jmatkinson1's review against another edition
4.0
It is a long time since the publication of Restoration, so long that I can barely remember the details of the book. That's probably a good thing as I approached Merivel without blinkers.
Set in the last few years of the reign of Charles II. Merivel continues the story of Sir Robert Merivel, a low-born physician who caught the eye of the King and whose journey from favour to poverty and back again was the story of Restoration. Now Merivel is living at his country house in norfolk and wants an adventure. He travels to Paris and meets Madame de Flamanville, an attractive woman in an unhappy marriage. Returning to England he finds his beloved daughter seriously ill and after restoring her health she goes to live at Court. Merivel is unable to settle, unable to commit to any woman and driven by base passions.
This book is wonderfully hypnotic, the prose is elegant. Merivel is an unreliable narrator but his story is fascinating.
Set in the last few years of the reign of Charles II. Merivel continues the story of Sir Robert Merivel, a low-born physician who caught the eye of the King and whose journey from favour to poverty and back again was the story of Restoration. Now Merivel is living at his country house in norfolk and wants an adventure. He travels to Paris and meets Madame de Flamanville, an attractive woman in an unhappy marriage. Returning to England he finds his beloved daughter seriously ill and after restoring her health she goes to live at Court. Merivel is unable to settle, unable to commit to any woman and driven by base passions.
This book is wonderfully hypnotic, the prose is elegant. Merivel is an unreliable narrator but his story is fascinating.
siria's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't know this was a sequel when I picked it up, and haven't read the first installment about the life of Sir Robert Merivel, but Tremain's writing was accessible enough that that wasn't an obstacle. This is an amiably picaresque novel set in the twilight of Charles II's reign, vividly written and with characters that are well-drawn. Tremain does a good job at conjuring up a main character who is intelligent and flawed, someone whose reflections have the power to move the reader but not to render them insensible to his role in creating his own problems. There were a couple of scenes which seemed a bit clunky and included more for shock value than anything else—the gangbang in the French coach comes to mind—but overall Merivel's melancholy gaiety is engaging.
soupy_twist's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mountie9's review against another edition
3.0
The Good Stuff
Intrigued me enough to want to go out and get a copy of Restoration (Prequel to this story)
Although extremely slow at times it still kept me interested enough to keep reading & again regretting that I probably should have read Restoration first
Merivel is a likeable and easy to understand character and one that we can all see a bit of ourselves in
Drily witty - this author has a delightfully British sense of humour that I truly appreciated
Eloquent writing style
Historically accurate
The Not So Good Stuff
Extremely slow and depressing at times
I know I have mentioned this a thousand times during this review, I really think not reading the first book did a disservice to my enjoyment of this book
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"For the reason that you would not know of my falling, for I am a servant, Sir Robert, and have practiced the Art of Invisibility for these twenty years, so that the sight of me, whether upright or lying down, be never troubling to you."
"and this I find I do dislike among the very pious, that they must always assume a man's soul requires their Intervention, without first politely inquiring whether that soul wishes it or not."
"Of course. You held Wonder in your hands and than you lost it."
Who Should/Shouldn't Read
Although you can read this without reading Restoration first, I think it would be something enjoyed more if you did
Not your beach read sort of book, this is one to take slowly and just enjoy
Think this would appeal to a more mature reader
Definitely for those who enjoy historical fiction
3 Dewey's
I received this from W.W. Norton in exchange for an honest review
Intrigued me enough to want to go out and get a copy of Restoration (Prequel to this story)
Although extremely slow at times it still kept me interested enough to keep reading & again regretting that I probably should have read Restoration first
Merivel is a likeable and easy to understand character and one that we can all see a bit of ourselves in
Drily witty - this author has a delightfully British sense of humour that I truly appreciated
Eloquent writing style
Historically accurate
The Not So Good Stuff
Extremely slow and depressing at times
I know I have mentioned this a thousand times during this review, I really think not reading the first book did a disservice to my enjoyment of this book
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"For the reason that you would not know of my falling, for I am a servant, Sir Robert, and have practiced the Art of Invisibility for these twenty years, so that the sight of me, whether upright or lying down, be never troubling to you."
"and this I find I do dislike among the very pious, that they must always assume a man's soul requires their Intervention, without first politely inquiring whether that soul wishes it or not."
"Of course. You held Wonder in your hands and than you lost it."
Who Should/Shouldn't Read
Although you can read this without reading Restoration first, I think it would be something enjoyed more if you did
Not your beach read sort of book, this is one to take slowly and just enjoy
Think this would appeal to a more mature reader
Definitely for those who enjoy historical fiction
3 Dewey's
I received this from W.W. Norton in exchange for an honest review
maryw's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
coronaurora's review against another edition
3.0
A placid and coasting follow-up to Tremain's very own masterful Restoration. While suffused with all the linguistic flourishes and character traits that held the reader in a vice in the book before, this one feels lesser, in the way all sequels usually and inadvertently do. That shocking beauty of the poetry in the artfully reconstructed syntax and the equally charming character idiosyncracies that make you go Bravo! while turning every page in the first book, skate over without impression despite these elements rigorously retained by the author. As a second time visitor to this universe, my interest veered away from the Aesthetics and into the book's Events, but other than Merivel's endearing but excessive sentimental indulgence, I found little else. Tremain's detailed and exacting construction of Merivel's thought-space from the first book was so complete, that one could second-guess the bent of his contemplation even before she has written him venturing onto it and being one step ahead of her was wearisome.
We meet him, our Reluctant Physician from the 17th century Britain two decades after we left him with a babe in his arms and the King gracing with his presence at Merivel's residence at Norfolk. His travails, in what turn out to be his final years, are suffused with a heightened self-awareness and interminable bouts of nostalgia, as he balances parenthood, an overseas dalliance and forever-remodelling terms of dotage from the King. His disarming cluelessness with accumulated years of experience in his first person monologue while soaked in emotionalism derives some humour from observing a going-senile butler, the state of the masses, his sexual adventures, notes from his travels abroad to the French court and as a cuckold to a baron's daughter in Switzerland. There are some setpieces that challenge and/or bring forth his credentials as the physician, but none have the soul-pulping transformative drama of his stay at the Bedlam from the first book. It is certainly a worthy follow-up, but also a very cautious one, never quite gathering a life of its own, and in the process, I found it a reading exercise far more disposable than Restoration.
We meet him, our Reluctant Physician from the 17th century Britain two decades after we left him with a babe in his arms and the King gracing with his presence at Merivel's residence at Norfolk. His travails, in what turn out to be his final years, are suffused with a heightened self-awareness and interminable bouts of nostalgia, as he balances parenthood, an overseas dalliance and forever-remodelling terms of dotage from the King. His disarming cluelessness with accumulated years of experience in his first person monologue while soaked in emotionalism derives some humour from observing a going-senile butler, the state of the masses, his sexual adventures, notes from his travels abroad to the French court and as a cuckold to a baron's daughter in Switzerland. There are some setpieces that challenge and/or bring forth his credentials as the physician, but none have the soul-pulping transformative drama of his stay at the Bedlam from the first book. It is certainly a worthy follow-up, but also a very cautious one, never quite gathering a life of its own, and in the process, I found it a reading exercise far more disposable than Restoration.
tricky's review against another edition
2.0
I have been reading this book on and off for some time and finally come to the decision over halfway through that it is no more. The reason, not the story, that was enjoyable, not the characters as they were realised, no it was the typeface! All throughout odd words are with a Capital.
As I read the Words kept appearing to have the strange Format and it was driving me Mad. Why? I kept Losing the flow of reading as these words Would appear. There might have been a good Reason but For me I get thinking why? I was no longer reading a story but kept Looking at the words.
Yes, I have done the same thing above and I do not know why but I just could not keep on reading. It was frustrating. Which is sad as I really was enjoying her style of writing and was engaged with the characters. I have Tremain's The Colour and I will be reading that.
As I read the Words kept appearing to have the strange Format and it was driving me Mad. Why? I kept Losing the flow of reading as these words Would appear. There might have been a good Reason but For me I get thinking why? I was no longer reading a story but kept Looking at the words.
Yes, I have done the same thing above and I do not know why but I just could not keep on reading. It was frustrating. Which is sad as I really was enjoying her style of writing and was engaged with the characters. I have Tremain's The Colour and I will be reading that.
madanburg's review against another edition
4.0
http://dakimel.blogspot.com/2013/05/merivel-man-of-his-time.html
It's been a loooong time since I read Tremain's Restoration, so I didn't really look at this as a follow-up. Instead, it was a charming and crafty story of Robert Merivel's machinations as he moves throughout his world. Once something of a clown to Charles II, he has matured into a reflective and somewhat self-indulgent man. But the humor is still there. Merivel is a joy of a character, full of regrets and plans and love and loyalty. Above all, he loves his daughter and his king, and is willing to sacrifice his dignity and his safety in service to them. He has his triumphs, as well as his tragedies, and the memory of some hard times to ground him throughout. I truly enjoyed spending time with him. Tremain is an eloquent scribe, and it's easy to get carried away in her descriptive passages, especially of Merivel's travels. I don't think I'd have been much of a journey-taker if I'd lived with Merivel's road conditions.
It's been a loooong time since I read Tremain's Restoration, so I didn't really look at this as a follow-up. Instead, it was a charming and crafty story of Robert Merivel's machinations as he moves throughout his world. Once something of a clown to Charles II, he has matured into a reflective and somewhat self-indulgent man. But the humor is still there. Merivel is a joy of a character, full of regrets and plans and love and loyalty. Above all, he loves his daughter and his king, and is willing to sacrifice his dignity and his safety in service to them. He has his triumphs, as well as his tragedies, and the memory of some hard times to ground him throughout. I truly enjoyed spending time with him. Tremain is an eloquent scribe, and it's easy to get carried away in her descriptive passages, especially of Merivel's travels. I don't think I'd have been much of a journey-taker if I'd lived with Merivel's road conditions.