An Instance of the Fingerpost
Ratings18
Average rating3.6
We are in England in the 1660s, Charles II has been restored to the throne following years of civil war and Oliver Cromwell's short-lived republic. Oxford is the intellectual seat of the country, a place of great scientific, religious, and political ferment. A fellow of New College is found dead in suspicious circumstances. A young woman is accused of his murder.
We hear the story of the death from four witnesses: an Italian physician intent on claiming credit for the invention of blood transfusion; the son of an alleged Royalist traitor; a master cryptographer who has worked for both Cromwell and the king; and a renowned Oxford antiquarian. Each tells his own version of what happened. Only one reveals the extraordinary truth.
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In the back there is a chronology and info about the historical characters in the book. This would have been useful to know before getting through 2/3 of the book, since there are A LOT of characters to keep straight.
I read this when it came out in the late 90s and, mostly forgotten the plot, I remember I loved it then. I can confirm it is in the top % of historical fiction books I have read. Broad in scope, non-condescending, always interesting and with a sufficient sting in the tail to make me want to go back and re-start it again to re-visit the three other POVs that preceded Mr Wood's portion.
