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The Sheen on the Silk
Arriving in the ancient Byzantine city in the year 1273, Anna Zarides has only one to prove the innocence of her twin brother, Justinian, who has been exiled to the desert for conspiring to kill Bessarion, a nobleman. Disguising herself as a eunuch named Anastasius, Anna moves freely about in society, using her skills as a physician to maneuver close to the key players involved in her brother’s fate. With her medical practice thriving, Anna crosses paths with Zoe Chrysaphes, a devious noblewoman with her own hidden agenda, and Giuliano Dandolo, a ship’s captain conflicted not only by his mixed Venetian-Byzantine heritage but by his growing feelings for Anastasius.Trying to clear her brother’s name, Anna learns more about Justinian’s life and reputation, including his peculiar ties to Bessarion’s beautiful widow and his possible role in a plot to overthrow the emperor. This leaves Anna with more questions than answers, and time is running out. For an even greater threat lies on the another Crusade to capture the Holy Land is brewing, and leaders in Rome and Venice have set their sights on Constantinople for what is sure to be a brutal invasion. Anna’s discoveries draw her inextricably closer to the dangers of the emperor’s treacherous court—where it seems that no one is exactly who he or she appears to be.Richly detailed and finely wrought, The Sheen on the Silk is a bold and brilliant work that affirms Anne Perry’s talent as a master storyteller.
Mass Market Paperback
First published September 15, 2010
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About the author
Anne Perry
362 books3,374 followersAnne Perry, born Juliet Hulme in England, lived in Scotland most of her life after serving five years in prison for murder (in New Zealand). A beloved mystery authoress, she is best known for her Thomas Pitt and William Monk series.
Her first novel, "The Cater Street Hangman", was published in 1979. Her works extend to several categories of genre fiction, including historical mysteries. Many of them feature recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in 1990, "The Face Of A Stranger".
Her story "Heroes," from the 1999 anthology Murder And Obsession, won the 2001 Edgar Award For Best Short Story. She was included as an entry in Ben Peek's Twenty-Six Lies / One Truth, a novel exploring the nature of truth in literature.
Series contributed to:
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
. Malice Domestic
. The World's Finest Mystery And Crime Stories
. Transgressions
. The Year's Finest Crime And Mystery Stories
Her first novel, "The Cater Street Hangman", was published in 1979. Her works extend to several categories of genre fiction, including historical mysteries. Many of them feature recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in 1990, "The Face Of A Stranger".
Her story "Heroes," from the 1999 anthology Murder And Obsession, won the 2001 Edgar Award For Best Short Story. She was included as an entry in Ben Peek's Twenty-Six Lies / One Truth, a novel exploring the nature of truth in literature.
Series contributed to:
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
. Malice Domestic
. The World's Finest Mystery And Crime Stories
. Transgressions
. The Year's Finest Crime And Mystery Stories
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 393 reviews
March 7, 2011
For such a fascinating subject matter - a girl disguised as a eunuch physician tries to save her exiled brother in the 13th century Byzantium - it's a tragically dull, flat, sluggish book. It's sort of an accomplishment to make Byzantium, court intrigue, and gender confusion dull. I read it to the end to see if it remained dull, and it did remain dull, and it was steadily getting even duller as I read on.
The main problem was, I think, in the absolute lack of any suspense or mystery, because everything was clear from the beginning: the motivations of the characters, their likes and dislikes, their loyalties. Good guys were steadily good, bad guys were unflinchingly bad, no surprises, plus everyone was stupid. The "villainess" Zoe - what a two-legged plot device she was! Doing whatever she wanted, poisoning people by the dozen, leaving her enemies dead whenever their servants turned their backs, and not even once she was suspected of anything, no, everyone (including the heroine) loved her and cried after her when she died. Also, for some reason everyone desired her, even though she was nearly 80. I'm not saying that a person can't be beautiful at that age, it's just the way she was written, as if she were half her age. Even the poor eunuchs wanted her. She was also running around and slashing people's throats as if she couldn't afford a proper assassin. She could, because she was an aristocrat and an old flame of the emperor's, and she was not stingy. It was very confusing.
The main character Anna, uh, can't really say much about her. For about 2 first chapters she was worried about her disguise, then she quickly forgot about it. She was very preachy, especially towards the end, but of course nearly all other characters loved her, except a few bad guys who were in the background anyway, so when it became clear she was a girl, nothing happened, despite the previous talking about some "punishment". I had high hopes for her love interest to be all conflicted and stuff about falling for a eunuch, but in the next chapter she was already a girl and there was - all right not much - some, fairly faint, rejoicing, and also a wedding I guess. Or something.
The secondary characters were all the same, men, women, eunuchs, the emperor, monks, Venetians, Sicilians, Greeks. The Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches were also pretty similar, except the Catholic church was bad and the Catholic guys were bad, and if they were good, they sorta liked the Orthodox (the other one that is) faith better. Because it was more tolerant or some such.
Also, Byzantium and its numerous ancient stuffs, mostly mosaics and murals, were way beautiful. I think they were exquisite. This word, "exquisite", was used nearly on every page. O God I think I am done. I'm going to get some sleep. I'm just bitter and sad because I wanted to like this book and it was horrible.
The main problem was, I think, in the absolute lack of any suspense or mystery, because everything was clear from the beginning: the motivations of the characters, their likes and dislikes, their loyalties. Good guys were steadily good, bad guys were unflinchingly bad, no surprises, plus everyone was stupid. The "villainess" Zoe - what a two-legged plot device she was! Doing whatever she wanted, poisoning people by the dozen, leaving her enemies dead whenever their servants turned their backs, and not even once she was suspected of anything, no, everyone (including the heroine) loved her and cried after her when she died. Also, for some reason everyone desired her, even though she was nearly 80. I'm not saying that a person can't be beautiful at that age, it's just the way she was written, as if she were half her age. Even the poor eunuchs wanted her. She was also running around and slashing people's throats as if she couldn't afford a proper assassin. She could, because she was an aristocrat and an old flame of the emperor's, and she was not stingy. It was very confusing.
The main character Anna, uh, can't really say much about her. For about 2 first chapters she was worried about her disguise, then she quickly forgot about it. She was very preachy, especially towards the end, but of course nearly all other characters loved her, except a few bad guys who were in the background anyway, so when it became clear she was a girl, nothing happened, despite the previous talking about some "punishment". I had high hopes for her love interest to be all conflicted and stuff about falling for a eunuch, but in the next chapter she was already a girl and there was - all right not much - some, fairly faint, rejoicing, and also a wedding I guess. Or something.
The secondary characters were all the same, men, women, eunuchs, the emperor, monks, Venetians, Sicilians, Greeks. The Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches were also pretty similar, except the Catholic church was bad and the Catholic guys were bad, and if they were good, they sorta liked the Orthodox (the other one that is) faith better. Because it was more tolerant or some such.
Also, Byzantium and its numerous ancient stuffs, mostly mosaics and murals, were way beautiful. I think they were exquisite. This word, "exquisite", was used nearly on every page. O God I think I am done. I'm going to get some sleep. I'm just bitter and sad because I wanted to like this book and it was horrible.
September 17, 2010
I've read most, if not all, of Anne Perry's previous works and especially enjoy the two series featuring Thomas Pitt and William Monk. When I read the flyleaf description of this book I wasn't sure it was something up my alley. But I found myself totally captivated by this book. Having been to Istanbul, Venice and Messina (albeit 700+ years later) and having seen the Hagia Sophia, the canals and harbors her vivid imagery just made the whole book "pop" for me. The description of daily life in the late 13th century, especially the practice of medicine and the "three" genders, was fascinating. Even the struggles between the Roman & Orthodox churches came alive for me. Fascinating characters all the way around and I love how she's mixed fact & fiction with real-life emperors, popes, doges and kings alongside characters of her own creation.
I highly recommend this book and if you still have doubts, check out the video on her website where she gives a wonderful 10-minute overview with relatively few spoilers!
I highly recommend this book and if you still have doubts, check out the video on her website where she gives a wonderful 10-minute overview with relatively few spoilers!
September 13, 2011
I really wanted to give this book 3 stars but it didn't quite get there. I loved the setting which goes back and forth between Constantinople, Venice, Rome, Sicily, and other areas during the crusades in the 13th Century. It really is fascinating subject matter and I learned a lot about ancient Byzantium, Roman rule, and religious views during that time. I also thought some of the characters, especially Anna who poses as a Eunuch physician, were well-developed and sympathetic. However, this book was way too long and convoluted, with so many characters that it became distracting and chaotic trying to remember or even care who they all were. The many characters distracted from the main story and when some of the less-developed characters became very important to the story line, the pathos was lost.
It did bring to life the time period, and it made me want to sit down with a good history text (or okay, spend hours on the internet) to find out what was fact and what was fiction.
It did bring to life the time period, and it made me want to sit down with a good history text (or okay, spend hours on the internet) to find out what was fact and what was fiction.
July 21, 2015
This is one of those books where you read the first chapter and think, "Oh, how wonderful--I've found another book I can look forward to reading and in which I can lose myself and enter another world." The Sheen on the Silk is Anne Perry's masterpiece--a great historical novel set in the 1200s in Constantinople (with excursions to Venice, Sicily, Jerusalem, and Mount Sinai). The book tells of Anna Lascaris, a woman of Nicea and a physician, who disguises herself as a eunuch and moves with her two servants to Constantinople, where she hopes to prove her brother, Justinian, innocent of a murder for which he has been exiled to a monastery on Mount Sinai. Constantinople, where the Greek Orthodox Church (rather than the Roman Catholic Church) is the primary Christian belief, was sacked, pillaged, raped, and burned by Crusaders in 1204, and now is threatened with a similar fate if Charles of Anjou, King of the Two Sicilies, is allowed by the Pope to mount another Crusade--unless the Greek Orthodox Church is willing to accept the doctrines and authority of the Vatican in all matters of faith. The people of Constantinople are divided, although most people and their emporer, Michael Palaeogus, are against the submission to Rome. Anna, in the course of establishing her medical practice, trying to pass as a eunuch, and seeking information about her brother, is caught up in the politics and intrigue surrounding these historical events.
Perry creates many memorable characters--Anna, the palace eunuch Nicephoras, Jewish physician Avram Shachar, Venetian ship's captain Giulano Dandolo, papal legate Bishop Enrico Palombara, Orthodox Bishop Constantine, and especially Anna's sometime patient and dangerously self-interested helper and adversary, Zoe Chrysaphos, a woman you are likely to remember long after finishing the book. Perry also evokes the sights of thirteenth-century Constantinople in a beautiful way, as well as the details of Anna's life and those of the people she treats (and tries to pump for information about her brother). The story is gripping--Perry weaves the everyday with important events and you really care about the characters and have hope for the way things will resolve themselves.
You may be thinking, "I thought the Crusaders went to the Holy Land to reclaim Jerusalem for Christianity," and that was the goal. But in those days of traveling by ship, Constantinople was a stop on the way from Europe to Acre in Palestine; there the Crusaders could resupply and, in 1204, steal holy relics and art objects and destroy what they could not take from the Greek Orthodox inhabitants of the city, who, they rationalized, were not "true Christians."
You may be familiar with Anne Perry's Victorian mysteries featuring Charlotte and Thomas Pitt and (even better) William Monk and Hester Latterly. They're good, but The Sheen on the Silk outshines them all. The title metaphor refers to the changing perspectives one gains from seeing things in a different light, whether the changing colors of a piece of fabric, the hidden face of ambition in one who appears to be devoted to service, or the gender-crossing characteristics of a eunuch. This is a terrific book. Highly recommended.
Perry creates many memorable characters--Anna, the palace eunuch Nicephoras, Jewish physician Avram Shachar, Venetian ship's captain Giulano Dandolo, papal legate Bishop Enrico Palombara, Orthodox Bishop Constantine, and especially Anna's sometime patient and dangerously self-interested helper and adversary, Zoe Chrysaphos, a woman you are likely to remember long after finishing the book. Perry also evokes the sights of thirteenth-century Constantinople in a beautiful way, as well as the details of Anna's life and those of the people she treats (and tries to pump for information about her brother). The story is gripping--Perry weaves the everyday with important events and you really care about the characters and have hope for the way things will resolve themselves.
You may be thinking, "I thought the Crusaders went to the Holy Land to reclaim Jerusalem for Christianity," and that was the goal. But in those days of traveling by ship, Constantinople was a stop on the way from Europe to Acre in Palestine; there the Crusaders could resupply and, in 1204, steal holy relics and art objects and destroy what they could not take from the Greek Orthodox inhabitants of the city, who, they rationalized, were not "true Christians."
You may be familiar with Anne Perry's Victorian mysteries featuring Charlotte and Thomas Pitt and (even better) William Monk and Hester Latterly. They're good, but The Sheen on the Silk outshines them all. The title metaphor refers to the changing perspectives one gains from seeing things in a different light, whether the changing colors of a piece of fabric, the hidden face of ambition in one who appears to be devoted to service, or the gender-crossing characteristics of a eunuch. This is a terrific book. Highly recommended.
June 7, 2010
Anne Perry departs from her bestselling Victorian mysteries for an epic but at times uneven tale of 13th century Byzantium, featuring a female physician who disguises herself as a eunuch to uncover the truth about her twin brother's involvement in the assassination of an important politician.
Still reeling from a Venetian-led assault that devastated its populace and exiled its imperial family, Byzantium is a city of crumbling secrets, besieged noble families, and labyrinthine intrigues; into this dangerous yet seductive crossroads between East and West enters Anna, a.k.a. Anastasius, determined to prove her brother's innocence. While Anna's story is compelling in and of itself, it is her patroness Zoe, a noblewoman intent on revenge, who steals the plot — seductive, lethal, uncompromising and irresistible, Zoe has never forgotten the debt that Venice has incurred for destroying the city, even as her own past is haunted by violence. Woven throughout the novel's ambitious narrative are various supporting characters, including a conflicted Roman priest whose contact with Byzantium throws his own faith into question; a Venetian sailor seeking his own hidden past; and a spiritually pliant bishop of the Orthodox faith determined to prevent ecclesiastical union with Rome at any cost.
Perry excels in her deft characterization and in creating an ambiance that moves easily between the gilded corridors of Byzantium’s sea-scented palaces to the corrupt intrigues of the Vatican to the arid expanse of the Sinai desert; however, at times the pacing can be challenging both because of the wide cast of characters and the novel's meditations on the meaning of religion in a world overcome by ambition and upheaval. Nevertheless, for those brave readers who persist, the latter half of the novel offers intrinsic rewards.
Still reeling from a Venetian-led assault that devastated its populace and exiled its imperial family, Byzantium is a city of crumbling secrets, besieged noble families, and labyrinthine intrigues; into this dangerous yet seductive crossroads between East and West enters Anna, a.k.a. Anastasius, determined to prove her brother's innocence. While Anna's story is compelling in and of itself, it is her patroness Zoe, a noblewoman intent on revenge, who steals the plot — seductive, lethal, uncompromising and irresistible, Zoe has never forgotten the debt that Venice has incurred for destroying the city, even as her own past is haunted by violence. Woven throughout the novel's ambitious narrative are various supporting characters, including a conflicted Roman priest whose contact with Byzantium throws his own faith into question; a Venetian sailor seeking his own hidden past; and a spiritually pliant bishop of the Orthodox faith determined to prevent ecclesiastical union with Rome at any cost.
Perry excels in her deft characterization and in creating an ambiance that moves easily between the gilded corridors of Byzantium’s sea-scented palaces to the corrupt intrigues of the Vatican to the arid expanse of the Sinai desert; however, at times the pacing can be challenging both because of the wide cast of characters and the novel's meditations on the meaning of religion in a world overcome by ambition and upheaval. Nevertheless, for those brave readers who persist, the latter half of the novel offers intrinsic rewards.
August 6, 2012
Lush, voluptuous, and exciting! This was a wonderful read by dependably excellent author Anne Perry!
This was a departure for Perry in that she took us to ancient Constantinople instead of Victorian London, where most of her other books are set. But because Anne Perry is so superb at writing in a way that paints a total picture of the world the story is set in so fully and so realistically, you really do feel like you are IN the book and experiencing the story with the characters.
Every sight, every smell, every tiny detail you would notice if you actually were there is provided to draw you into the story completely, and connect you with what the characters are experiencing. But the detail is never annoying or too much, as it can sometimes be in other books. It never seems extraneous or gratuitious, which again demonstrates the talent of Perry's perfect touch in weaving the story around you so seamlessly the detail just seems natural.
The story follows Anna Zarides, who comes to Constantinople disguised as a eunuch in order to discover the truth behind her twin brother Justinian's exile for allegedly being involved in the murder of Bessarion, the nobleman who was set to take power in the city. Anna is convinced of Justinian's innocence and determined to use her skills as a physician to get close to those involved and discover the truth.
At the same time that Anna is trying to investigate the events surrounding Bessarion's murder, there is a conflict between Rome and Constantinople because the two cities believe different things where "God" is concerned. As Constantinople refuses to bow to Rome's authority, the planned crusade which will certainly lead to yet another sacking of Constantinople is imminent, and everyone in the book seems to have their own agenda.
There are a large number of characters, and a fairly complex plot-line, but it is delivered well, and in a very entertaining manner. Even the not-so-nice characters are interesting and intriguing, and the shenanigans that go on can't help but draw you in.
The only downside for me was that I listened to this story on audio-book format, and I think I missed some of the detail and the richness of the descriptions because of hearing it instead of actually seeing the words on the page. I think I would have enjoyed the story even more if I had been able to go back and re-read some of the more descriptive passages. I absolutely enjoyed the story, but would recommend this book as one that is better enjoyed as a regular book than an audio book.
Whatever format you read it in though, I definitely recommend this! Anne Perry does just as terrific a job with thirteenth-century Byzantium as she has always done with Victorian England. A great read.
This was a departure for Perry in that she took us to ancient Constantinople instead of Victorian London, where most of her other books are set. But because Anne Perry is so superb at writing in a way that paints a total picture of the world the story is set in so fully and so realistically, you really do feel like you are IN the book and experiencing the story with the characters.
Every sight, every smell, every tiny detail you would notice if you actually were there is provided to draw you into the story completely, and connect you with what the characters are experiencing. But the detail is never annoying or too much, as it can sometimes be in other books. It never seems extraneous or gratuitious, which again demonstrates the talent of Perry's perfect touch in weaving the story around you so seamlessly the detail just seems natural.
The story follows Anna Zarides, who comes to Constantinople disguised as a eunuch in order to discover the truth behind her twin brother Justinian's exile for allegedly being involved in the murder of Bessarion, the nobleman who was set to take power in the city. Anna is convinced of Justinian's innocence and determined to use her skills as a physician to get close to those involved and discover the truth.
At the same time that Anna is trying to investigate the events surrounding Bessarion's murder, there is a conflict between Rome and Constantinople because the two cities believe different things where "God" is concerned. As Constantinople refuses to bow to Rome's authority, the planned crusade which will certainly lead to yet another sacking of Constantinople is imminent, and everyone in the book seems to have their own agenda.
There are a large number of characters, and a fairly complex plot-line, but it is delivered well, and in a very entertaining manner. Even the not-so-nice characters are interesting and intriguing, and the shenanigans that go on can't help but draw you in.
The only downside for me was that I listened to this story on audio-book format, and I think I missed some of the detail and the richness of the descriptions because of hearing it instead of actually seeing the words on the page. I think I would have enjoyed the story even more if I had been able to go back and re-read some of the more descriptive passages. I absolutely enjoyed the story, but would recommend this book as one that is better enjoyed as a regular book than an audio book.
Whatever format you read it in though, I definitely recommend this! Anne Perry does just as terrific a job with thirteenth-century Byzantium as she has always done with Victorian England. A great read.
Read
May 25, 2021DNF
I love, love, love most of Anne Perry’s books but, sadly, this moved at a snail’s pace. I’m fine with a quiet book and for the most parted I enjoyed the story but the pacing. So much plot set up.
So, on to other novels… and please forgive me, Ms. Perry!! I promise to read another Monk book real soon!!
I love, love, love most of Anne Perry’s books but, sadly, this moved at a snail’s pace. I’m fine with a quiet book and for the most parted I enjoyed the story but the pacing. So much plot set up.
So, on to other novels… and please forgive me, Ms. Perry!! I promise to read another Monk book real soon!!
February 5, 2010
Murder mystery author Anne Perry has decided to deviate from her Victorian sleuthing into the world of historical fiction with her upcoming March release of The Sheen on the Silk. This is the story of how Byzantium, the city of Constantinople with it's religious mix of Orthodox Christianity, and Muslim faiths, fought hard in the 13th century to preserve their heritage and religion against the ongoing conquests from Rome.
The lead character, Anna, is masquerading as a young male eunuch in Constantinople, who sets up shop as a physician and apothecary with a secret mission to spy and uncover reasons why her brother Justinian has been exiled from the city with the implications he was an accessory to a murder.
Although it is obvious that Perry has done extensive research on the epics of the Crusades and of Byzantine history, I felt her approach for this novel was dry, and at times too factual in presentation without the added ingredient of character development and an exciting plot to accompany her rich details of the time period.
After 200 pages I had to give up because I felt nothing for Anna or any of the many other characters involved in this religious fight and murder scheme. The novel is very difficult to get into as the author presents way too many characters too soon from a multitude of countries making it confusing and very choppy. It needed smoothening out in my opinion, and maybe the characters should have been introduced more slowly, building a little character development on each one before tackling all the others. My mind felt inundated with too much all at once to be able to focus on their personalities and to keep track of who was who and where they belonged. The early chapters were quite a struggle. From Rome, to Venice, to Constantinople, back and forth, back and forth, with just a dry pot of mixed stew that didn't appear to have much of an appealing storyline, or plot to keep me interested or excited. I am a reader of many historical novels, and this time period and place is one of my favorites. But I am also a reader who enjoys deep character development because if a reader doesn't like the lead character, the story isn't enjoyable. I felt at times I was reading a non fiction history book and was terribly disillusioned to not have gotten what I had really hoped to, with a rich background premise such as the Byzantine Empire and a girl disguised as a eunuch under cover of espionage to help her brother.
One other small pet peeve I had was that Perry's tactic of having Anna disguised as a man, and giving her the skills of a healer, was very repetitious and non-imaginative. This scenario as heroines dressing as men under secret ploys is getting very redundant in historical fiction lately and there have been a profuse amount of women doctors, healers, and herbalists smothering the fictional market. Her character of Anna was pretty identical to that of Robin Maxwell's recent Senora Da Vinci. A little more ingenuity would have helped me get further along than I did.
Sorry folks, I couldn't push on to finish this. I was very bored and found all the players dull and lifeless. Needless to say I was greatly disappointed. I have read Anne Perry's Victorian thrillers and have always enjoyed her works within that realm, but this genre displacement for her just didn't work for me
The lead character, Anna, is masquerading as a young male eunuch in Constantinople, who sets up shop as a physician and apothecary with a secret mission to spy and uncover reasons why her brother Justinian has been exiled from the city with the implications he was an accessory to a murder.
Although it is obvious that Perry has done extensive research on the epics of the Crusades and of Byzantine history, I felt her approach for this novel was dry, and at times too factual in presentation without the added ingredient of character development and an exciting plot to accompany her rich details of the time period.
After 200 pages I had to give up because I felt nothing for Anna or any of the many other characters involved in this religious fight and murder scheme. The novel is very difficult to get into as the author presents way too many characters too soon from a multitude of countries making it confusing and very choppy. It needed smoothening out in my opinion, and maybe the characters should have been introduced more slowly, building a little character development on each one before tackling all the others. My mind felt inundated with too much all at once to be able to focus on their personalities and to keep track of who was who and where they belonged. The early chapters were quite a struggle. From Rome, to Venice, to Constantinople, back and forth, back and forth, with just a dry pot of mixed stew that didn't appear to have much of an appealing storyline, or plot to keep me interested or excited. I am a reader of many historical novels, and this time period and place is one of my favorites. But I am also a reader who enjoys deep character development because if a reader doesn't like the lead character, the story isn't enjoyable. I felt at times I was reading a non fiction history book and was terribly disillusioned to not have gotten what I had really hoped to, with a rich background premise such as the Byzantine Empire and a girl disguised as a eunuch under cover of espionage to help her brother.
One other small pet peeve I had was that Perry's tactic of having Anna disguised as a man, and giving her the skills of a healer, was very repetitious and non-imaginative. This scenario as heroines dressing as men under secret ploys is getting very redundant in historical fiction lately and there have been a profuse amount of women doctors, healers, and herbalists smothering the fictional market. Her character of Anna was pretty identical to that of Robin Maxwell's recent Senora Da Vinci. A little more ingenuity would have helped me get further along than I did.
Sorry folks, I couldn't push on to finish this. I was very bored and found all the players dull and lifeless. Needless to say I was greatly disappointed. I have read Anne Perry's Victorian thrillers and have always enjoyed her works within that realm, but this genre displacement for her just didn't work for me
March 10, 2011
In search of her brother Justinian, who was accused of murder and then banished, Anna Lascaris comes to Constantinople disguised as Anastasius, a eunuch and physician by trade. Like magic, Anastasius is getting clients in all the right circles and wheeling and dealing with the greatest in the land. Meanwhile, there are plots afoot in Rome to bring Constantinople and the Orthodox Church to heel or face the threat of destruction at the hands of another crusade.
Or it was something like that. I hate to say it but I finally gave up around page 200 or so when I finally realized I just didn't care what happened. I didn't warm up to Anna's character, nor did I find the dress-up-like-a-man plot device terribly believable. The story was constantly bouncing from one character/plot line to another and I found it very hard to follow. The medical details were very tiring, all Anna seemed to do was hop from one patient to the next and not have much time to search for her brother. *Yawn*
The marketing that I've seen for this book is also a bit confusing. I understand the writer has previously written several mysteries - but if this book is supposed to be a mystery it certainly falls flat as a pancake in that regard. If this is supposed to be a straight historical novel than it didn't work for me that way either. Not knowing much about Constantinople, the Orthodox religion, or Charles of Anjou I was very confused at first - either I missed something entirely or the author assumes the reader already knows all about it. Or was I supposed to go to Wik and read up on it and educate myself? I thought that was the author's job. Not recommended.
Or it was something like that. I hate to say it but I finally gave up around page 200 or so when I finally realized I just didn't care what happened. I didn't warm up to Anna's character, nor did I find the dress-up-like-a-man plot device terribly believable. The story was constantly bouncing from one character/plot line to another and I found it very hard to follow. The medical details were very tiring, all Anna seemed to do was hop from one patient to the next and not have much time to search for her brother. *Yawn*
The marketing that I've seen for this book is also a bit confusing. I understand the writer has previously written several mysteries - but if this book is supposed to be a mystery it certainly falls flat as a pancake in that regard. If this is supposed to be a straight historical novel than it didn't work for me that way either. Not knowing much about Constantinople, the Orthodox religion, or Charles of Anjou I was very confused at first - either I missed something entirely or the author assumes the reader already knows all about it. Or was I supposed to go to Wik and read up on it and educate myself? I thought that was the author's job. Not recommended.
Read
October 17, 2022If you read this book for the story, you’ll probably find it average. The writing is beautiful and very descriptive, but the pace is slow. The main character, Anna, goes to Constantinople to find evidence that will clear her brother’s name, and it takes her years to gather even the basics of what happened. But if you read it as an exploration of revenge, redemption, loyalty, faith, and sacrifice, the book is profound. Set at a time when the people of Constantinople were faced with the choice of allying with the church in Rome or standing firm in their beliefs and being destroyed by crusaders from the west, questions of faith and expediency came up repeatedly, and kept me thinking. I also enjoyed the history. I wouldn’t recommend the book to everyone, but if you like Les Miserables, this is probably worth adding to your list. Neither are page-turners, but if you’re willing to put in a little effort, they both offer a thought-provoking look at the best and the worst in human nature, and the beauty of God’s mercy. 4 or 4.5 stars.
January 6, 2025
Ce roman nous propose de suivre les aventures d’Anna Zaridès au XIIIème siècle, qui se fait passer pour un médecin ennuque à Constantinople afin de prouver l’innocence de son frère, Justinien, accusé de meurtre. L’intrigue se déroule dans un contexte troublant pour l’empire byzantin, qui vient à peine de se remettre du sac de Constantinople de 1204 par les croisés et qui est de nouveau menacée dans son intégrité par le projet d’union avec l’église romaine et l’ambition démesurée du roi de Sicile Charles d’Anjou. Anna fera la connaissance de personnages hauts en couleur, tels que Zoé Chrysaphès, souhaitant laver à tout prix l’honneur de la ville, Hélène Comnène, la fille de Zoé à l’ambition démesurée et qui m’a grandement insupporté, l’évêque Constantin, un ennque qui s’appuie sur la foi orthodoxe pour sauver Byzance, et Giuliano Dandolo (mon préféré) un envoyé du doge de Venise qui est séduit par le charme de Byzance. Si les personnages sont tous bien écris avec leur trait de caractère unique et leurs motivations différentes, l’intrigue semble longue pour rien en s’attardant sur des détails inutiles et reléguant l’enquête au second plan. J’ai même eu l’impression que certains détails ont été totalement occultés comme l’identité de la personne qui a dénoncé Justinien. Néanmoins, j’ai pris du plaisir à lire ce livre, qui nous plonge dans la géopolitique de l’époque, et le style de l’autrice est captivante et immersive. Pour moi, ce roman est avant tout destiné aux lecteurs intéressés par l’empire byzantin et la politique médiévale.
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September 16, 2019DNF at 13%
Had trouble connecting or picturing the visuals throughout the first quarter of it.
Like, you don’t tell when you describe about certain things in some unnecessary paragraph formats, you “just show” in which The Sheen on the Silk is having trouble with.
But it’s also kind of disappointing that I don’t find myself interested in what the characters were doing as of the moment.
Had trouble connecting or picturing the visuals throughout the first quarter of it.
Like, you don’t tell when you describe about certain things in some unnecessary paragraph formats, you “just show” in which The Sheen on the Silk is having trouble with.
But it’s also kind of disappointing that I don’t find myself interested in what the characters were doing as of the moment.
April 19, 2013
Well.
I love the theory of this book, since I absolutely adored The Beacon at Alexandria. A woman, driven to disguise herself as a eunuch to practice medicine. Lush settings and a story full of intrigue is what I expected.
What I got was the story of a woman who already was a successful physician as a woman, who moved to Constantinople to clear her brother's name. And disguised herself as a eunuch. For some reason.
Within 60 pages she had already acquired as patients two of the most influential people in the entire city, after dithering about how difficult it would be to get into the upper echelon of society to find out about her brother's fate.
I was skeptical of how well the book was going to go.
Then I realized that one of the influential patients was a woman described as beautiful in such flowery terms that she basically just had to be a goddess. All men wanted to sleep with her (except her son-in-law, who she assumed to be "passionless" because she was unsuccessful at seducing him), all women wanted to be her, and her daughter was wildly jealous of her mother's youthful good looks.
With such a description cropping up every time this woman was on the page, I was a little stunned to find out that she was in her 70's.
I'm not saying that 70-year-old women can't be attractive. Helen Mirren is one of the most beautiful people in the world. But Helen Mirren also looks beautifully her own age.
When the descriptions of the elderly hottie wouldn't stop, and I was on yet another description of a eunuch as "soft-faced" (it was the author's go-to descriptor for eunuchs), I had to give up.
If you want a GOOD book about a woman who is willing to sacrifice her whole traditional future for the sake of medicine, read The Beacon at Alexandria. Skip this one. It's awful.
I love the theory of this book, since I absolutely adored The Beacon at Alexandria. A woman, driven to disguise herself as a eunuch to practice medicine. Lush settings and a story full of intrigue is what I expected.
What I got was the story of a woman who already was a successful physician as a woman, who moved to Constantinople to clear her brother's name. And disguised herself as a eunuch. For some reason.
Within 60 pages she had already acquired as patients two of the most influential people in the entire city, after dithering about how difficult it would be to get into the upper echelon of society to find out about her brother's fate.
I was skeptical of how well the book was going to go.
Then I realized that one of the influential patients was a woman described as beautiful in such flowery terms that she basically just had to be a goddess. All men wanted to sleep with her (except her son-in-law, who she assumed to be "passionless" because she was unsuccessful at seducing him), all women wanted to be her, and her daughter was wildly jealous of her mother's youthful good looks.
With such a description cropping up every time this woman was on the page, I was a little stunned to find out that she was in her 70's.
I'm not saying that 70-year-old women can't be attractive. Helen Mirren is one of the most beautiful people in the world. But Helen Mirren also looks beautifully her own age.
When the descriptions of the elderly hottie wouldn't stop, and I was on yet another description of a eunuch as "soft-faced" (it was the author's go-to descriptor for eunuchs), I had to give up.
If you want a GOOD book about a woman who is willing to sacrifice her whole traditional future for the sake of medicine, read The Beacon at Alexandria. Skip this one. It's awful.
April 8, 2010
Despite its flaws, I was breathtaken with admiration for Anne Perry's latest. It is set in 13th-century Constantinople, which had been sacked by the Fourth Crusade and at the time of this story is just recovering about 60 years later. The story is almost as complicated as Byzantine politics is said to have been, with the heart of the story concerning a woman masquerading as an eunuch in order to practice her profession as a physician and discreetly search for the truth about her banished brother's involvement in the murder of a man related to the imperial families. She meets a number of remarkable characters, including one of the best-drawn villains of all time, a woman with great beauty, intelligence, wit, and charm, and complex desires for both good and evil. The story shifts from Constantinople from time to time to track the progress of various threats to the city from the Roman papacy, the Venetian doges, and Charles of Anjou (King of Sicily, Naples, Albania and Jerusalem, Count of Provence, etc., etc.) and their various agents.
The only weakness I thought was in the character of the heroine, who I thought should have been stronger to match the vividness of the people around her. She had a lot of strength, but just not enough in my opinion. She has a flaw in the form of a guilty secret (aside from her masquerade), but I was disappointed when it was revealed that it didn't seem to me to be realistic. I would have liked to have seen her flaw be something of more substance and believability, and then I would have liked to have seen her work harder to overcome it. It just seems to go away without too much effort in the end. However, that turns out to be a relatively unimportant weakness in the book overall. I recommend it to anybody who likes historical fiction.
The only weakness I thought was in the character of the heroine, who I thought should have been stronger to match the vividness of the people around her. She had a lot of strength, but just not enough in my opinion. She has a flaw in the form of a guilty secret (aside from her masquerade), but I was disappointed when it was revealed that it didn't seem to me to be realistic. I would have liked to have seen her flaw be something of more substance and believability, and then I would have liked to have seen her work harder to overcome it. It just seems to go away without too much effort in the end. However, that turns out to be a relatively unimportant weakness in the book overall. I recommend it to anybody who likes historical fiction.
September 13, 2010
Allow me to start my review with a quote from Dorothy Parker: "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force." 'The Sheen on Silk' was just awful. I am normally a HUGE Anne Perry fan and have read all of her Monk books and Charlotte Pitt books. I love historical detective fiction and was happy that she was trying a different time period other than the Victorian era. This time, she focuses her story in the 13th century in the Byzantine empire. Most of the book deals with the wranglings between the Church in Rome and the Church in Constantinople. There is a mystery involved, and a girl who pretends to be a eunuch in order to save her wrongly-accused brother from exile. Unfortunately, this novel is BORING. The main character, Anna/Anastasius is supposed to be playing a eunuch, and as such, she tempers her 'feminine passions' and tries to be calm and staid. As if this was a characteristic of being a eunuch! (You can't tell me there weren't some flamboyant, drag queen-esque eunuchs back in the day!) I didn't like her at all, EVER. She was boring and drab. The whole story drags along with heavy-handed editorials on faith and politics and the mystery itself becomes terciary. Not even secondary. Aack! I wouldn't recommend this book unless you are particularly interested in Byzantine religion and tedious political wrangling. Maybe Anne could try the Georgian Period?
September 27, 2010
This was an amazing book. Byzantium is recovering from the Crusade in 1204 when it was burned, plundered and the remaining citizens exiled. The exiles have returned and are rebuilding their homes when Rome demands they give up Orthodoxy or be burned and plundered again.
Plots to save their city and plots to destroy it swirl through the story. The main one involves the murder of Besarion Comnenos, a leader who favored remaining true to Orthodoxy and revolting against Rome. Anna Zarides' twin brother is accused of being a part of the plot and sentenced to exile. Anna, a brilliant physician, goes undercover as a eunuch to find out the truth and prove her brother's innocence. As a woman, Anna can only treat other women, but as a eunuch she can treat both men and women and get to know them and their secrets. If she is caught, she will be severely punished, perhaps put to death.
Anne Perry weaves the drama of political intrigue and the fight for personal power among the many characters of her book with a deft hand. Each one believes passionately in what they are fighting for, each tries to convince the others to accept their viewpoint, each struggles to come to grips with faith, duty, and greed.
Plots to save their city and plots to destroy it swirl through the story. The main one involves the murder of Besarion Comnenos, a leader who favored remaining true to Orthodoxy and revolting against Rome. Anna Zarides' twin brother is accused of being a part of the plot and sentenced to exile. Anna, a brilliant physician, goes undercover as a eunuch to find out the truth and prove her brother's innocence. As a woman, Anna can only treat other women, but as a eunuch she can treat both men and women and get to know them and their secrets. If she is caught, she will be severely punished, perhaps put to death.
Anne Perry weaves the drama of political intrigue and the fight for personal power among the many characters of her book with a deft hand. Each one believes passionately in what they are fighting for, each tries to convince the others to accept their viewpoint, each struggles to come to grips with faith, duty, and greed.
October 5, 2010
I found this quite a challenging read. This is partly because what I know about Byzantium can be written on a postage stamp, but this is certainly not a novel you can read with half your mind on TV or what you're having for dinner. Such inattention will leave you lost and having to go back to find out who this character is and what their motives might be.
Anna Zarides, a doctor, arrives in Constantinople in disguise as a eunuch, trying to establish the innocence of her brother, who has been banised to a remote monastry. Well, I thought, that's not very likely is it? She'll never get away with that! And she doesn't, because one character after another works out what she is and you wonder when and by whom she will be betrayed.
Set against a background of a threatened crusade against the city, and an attempt to avert this by an unpopular submission to Rome, the story is full of complex intrigue. If you like action, as such, you may find it rather boring as much of the book is devoted to Anna picking up patients and making discreet enquiries.
I thought it was worth the effort in the end, but this is not a book that will appeal to all.
Anna Zarides, a doctor, arrives in Constantinople in disguise as a eunuch, trying to establish the innocence of her brother, who has been banised to a remote monastry. Well, I thought, that's not very likely is it? She'll never get away with that! And she doesn't, because one character after another works out what she is and you wonder when and by whom she will be betrayed.
Set against a background of a threatened crusade against the city, and an attempt to avert this by an unpopular submission to Rome, the story is full of complex intrigue. If you like action, as such, you may find it rather boring as much of the book is devoted to Anna picking up patients and making discreet enquiries.
I thought it was worth the effort in the end, but this is not a book that will appeal to all.
April 8, 2010
Anna, a physician, poses as a eunuch in 13th century Constantinople after she learns of her brother's exile for the murder of a nobleman. I found some of the politics and the intricacies of religious history hard to keep track of but since I read late at night this is only to be expected. The historical details and the descriptions are worth reading, but there wasn't much of a mystery, and I thought Perry made a meal out of what could have been told with more brevity. If you're expecting Monk-quality plotting, skip this one.
February 5, 2021
When you read Anne Perry, you know there is going to be a strong woman in the story, and this one is no exception. But, there are two strong women, the main character, and her shall we say nemesis. Anne leaves her home and travels to where he twin brother has disappeared in search of him, to help or save him if she can. She can not travel alone as a woman physician in 1200's, so she goes incognito w/ her two servants who agree to help her to find him. Great story and good read.
August 2, 2019
¿Cómo empezar? Tengo muchas cosas que decir, buenas y malas sobre este libro.
En primer lugar, y mi principal queja, es que utiliza muchos puntos de vista que al principio solo sirven para confundir y a mediados, para alargar la historia innecesariamente. Hubo capítulos que para mi no tuvieron ninguna relevancia y solo deseaba acabar rápido con ellos.
En segundo lugar, la misión de la protagonista pasa a ser secundaría varias veces, y con las historias entrelazadas y la su continuidad llegue a olvidarme de lo que se supone es la trama principal.
En tercer lugar, debo decir que este libro ya lo había intentado leer hace años cuando apenas me adentraba en la lectura y no estaba segura de que libros leer, así que cuando trate de leerlo por primera vez no logré pasar de la página 50. Sin embargo, lo retome con la esperanza de que ahora no me parecería aburrido, pero vaya, si me pareció. No todo. Pero si hubiera recortado unas cuantas subtramas y puntos de vista me hubiera gustado más.
A decir verdad, me gusto el libro, pero me costo trabajo.
Además, es la primera vez que leo algo de éste género y creo que me gustaría leer algo más de esta autora, algo más corto.
El final me pareció precipitado, y cambió el ritmo que llevaba el libro, lo cual desentonó y no me gustó que se le diera una solución fácil y rápida a todos los problemas que se fueron entretejiendo a lo largo del libro.
Me dio mucha risa que haya terminado como el final cliché de una novela de romance. But me gusto la pareja.
Oh si, ninguna queja con los personajes, para mi fueron lo mejor del libro. Fueron complejos, encantadores y perversos.
Por último, me reconforta el hecho de que ahora se un poco más sobre la historia de Constantinopla, me refiero a que el contexto histórico, que a veces no entendía porque todo era un caos, me ayudó a entender un poco sobre historia.
En primer lugar, y mi principal queja, es que utiliza muchos puntos de vista que al principio solo sirven para confundir y a mediados, para alargar la historia innecesariamente. Hubo capítulos que para mi no tuvieron ninguna relevancia y solo deseaba acabar rápido con ellos.
En segundo lugar, la misión de la protagonista pasa a ser secundaría varias veces, y con las historias entrelazadas y la su continuidad llegue a olvidarme de lo que se supone es la trama principal.
En tercer lugar, debo decir que este libro ya lo había intentado leer hace años cuando apenas me adentraba en la lectura y no estaba segura de que libros leer, así que cuando trate de leerlo por primera vez no logré pasar de la página 50. Sin embargo, lo retome con la esperanza de que ahora no me parecería aburrido, pero vaya, si me pareció. No todo. Pero si hubiera recortado unas cuantas subtramas y puntos de vista me hubiera gustado más.
A decir verdad, me gusto el libro, pero me costo trabajo.
Además, es la primera vez que leo algo de éste género y creo que me gustaría leer algo más de esta autora, algo más corto.
El final me pareció precipitado, y cambió el ritmo que llevaba el libro, lo cual desentonó y no me gustó que se le diera una solución fácil y rápida a todos los problemas que se fueron entretejiendo a lo largo del libro.
Me dio mucha risa que haya terminado como el final cliché de una novela de romance. But me gusto la pareja.
Oh si, ninguna queja con los personajes, para mi fueron lo mejor del libro. Fueron complejos, encantadores y perversos.
Por último, me reconforta el hecho de que ahora se un poco más sobre la historia de Constantinopla, me refiero a que el contexto histórico, que a veces no entendía porque todo era un caos, me ayudó a entender un poco sobre historia.
June 20, 2010
I'm a fan of the books of Anne Perry. I've enjoyed the William Monk books, the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series, and especially the World War I series. So I eagerly anticipated reading this stand alone historical mystery that opens in 1273 in Constantinople. A major disappointment. The story was repetitive, slow moving, and the story could definitely been told in less than 515 pages. A strong editorial hand was needed. Having said that, Perry's historical research was quite interesting and quite evident. The main action in the novel takes place in Constantinople 70 years after the city was attacked and ransacked during the Fourth Crusade. And now it appears that another Crusade is being formed to move against the city. Enter Anna, a young physician, who comes to Constantinople to find out what happened to her twin brother, Justianian. To keep her identify a secret, she disguises herself as a eunuch named Anastasius and opens a medical practice that ultimately allows her to treat patients in the highest social and political circles in the city. She even becomes a familiar face in the palace and treats the emperor. A little far-fetched, but okay. As her medical practice grows, she asks incessant questions about her brother, whom she finds out has been sent into exile because of his role in a political murder. But few people seem to grow suspicious. Add to this the growing possibility of another crusade being launched to recapture the Holy Land. To ward off another devastasting attack on the city, there is a movement toward reaching a possible religious and political understanding with the Pope in Rome to bring the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church together to the dismay of Orthodox believers. The action in this novel takes place not only in Constantinople, but also in Rome, Venice, Sicily, Jerusalem and in the Sinai Desert.
March 24, 2013
I had really hoped to like this book, unfortunately it feel far short of its promise of complex Byzantine intrigue and exciting historical drama. Outside the narrative, which is terrible and contrived, the book is poorly written with mind numbing repetition and obvious metaphors shoehorned in so often you feel that you are at the receiving end of a rogue literary pitching machine. The book is exaggeratedly long. The contrived plot would have only really needed thirty or so chapters to play out, the fact that the book is more than three times that makes its reading akin to climbing a mountain while wading molasses in a rain storm. As for the plot, it is hard to know where to begin. Foremost this novel commits the cardinal sin of connecting all the characters slavishly to the historical record, regardless if makes sense or not. The attachment to the historical arc of the Sicilian Vespers is laudable, but so poorly done that by the time it happens it is so devoid of any meaning it just seems an annoying coda or a plot that ended fifty chapters ago. The characters, while some start strong, show literally no development through the course of the novel. The author also imagines herself and her characters to be far more clever than they actually are, leading to some moments of utter nonsense that would be funny if the book wasn't trying so hard to be serious. The last problem I'll talk about, but certainly not the last one this books has, is the seriousness. The book tries so hard to be dark, turbulent, and serious, beating you over the head with back stories and mash ups of historical fact (which to the author's credit are largely accurate) so often that you feel as if you have been assaulted. The end result is that book tries to be serious and succeeds in only being annoying.
May 6, 2014
This is a book about a woman who disguises herself as a eunuch in the 1200s Constantinople, which is about 200 years before the fall of the Byzantine empire. She interacts with several eunuchs in Byzantium, from her own loyal servant who teaches her how to pass as a eunuch, to religious leaders, and one very high ranking court eunuch. I liked that the author showed a variety of eunuchs in some amount of depth, some of whom were good and bad characters, but I was disappointed that the author didn't use the main character's unique position as an "outsider" to really explore what it meant to be a eunuch in her society.
A lot of people thought this book was slow or sluggish, which is a fair criticism. I tend to prefer slow-mysteries that don't fall into the action/adventure zone, so the pacing worked for me. But it's a big 500 page mystery book with lush settings and a happy ending, hard to go wrong with all that. Would be a nice "beach read."
A lot of people thought this book was slow or sluggish, which is a fair criticism. I tend to prefer slow-mysteries that don't fall into the action/adventure zone, so the pacing worked for me. But it's a big 500 page mystery book with lush settings and a happy ending, hard to go wrong with all that. Would be a nice "beach read."
May 9, 2010
I picked this up from the library and gave it a go. I read the first ten or twenty pages, but was disappointed to find both elements for which I usually read Anne Perry absent.
I like the "cozy" mystery feel of the World War One series, which interposes a small rural village in England and its domestic concerns over the larger-scale war scene and spy-thriller plot. The Anne Perry series which I read most enthusiastically is the Monk series, a great example of using psychological elements more than physical action to create high-tension suspense plots.
I was looking forward to seeing these techniques--either or both--applied to a Byzantine setting, but found instead a character cut off from her natural setting (i.e. the cozy village), with only the vaguest idea of what problem she is trying to solve (i.e. what the mystery actually is), though we do at least know why she is invested in solving it (her brother's welfare is at stake).
The character's methods of investigation seem round-about at best, self-defeating at worst, and the tension I presume I was supposed to feel on the character's behalf in the event her undercover identity should be discovered never materialized at all. In fact, I found the constant harping on the subject rather off-putting, a definite example of telling in the place of showing, a mistake Anne Perry should be experienced enough as a writer to avoid.
If I read further into this book, I might find it was good or even great, but I simply was not interested enough to invest the time, and doubt I will return to it with so many other potential reads available.
I like the "cozy" mystery feel of the World War One series, which interposes a small rural village in England and its domestic concerns over the larger-scale war scene and spy-thriller plot. The Anne Perry series which I read most enthusiastically is the Monk series, a great example of using psychological elements more than physical action to create high-tension suspense plots.
I was looking forward to seeing these techniques--either or both--applied to a Byzantine setting, but found instead a character cut off from her natural setting (i.e. the cozy village), with only the vaguest idea of what problem she is trying to solve (i.e. what the mystery actually is), though we do at least know why she is invested in solving it (her brother's welfare is at stake).
The character's methods of investigation seem round-about at best, self-defeating at worst, and the tension I presume I was supposed to feel on the character's behalf in the event her undercover identity should be discovered never materialized at all. In fact, I found the constant harping on the subject rather off-putting, a definite example of telling in the place of showing, a mistake Anne Perry should be experienced enough as a writer to avoid.
If I read further into this book, I might find it was good or even great, but I simply was not interested enough to invest the time, and doubt I will return to it with so many other potential reads available.
February 27, 2011
Meh. Closer to a 2.5, but not enough to round up.
It started out slow, though it did pick up about halfway through. I just couldn't bring myself to care for any of the characters. Most were so two-dimensional I had a hard time keeping them straight, which is fairly odd for an Anne Perry novel. A few characters, like Anna, Constantine, and Giuliano, showed some interesting growth or change along the way.
I was initially drawn to the book because of the setting; 13th century Constantinople fascinates me. And Ms. Perry obligingly provides many contextual details and information about its history, religion and culture. The book covers almost a decade in 515 pages and it was both too long and too short, if that makes any sense. To truly cover this decade with all its intrigues and political maneuverings all over Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, not to mention further East, it should have taken many more pages. But I certainly was committed enough to the characters to stick with it for more than the 500+ pages I did (but almost didn't).
Ms. Perry does get in some interesting thoughts on Church vs. God and the necessity (or not) of violence in defending a way of life against oppressors. But I kind of wish I'd put the book down around the 100 page mark and spent the time doing something else.
For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.
It started out slow, though it did pick up about halfway through. I just couldn't bring myself to care for any of the characters. Most were so two-dimensional I had a hard time keeping them straight, which is fairly odd for an Anne Perry novel. A few characters, like Anna, Constantine, and Giuliano, showed some interesting growth or change along the way.
I was initially drawn to the book because of the setting; 13th century Constantinople fascinates me. And Ms. Perry obligingly provides many contextual details and information about its history, religion and culture. The book covers almost a decade in 515 pages and it was both too long and too short, if that makes any sense. To truly cover this decade with all its intrigues and political maneuverings all over Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, not to mention further East, it should have taken many more pages. But I certainly was committed enough to the characters to stick with it for more than the 500+ pages I did (but almost didn't).
Ms. Perry does get in some interesting thoughts on Church vs. God and the necessity (or not) of violence in defending a way of life against oppressors. But I kind of wish I'd put the book down around the 100 page mark and spent the time doing something else.
For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.
April 21, 2010
Torn between 4 and 5 stars.
(writing this without the book at hand, so I hope I get the names right)
The historical part of this history is fantastic. I felt really immersed in Byzantium as I read it.
The story itself is slow but interesting. The main character, Anna, is a foreigner masquerading as a eunuch doctor in order to investigate the cause of her brother's exile and imprisonment. Anna is a bit too goody-good to start with, but the eunuch-impersonation makes her character more interesting. However, her investigation takes years (slow story, as I said). The most interesting character is Zoe Crysaphes, a 70-plus year old matron of wealth and power who is driven by vengeance. She presents first as an antagonist and villain, then gradually grows into an anti-hero. I think she is one of the most interesting characters Perry has ever written. The main conflict is the status of Byzantium itself -- barely recovering from being sacked by Crusaders and still struggling to maintain its independence from Rome, will it survive another Crusade?
So why not 5 stars? I think because it suffers from Perry's usual falws -- a bit too much telling; characters a bit too emo and mary-sue-ish. But despite that, this is an amazing book; with depth and breadth that make such flaws forgivable. I highly rec it.
(writing this without the book at hand, so I hope I get the names right)
The historical part of this history is fantastic. I felt really immersed in Byzantium as I read it.
The story itself is slow but interesting. The main character, Anna, is a foreigner masquerading as a eunuch doctor in order to investigate the cause of her brother's exile and imprisonment. Anna is a bit too goody-good to start with, but the eunuch-impersonation makes her character more interesting. However, her investigation takes years (slow story, as I said). The most interesting character is Zoe Crysaphes, a 70-plus year old matron of wealth and power who is driven by vengeance. She presents first as an antagonist and villain, then gradually grows into an anti-hero. I think she is one of the most interesting characters Perry has ever written. The main conflict is the status of Byzantium itself -- barely recovering from being sacked by Crusaders and still struggling to maintain its independence from Rome, will it survive another Crusade?
So why not 5 stars? I think because it suffers from Perry's usual falws -- a bit too much telling; characters a bit too emo and mary-sue-ish. But despite that, this is an amazing book; with depth and breadth that make such flaws forgivable. I highly rec it.
July 25, 2011
In 1273, Anna Zarides travels to Constantinople disguised as a eunuch, in order to practice medicine at all levels of society, so she can solve the mystery of her twin brother's exile. Powerful Zoe Chrysaphes is bent on revenging the betrayal of Byzantium to the Crusaders 70 years before. Giuliano Dandolo, half Venetian and half Byzantine, is sent to investigate Constantinople's political climate, as a coming Crusade looms. Papal legates Enrico Palombara and Niccolo Vicenze are sent from Rome to force allegiance (and obedience) of the Orthodox Church to the Roman Church. Charles of Anjou marshals his forces and plans to rule the Western world as well as conquer the Holy Land.
The main protagonists' characters unfold smoothly and richly as they each struggle to achieve their goals, against a lavish sweep of little-known and fascinating history (who knew 5 popes were chosen in such a rapid succession due to unexpected deaths?). Rich detail of dress, customs, architecture, climate, landscape bring the period alive as the plot ranges from Constantinople to Venice to Rome to Jerusalem and the Sinai. Byzantium is portrayed as a paradise of faith and wisdom, about to be savaged again by barbarians. A compelling tale of strong personalities willing to die for their beliefs.
The main protagonists' characters unfold smoothly and richly as they each struggle to achieve their goals, against a lavish sweep of little-known and fascinating history (who knew 5 popes were chosen in such a rapid succession due to unexpected deaths?). Rich detail of dress, customs, architecture, climate, landscape bring the period alive as the plot ranges from Constantinople to Venice to Rome to Jerusalem and the Sinai. Byzantium is portrayed as a paradise of faith and wisdom, about to be savaged again by barbarians. A compelling tale of strong personalities willing to die for their beliefs.
June 22, 2013
I loved Ann Perry's deep, deep dive into Byzantine culture. This book really did a good job of totally immersing the reader in the culture and religious strife of the 13th Century.
Perry created some complex, memorable characters that keep the book lively, but if the reader is primarily interested in plot, the book may be more frustrating. There is so much historical content inserted in the text; then repeated; then reprised, that parts of the book got tedious, if not boring.
But I appreciated the richness of the setting; the grace and complexity of the characters; and the evenhanded way that Perry laid out the period's conflict between the Roman Church and the Eastern Church. Overall, an interesting book, but it might have benefitted from a ruthless editor (like, perhaps cutting 200 of the 500 pages).
Perry created some complex, memorable characters that keep the book lively, but if the reader is primarily interested in plot, the book may be more frustrating. There is so much historical content inserted in the text; then repeated; then reprised, that parts of the book got tedious, if not boring.
But I appreciated the richness of the setting; the grace and complexity of the characters; and the evenhanded way that Perry laid out the period's conflict between the Roman Church and the Eastern Church. Overall, an interesting book, but it might have benefitted from a ruthless editor (like, perhaps cutting 200 of the 500 pages).
December 30, 2012
I'm rounding up because it's Christmas, and I'm feeling generous. There are parts of this book that are very, very good - the politics of whether to unite the Orthodox and Roman Catholic church to present an united front against the Ottomans is a very interesting time and could have been fascinatingly delved into.
However, the main characters aren't quite interesting enough to push the story along in an enveloping way.
For those who haven't read Gillian Bradshaw's "The Beacon of Alexandria" - I'd recommend skipping this one and going for that one. It has a similar plot, but is better written.
So, probably closer to 2.5.
However, the main characters aren't quite interesting enough to push the story along in an enveloping way.
For those who haven't read Gillian Bradshaw's "The Beacon of Alexandria" - I'd recommend skipping this one and going for that one. It has a similar plot, but is better written.
So, probably closer to 2.5.
October 27, 2021
The narrator is great - I'm listening to Disc 3 of the audiobook. But, this book is droning and I just can't make myself care about it. I wasn't expecting it to be so religious, either. Got it at the library and will return it tomorrow. I only keep it on (it's actually running as I write this - it's that engaging LOL) because I'm doing mindless work on the computer today. Even if I'm not paying attention to the story, the narrator's voice is pleasant.
Just way too boring to recommend. Even if you were religious and cared about the history (if it's accurate - I have no idea), I still think this would bore you to tears.
Just way too boring to recommend. Even if you were religious and cared about the history (if it's accurate - I have no idea), I still think this would bore you to tears.
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