Restoration

A highly entertaining and brilliantly written study of one man's rise and fall in Stewart England.......more

Utterly charming, poignant and beautifully written After the brilliance of 'The Gustav Sonata' (2016), 'Sacred Country' (1992) (which has rocketed into the list of my all time favourite books), 'The Darkness Of Wallis Simpson' (2005) which is a collection of her short stories, 'Restoration' (1989) w......more

I found this book quite intriguing. The character of Robert Merivel is sympathetic and does a believable character arc, changing from a shallow person into a thoughtful physician. Tremain does a great job with her historical research, creating a nuanced seventeenh century world. My favorite parts ar......more

First paragraph: Look at me. Without my periwig, I am an affront to neatness. My hair (what is left of it) is the colour of sand and wiry as hogs' bristles; my ears are of uneven size; my forehead is splattered with freckles; my nose, which of course my wig can't conceal, however low I wear it, is u......more

Tremain’s book is written in first-person, which doesn’t usually work for me, but I really enjoyed this. The book follows the misadventures of Robert Merivel, who is really immature and even a little thick at times, despite being a rather gifted physician. In his pursuit of pleasures, finery, and a......more