Scan barcode
A review by corrie
Restoration by Rose Tremain
5.0
My reading of Rose Tremain’s work continues. After listening to Music and Silence I chose another one of her classic historical novels - the one she is most famous for - Restoration.
Most splendidly narrated by Rupert Degas, we are introduced to the young Robert Merivel and his rise and fall through glittering seventeenth-century society.
When a twist of fate delivers an ambitious young medical student to the court of King Charles II, he is suddenly thrust into a vibrant world of luxury and opulence. Blessed with a quick wit and sparkling charm, Robert Merivel rises quickly, soon finding favour with the King, and privileged with a position as 'paper groom' to the youngest of the King's mistresses. But by falling in love with her, Merivel transgresses the one rule that will cast him out from his new-found paradise...
”Tremain’s dazzling tale of intrigue and rivalry amidst the opulence of Stuart England remains the most immersive account of the era available. Robert Merivel, charming and witty yet reckless and impetuous, is a beautifully realised creation and his troubled path through the court of Charles II detailed with bittersweet irony and elegant humour.”
There will be more Rose Tremain to explore because by now her writing has completely captivated me.
m/f
Themes: London, John Pearce, the court of King Charles II, Celia Clemence, Bidnold in Norfolk, Elias Finn, Bedlam, Quakers, Katherine, the Great Plague, 1666 the Great Fire of London, Margaret.
5 Stars
Most splendidly narrated by Rupert Degas, we are introduced to the young Robert Merivel and his rise and fall through glittering seventeenth-century society.
When a twist of fate delivers an ambitious young medical student to the court of King Charles II, he is suddenly thrust into a vibrant world of luxury and opulence. Blessed with a quick wit and sparkling charm, Robert Merivel rises quickly, soon finding favour with the King, and privileged with a position as 'paper groom' to the youngest of the King's mistresses. But by falling in love with her, Merivel transgresses the one rule that will cast him out from his new-found paradise...
”Tremain’s dazzling tale of intrigue and rivalry amidst the opulence of Stuart England remains the most immersive account of the era available. Robert Merivel, charming and witty yet reckless and impetuous, is a beautifully realised creation and his troubled path through the court of Charles II detailed with bittersweet irony and elegant humour.”
There will be more Rose Tremain to explore because by now her writing has completely captivated me.
m/f
Themes: London, John Pearce, the court of King Charles II, Celia Clemence, Bidnold in Norfolk, Elias Finn, Bedlam, Quakers, Katherine, the Great Plague, 1666 the Great Fire of London, Margaret.
5 Stars