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Summary: an absolutely wonderful story
Review: A great tale, full of rich history and an account of day to day life in the 17th c. that rings true. The main character is a complex individual whose own "restoration" during the "restoration" is beautifully told.
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Summary: A pleasant surprise !
Review: Having studied Congreve and had to laboriously look into traditions of the Restoration period, this book was a relieving surprise. Crude, bawdy (and sometimes rather explicit !) "Restoration" encaptured the essence of the period in such an interesting, yet informative way. The book traces the life of Robert Merivel and his path to maturity and understanding. A fall from grace forces Merivel to leave behind a life of idle luxury and face up to responsibility. His character is presented realistically and exquisitely - even at his most detestable we cannot help sympathising with him. Everything in this book was perfect - the plot, the character development and the representation of the period. A must-read !
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Summary: Tremain, it seems, cannot write a bad book
Review: Historical fiction is cruising for a bruising by purists who might toss the genre into the "Romance" section fit to be read by bored ninth-grade students in Mr. Stubbins' History class (Stubbin is the Wrestling Coach). When a writer like Rose Tremain gets her mind wrapped around her work, patiently wait for her completed success. Buy the book so you can give it to you're favorite friend when he/she claims there's nothing GOOD to read.
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Summary: An enjoyable journey with Merivel
Review: I just finished this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I always seem to enjoy books written in the first person narrative because I feel like it allows me into the narrator's mind and let's me get to know them on a deeper level than a story told from another narrator's perspective. It was as if the main character, Merivel, opened his soul and emotions to us and allowed us into his private thoughts. His open honesty about his personal faults (there were many), his anger,his obvious depression, his dreams and his often lusty desires was moving. I found his deep personal attachments to others and his insightfulness into others' lives compelling (being that he was so unhappy in his own life) . I could tell that he wasn't the type of person that I could be friends with, but I often felt like I wanted to hug him and make all his problems go away.
I've heard others say that theycouldn't "get into" this book, but I was captivated from the first page. The main character and the author's writing style left me wanting more. You will enjoy it, too.
Rating: 
Summary: The confusing personal journey of Robert Merrivel
Review: I love historical fiction, and as a doctor, I am also interested in the history of medicine. Considering that this book features the excesses of court life under Charles II and the treatment of the mentally ill in the 17th Century, I really expected to enjoy it. As a simple story I did, but I constantly felt that something was lacking. The book tries to show us the evolution of Robert Merrivel's character from hedonistic, self-interested and needy, to wise and contented. Indeed, at the end of the book Merrivel seems to achieve what he craved all the way through - a sense of worth and of being loved by someone. He thought he had these at the beginning of the book in the form of social standing and the King's affection, but discovered that he was fooling himself. It was surprising then, that in the end, he finds these things in just that - social standing and the King's affection. The fact that we are told Merrivel eventually realises his foolishness in wanting the King's friendship, and yet at the end still craves, pursues and recieves it anyway, I felt somehow ridiculous. I wondered whether this really showed a transformation of character. He made use of the same things as he did in the beginning of the book for affirmation. In short, I found it disappointing that his aims and goals, and his criteria for happiness, did not change along with his personality. Merrivel's actions simply do not reflect what the book is trying to tell us has occured within him. This incongruity bothered me quite a lot, and left me wondering what the point of describing the inner transformation was. I also felt more could have been made of the Bedlem section of the book. It would have been nice if Merrivel had made a discovery on the treatment of mental illness, just as he realised that the heart as an organ has no sense of feeling (a well known medical fact today). But that is just a personal feeling I guess. Read this book if you want a good story, and an interesting main character. Just don't expect the emotional journey of Merrivel to make much sense in the end.
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Summary: Great Book
Review: I loved this book, I was most facinated by the main character Merivel. He was so honest and open about his own misgivings and strange habits, that I instantly developed a fondness for him. By giving Merivel faults and weaknesses, Rose Tremain managed to create a very human, very real character in which even modern-day people can find themselves relating to. While Merivel may have been sloppy and without proper manners, one can't help but find his antics charming in their own way. I found the storyline itself to be perfecty intriguing,I was unable to put the book down. This book gives a wonderful insight to the civilizations and societies of the 17th century. And of course, having Robert Downey Jr. on the cover sure didn't hurt either... :-)
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Summary: Great historical fiction
Review: I loved this book. Merivel is such an interesting and genuine character. He is funny, disgusting, and sad all at once. Tremain is a wonderful writer. Plot moves along, characters are believable; setting during Restoration England is true. Historical fiction doesn't get much better than this.
Rating:
Summary: Great historical fiction
Review: I loved this book. Merivel is such an interesting and genuine character. He is funny, disgusting, and sad all at once. Tremain is a wonderful writer. Plot moves along, characters are believable; setting during Restoration England is true. Historical fiction doesn't get much better than this.
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Summary: A good pool side read
Review: I took this book with me to read on holiday. It passed many pleasant hours on the sunlounger by the pool. Rose Tremain is a good writer and she knows how to move a story along while leaving her readers plenty to think about. If you like historical novels with a literary twist, you should love this book.
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Summary: Powerful, moving, intimate portrait of a physician.
Review: I was encouraged to read this book because I had seen and thoroughly enjoyed the film by the same title. As a practicing physician and lover of early Baroque music, I found myself deeply moved by Rose Tremain's novel. The story is narrated in the first person by Rober Merivel, a physician during the reign of Charles II, the English king restored to the throne after the end of the English civil war and the regime of Oliver Cromwell. I was profoundly impressed at how Tremain, a female, was able to so intimately and accurately write from a masculine perspective. In addition, she was able to clearly express the fears, anxieties, and growing pains of a physician that still hold true today. Her portrayal of the close friendship between Merivel and "Pearce," a Quaker, and fellow physician reminded me of my own professional relationships with some of my colleagues. I wonder if she has had some close relationships with physicians. It certainly speaks well for her research on the historical and scientific background for this book. Tremain's description of the practice of 17th century Euopean medicine was fascinating and well portrayed. I found the growth of Merivel as a human being most engaging of all. His trials and tribulations, his evolution from a self-centered hedonistic court fop to a serious and senstitive man is beautifully and poignantly portrayed. Tremain's work also has some thinly veiled commentary our own times, times not unlike the Restoration wherein, as Charles II describes at the novel's end, " Even in an age in which we wisely practise the excellent art of oblivion, certain things remain." There is a very amusing and ironic moment in the novel where Merivel, a newly appointed Overseer of the Poor in his shire, is instructed in the differences between the "Idle, Able, and Impotent Poor." His own commentary on how this may be applied to the aristocracy and hangers on at court is just one very entertaining and particularly barbed example of the author's view of our own times. I would put this novel in the same class as "The Citadel" by A.J. Cronin, being a story of a physician's life and of the times in which he lives and works. I recommend this book to anyone interested in going into medicine, in the midst of training, or in the practice of the healing arts. I would also recommend it to anyone searching for meaning in these difficult not-so-modern times. My only two regrets are that the story came to an end and that I am unable to personally express my gratitude to the author for writing this work. It left a deep impression on me, one that makes me feel better about our common humanity over the ages.
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