About this title: This novel about idealism and its attendant disappointments begins in the fifth century B.C.E., when a scholarly writer named Manlius devoted his life to upholding the ideals of civilization against creeping barbarism--a resolve that includes armed force. The story continues into the 14th century, during the time of the Black Plague, when an agent seeking out ancient manuscripts for Pope Clement VI (of the Avignon Papacy) comes across Manlius's Neoplatonist manuscript ("The Dream of Scipio"), and inspired by his own high ideals tries to circumvent another plague, that of anti-Semitism. ...
read more
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
Date Published: 06/2002
ISBN-13:9781573222020ISBN:157322202X
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. Very Good, In very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 608 p. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Fair. Dust Cover Missing. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers! Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Acceptable. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
"An ambitious book which tries to weave together three inter-related narratives from different periods of history. The project seems to be to contrast secular and faith-based views of civilization, pragmatism and idealism, practicality and bravado, Christanity and Platonism and what it means to be complicit with the wrong side for what you have decided are the right reasons. This is explored in the contexts of the onset of the dark ages, the coming of the black plague and the Nazi occupation of France.
The historical details and philosophical by-play are very well rendered, but the narrative feels a little scattershot, with entire sections being told in a sort of discursive, academic manner, like a somewhat layperson-oriented history book, and the occasional scene that is depicted rather than reported. Told, rather than shown, you might say. It's an effective technique in shorter formats, or with a more charismatic writing style, but here it often makes for pages of rather flat narrative.
The feeling I get is that the author's reach did not quite match his grasp and, especially towards the end, there is a rushed feeling as if he is trying to plug in all his plot points before he loses it. Worthwhile for the dilemmas it touches upon, and attempts to resolve, and the feats of pseudohistorical invention, but not quite satisfactory."
"I was disappointed in this book after reading "An Instance of the Fingerpost" My friends indicated I had been set up for disappointment for life! This odd fantasy combining history, religion and social comment didn't engage me and I felt as though something was missing. I kept going back over chapters at the beginning to see if what happened later had any precedent; alas no. Couldn't figure it out."
"Fascinating amalgam of three stories, taking place at different times in history, and all 'converging' along the way. Learned one hell of alot about the medieval Catholic Church--all of which reinforced my abhorrence of any organized religion--, the last days of the Roman Empire, life in the time of the plague, and life in France under the German 'occupation' during World War II. Requires attention and a commitment to stay with the book as it is quite easy to 'lose your place' during the time jumps."
"I really disliked this book. It's rare for me to actually hate a book. I do, as a rule, like some historical fiction. This would be the exception. I think that, in theory, it has the bones of a good story but the author missed the mark. I disliked most of the characters, especially Manlius. I hated that it hopped back and forth between the time periods. This book was required reading for my son's world history course and would have taken it back to the library after the first 50 pages if I hadn't wanted to glean why the teacher was requiring it. There are probably other books that he could have used in place of it that would have been more engaging. Thank goodness I didn't have to buy the book!!"
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
