An Instance of the Fingerpost

Rating:
Summary: Conspiracy Theories
Review: England in the 1660s. An Oxford don is found dead. A hunt for the murderer ensues. Conspiracy theories abound, each self-serving the world views and prejudices of the participants. I like the ability of the author to assume different minds. This tome requires patience - which is handsomely repaid when we reach the concluding chapter.


Rating:
Summary: For a beach book, you can't miss.
Review: I picked up this book out of an Operation Dear Abby-style box of books in Kirkush, Iraq (thanks, anon donor). Of all the books I picked up while I was over there (and it was a substantial number), this book stands out as a good beach/cruise ship deck/war escape specimen. What many others complain about, I absolutely enjoyed. The tedium that others complain about is mind- and soul-clearing; let yourself get immersed in the story(ies) and the 'tedium' is absolute delight.
You can read the other reviews for the picks and pans of the writing and story, but for sheer get-me-outta-here reading, this book cannot be bested. Of course, you may want to check my other reviews before you pay for this book.
As a side note, for some reason, Henry James kept roiling in my brain as I read this book...ymmv

Rating:
Summary: Like a circle in a spiral, a wheel within a wheel...
Review: Often a Rashomon approach changes the facts with each telling. Witnesses to a car accident each report it differently. One says a blue car jumped the light and hit the white car. Another says the blue car had the light when it hit the white car...

The magnificent thing about Pears's writing is how cleverly he handles the Rashomon approach. In each telling, the facts remain the same. There are new facts added, but the old facts remain constant. The changes are in the perceptions of what the facts mean and how they are interpreted. This is clever writing, indeed. Especially since each evolution in fact building and interpretation is radically different but non-contradictory to that before. It is fascinating to see how well he does this and is worth reading for this if nothing else.


Rating:
Summary: England's Restoration Period is History with Mystery
Review: Outside of well informed English citizens, many people get tongue tied when trying to understand the complexities of British history before and after the infamous Restoration of the 17th Century. Except, in "An Instance of the Fingerpost", Iain Pears presents this bleak period of English history in an intellectual thriller-way, so as to make a reader ask for more. This is a captivating mystery, using this black period of Restoration mysticism and intrigue as the central themes of a suspense packed murder-story, full of strong characters and plenty of twists. Moreover, the "instance of the fingerpost", meaning, in sort of an Old-English way, "He did it..." leaves the reader wondering "what if" questions and even a sense of imagining whether or not English history isn't the real mystery in this novel, rather than a whodunit murder? Perhaps English history is not at all what we are taught. "An Instance of the Fingerpost" is one of my favorite books and recommended highly for the reader who wants to sink into something truly unusual and entertaining, both at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, poor ending
Review: This book was my first by Iain Pears, and even though it's long, I finished it in no time. The plot was fascinating, and I really enjoyed trying to understand the story from four different points of view. I thought each version of the tale expressed a unique voice, which made the book even more enjoyable. However, I didn't like what Sarah Blundy became at the end. The resolution of the mystery itself was satisfying, but the rest of the last account in the book just degenerated into something that didn't fit with the rest of the book. I got the feeling that Pears wanted to make a brilliant murder mystery into something more "transcendent" -- an attempt that, in my opinion, fell flat. I wanted to read historical fiction, not a messianic tale.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book. It's a well-crafted work that is definitely worth the read.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but overlong and unpolished.
Review: An enjoyable book. It is compelling - I couldn't stop reading it - and provides and intellectual murder mystery without becoming stuffy.
It is not, though, brilliant. The several stories of which it is composed do not mesh quite well enough for my taste; the final, pseudo-religious conclusion is at the same time quite unsurprising and inadequately foreshadowed in the text.
An excellent read - but certainly not great literature.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but overlong and unpolished.
Review: I must confess to some bias in regard to this book: I live in the oxford college in which much of it is set. Being a historian into the bargain, it held a certain excitement, evoking places and names that really mean something to me.
Nonetheless, it is an enjoyable book, regardless of my personal affections. It is compelling - I couldn't stop reading it - and provides and intellectual murder mystery without becoming stuffy.
It is not, though, brilliant. The several stories of which it is composed do not mesh quite well enough for my taste; the final, pseudo-religious conclusion is at the same time quite unsurprising and inadequately foreshadowed in the text.
An excellent read - but certainly not great literature.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read
Review: I picked up this book on a whim from a used book store. I decided to buy it because of the unique title. Now, this is one of my favorite books of all time. I love hearing the story from 4 different perspectives, and the ending is so unexpected. After each section, I was so sure I had determined the identity of the murderer, only to discover that I was wrong every time. The history is so interesting, and all of the characters well-developed. I have to concede that the book is LONG, but I do feel that the story benefits from all of the richly descriptive text. I have loaned the book to a friend, but I'm going to read it again when she returns it. I'm sure I will love it even more the second time.