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The Clerkenwell Tales
The Clerkenwell Tales
Author: Peter Ackroyd
From a master historian -- a brilliantly original historical novel set in late-14th century London. — “I am sister to the day and night. I am sister to the woods.” Sister Clarisse, a nun in the House of St. Mary at Clerkenwell, experiences visions. She dreams of the English King. Are her prophesies the babblings of the crazed? ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9781400075959
ISBN-10: 1400075955
Publication Date: 11/8/2005
Pages: 224
Rating:
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 4

3.6 stars, based on 4 ratings
Publisher: Anchor
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

maura853 avatar reviewed The Clerkenwell Tales on + 542 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
In the absence of a time machine, this is probably the closest I'm ever going to get to experiencing the Year of Our Lord 1399, as famously ineffectual King Richard II is run down to earth and deposed by his nemesis Henry Bolingbroke, soon to be King Henry IV. As these great events take place, offstage, we are focused on London -- more precisely, the parish of Clerkenwell, outside the walls of the City of London -- as various Londoners scheme and plot, on behalf of themselves and the usurping Henry, and fall foul of the schemers and plotters, and go about their daily business.

Ackroyd is just marvellous on the past: the smells, the tastes, the streets, the clothing, the prayers, the language. Sometimes, it's like reading a work that is half-written in a foreign language, and yes, maybe he sometimes overdoes that, but I liked it. I liked it as a constant reminder that the characters are the same, yet different from us. That the past we are observing is a foreign country.
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