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FleetingEileenM
Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 5697
Location: Hampshire
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 Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 12:03 pm Post subject: Books set in Tudor times |
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I was recommended to read "Wolf Hall" and got it from the library with some trepidation as I expected it to be a bit of a hard slog. However, I found it gripping and a marvellous read.
Still in Tudor mode, I heard about a series by CJ Sansom about a lawyer called Matthew Shardlake who is ordered into various investigations by Thomas Cromwell. The first book is about a murder in a monastery during the Dissolution period and I'm halfway through the second which deals with the hunt for the formula and apparatus for making a lethal fire-powered weapon known as Greek Fire. Shardlake is defending a young girl accused of murder and Cromwell delays her trial for a fortnight as long as Shardlake can solve the mystery of the lost, or stolen, formula. So he has two urgent cases on the go. The descriptions of that period in London are very atmospheric. |
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becky sharp
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
Posts: 6732
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| Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 12:58 pm Post subject: |
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The BBC adaptation of Wolf Hall was just superb.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3556920/
The name of Matthew Shardlake rang a bell. It's just clicked - I listened to a couple of adaptations of CJ Sansom's books on Radio 4 a good few years ago. - Shardlake series. |
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FleetingEileenM
Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 5697
Location: Hampshire
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 2:19 pm Post subject: |
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I wouldn't want to hear a radio adaptation of these books because they are all full of detail and atmosphere and I am sure a lot of that would be lost. They are long but real page-turners and each has around 700 pages.
I have read six and am about to start the seventh (and final one) called "Tombland" which I know is a street in Norwich. When I return to Norfolk in September I shall be re-visiting Norwich and plan to do a self-guided tour to see the places mentioned in the book. I might take part in a walk led by a chap who does them regularly and he is apparently very knowledgable - and it would be nice to meet people who are as gripped by the books as I am. Sadly the author CJ Sansom has cancer and won't be writing any more. |
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FleetingEileenM
Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 5697
Location: Hampshire
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 5:03 pm Post subject: |
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| FleetingEileenM wrote: | I wouldn't want to hear a radio adaptation of these books because they are all full of detail and atmosphere and I am sure a lot of that would be lost. They are long but real page-turners and each has around 700 pages.
I have read six and am about to start the seventh (and final one) called "Tombland" which I know is a street in Norwich. When I return to Norfolk in September I shall be re-visiting Norwich and plan to do a self-guided tour to see the places mentioned in the book. I might take part in a walk led by a chap who does them regularly and he is apparently very knowledgable - and it would be nice to meet people who are as gripped by the books as I am. Sadly the author CJ Sansom has cancer and won't be writing any more. |
Here is my report, as posted on another forum:
I had a most enjoyable time in Norwich today. I had booked for a 2 hour tour of places which fictional Tudor lawyer Matthew Shardlake went to in "Tombland", the last book of CJ Sansom's terrific series. There were 20 of us in the group and we were led by such a pleasant knowledgable man called Paul Dickson. He does a series of tours covering various aspects of Norwich and other nearby places.
The walk took us up to Kett's Heights which was part of the site of the (real) rebels' huge camp where there was a wonderful view looking down over the city. There were the remains of a small chapel where Kett set up his HQ. While we walked along I was able to talk to our guide about my interest in the Paston Family and one of his tours covers their time in Norwich. He said the Pastons deserve to be far better known. We finished the walk back at the ancient Maids Head Hotel where we had tea and biscuits included in the tour price of £10. Well worth it. All the group were Shardlake fans of course. There is even a blue plaque outside the hotel about him! |
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