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Rating: 
Summary: Great story, well-told
Review: I loved this book. The story is unbelievable, and Cynthia Herrup does a great job of explaining all its ins-and-outs (no pun intended). If you want a novel, this ain't it. But if you want a great history book, this is for you. Me? I'm giving it to all my friends . . . and maybe my mom too!
Rating: 
Summary: A fascinating story made deadly dull
Review: The story of the Earl of Castlehaven is almost too amazing to be believed--not only for the actions of the Earl himself, but also for his trial and what *it* said about English society of the time. In addition, the light that the trial sheds on that time's notions of sexuality, "family," and politics is astounding. But somehow, someway, Cynthia Herrup manages to make it all deadly dull. Reading the book was an exercise in tedium--Herrup's prose is strictly academic and she's given to long paragraphs in which she says precisely nothing. There are many fascinating books on the subject of sexuality, politics, and family during this period of English history. This isn't one of them.
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