About this title: The intricately plotted parallel adventures of Eliza, jumped-up countess and spy, and Jack Shaftoe, the so-called Vagabond King, continue in this second volume of THE BAROQUE CYCLE, set in the late 17th-century. Eliza schemes at the court in Versailles while attempting to preserve both her life and that of her child, while Jack escapes from galley ...
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Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780060733353ISBN:0060733357
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 810 p. Contains: Illustrations. Baroque Cycle, 2. Audience: General/trade. 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
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 6/14/2005
ISBN-13:9780060733353ISBN:0060733357
Description: Fine. 0060733357 Ships next business day. NEW/UNREAD! ! ! Text is Clean and Unmarked! --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--Has a small black line on bottom/exterior edge of pages. May have light shelf wear to cover from storage, if any. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 2005-06-01
ISBN-13:9780060733353ISBN:0060733357
Description: Very Good. Exact ISBN/item shown. UNREAD copy. Remainder copy with black ink mark to bottom, closed edge. Minor shop wear to cover, mainly at edges. Pages are bright and clean; NO writing, folds or tears. Tight binding. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: HarperPerennial
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780060733353ISBN:0060733357
Description: Like New. FIRST EDITION! NICE COVER, CLEAN PAGES, SMALL MARK ON BOTTOM EDGE. "Description: In this compelling adventure, Stephenson brings to life a cast of unforgettable characters in the late 1600s on the high seas. It is a time of breathtaking genius and discovery for men and women whose exploits define an age known as Baroque. " read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Pernnial
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780060733353ISBN:0060733357
Description: New. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Large Trade paperback book is in new, never been read condition. No dust jacket. Inside of book pages are crisp and clean. Pictorial cover. Very minor shelf wear on edges of paperback cover. Some smudges on edge of pages & 1 pen mark. ISBN 0060733357. 2005 edition. Publisher: Harper Perennial. 848 pages long. Approx: 8 by 5 by 2. Additional pictures of condition are always available. Book Description: The title of Stephenson's vast, splendid and absorbing ... read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Perennial
Date Published: 2005-06-01
ISBN-13:9780060733353ISBN:0060733357
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780060733353. read more
Description: Acceptable. Ships from the UK. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Your purchase also supports literacy charities. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780060733353ISBN:0060733357
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Heinemann
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780434012381ISBN:0434012386
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Heinemann
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780434012381ISBN:0434012386
Description: Good. This book is in GOOD overall condition. It shows signs of having been read and has general light wear to the cover, spine and pages. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Heinemann
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780434012381ISBN:0434012386
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
In a discussion of being political/diplomatic: "It is precisely because it is true, that you must not come out and state it." "Very well then, monsieur, I vow not to say anything true for the remainder of this conversation" (p. 69).
Simple little joke, but it cracked me up. The coversation goes on for some time afterwords, and I haven't yet decided if the second character broke the vow...
*****
Ok, so apparently I didn't end up blogging this one live as I read it. Apologies. I did mark a bunch of stuff that I wanted to share with you all though, that I thoroughly enjoyed:
***
Here's a slightly predictable but still enjoyable little exchange:
"You shall amass some sort of capital, and lend out money... I can only perceive two drawbacks to what is otherwise an excellent plan, my lord..." "Don't say it. We have no capital... and no money." "Just so, my lord." (p.486)
***
The Elector Johann Georg IV belonged to a sort of fraternity whose members were to be found in every country in the world, and among every class of society: Men Who Had Been Hit on the Head as Boys. As MWHBHHB went, Johan Georg was a beauty (p. 527).
Tell me that isn't genius.
***
______'s chief source of discomfort, the, was a feeling well known to soldiers of low rank, to doctors' patients, and to people getting their hair cut; namely, that he was utterly in the power of an incompetent (p. 801-2).
This last one comes as the character in question (name blanked to prevent spoilerization) finds himself a prisoner, and theoretical torture victim of a character who is not very good at the whole torture thing.
***
I am still absolutely loving the Baroque Cycle. I want to note again, in case you didn't see it in my Quicksilver review, that this is not a "series" of books. It's one long book broken into three. Neither of the first two end in anything remotely resembling a satisfying resolution, and this one essentially drops you right back in there. Many sequels give you lots of sort of recapping, but this one really doesn't do much of that, and couldn't stand alone. Start with Quicksilver.
This book continues following the three main characters of Daniel (who admittedly takes a backseat), Eliza, and Jack. These latter two, certainly the focal points of The Confusion, are difficult to follow, as their adventurers take them all over the place. Again, as in Quicksilver, this book contains much delightful encountering of historically significant people and events. A short list would include The Spanish Inquisition, King Louis XIV, The Shogun in Japan, Barbary Corsairs, Jacobite Rebellions, Leibniz and Newton, and the founding of the Bank of England.
Of course, this isn't merely a history book, and includes much in the ways of fanciful and entertaining fiction. More so than Quicksilver, The Confusion has a rather epic adventure vibe to it. It also features some of the most satisfying death scenes I've encountered in a long time. Actually, I could have left the word "death" out of the preceding sentence, and it would have been just as applicable to a host of other scenes as well. Stephenson does an excellent job of setting up smaller narratives within the bigger picture, and the mini climaxes and denouements that accompany these are beyond satisfying.
I can't wait to see how this wraps up in System of the World."
"This book includes the middle portion of the Baroque Cycle.
On the surface this "trilogy" (Stephenson refuses the term) is an enormous work. Each "book" is near 900 pages apiece. Stephenson claims that this is really 8 books collected into three volumes. This is still somewhere near 2600 pages.
But this work really reads like a very large number of very small episodes. Much like today's cable-TV series, each episode is easily digested; but compels the reader to go on to the next cliff-hanger. So the reader need not be so intimidated by the number of pages.
I've found this work hard to put down; and am eager to read The System of the World. This is because the Baroque Cycle is an attractive combination of high scholarship, low slapstick, and action adventure. Any one of these elements would be too much to take alone; but in combination, they are hard to match."
"The Confusion is the second part of the Baroque trilogy, Neal Stephenson's over 2600 page journey through the the 17 and 18th centuries as the world transformed its scientific, financial, religious, artistic and philosophical viewpoints and institutions.
The first book was really dragged down by so much explanation and detail that it just was a toil to get through. This second book is less so. I also had become used to Stephenson's sometimes unwieldy style, so was able to make better headway through this book, and felt less bogged down most of the time.
The main characters are all still there. Jack Shaftoe, who gains and loses fortunes right and left in this volume. Eliza, whose political and financial machinations keep her in constant peril, and Daniel Waterhouse, of the Royal Society of Philosophers, who seems to be the key to holding all factions of the scientific and philosophic community together.
I do like that Stephenson shows how much the world changed during this time period, and how vast the changes were in so many aspects. But his style still can be grating, and he still can go into so much extraneous detail that reading becomes a chore.
This is a big trilogy, and I have one more left, at almost 900 pages. But I think a bit of a break from Stephenson is needed, so I will read a couple of smaller books before I go back and finish the Baroque Trilogy."
"A huge opus filled with nearly too much detail, about.... pirates/vagabonds, kings and queens, sexual liaisons, money found and lost, alchemy, the development of the modern money supply in several countries in Europe, with sidetrips to Japan, India, and Egypt. Despite the diverse topics this is mainly a huge pleasure to read. Ostensibly about a man and woman in the Baroque period/early Enlightenment with large cast of characters including Newton, Leibnitz, Louis XIV, William of Orange, and a host of others. If this sounds interesting pick up the first volume and read the first chapter to see if you want to tackle the whole trilogy."
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