What do you think?
Rate this book
The Nebuly Coat
This is a reissue of Falkner's novel, first published in 1903. Edward Westray, a young architect, is sent to the remote Dorset town to supervise the restoration of the ancient abbey church where he stumbles into a murder mystery provoked by claims to the local title of Lord Blandamer, whose coat of arms is the nebuly coat of the title. The novel follows Westray's embroilment in the motivation for the murder. It includes details of ecclesiastical architecture, heraldry and ancient music. There is a chronology of Falkner and an introduction by Christopher Hawtree with explanatory notes on the text.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1903
33 people are currently reading
336 people want to read
About the author
John Meade Falkner
133 books60 followersJohn Meade Falkner, the son of a country cleryman, was born in 1858. After taking his degree at Oxford, he went to Newcastle-upon-Tyne as a private tutor to the sons of Andrew Noble. When they had grown up he stayed on with the family, and entered the firm where Sir Andrew worked. He travelled a great deal for the firm, particularly to the Balkans, helping to export warships and armaments, for which he received many decorations from appreciative foreign governments.
Meade Falkner was a great collector of books, and an expert palaeographer - he even received a medal from the Pope for this. He was a benefactor to libraries, not only in England, but also to the Vatican library in Rome. He loved the small Cotswold town of Burford which it was said of in 1970 that it owed its then present state of preservation to his generosity. He was buried in its churchyard after his death in 1932.
He published guide books, historical essays, and some poetry, but his best work was in his novels. He wrote four, but only published three as he lost one while on a train. Of these, Moonfleet, his best adventure story, was made into a feature film.
Meade Falkner was a great collector of books, and an expert palaeographer - he even received a medal from the Pope for this. He was a benefactor to libraries, not only in England, but also to the Vatican library in Rome. He loved the small Cotswold town of Burford which it was said of in 1970 that it owed its then present state of preservation to his generosity. He was buried in its churchyard after his death in 1932.
He published guide books, historical essays, and some poetry, but his best work was in his novels. He wrote four, but only published three as he lost one while on a train. Of these, Moonfleet, his best adventure story, was made into a feature film.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
April 8, 2024
I knew nothing of this book when I came across it in a secondhand bookstore, but I know to trust the quality of the Apollo (Head of Zeus) publishing list. The Nebuly Coat (published in 1903 but set sometime in the mid-19th century) is ostensibly a Victorian mystery novel.
I’m glad that I was able to read it during the school holidays when I had the time to really immerse myself in its old world and read great swathes in one sitting; I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much snatching twenty pages here and there.
This is the sort of novel that makes you work for your reward but it is ultimately extremely rewarding. It is atmospheric, clever, taut, tricksy, and very satisfying. Highly recommend!
I’m glad that I was able to read it during the school holidays when I had the time to really immerse myself in its old world and read great swathes in one sitting; I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much snatching twenty pages here and there.
This is the sort of novel that makes you work for your reward but it is ultimately extremely rewarding. It is atmospheric, clever, taut, tricksy, and very satisfying. Highly recommend!
April 13, 2011
Only the third (and final) of Falkner's novels, this is an astonishing book, as close to a perfect novel as I've read.
In plotting, language, internal balance and, most of all, in the psychological delineation of character, it's not quite like anything else. Time and again, a character says or acts in a way that's startling and unpredictable, yet each time there's that inner stab that tells you the choice is exactly right. The dialogue is convincing throughout.
Though there is one "Lord" present, this is not at all the English novel of the upper class. The story focuses on a small English town with a large, ancient church. The major character is an outsider, a young architect brought in to oversee repairs to the venerable structure. Like many later novels (especially American), it presents the town as an entity filled with constricted characters often acting out of base or minor motives. Yet unlike most such cases, Falkner does not present his characters as oddballs and one-dimensional toss-offs, but as people of small ambition acting as their temperament dictates. Falkner is intensely fond of his characters and forgiving of their sins, but he is clear on the damage they can do to one another.
His satirical stabs are often fall-out-of-your-chair funny, exquisitely exact in wording and example. His critical thrusts at the broad emotional sweep of so many 19th-century novels are spot-on, as he shows how it is the little things – the misunderstandings in everyday conversation, the failure to share basic assumptions – that so often motivate action, rather than some overreaching outlook or ambition.
His earlier two novels focused on a specific mystery, as was so often the case at that period. Here, the main mystery is whether there really is a mystery (a metamystery, I suppose). Is this just a tale of a place or is there a motivating action in the background? And once mystery does begin to peep out, you're never quite sure if foul deeds have been done or if nature has simply taken its course.
Then there's the church and its dominating tower, added centuries after the main structure and, to the young architect's eye, inadequately supported. To his ear, as well, for the arches that support the tower speak to him as he passes – a delightful bit of work. Over the course of the story, the tower becomes a major character, in much the way the walls of Loudon do in Ken Russell's movie of witchcraft trials, "The Devils."
There simply isn't a false step at any level. The writing is concise and the style engrossing without flowery explosions. The humor is like perfectly laid whip-lashes directed at human foibles. The story unfolds at exactly the rate it should, leads into uncharted waters precisely when the change of tide will catch you most unawares. And those matters which are fore-ordained (like the fate of the tower) lose nothing whatsoever from being in the hands of fate.
I think Falkner never wrote another novel because, after this, what else could he possibly have said to match it?
In plotting, language, internal balance and, most of all, in the psychological delineation of character, it's not quite like anything else. Time and again, a character says or acts in a way that's startling and unpredictable, yet each time there's that inner stab that tells you the choice is exactly right. The dialogue is convincing throughout.
Though there is one "Lord" present, this is not at all the English novel of the upper class. The story focuses on a small English town with a large, ancient church. The major character is an outsider, a young architect brought in to oversee repairs to the venerable structure. Like many later novels (especially American), it presents the town as an entity filled with constricted characters often acting out of base or minor motives. Yet unlike most such cases, Falkner does not present his characters as oddballs and one-dimensional toss-offs, but as people of small ambition acting as their temperament dictates. Falkner is intensely fond of his characters and forgiving of their sins, but he is clear on the damage they can do to one another.
His satirical stabs are often fall-out-of-your-chair funny, exquisitely exact in wording and example. His critical thrusts at the broad emotional sweep of so many 19th-century novels are spot-on, as he shows how it is the little things – the misunderstandings in everyday conversation, the failure to share basic assumptions – that so often motivate action, rather than some overreaching outlook or ambition.
His earlier two novels focused on a specific mystery, as was so often the case at that period. Here, the main mystery is whether there really is a mystery (a metamystery, I suppose). Is this just a tale of a place or is there a motivating action in the background? And once mystery does begin to peep out, you're never quite sure if foul deeds have been done or if nature has simply taken its course.
Then there's the church and its dominating tower, added centuries after the main structure and, to the young architect's eye, inadequately supported. To his ear, as well, for the arches that support the tower speak to him as he passes – a delightful bit of work. Over the course of the story, the tower becomes a major character, in much the way the walls of Loudon do in Ken Russell's movie of witchcraft trials, "The Devils."
There simply isn't a false step at any level. The writing is concise and the style engrossing without flowery explosions. The humor is like perfectly laid whip-lashes directed at human foibles. The story unfolds at exactly the rate it should, leads into uncharted waters precisely when the change of tide will catch you most unawares. And those matters which are fore-ordained (like the fate of the tower) lose nothing whatsoever from being in the hands of fate.
I think Falkner never wrote another novel because, after this, what else could he possibly have said to match it?
July 4, 2013
This was a lovely and poignant turn of the century novel with a hint of a darker mystery at it's core. I must confess, I was a little bit taken aback by how much I enjoyed this. At first I was waffling between giving it four and five stars, as I found some of the descriptions of church architecture a bit tedious at times, but the ending swayed me towards giving it the higher rating. I'm feeling a little bit emotional today, so I'm sure that also had some impact on the way the ending moved me. In any case, this is a lovely, quietly powerful tale of a small town in mid 19th-century Dorset. This is definitely not my usual fare, as there was no hint of the supernatural (unless you count "talking" church tower arches), but there was enough strangeness and darkness sprinkled throughout the sweetness and light that kept the atmosphere just sepulchral enough to make this an evocative read for me.
February 8, 2020
A young architect is sent to the dying, silted-up port of Cullerne to supervise long-overdue repairs to its Minster. But as he comes to know the town and its people, he finds himself caught up in a decades-old mystery. The late Martin Joliffe used to claim he was the real heir to Lord Blandamer's estate, but he wasn’t taken seriously, and died before he could unravel the truth. When the next person to investigate the claim also dies suddenly there’s talk of a family curse, or maybe someone who doesn't want the truth to get out.
There’s a lot going on here, and someone as unchurched as me could be initially put off by details of the Minster’s architecture, the church music and bells, but it would be wrong to be. This is a beguilingly and mysterious setting for a gothic tale wreathed in fog, damp and darkness; a richly atmospheric and very original mystery.
It is available as an ebook for free at Project Gutenberg.
There’s a lot going on here, and someone as unchurched as me could be initially put off by details of the Minster’s architecture, the church music and bells, but it would be wrong to be. This is a beguilingly and mysterious setting for a gothic tale wreathed in fog, damp and darkness; a richly atmospheric and very original mystery.
It is available as an ebook for free at Project Gutenberg.
February 11, 2013
Thoroughly enjoyable. The author he most resembles in this particular work is Wilkie Collins - he doesn't have the detached authorial voice of Trollope, although he does venial clerics just as well, nor does he have the ominous emotion of Hardy, though the end of this novel is as good as anything Hardy achieved without that sense of teetering on the brink of ridiculous.So why is this a forgotten work? Maybe because it belongs to an era earlier than that in which it was written - his style is definitely Victorian - or maybe because he wrote so little. It deserves to be much better known.
September 29, 2021
I find it hard to resist a novel set in or around a cathedral. John Mead Falkner (better known for his classic smuggling tale Moonfleet) creates an effective mystery set in a believable community in The Nebuly Coat. Edward Westray, a young architect arrives in the coastal town of Cullerne to supervise repairs to the cathedral and finds himself caught up in a local mystery that leads to murder and other machinations and ultimately to a thrilling climax. With a strong sense of Wilkie Collins and echoes of Trollope, Hardy and M. R. James, The Nebuly Coat is nevertheless one of a kind and almost impossible to categorise.
January 22, 2020
This book is really interesting in being a certain kind of story that hits all the plot points that story would have, but for some reason, be it its structure, its pace or the way it was written, it never felt like that plot and I never saw these things coming. It's basically a mystery about inheritance, but it's actually this cosy novel about church restoration, a grumpy organist and the financial struggles of an inn keeper. It's about this small town and the people that inhabit it, witnessed by an outsider.
I mean, from the start you know that this off hand comment about Miss Joliffe's brother thinking he was a lord will lead to something, but then it doesn't really for a long time and you stop expecting a certain plot developement. That's really clever if intentional.
So the reader just watches these interesting people go about their lives, with a lot of things happening that feel different for some reason. The writing is really nice, too, there is so much passion displayed for the things the characters care for, like music or architecture. All of the people are kind of weird and not your perfect protagonists. I really liked it.
I mean, from the start you know that this off hand comment about Miss Joliffe's brother thinking he was a lord will lead to something, but then it doesn't really for a long time and you stop expecting a certain plot developement. That's really clever if intentional.
So the reader just watches these interesting people go about their lives, with a lot of things happening that feel different for some reason. The writing is really nice, too, there is so much passion displayed for the things the characters care for, like music or architecture. All of the people are kind of weird and not your perfect protagonists. I really liked it.
March 6, 2013
There were times I felt its age and others when glad it was from another age and sensibility. It is overall still a good read and the development of the intrigue is intriguing, especially at the end when one expects the hammer to fall. It does go a bit too fast there and our modern sensibility may find it even faster and less credible, but I've nothing to say against a world where one good deed, however painful it was supposed to be (in my mind the only solution, to be honest), leads to another good deed. This is NOT a spoiler, is it?
December 4, 2020
This book has two feet solidly planted in Victorian times although it is a near contemporary of books by Henry James and Edith Wharton. Published first in 1903, it reads more like Jane Austen or a Barchester Towers book. Though not as good as any of those, it is a very pleasant book to read. The internal dialogue is often very funny and it does concern Victorian manners. The plot sometimes comes to an abrupt halt when a character is suddenly dropped and I wouldn’t call it a thriller or particularly “gothic “.
October 9, 2022
Recensione originale: https://sonnenbarke.wordpress.com/202...
La raccolta The Horror Beyond Life's Edge, che scaricai tempo fa da Amazon, è un vero insieme di perle, anche se ovviamente alcuni racconti e romanzi sono meno riusciti di altri. Ma ha il pregio di portare a conoscenza del lettore alcuni classici ormai dimenticati, come questo romanzo di Falkner, che pare abbia goduto anche di un discreto successo alla sua pubblicazione.
I primi capitoli del libro sono mortalmente noiosi, ma si deve avere la costanza di perseverare perché poi si scoprirà un romanzo non certo eccelso ma sicuramente intrigante.
Il signor Westray è un giovane architetto inviato dalla ditta Farquhar e Farquhar a dirigere i lavori di restaurazione della cattedrale di Cullerne. I soldi sono pochi e i lavori necessari tanti e costosi. Westray trova alloggio presso Bellevue Lodge, una casa gestita dalla signorina Joliffe e da sua nipote Anastasia. Farà la conoscenza dell’organista e degli altri abitanti del paese e avrà modo di conoscerli bene perché passerà davvero molto tempo a Cullerne. Verrà così a sapere che un abitante del paese, Martin Joliffe, fratello della signorina Joliffe e deceduto poco tempo addietro, era convinto di essere il vero erede di Lord Blandamer, signorotto della contea. Era una vera e propria ossessione per il povero Martin e molti in paese lo prendevano in giro per questo; di sicuro nessuno gli credeva.
Sarebbe un peccato raccontare la trama più di così, perché credo sia interessante approcciarsi a questo libro come ho fatto io, ovvero sapendo poco o niente di quello che sarebbe poi successo. Ci sarà in particolare un altro personaggio fondamentale ai fini della storia. Tutto ruota intorno alla ristrutturazione della cattedrale e alla questione di chi sia davvero l’erede del vecchio Lord Blandamer, che aveva ossessionato Martin per tutta la vita.
Ci sono parti estremamente noiose, quando si parla dell’architettura della cattedrale, che ha un ruolo fondamentale nel romanzo (chiaramente se invece l’architettura vi interessa saranno parti interessantissime). Ma nel complesso è un bel romanzo, con un mistero, una storia di paese, personaggi ben delineati e osservazioni interessanti. Ad esempio mi è piaciuta molto la parte in cui uno dei protagonisti parla del suo bisogno di bere alcool per non vedere tutti i fallimenti della propria vita, l’ho trovata davvero toccante e piena di riflessioni che possono essere veritiere per molti. In altri punti è un po’ fastidioso, per esempio nella considerazione delle donne, ma è un romanzo figlio del suo tempo e per giunta ambientato nell’Ottocento, cosa che si fa molto sentire anche nello stile.
Non credo che sia un romanzo da ricordare a lungo, tuttavia è piacevole da leggere se si passa sopra certe parti tediose e certi personaggi irritanti (in particolare il protagonista, il signor Westray, è davvero insopportabile). Per me è promosso, anche se non a pieni voti.
La raccolta The Horror Beyond Life's Edge, che scaricai tempo fa da Amazon, è un vero insieme di perle, anche se ovviamente alcuni racconti e romanzi sono meno riusciti di altri. Ma ha il pregio di portare a conoscenza del lettore alcuni classici ormai dimenticati, come questo romanzo di Falkner, che pare abbia goduto anche di un discreto successo alla sua pubblicazione.
I primi capitoli del libro sono mortalmente noiosi, ma si deve avere la costanza di perseverare perché poi si scoprirà un romanzo non certo eccelso ma sicuramente intrigante.
Il signor Westray è un giovane architetto inviato dalla ditta Farquhar e Farquhar a dirigere i lavori di restaurazione della cattedrale di Cullerne. I soldi sono pochi e i lavori necessari tanti e costosi. Westray trova alloggio presso Bellevue Lodge, una casa gestita dalla signorina Joliffe e da sua nipote Anastasia. Farà la conoscenza dell’organista e degli altri abitanti del paese e avrà modo di conoscerli bene perché passerà davvero molto tempo a Cullerne. Verrà così a sapere che un abitante del paese, Martin Joliffe, fratello della signorina Joliffe e deceduto poco tempo addietro, era convinto di essere il vero erede di Lord Blandamer, signorotto della contea. Era una vera e propria ossessione per il povero Martin e molti in paese lo prendevano in giro per questo; di sicuro nessuno gli credeva.
Sarebbe un peccato raccontare la trama più di così, perché credo sia interessante approcciarsi a questo libro come ho fatto io, ovvero sapendo poco o niente di quello che sarebbe poi successo. Ci sarà in particolare un altro personaggio fondamentale ai fini della storia. Tutto ruota intorno alla ristrutturazione della cattedrale e alla questione di chi sia davvero l’erede del vecchio Lord Blandamer, che aveva ossessionato Martin per tutta la vita.
Ci sono parti estremamente noiose, quando si parla dell’architettura della cattedrale, che ha un ruolo fondamentale nel romanzo (chiaramente se invece l’architettura vi interessa saranno parti interessantissime). Ma nel complesso è un bel romanzo, con un mistero, una storia di paese, personaggi ben delineati e osservazioni interessanti. Ad esempio mi è piaciuta molto la parte in cui uno dei protagonisti parla del suo bisogno di bere alcool per non vedere tutti i fallimenti della propria vita, l’ho trovata davvero toccante e piena di riflessioni che possono essere veritiere per molti. In altri punti è un po’ fastidioso, per esempio nella considerazione delle donne, ma è un romanzo figlio del suo tempo e per giunta ambientato nell’Ottocento, cosa che si fa molto sentire anche nello stile.
Non credo che sia un romanzo da ricordare a lungo, tuttavia è piacevole da leggere se si passa sopra certe parti tediose e certi personaggi irritanti (in particolare il protagonista, il signor Westray, è davvero insopportabile). Per me è promosso, anche se non a pieni voti.
January 31, 2024
I first read this over 30 years ago, and all I could remember about it was the haunting cry of the arches in the Minster, complaining of the weight of the tower built above them - 'The arch never sleeps! They have bound on us a burden too heavy to be borne - we are shifting it!' It's a quote that has stayed with me all these years, whilst the whole of the plot was forgotten - but I remember that I found it a very haunting and stirring read, and this time around I appreciated it all the more.
A young architect, Edward Westray, is sent to the remote Dorset coastal town of Cullerne in the early 1900s to supervise the restoration of its ancient abbey church. He immediately becomes concerned that the tower, added at a later date to the Norman arches supporting it, is in danger of collapsing. His concerns are laughed off by the Rector and also by his own boss (a friend of the Rector's), so he has no choice but to keep them to himself. Meanwhile, he becomes embroiled in the goings-on at the lodgings he shares with the Church organist Mr Sharnall, centred around a claim by their landlady's brother to be the true heir to the local estate, owned by the absent Lord Blandamer whose coat of arms is displayed in the Church window - a sea-green wave or 'nebula' against a silver background, the 'Nebuly Coat' of the title.
All of this leads to murder, intrigue, theft and blackmail, and a certain garish picture that hangs in Westray's rented room becomes an object of desire to several interested parties, for reasons our hero cannot comprehend.
But is Westray the hero of the story after all? So skilful is Faulkner in analysing and dissecting the different layers of human ambition, desire, integrity, honesty and social interaction that we are left, at the climax, with second thoughts about nearly everyone, with one major character in particular emerging as the possible true hero of the whole story. The style is dated but it's beautifully written and worth sticking with, and there are explanatory notes for those unfamiliar with the various ecclesiastical, Biblical and literary allusions. I loved it!
A young architect, Edward Westray, is sent to the remote Dorset coastal town of Cullerne in the early 1900s to supervise the restoration of its ancient abbey church. He immediately becomes concerned that the tower, added at a later date to the Norman arches supporting it, is in danger of collapsing. His concerns are laughed off by the Rector and also by his own boss (a friend of the Rector's), so he has no choice but to keep them to himself. Meanwhile, he becomes embroiled in the goings-on at the lodgings he shares with the Church organist Mr Sharnall, centred around a claim by their landlady's brother to be the true heir to the local estate, owned by the absent Lord Blandamer whose coat of arms is displayed in the Church window - a sea-green wave or 'nebula' against a silver background, the 'Nebuly Coat' of the title.
All of this leads to murder, intrigue, theft and blackmail, and a certain garish picture that hangs in Westray's rented room becomes an object of desire to several interested parties, for reasons our hero cannot comprehend.
But is Westray the hero of the story after all? So skilful is Faulkner in analysing and dissecting the different layers of human ambition, desire, integrity, honesty and social interaction that we are left, at the climax, with second thoughts about nearly everyone, with one major character in particular emerging as the possible true hero of the whole story. The style is dated but it's beautifully written and worth sticking with, and there are explanatory notes for those unfamiliar with the various ecclesiastical, Biblical and literary allusions. I loved it!
February 25, 2023
Every time I tried to look up what The Nebuly Coat (1903) is about, I came away with no clearer picture than before, except the impression that it centered on architecture. So I was bracing myself for lengthy descriptions full of lintels and pilasters when I picked up the book. I knew I finally had to. I’m a huge fan of Moonfleet, the boys’ adventure story by the same author. It’s in my top ten.
This one is indeed a curious blend of genres that are hard to put your finger on, but all of them friendly and vaguely familiar—not quite a straight murder mystery or thriller, not quite a comedy or sentimental tale. There are gothic family secrets (the story is set in the 1840s), local lore, and quirky townsfolk. There are scenes that seem out of a blockbuster movie (I loved the part where the young architect, alone among a festive crowd, watches against a large-scale disaster). Yet much of the plot is subtext. On the surface it may seem not a lot is going on, except Falkner leaves continual clues to the reader that keep up the intrigue. Where the suspense flags, the breezy writing keeps the pages turning. The West Country setting is really the main attraction: the cathedral town on the seacoast, the organ loft, the pouring rain and turtle soup.
Inasmuch as I consider Moonfleet a perfect masterpiece of concision, I was surprised at how stretched thin or lazy a few sections here are, particularly the rushed way Falkner delivers the backstories, cramming them unnaturally into the mouths of his chatty characters. The book has faults, but I miss it already. The town of Cullerne is a delightful place to sojourn, and you will relish the frequent mysterious and spooky turns and superb prose. I’m sad that Falkner—novelist, poet, international arms dealer, antiquarian, church librarian, paleographer, historian, and medal recipient from the pope—didn’t write more.
[I listened to the audiobook by Peter Joyce. It’s the only one, I think. Thankfully it’s top-notch.]
This one is indeed a curious blend of genres that are hard to put your finger on, but all of them friendly and vaguely familiar—not quite a straight murder mystery or thriller, not quite a comedy or sentimental tale. There are gothic family secrets (the story is set in the 1840s), local lore, and quirky townsfolk. There are scenes that seem out of a blockbuster movie (I loved the part where the young architect, alone among a festive crowd, watches against a large-scale disaster). Yet much of the plot is subtext. On the surface it may seem not a lot is going on, except Falkner leaves continual clues to the reader that keep up the intrigue. Where the suspense flags, the breezy writing keeps the pages turning. The West Country setting is really the main attraction: the cathedral town on the seacoast, the organ loft, the pouring rain and turtle soup.
Inasmuch as I consider Moonfleet a perfect masterpiece of concision, I was surprised at how stretched thin or lazy a few sections here are, particularly the rushed way Falkner delivers the backstories, cramming them unnaturally into the mouths of his chatty characters. The book has faults, but I miss it already. The town of Cullerne is a delightful place to sojourn, and you will relish the frequent mysterious and spooky turns and superb prose. I’m sad that Falkner—novelist, poet, international arms dealer, antiquarian, church librarian, paleographer, historian, and medal recipient from the pope—didn’t write more.
[I listened to the audiobook by Peter Joyce. It’s the only one, I think. Thankfully it’s top-notch.]
June 20, 2021
A curiosity I came across reading reviews for Moonfleet. Predictable but well told, uses some well recognised devices (were they as well known at the time of writing? I suspect yes). Somewhat less melodramatic than Moonfleet, probably a better book.
November 22, 2024
Eigenlijk 3.5 ster.
Ik geloof dat ik dit boek tegenkwam op een leeslijst voor Halloween, en het begint (en eindigt) nogal dark-and-stormy-nightig. Tussendoor soms wat langdradig en breedsprakig maar met mooie observaties en sfeertekening.
Het staat op Gutenberg!
Ik geloof dat ik dit boek tegenkwam op een leeslijst voor Halloween, en het begint (en eindigt) nogal dark-and-stormy-nightig. Tussendoor soms wat langdradig en breedsprakig maar met mooie observaties en sfeertekening.
Het staat op Gutenberg!
July 28, 2020
How have I never heard of this? After 100 pages, I ordered his other 2 books.
October 21, 2012
Why we read what we read has long been a fascinating question for me. James Mustich Jr., the owner of the late and lamented Common Books company once said:
I am not sure of what literary connection led me to this book. I know that it reminded me of Trolllope and somewhat of Hardy, but to sum it up quickly I loved The Nebuly Coat. It's combination of English village life, reflections on architecture, church history, class, manners, and various rural peculiarities, mixed vaguely with the air of a mystery, the sense of a murder, is so well-presented, so well-written in that descriptive late 19th-early 20th century style. I first became aware of this book via the first-rate "Neglected Books" website in a post from 2010. Then I recently noticed one of my colleagues had read it which reignited my interest. Looking for it I found a free electronic edition on the invaluable Project Gutenberg site.
Although humour is not the primary purpose of the book Falkner does deliver some interesting asides:
A comment on The Neglected Books site sums up the varied elements that make up this unusual novel:
First rate, neglected but eminently readable.
What thread leads us through the labyrinth of all there is to read? Is there such a thread? It seems to me there is, and that we constant readers, were we to view the lines of our reading lives from a broader perspective than the page-by-page, would see that to a suprising extent we proceed from book to book connectedly - this leading to that, and that to those, and those to those others in turn.
I am not sure of what literary connection led me to this book. I know that it reminded me of Trolllope and somewhat of Hardy, but to sum it up quickly I loved The Nebuly Coat. It's combination of English village life, reflections on architecture, church history, class, manners, and various rural peculiarities, mixed vaguely with the air of a mystery, the sense of a murder, is so well-presented, so well-written in that descriptive late 19th-early 20th century style. I first became aware of this book via the first-rate "Neglected Books" website in a post from 2010. Then I recently noticed one of my colleagues had read it which reignited my interest. Looking for it I found a free electronic edition on the invaluable Project Gutenberg site.
Although humour is not the primary purpose of the book Falkner does deliver some interesting asides:
She liked the meetings, because on such occasions she felt herself to be the equal of her more prosperous neighbours. It is the same feeling that makes the half-witted attend funerals and church services.
He was afflicted with the over-scrupulosity of a refined, but strictly limited mind, and his conscience smote him.
His experience of life had been as yet too limited to convince him that most enmities and antipathies, being theoretical rather than actual, are apt to become mitigated, or to disappear altogether on personal contact—that it is, in fact, exceedingly hard to keep hatred at concert-pitch, or to be consistently rude to a person face to face who has a pleasant manner and a desire to conciliate.
She had that shallow and ungenerous mind which shrinks instinctively from admitting any beauty or intellect in others, and which grudges any participation in benefits, however amply sufficient they may be for all.
A comment on The Neglected Books site sums up the varied elements that make up this unusual novel:
“The Nebuly Coat” by J. Meade Falkner is a more peculiar and original novel. It’s about an architect restoring a provincial church, and it’s a combination of antiquarianism, small-town satire, nostalgic pastoral, and murder mystery.
First rate, neglected but eminently readable.
Want to read
March 6, 2014Available on both Librivox and Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22943
From wiki - a novel which tells of the experiences of a young architect, Edward Westray, who is sent to the remote Dorset town of Cullerne to supervise restoration work on Cullerne Minster. He finds himself caught up in Cullerne life, and hears rumours about a mystery surrounding the claim to the title of Lord Blandamer, whose coat of arms in the Minster's great transept window is the nebuly coat of the title. When the new Lord Blandamer arrives, promising to pay all the costs of the restoration, Westray suspects that the new lord is not what he seems.
The Nebuly Coat includes elements that were central interests in Falkner's life, church architecture and heraldry. The massive Romanesque arches of Cullerne Minster recall those of Durham Cathedral which Falkner was familiar with through his work as Honorary Librarian to the Dean and Chapter as well as viewing it from his house on Palace Green. The name of the town and minster may be borrowed from Colerne in Wiltshire, formerly spelt Cullerne (among other forms).
From wiki - a novel which tells of the experiences of a young architect, Edward Westray, who is sent to the remote Dorset town of Cullerne to supervise restoration work on Cullerne Minster. He finds himself caught up in Cullerne life, and hears rumours about a mystery surrounding the claim to the title of Lord Blandamer, whose coat of arms in the Minster's great transept window is the nebuly coat of the title. When the new Lord Blandamer arrives, promising to pay all the costs of the restoration, Westray suspects that the new lord is not what he seems.
The Nebuly Coat includes elements that were central interests in Falkner's life, church architecture and heraldry. The massive Romanesque arches of Cullerne Minster recall those of Durham Cathedral which Falkner was familiar with through his work as Honorary Librarian to the Dean and Chapter as well as viewing it from his house on Palace Green. The name of the town and minster may be borrowed from Colerne in Wiltshire, formerly spelt Cullerne (among other forms).
May 16, 2019
Three stars for what felt like a promising, good tale (I was kept wondering what would happen) and for interesting characters, BUT, there were at times too much waxing on architectural details (or organ music) and some sentences were so unnecessarily lengthy (I'm guilty of that, too) and unclear that I had to re-read them.
Moonfleet was SO much better.
Favorite lines:
"The cloud had returned to Westray's face. If he had been the hero of a novel his brow would have been black as night; as it was he only looked rather sulky."
Moonfleet was SO much better.
Favorite lines:
"The cloud had returned to Westray's face. If he had been the hero of a novel his brow would have been black as night; as it was he only looked rather sulky."
March 15, 2012
One of those rare novels that exhibits a profound art historical knowledge-- in this case, of English Gothic architecture. The book is an unusual blend of mystery and fiction in the tradition of Thomas Hardy. A page-turner that is demanding in the way really good fiction tends to be. Not quite as good as The Moonstone, but still very good indeed.
July 19, 2019
2019: Grayed out on this again a bit further on. This is not well-written, but I still feel like I should finish it eventually. Like Thomas Hardy if Thomas Hardy weren't as good as Thomas Hardy is.
1st try: So far OK, but it feels overwritten and slow. Losing me in this festive season. Someday.
1st try: So far OK, but it feels overwritten and slow. Losing me in this festive season. Someday.
December 26, 2020
I read this book 25 years ago and it knocked me out. The plot, the characters, everything was excellent. I want to read it again, but I’m almost afraid to because I might find some flaw that I overlooked.
The life of the author is pretty fascinating, too.
The life of the author is pretty fascinating, too.
December 20, 2013
I enjoy Victorian novels, so I read this book with great interest. I liked the mystery aspect, as well as the descriptions of architecture, and I thought the characters were very well-drawn.
July 9, 2017
Beautiful writing, funny, sharp. A real master at creating atmosphere.
However for those of you who like plot-centred novels, this is probably not for you (i.e. not much happens)
However for those of you who like plot-centred novels, this is probably not for you (i.e. not much happens)
April 13, 2018
Great book with enjoyable dry humour and twisting plot
December 13, 2025
A perfectly Victorian novel
This book is many things: a dark gothic story, a story of a place and its people, a mystery. It flows gently, it flows very slowly. The mystery is not important in ways it would be in a more “conventional” detective story. We are looking at the impact it has on lives and destinies.
Mr Westray is an architect who comes to the sleepy town of Cullerne to supervise the restoration of a great ancient church. There is a vividness to the town and its inhabitants. They are all living under the author’s magnifying glass, which is at times sarcastic, but always humane.
A local noble family, the Blandamers has a tragic history and a possibly missing heir. Other families harbour their own secrets. There is even an enigmatic painting! (This reader says thank you.) The mystery is not very mysterious, and the ending is an expected one, a piece of a puzzle that seals the tragedy just so. The last few chapters are very emotional. It would not be a surprise if I say that this is a “journey, not the destination” kind of story, something to curl up with on a winter evening.
Another lovely thing was how this book and The Nine Tailors were talking to each other across decades - a small place, an ancient church, church bells that play an important role in the story... I am very happy that I have read both of them in the same year.
Quotes:
”He had something of the thin, unsympathetic traits of the professional water-drinker in his face, and spoke as if he regarded smoking as a crime for himself, and an offence for those of less lofty principles than his own.”
”She had that shallow and ungenerous mind which shrinks instinctively from admitting any beauty or intellect in others…”
”If he had been the hero of a novel his brow would have been black as night; as it was he only looked rather sulky.”
This book is many things: a dark gothic story, a story of a place and its people, a mystery. It flows gently, it flows very slowly. The mystery is not important in ways it would be in a more “conventional” detective story. We are looking at the impact it has on lives and destinies.
Mr Westray is an architect who comes to the sleepy town of Cullerne to supervise the restoration of a great ancient church. There is a vividness to the town and its inhabitants. They are all living under the author’s magnifying glass, which is at times sarcastic, but always humane.
A local noble family, the Blandamers has a tragic history and a possibly missing heir. Other families harbour their own secrets. There is even an enigmatic painting! (This reader says thank you.) The mystery is not very mysterious, and the ending is an expected one, a piece of a puzzle that seals the tragedy just so. The last few chapters are very emotional. It would not be a surprise if I say that this is a “journey, not the destination” kind of story, something to curl up with on a winter evening.
Another lovely thing was how this book and The Nine Tailors were talking to each other across decades - a small place, an ancient church, church bells that play an important role in the story... I am very happy that I have read both of them in the same year.
Quotes:
”He had something of the thin, unsympathetic traits of the professional water-drinker in his face, and spoke as if he regarded smoking as a crime for himself, and an offence for those of less lofty principles than his own.”
”She had that shallow and ungenerous mind which shrinks instinctively from admitting any beauty or intellect in others…”
”If he had been the hero of a novel his brow would have been black as night; as it was he only looked rather sulky.”
December 31, 2022
Written in 1903, this one requires slowing down -- way down. In the style of Anthony Trollope (who is, of course, the master of such things), The Nebuly Coat is full of inner dialogue, ethical dilemmas, small-town politics and personalities. Oh my, the British drama! Lords & ladies, cathedral architecture, murder, mystery - it's all here. I love a good Trollope from time to time, and Falkner fits the bill. It's also nice to be sent to the dictionary multiple times per chapter -- I feel like my brain is expanding.
The novel is considered a classic and has been acclaimed by Graham Greene, Thomas Hardy, and E.M. Forster. If this is your cup of tea, this is a good one. Not great, to my mind, but who am I to argue with those guys?
The novel is considered a classic and has been acclaimed by Graham Greene, Thomas Hardy, and E.M. Forster. If this is your cup of tea, this is a good one. Not great, to my mind, but who am I to argue with those guys?
January 16, 2021
I recently purchased and read this book having skated over part of in a WEA literature class some years ago and thinking it would appeal to me. Well I was not disappointed. As some one of an ecclesiastical turn of mind, I was very taken with the idea of an old collegiate Minster church in a rundown rural town requiring restoration. I found it both fascinating and enjoyable, even though the story took a few unexpected turns. Obviously I won't tell you how it ended - you must discover that for yourself, gentle reader. It did, however, end in a way which I found satisfactory. What I will say is that it badly needs a sequel, set a hundred years or so later, if someone brave enough could be found and the necessary permissions obtained.
February 20, 2024
"....the blameless herb nepenthe might anywhere be found growing by the wayside."
The Nebuly Coat (1903) by J. Meade Falkner is a superb novel of suspense and inheritance. Crimes and secrets form its heart. Anyone interested in cathedrally antiquarianism, heraldry, and murder will find in this novel an excellent reason to skip at least one day of work. The end is brutal and just, TBE last lines a breathtaking slingshot of brevity.
The Nebuly Coat (1903) by J. Meade Falkner is a superb novel of suspense and inheritance. Crimes and secrets form its heart. Anyone interested in cathedrally antiquarianism, heraldry, and murder will find in this novel an excellent reason to skip at least one day of work. The end is brutal and just, TBE last lines a breathtaking slingshot of brevity.
December 10, 2020
I love the writings of John Meade Falkner. The years of his life were 1858-1932. This book is about repairing an old church, tracking down a lost painting, and discovering someone's true identity. There is romance involved, too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews