An instance of the fingerpost ebook

His own mind put a curse on him. He certainly gave her just cause. He turns out to be much more than a rapist, but also a liar and a manufacturer of evidence. Sarah, because she had worked for Dr. Grove, and was known as a willful woman, meaning she was likely to defend herself verbally if assaulted verbally, is the most convenient number one suspect in the poisoning of the Dr. The fourth narrator is Anthony Wood, an antiquary and historian, best known for his diaries that were published long after his death.

He carries a torch for Sarah. Despite the risks, he has a night of passion with her that goes beyond lust and reaches the first hills and dales of love. You will like Anthony Wood. He is probably the only man in this novel lacking in guile. A man who gives loyalty and understands the true responsibility of the word, not just when it is convenient, but from the first breath as he gives it to the last breath as he expires.

Iain Pears Iain Pears has built this four layered cake of a novel, each layer is sprinkled with truth, but lies and half truths are hidden in the batter and the frosting. The reader is forced to pay attention to each bite, each paragraph, each lick, each word as the twists and turns of this plot are patiently revealed. Most of what the narrators reveal to us they believe to be true, but they are all guilty of their own suppositions colored by their own prejudices. The reader feels like an investigator, barraged with different views, conflicting stories, and it is only in the final moments of the book that most of us will discover that we were wrong.

Highly Recommended! View all 72 comments. Aug 21, Chris rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: anyone with a brain. Still one of the best books I've ever read, this has something for everyone. It's a mystery, it's history, it's science, it's drama, it's amazing. It's really long too, but that just makes it better- by the time you finish it you'll be sorry it wasn't longer.

Jan 19, Paul Bryant rated it did not like it Shelves: novels , abandoned. There is a murder and there is a dispossessed heir. Vast estates yanked from under the noses of their rightful heirs and all of that. Who cares. Alas, the whole plot of this very long There is a murder and there is a dispossessed heir.

So this book was really trying my patience with its procession of rancid Oxford dons and sniffy cryptographers and the standard government-issue unreliable narrators all calling each other bad names. The first of the four long narratives we have here is actually pretty good stuff, a perky Italian geezer getting involved with blood transfusions and the said murder in when King Charles has just been restored to the throne and the air was thick with a great many cloaks and accompanying daggers.

The second of the four long narratives is just about bearable but the boredom begins to set in like a fine drenching cold rain. It kinda robs the whole thing of any suspense. Then long narrative three finally kills off all remaining will-to-finish because we now have a second unpleasant old fart to listen to for hundreds of pages. And I checked and saw that the fourth long narrative is a third farty old fart, who no doubt will probably contradict the other three and reveal their narratives to be shocketty shock a tissue of deliberate fabrication and self-deception.

Oh also, people did not write stuff like this in the 17th century, not even slightly. This is a wildly unrealistic smoothed down scrubbed and washed version of something no 17th century person would ever have written.

So to sum up, no. View all 26 comments. Apr 27, Sue rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: all readers of historical fiction. Shelves: historical-fiction , mystery , read , britain. A "novel" novel please pardon the attempted humor , where unreliable narrators outnumber purported reliability by a long shot.

Once again my happiness at not living in the 17th century is validated as I read of the physical squalor, the political and religious unrest and distrust in England after the restoration of Charles II, the relative worthlessness of the average person's life.

Amidst that there is the glimmer of new knowledge and education at Oxford the seat of "Instance". Along with the A "novel" novel please pardon the attempted humor , where unreliable narrators outnumber purported reliability by a long shot. Along with the new areas of philosophy, which includes the budding knowledge of medicine, alchemy and belief in witchcraft still exist.

It's a veritable stew of contrary beliefs and mistrust. Add to that a death that may or may not have been suspicious, apparent witnesses who may or may not have seen anything, and multiple reporters on the event who give us their views on what happened. An historical fiction lovers delight.

Someday I will likely read this again to try to trace how Pears did this slight of hand. One quote from the book I'll add as a socio-political aside, acknowledging this is a book written in modern times to reflect 17th century attitudes. It had been a complicated case and the town was by no means convinced of her guilt. She had killed a man whom she said had raped her, but the jury judged this a lie because she had fallen pregnant, which cannot occur without the woman taking pleasure in the act.

Normally her condition would have spared her the gallows, but she had lost the child and also any defense against the hangman.

An unfortunate outcome, which those who believed in her guilt considered divine Providence. Just couldn't leave this out View all 31 comments. Jul 30, Wealhtheow rated it really liked it Shelves: historical. A really excellent novel with some very unreliable narrators and detailed characterization. I was amazed at how everything fit together by the end. View 2 comments. Apr 16, Kalliope rated it it was amazing Shelves: fiction-english , britain , historical-fiction.

This is one of the few books that I felt compelled to start immediately again, from page one, after reaching the end -- even though it has close to pages. The story of this thriller is retold, in succession, by four different people. One of them lies and not until the very end does the reader know who is falsifying the story. And that is why I wanted to read it again: to pay attention to the structure and to how the story is woven by different points of view, and see where the liar has fabric This is one of the few books that I felt compelled to start immediately again, from page one, after reaching the end -- even though it has close to pages.

And that is why I wanted to read it again: to pay attention to the structure and to how the story is woven by different points of view, and see where the liar has fabricated or left holes.

I am writing this review years after having read the book. A lot of the particulars are therefore no longer easily retrievable from my brain. I also loved the language. I hope to read it at least a third time. View all 5 comments. Iain Pears is a Coventry-born and Oxford-educated art historian and author of historical mysteries, and An Instance of the Fingerpost is his most famous novel.

Good historians are not necessarily good authors and good authors are not necessarily good historians, but in Fingerpost Pears manages to strike a comfortable balance between both professions. An Instance of the Fingerpost is a long but involving book, which pays great attention to its historical setting and theme, but at the same time ma Iain Pears is a Coventry-born and Oxford-educated art historian and author of historical mysteries, and An Instance of the Fingerpost is his most famous novel.

An Instance of the Fingerpost is a long but involving book, which pays great attention to its historical setting and theme, but at the same time manages to weave in a compelling, involving mystery, full of smoking guns and false trails, and one which will not reveal itself to the reader until the very end to the book.

Although the war is over, Oliver Cromwell is dead, and the monarch is officially in power, the early Restoration years were a tumultuous period - England was still very much divided politically between Royalist supporters and opposing Parliamentarians. Even places such as Oxford - the intellectual center of the country, and the place of great intellectual debates - are not safe for political dissent, and just a few overheard words can grant one a great deal of trouble.

And despite great scientific advancement and discoveries of the age, religion is present in all entitlements of society - from one's personal beliefs and superstitions to academic work and scientific research, contrasing the newly developed scientific method with ancient, medieval beliefs.

The events of the novel are set in motion by the death of Robert Grove, an fellow of the New College. Although the exact circumstances of his death are unclear, all signs point to poison; soon a young woman named Sarah Blundy is accused of his murder. The novel is narrated by four different narrators, each of which tells his version of the story: Marco da Cola, a Venetian Catholic physician who has just arrived in England; Jack Prescott, son of a Royalist traitor who is bound on clearing his father's name; John Wallis, a genius mathematician and cryptographer who served both Cromwell and Charles II, who has a fondness for conspiracies; and lastly Anthony Wood, an Oxford antiquarian.

Each of these characters maneuvers through the web of Oxford rivalries and plots, and has his own version of the story to tell. Although the book's mystery begins as a classic whodunnit surrounding the death of an Oxford Don, it soon becomes apparent that the real mystery surrounds the nature of discovery, investigation, understanding and ultimately truth itself. The title is a quotation borrowed from the 17th century philosopher Francis Bacon, who in his Novum Organum wrote about the nature of reasoning and the fallibility of evidence, but accounted for instances of the fingerpost - crucial instances which pointed in only one direction, sure and indissoluble, allowing for no other possibility.

Such is the case with the book - although I felt a little disappointed by the ending: view spoiler [I felt that the introduction of a supernatural theme was unnecessary - it looked like Pears wrote himself into a corner, and had to resort to the supernatural to solve the plot and tie all its ends. Although to his credit we have to take into account that even the supernatural event is narrated by one of the characters, who has his own bias and perhaps is telling us what he wished had happened instead of what has actually taken place.

The writing is excellent, the storyline very compelling and Pears switches effortlessly between the cast of intriguing characters, real and fictional - I particularly enjoyed Marco de Cola's perspective on England and English ways - and the mystery unravels new twists and contradictions with every page.

This is an ideal novel to get lost in during these colder, winter days - if you don't think that a long, historical mystery of England in the 17th century cannot be absorbing, I'd recommend trying An Instance of the Fingerpost. View all 18 comments. Jan 24, Bubu rated it it was amazing Shelves: audiobook , historical-fiction , perfect , 5-stars , read Edit Jan Added the right version of the audio book One murder.

One young woman, Sarah Blundy, suspected to be the murderer and already found guilty by almost everyone before her trial starts. Four men of different backgrounds who recount the events that led to the murder and beyond. One of them is lying. As long as one is willing to grind through the first pages, of course. Dare I say it?

This book is a master piece of storytelling. I was glued to it from the first — or rather, I had my earphones glued to my ears, as I listened to the audio version. Both figures play only a peripheral role in the plot. It is also the time where science takes its first big leaps. The scientists are deeply religious and superstitious. Unicorns do exist, after all. Because what are witness accounts if not subjective interpretations of the truth? But worry not. They give an insight into their own lives, their motivations and priorities.

And along the way, we have some parts overlapping. Each account is distinctive and extremely interesting. None of them is reliable in their recounting of the events. But not because I thought he had been lying. It was more a feeling that there was more behind it all. Maybe I guessed, at the very least, one part correctly. On the contrary, it was ingenious. This is what superb storytelling is about.

Taking one part, which - seemingly - is at the heart of the story, but going ahead and showing the complexity of human nature, which ultimately always ends in one question: What drives us? The author definitely achieved that. And more.

Question is, of course, did the author leave any clues? Maybe, maybe not. I am reading the Kindle version at the moment.

But I will never know now as I know the whole story already. An Instance of the Fingerpost is simply mesmerising; fascinating in its ability to show what life was like shortly after Charles II. I would have considered it a spoiler, however vague it would have been. But I kept in mind who these men were, so I was more than satisfied with it. One is a trigger warning, which I rarely ever do.

However, I was unable to add the unabridged version I listened to. Somebody else added the abridged version. The one I listened to, has four narrators and the narration itself was incredible, and a cool 29 hours long! I'm not mentioning this only because it's filed under the abridged version. The narrators give each of the other characters their own voices; the way the four men perceived the people they are talking about. While Da Cola lets Sarah Blundy's mother talk almost like an angel, Jack Prescott, the second person to tell his version, makes the mother sound like a witch.

Perfectly done! Last but not least, a big thanks to Georgie and her review. View all 17 comments. This, again, is impressive in lots of ways but I found it laborious to read and the pay-off simply wasn't worth it after pages. More positively, there has clearly been a huge amount of work done on dove-tailing the complicated plot involving four narrators with various degrees of unreliability.

Also, it feels like a lot of research has gone into this: on early Enlightenment science natural phi This was my second Pears after The Portrait and I have to conclude I'm not a match with his books. Famous names abound: John Locke, Antony Wood, Robert Boyle, and there are some nice, if rather caricature-like portrait of Oxford scholars. But, for me, there are endless scenes and developments that are actually dead-ends. We start off thinking we're in one kind of book then the narrative quick-switches and we're in another.

Which could have worked in a clever-clever way, but somehow didn't for me. Maybe if this had been half the length it might have been tighter and just more exciting and engaging? I just got lost amidst all the minutiae. View all 6 comments. Jun 15, emily rated it did not like it. I mean, I read as damn much as I could. I didn't care about the characters or their progress.

View 1 comment. Jun 16, Jim rated it it was amazing Shelves: desert-island , historical-fiction. An extremely engaging historical novel set in s Oxford, with a side trip to London. Told from four viewpoints of varying reliability, this murder mystery gets gradually revealed as the story unfolds. The murder itself is consequential only in that it serves as a device to tie the main characters together. Mystery fans may wish to know if the novel sets out clues leading to whodunnit - but I can't help here as I did not try to solve it.

This novel wears very well upon re-reading - and may be An extremely engaging historical novel set in s Oxford, with a side trip to London. This novel wears very well upon re-reading - and may be a desert-island book for me at least top because it so richly sets up 17th Century England: the overthrow and reinstallation of The Monarchy, the conflict between "radical" protestants and the Church of England, the tension between forward-looking nascent science then called Natural Philosophy and backward-looking classical medicine.

We closely observe a "witch" and her craft , a physician who badly wishes to complete the first modern book on anatomy, the second-greatest mathemetician in England behind Newton , and get glimpses of other luiminaries such as Robert Boyle of the famous gas law and Thurloe of political intrigue forgotten by all but scholars of the time.

Readers will get a feel for the practice of medicine, justice, science, alchemy, and the difficulty of life for those not fortunate to be well born. Highest Recommendation - say six to seven stars. He has been sent by is father because his English partner is cheating him.

He holds a letter of introduction to an Oxford Luminary, thus his reason to frequent Oxford inns and pubs. He runs around with the anatomist - Richard Lower - a historical figure.

He comments extensively on English culture including a Shakepeare play , food it's bad , and manners barbaric. He has training in medicine and treats the "witches" elderly mother. He also goes on rounds with Lower - travelling from town to town. He witnesses several trials including one which swirls around the central mystery - all the jurors are property owners no women of course. His paranoia causes him to see conspiracies - much as Prestcott does.

The "witch" is Sarah Blundy whose father was a Cromwell intriguer and who has fallen on hard times since his death. But first a few teasers in the grand Hollywood tradition: Fingerpost is utterly mesmerizing, an intellectual thriller Oliver Cromwell is dead; the Levellers, Diggers and other such factions -- with their wild dreams of an egalitarian society -- have been destroyed or dispersed; peace, finally, has returned to a ravaged land. Robert Grove is found dead suddenly poisoned in his chambers.

Who did it? And, more important, why? And some more sober nuggets: One of the pleasures of reading Fingerpost is the opportunity it affords to become a kind of amateur expert on daily life in Restoration England. I would like to note that none of these reviewers expect to "like" the 17th century characters that play in the novel. Judged by sensibilities, few perhaps none of them would be thought suitable as "polite company", so ridden are they with bias, superstition, and ladies note misogyny.

There is plenty of characterization to be had in Fingerpost - just don't expect "good character". For instance, the jurors mentioned above, would all be disqualified by the judge in an American rape trial.

He need only ask whether they believe that pregnancy can result from rape. He recounts and alludes to the English Civil War and the uprising of religious sects counter to the Chuch of England which undoubtedly informed American Founders with their own nation-building in the next Century. I leave you with one last quote thanks again to Michael Dirda : Iain Pears has written an impressively original and audaciously imaginative intellectual thriller. Don't miss it. View all 4 comments. Jul 25, Jared rated it did not like it.

Uses multiple narrators to tell the story, each one revealing a bit more of the truth, which is intriguing. The only problem is the book is tedious and the payoff is not worth the ride. Mar 28, Antigone rated it really liked it Shelves: fiction. The year was An English king had freshly mounted the throne; civil war hardly a memory behind him. Political intrigue and religious strife swept across the land, sending a rogue but heady breeze through the university town of Oxford.

Four men are called upon to recollect the events of those days - a gentleman of Venice, a student, a cryptographer and an archivist. Each account builds upon the one that went before, challenging the truth and ever-complicating the circumstances surrounding th The year was He lives in Oxford, England.

Did you find one narrator inherently more trustworthy than another? What qualities suggest a credible narrator, and how does Iain Pears play off of our assumptions in his characterizations of Marco da Cola, Jack Prestcott, John Wallis, and Anthony Wood? Can you think of other books in which this multi-perspective technique was used to similar ends, or other books that feature unreliable narrators? An Instance of The Fingerpost is set in the early years of the Restoration, a time in English history marked by political intrigue and social unrest.

The Civil War has just ended. What might we infer about Cromwellian England from the character—and memories—of his supporters and detractors? Is it safe to assume it was any easier for those citizens like Sarah Blundy who, during the Restoration, have been forced to the fringes of society? How does Pears use Oxford as a microcosmic reflection of the larger, more tumultuous society? The period in which the novel takes place is one wherein religion permeated every facet of society, from academia to the sciences, from art to philosophy.

Even Oxford University, during a veritable golden age of scientific discovery and academic advancement, is depicted in the novel as a dangerous place for free-thinkers and outsiders. Consider the family histories of some of the characters in this novel, and how the actions of their fathers has determined their station in Restoration society. How do the characters in this novel decide if their peers are trustworthy or not?

By what criteria do people judge one another? If you receive an error message, please contact your library for help. Error loading page. Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading. Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

National Library Board Singapore. Search Search Search Browse menu. Sign in. An Instance of the Fingerpost. Description Details 'A fictional tour de force which combines erudition with mystery' PD James Set in Oxford in the s - a time and place of great intellectual, religious, scientific and political ferment - this remarkable novel centres around a young woman, Sarah Blundy, who stands accused of the murder of Robert Grove, a fellow of New College.

Languages English. Iain Pears - Author.