An Instance of the Fingerpost

Rating:
Summary: Read it for a pleasure and for an intellectual enrichment
Review: This book is not a literary masterpiece, but it is as close to it as the bookstand bestseller can get.
Critics compare this book to Eco's "The Name of the Rose".
I think that it is equally involving, but it is not a mere
genre copy.
Unlike Eco, Pears does not spend too much time flooding you with numerous historical references and expertly details. Rather, Pears masterfully dedicates his attention to variations in characters and consequences on perception of events that these variations produce. One name that comes to my mind when I think about this book is Dostoyevski.
I can not speak much more about this book without spoiling the plot - all I'll say is that as you read this book you should pay very close attention to details and how some (often ethically gruesome) acts are differently observed/inacted by different characters, and what is their interpretation of it. Depiction of these interpretations is the highest point of this book, and that is where this books touches heights of the literary brilliance.
Compared with contemporary, everyday bestsellers this is a 5 star book.

Rating:
Summary: A superb, compelling epic of intelligence and ambition
Review: An Instance of the Fingerpost is a true groundbreaker. Here is a book that is set out in a new, pioneering form and written in an intriguing style. We hear the story of a 17th century murder from 4 different witnesses: each with their own cross to bear, their own distinctive style of writing and their own philosophy to put forward. Fantastic subplots from each account are included, as we explore the particular mysteries that each of the men writing concern themselves with. In the end, only the final accounts tells the truth.

Not only is this a compelling mystery for its distinctive style and layout, but this book displays intelligence, knowledge and an ability to use ideas and philosophy in what is far more than a mystery. Pears ties everything up together in the end, explaining the misconceptions of each of the three 'liars' (not really so: they are wrong, but not intentionally) and giving the philosophical idea that there will be one 'instance of the fingerpost' where something points to only one solution without doubt: this being the evidence of the final witness.

The book is about far more than just who committed the murder, for if it were, the first three accounts could bore: it is about the issues of the time and incorporates so many different themes into its fold. The solutions is an ingenious, and unpredictable one, and this is a true thriller, intelligently set in another background.

Pears has lots of fun writing through the eyes of others. Because more than one of the witnesses is easy to dislike, Pears is able to air ridiculous statements which, in these times, could never be accepted, and get away with it. In the course of the book, journalists (Pears once was one and has great fun insulting his own ex-proffesion through the eyes of someone else), Shakespeare, and all sorts of other people and things are attacked in a manner which is witty - of course Pears does not believe these things are awful but is hilariously showing how people's opinions of the day differ from our own.

This is one of the most clever books I have ever read: highly historical, philosophical, intellectual, and a work of true ambition and a sky-high result to match. 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: mystery, yes, historical -- only slightly.
Review: This is an interesting and readable story, but no one should be fooled by its author's pretentions to erudition. The book is written in the first person (several of them), but the language is often blatantly anachronistic in ways that go much beyond simply making it readable for a modern audience; it reflects a lack of feel for the time and place. You can't write a successful historical novel just by reading a few history books. Patrick O'Brian could write historical fiction, but not many others can, and not Pears.

Rating:
Summary: Reserving judgment, seeking truth...
Review: This highly enjoyable historical mystery personifies the difficulty of sorting through clues to determine the real culprit in a murder by poisoning. Combined with the egos of learned men and political intrigue, An Instance of the Fingerpost illustrates that while there may be more than one "personalized" version, there will only be one true account. Take nothing on face value, and assess all motives before reaching an informed conclusion.

We have four points of view, with varying contradictions and/or agreements, but, by its nature, only one accurate perception. The first treatise is that of Marco DaCola, an educated Venetian, aspiring to be a physician in 1660's Oxford. But first he must clear up pressing family business matters. A flamboyant and articulate gentleman, DaCola finds himself without funds, and dependent upon the generosity of new acquaintances. Upon his arrival in Oxford, he is called upon to treat the mother of Sarah Blundy, the young woman finally indicted and found guilty of the crime. DaCola is out of his element, constantly adapting to the rules of the gentleman's society in which he hopes to remain. The second tale is that of Jack Prescott, a young man obsessed with clearing his father's name, besmirched with the accusation of treason. Jack Prescott is excitable with a flair for the dramatic and much difficulty with self-control. The more he learns of circumstances, the more he attempts to mold these events to his best advantage. The third viewpoint is from John Wallis, a gifted mathematician who collects diaries and assorted papers to lend credibility to his hypothesis. With a tendency toward the judgmental, Wallis is adept at cryptography, a talent which avails him intimate knowledge of circumstances. And finally, Mr. Wood has the benefit of reading all the other views before offering his own very important details.

The beauty of this book is how affecting each story seems, rich in detail and supposition. Each account reveals a little more of the truth, until the reader has all the facts and therein the dénouement of the mystery.

Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding
Review: By turns shocking and enlightening, intricate and beautiful. The mystery was 'truth' and the lesson was to believe in yourself and really SEE others.

Rating:
Summary: Magnificant
Review: I rarely read fiction; I picked this up because it is set in an historical framework, which the author masters quite well. I couldn't believe how thrilling this book was. It was superbly crafted, very detailed.

Rating:
Summary: Exquisitely crafted period piece
Review: If lasting impressions are made in the first five minutes, then Iain Pears and his publishers do themselves no favours. In terms of presentation, the cover of my edition cites - twice - professional reviewers witless enough to use the cliche "a tour de force".

Nor does the style of Pears' opening chapter bode well: while, granted, he is adopting the literary style of a foppish seventeenth century Italian, that style is long-winded and flat: For example, this is the second sentence in the whole book: "I wish to recount the journey which I made to England in the year 1663, the events which I witnessed and the people I met, these being, I hope, of some interest to those concerned with curiosity". Goodness me. Can this carry on? I found myself immediately checking how many pages there were in the book (698) and wondering whether proceeding was wise.
Well, I did go on, and am thoroughly glad I did. Pears' style settles down quickly - it's still deliberately pompous, but that's part of the charm, and also the key to the extraordinary characterisation.

The novel takes the form of four very different accounts of the same set of events surrounding a death, a trial, and some seemingly unrelated political intrigue. Each of the four narrators is brilliantly rendered, his beliefs, prejudices, conceptions and misconceptions woven ever-so-subtly in to the text of the account. There is no definitive version of the story, - each narrator makes obvious blunders in his analysis - which makes the novel curiously post-modern, given that it's set in 1663.

Almost all the characters are drawn from history, as to an extent is the plot, and there are any number of in-jokes and esoteric references which would make this book worth rereading - as would the fact that the plot is thoroughly Byzantine - I feel certain I have missed half of what was going on just through not being able to keep up.

Pears writes playfully and enjoys teasing his reader - he has his final narrator remark, with no small irony intended re his own position, I'm sure, "the activities of the long-since dead became my greatest consolation....Being so ill at ease with my own times, I seek refuge in the past...".

Everything goes a bit, er, pear-shaped at the very death, at which point Pears needs to manufacture an unsatisfactory quasi-spiritual explanation for one of the characters, and in the end he can only finally tie up the loose end by dropping the proverbial ten-ton weight on that character and sending her off on a ship to Massachusetts. But otherwise an extremely, learned, delightful book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent writing, a bit of schlock at end
Review: Well sir, this book starts wonderfully. I like the first part, as the account of the character of Cola was particularly entertaining. After that, I like the book less and less, but the last part was OK as well. The two major revelations in the book at the end, which I won't mention to spoil the surprise, did not impress me. One, concerning Sarah, was silly and over the top. The other was just simply boring. The book consists of four people's accounts of a year or so of events. You can't really trust what anyone says, as they all have their own peculiarities and agendas. This is a unique structure for a novel, if nothing else.

I feel that the author, Mr. Pears, writes very, very well. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book because of his writing style, which I think is extremely refined and masterful, but as far as the plot it was a bit disappointing to me. Many parts I enjoyed quite a bit however. I learned something about English history I guess, so that's an added plus. But, I would not recommend this book as a "mystery" which it is touted as. I don't feel it's really a mystery or who-dun-it book, that's not the point at all. Rather, it's a uniquely structured novel, with some plot twists.

To sum up, this book reminds me of a lot of Stephen King books, in the way that the author writes very well and is doing a great job at the beginning, then feels he must make some big splash towards the end which ends up just being over the top. With Stephen King it's aliens and supernatural hogwash, with Mr. Pears I can't say what it is or it would spoil the ending. In any case, these authors should stick to the peculiarities of real people and events and resist the urge to go to schlockville. Resorting to aliens or schlock to makes things interesting is a copout. But, extremely good writer in any case.

Rating:
Summary: A mystery that's a lot more!
Review: I'm not really much of a mystery fan. But I love historical fiction. An Instance of the Fingerpost definitely fits the bill in both respects. I can only suppose mystery fans will like the book. But I can give with certainty my highest recommendation for this book for those that love historical fiction. I haven't felt quite so _placed_ into a historical setting with such vivid characterizations since reading Shogun a long time ago. The Shogun comparison is quite narrow, as the two books are very different. But different is a very much positive aspect of the Fingerpost; I've never read anything quite like it. A great read!!

Rating:
Summary: Rashoman comes to 17th Century England
Review: Fabulous mystery, a Rashoman story of a murder, trial and execution from four viewpoints...all with information to add to complete the picture of events that would not be recognized by any one of them alone.

Fingerpost is a great book. Rich in historical detail, the time and place of the story is as essential to the story's development as its characters. It's 1663 and much of the story centers on medical practice and knowledge -- and the book is filled with grizzly, sometimes nauseating medical detail. At the heart of the story is a fascinating woman who remains a mystery to all the narrators and the reader -- a woman whose mystery is augmented by the false perceptions each narrator has of her. I enjoyed every bit of this story with the exception of the mystical ending -- an aberration in an otherwise wonderful narrative -- and an aberration that can be discounted as historically likely due to the reliance on the supernatural during that time.

This is a smart book, a mystery of ideas and intellect as well as murder and mayhem. It's startlingly complete in its excellence: well-plotted, well-reasearched, well-written, well-disciplined. It's even more startling when compared to Pears other works who cannot claim even one of those virtues.