An engrossing murder mystery of plague era midwinter; I enjoyed this seasonal read and will return to it many years I'm sure. Hard to compare except maybe to Mantel or Ishiguro, though theatrical and often funny, this novel is fascinating and disturbing.
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I have read all but one of Barry Unsworth's books (Sacred Hunger was too painful for me), but this is my favorite. In his amazing style he captures a time and place, in depth, using the private lives of people you are convinced lived. Enjoy, Bruce Gibbs
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The major selling point of this novel is that it has a very interesting and engrossing storyline. Neither does the author digress into inconsequential sideplots nor does he use the book as an excuse to show off his vocabulary i.e. no boring lifeless descriptions of the scenery or alleged insights into how the human mind works. This focus implies that it's possible to read the book in just one sitting without noticibly perturbing...
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How can I say "buy this book -- don't let any negative reviews deter you" -- without seeming to contradict or criticize some of the negative comments? (Good comments, but some were possibly the result of preconceived notions.)I didn't expect a great mystery -- the concept was intriguing in itself, and it wouldn't have mattered to me if the murder had remained unsolved. I did expect a sure hand with the time, place,...
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Barry Unsworth's "Morality Play" is a brilliantly told murder mystery set in 14th century medieval England. It tells of how a fallen monk in his escape from the monastery joins up with a travelling theatre troupe and in the process helps solve a town murder by performing a morality play to expose the murderer. There are strong shades of Umberto Eco's "The Name Of The Rose" in this wonderfully captivating novel, which though...
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