Fingerpost requires patience and dedication. However, if the reader perseveres, they will be ultimately rewarded with a very good story
Rating:
Summary: A classic
Review: Almost as brilliant as Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, the novel succeeds in weaving a intriguing set of events but observed by four different characters. The intricate historical details set against the backdrop of a murder mystery offer a credible account of Resotration England, Renaissance Italy and the rest of Europe. I can safely argue that this is one of the best books the appeared in recent years despite claims that it is inferior to Eco's The Name of Rose.
Rating: 
Summary: Flatter Than a Pancake
Review: When I bought this book I looked forward to many hours of reading pleasure. What I got instead were many hours of sheer boredom. The idea is excellent: four people, each believing they possess the key to a mystery, set down a narrative. Each of the first three narrators has a piece of the puzzle within his grasp, but fails to form the correct conclusion because his vision is clouded with megalomaniacal self-grandeur. While the use of four narratives to tell the story is a wonderful idea, Pears' narrators each use the same flat tone; there is nothing distinctive that sets one narrator apart from another. If this weren't enough, the story itself lacks tension. It is a dull recitation and that's all. By the time I come to Wood's narrative, arguably the most important since it is the last, I was in the mood to do little more than skim. The resolution of the story was a terrible letdown and the ultimate fate of Sarah Blundy was so fantastic it was nothing short of utterly ridiculous beyond all belief. Even the true identity of the mysterious Marco da Cola and his real reason for traveling to England were more than a stretch in credulity and that's putting it nicely. Peras' eye for period detail seems good, but there is simply too much of it and little of it is woven into the actual fabric of the story, as it should have been. This book is definitely not in the same league as Umberto Eco's gorgeous Name of the Rose, a truly five-star read. There are so many good atmospheric mysteries out there, e.g., The Quincunx, The Unburied, don't waste your valuable time with this one.
Rating:
Summary: THE TRUTH IN PLAIN SIGHT
Review: An Instance of the Fingerpost is an almost thoroughly engrossing mystery set in Restoration England and revolving around the murder of Dr. Robert Grove, fellow of the New College at Oxford. What sets this novel apart from other period portraits is Pears' use of four different, yet very convincing narratives, each designed to reveal the "truth" of the murder of Dr. Grove. The novel begins with the narrative of Marco da Cola, a gentleman scholar from Venice. While da Cola argues that he only wishes to set down a true record of the events that took place in 1663, his record actually poses more questions that it answers. It is the next three narrators who attempt to answer and refute da Cola's narrative with one of their own. As we read, we come to realize that while each of Pears' four narrators is sure that he and he alone possesses all the facts necessary to name Grove's murderer, all but one has reached his conclusions through faulty logic born of a false premise. And, while all of Pears' narrators practice many decptions, we soon realize that no deception recurs more frequently than does self-deception. It is Marco da Cola's investigation, with Dr. Lower, that ultimately results in the conviction and hanging of the serving girl, Sarah Blundy, who was recently dismissed by Grove after having been alleged to have been his mistress. At the conclusion of da Cola's tale, we feel there can be no doubt about Sarah--or her culpability. Jack Prescott, however, sees things quite differently. While he denounces Sarah as both a wench and a witch, he also denounces da Cola as an extravagant and gaudy dandy. And, although it is Prescott himself, who gives da Cola the piece of evidence that seals Sarah's fate, Prescott staunchly defends her innocence. Wallis, the third narrator sees things and people in yet another light and Anthony Wood, the last of the four narrators, who has been Sarah's secret lover, not only provides the "instance of the fingerpost," but also reveals an astonishing secret, one that will finally bring together the hidden motives of the previous narrators and make clear all the clues that have been hidden in plain sight. Pears does a marvelous job of weaving fact with fantasy and his eye for period detail never falters. And, while da Cola's narrative begins slowly, the pace does pick up somewhere around page 100. Although the book is ultimately worth the wait, no reader should have to wade throuh 100 pages of lacklustre material just to get to the "good part." Although Pears does a wonderful job of weaving the intricacies of the narrative and layering one mystery on top of another, the story as a whole lacks tension. Even though I wanted to know the "truth of the matter," I kept falling asleep while reading due to this lack of story tension. Prescott's narrative, for example, focuses more on the politics of the times than on the story of Grove's murder and the hanging of Sarah Blundy. I think comparisons of this book with Unberto Eco's The Name of the Rose are unfair. Other than the fact that both books deal with the search for ultimate truth as a theme, everything else is different, such as characterization, pacing and structure. And The Name of the Rose is much more atmospheric that is An Instance of the Fingerpost. But An Instance of the Fingerpost, while laboriously slow at times, ultimately succeeds, and the reader is left with a profound sense of both satisfaction and awe.
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