The Masquerade

by Nicholas Griffin

Off the coast of Liguria, 1713 - accompanied by his valet Thomas Noon and tutor Lucius Jelbourne, young aristocrat Lord Stilwell is bound for Genoa and that essential part of an English gentleman's education; the Grand Tour of Italy. Jelbourne has long been wary of Noon: his standing at Dengby Hall, his relationship with Stilwell and his intelligence do not tally with his role as a servant. Noon, likewise is suspicious of Jelbourne: why does Stilwell's tutor enjoy better hospitality than Stilwell himself? And why, when Jelbourne is purchasing Italian pictures supposedly a century old, is the paint still fresh? The English who visit eighteenth-century Italy normally consider it only for its past: Jelbourne, as Noon is to discover, is different. For there is a new king on the throne of England - a German, a protestant - and not all of his subjects are loyal. As the Grand Tour weaves its way to Venice, Rome and Naples, Noon finds himself drawn into a deadly world of intrigue, and double lives: a world where nothing and no-one are as they seem. And though Noon would like to unmask the mysterious Jelbourne, his attentions are drawn to the delectable Natalia Silver, and the unmistakable lure of love ...THE MASQUERADE is a sophisticated literary thriller that confirms Nicholas Griffin's growing reputation as one our finest exponents of historical fiction.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

318 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

NIcholas Griffin is the author of seven books. He has written for film, TV, newspapers and magazines. He currently has two works, Ping Pong Diplomacy and The Year of Dangerous Days, under option for film and television. A soccer addict, a carnivore of books, Griffin lives in Miami Beach with his wife and two children. And his dog. The dog is very important.

Reviews

[Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's 1714 (not the Renaissance as stated by another reviewer!), and a German king sits on the throne of England, but there are many who wish for the restoration of the Stuarts instead. The English Lord Stilwell, meanwhile, arrives in Genoa to begin the Grand Tour, accompanied by his tutor Jelbourne and his servant Thomas Noon. How these two sets of events fit together is the subject of Nicholas Griffin's novel The Masquerade. Each of the three Englishmen keeps secrets and isn't quite what he seems, and the men (and women) they encounter are no less complex and puzzling. Griffith's characters are fascinating and you can almost smell the Venetian canals and taste the dust of a summer coach ride in 18th century Italy, and the climax of the novel is masterfully done. I recommend this highly to lovers of historical fiction.

[CristoC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a couple of sentences in Italian and still got them wrong

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is written in such a way that you never really know anything personal about the characters. You are told their feelings and their opinions just enough to have some idea of their motivations. But other than that, everything is very surface level. Thomas Noon is our main character, and we mostly see only through his perspective. This makes me wonder whether Noon just has a very ignorant view of everything (not that he's dumb, but has a shallow understanding of people around him). Maybe that's why there's not a lot of emotion to the characters, because Noon doesn't go that deep when interacting with them. And the times we do see from other another character's perspective, that person is only asking a question or making a brief mental note about someone or something.

The ending is harsh. The murder scene with the Chevalier is one of the more brutal ones I've ever read. And then the scenes following that are sad. The boat disaster was really interesting, given the captain was supposedly familiar with the area. You wouldn't expect him to be surprised by a reef, unless the author is trying to say the storm pushed them farther off course than expected. Poor Noon, for everything he's endured.

I also realize that the author has worked to capture a particular writing style with this book. It's a style that gives Dickens vibes. It makes the book feel much older than it is.

Regardless of writing style, I've learned some things from this story. First off, I didn't realize that there were people who disputed King George I's right to the throne. Apparently this was a big deal, too. Second, I really like the tour of Italy. It sounded magical and beautiful, but also dirty. I already knew this, but it was a new perspective.

[Debbie is on Storygraph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started out not liking this book too much due to the writing style. It was written in a very slow style that reminded me a lot of Hemingway's. Once I figured that out, however, I started to really enjoy it. It was a nice glimpse into 18th century Italy though I feel the book was falsely advertised as a 'stylish historical thriller'. It was stylishly written, was historical, but it was far from being a thriller. It was a very nice character study of what makes us who we are.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable, quick read! The fast-paced plot is interesting and keeps its promises until the end. I also enjoyed the 18th century Italy setting and the characters. The only negative aspects of the book are the sex scene and torture scene. Both were really unnecessary and didn't add anything to the story. A very good read nonetheless!

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read it but can't remember much about it. This book is an example of why I joined this site - I started reading this for the second time and was only convinced I'd read it before after the first chapter.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just abandoned, don´t waste your time reading this book.

[Kiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book with a surprising plot