Point About Books The Quincunx
| Title | : | The Quincunx |
| Author | : | Charles Palliser |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 787 pages |
| Published | : | November 27th 1990 by Ballantine Books (first published 1989) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. Mystery. Victorian. European Literature. British Literature |
Charles Palliser
Paperback | Pages: 787 pages Rating: 4.07 | 5921 Users | 556 Reviews
Narration Toward Books The Quincunx
The protagonist, a young man naive enough to be blind to all clues about his own hidden history (and to the fact that his very existence is troubling to all manner of evildoers) narrates a story of uncommon beauty which not only brings readers face-to-face with dozens of piquantly drawn characters at all levels of 19th-century English society but re-creates with precision the tempestuous weather and gnarly landscape that has been a motif of the English novel since Wuthering Heights. The suspension of disbelief happens easily, as the reader is led through twisted family trees and plot lines.The quincunx of the title is a heraldic figure of five parts that appears at crucial points within the text (the number five recurs throughout the novel, which itself is divided into five parts, one for each of the family galaxies whose orbits the narrator is pulled into). Quintuple the length of the ordinary novel, this extraordinary tour de force also has five times the ordinary allotment of adventure, action and aplomb.
Specify Books Concering The Quincunx
| Original Title: | The Quincunx, The Inheritance of John Huffam |
| ISBN: | 0345371135 (ISBN13: 9780345371133) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction (1991) |
Rating About Books The Quincunx
Ratings: 4.07 From 5921 Users | 556 ReviewsArticle About Books The Quincunx
I had very high hopes for this novel--the author is obviously highly imaginative and has great potential talent (atmosphere is arguably the main character in this novel, and he has obviously spent much time and energy devoted to researching his subject)--however, this first novel, overall, I found hideously disappointing. Whether it is read as a parody or recreation of classic Victorian novels, it is just severely lacking in some essential areas. The plot, while sufficiently twisted andFrom the time of its release, my friends and I were all fascinated by Oliver Stone's film JFK. We'd watch it together and discuss such for hours, debating the motives and agency each suspect would have. This continued for many years and I'd wager if circumstances allowed such, we'd all still gather and view the film again. Most of us were never drawn to the literature surrounding the assassination, by which I mean the myriad accounts and theorists who created an additional universe of sinister
This monumental and brilliantly written novel takes place in England during the 19th century and involves an estate and multiple families over several generations, the relationship between these families being unclear at the beginning. In fact, much is mysterious, including the real name and lineage of the young boy who seems to be the protagonist, John Mellamphy. A few of the chapters are told in the third person by someone I was never able to identify, but most are told by John in the first
The story begins with a young boy, named John, who lives with his mother, Mary, in an English village. They are not wealthy but they are not poor either, and so they are able to live quietly and quite comfortably. As he grows up John comes to realise that the way they live is not normal and that his mother is keeping secrets; that there must be reasons why she is so very protective of him, why he isnt allowed to play with other children, why anyone who comes to their door is unwelcome.When a
My first read from this author and I had high hopes for this book. I loved the length, the topic and the time period. I ended up sorely disappointed.The author, obviously, is a fan of Dickens. The language and "feel" of the book definitely spoke that clearly. However, after the 27th time that John got abducted/beat up/wronged/double-crossed, I gave up (and there were at least another 30 times it happened after that!). I get the down and despair. I get that it was a struggle for him to make his
Cor blimey guv'nor that was a long old read. Weightier than a bag of coal and with more pages than her majesty's coronation. I view my current love of this sort of Victorian era homage with the highest amusement for, despite having recently read and enjoyed The Crimson Petal and the White and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and now The Quincunx, I am yet to read the books which these so lovingly ape. Not a dash of Dickens or a jot of James has passed my eyeballs.And frankly, after over 1000
WOW, talk about mystery! This book was full of twists and turns. I couldn't put it down. It was definitely a little confusing determining the family lineage at times, and I got confused with how inter-connected every character was in the novel. But it was a joy to read. It follows the life of a young London boy, and all the travesties, mostly, for there was little joy in his life, that he miraculously overcame either by his own wits or the help of people he knew little of. It starts with his
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