The Western Wind

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15th century Oakham, in Somerset a tiny village cut off by a big river with no bridge When a man is swept away by the river in the early hours of Shrove Saturday, an explanation has to be found accident, suicide or murder The village priest, John Reve, is privy to many secrets in his role as confessor But will he be able to unravel what happened to the victim, Thomas Newman, the wealthiest, most capable and industrious man in the village And what will happen if he can t Moving back in time towards the moment of Thomas Newman s death, the story is related by Reve an extraordinary creation, a patient shepherd to his wayward flock, and a man with secrets of his own to keep Through his eyes, and his indelible voice, Harvey creates a medieval world entirely tangible in its immediacy. Best Download The Western Wind [ By ] Samantha Harvey [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr Samantha Harvey writes a fascinatingly complex, intricate, challenging and multilayered medieval historical mystery set in the 15th century in the tiny, isolated, and impoverished village of Oakham in Somerset It is 1491, and the prominent wealthy Thomas Newman, a man of ideas, is dead in the river, although it is not clear whether it is a case of accident, murder or suicide John Reve is the local priest, knew Newman well and is tasked by his superior, the Dean, to find and punish who murdered Samantha Harvey writes a fascinatingly complex, intricate, challenging and multilayered medieval historical mystery set in the 15th century in the tiny, isolated, and impoverished village of Oakham in Somerset It is 1491, and the prominent wealthy Thomas Newman, a man of ideas, is dead in the river, although it is not clear whether it is a case of accident, murder or suicide John Reve is the local priest, knew Newman well and is tasked by his superior, the Dean, to find and punish who murdered Newman, whose death must be explained The Dean is a man who has his own agenda, and Reve is an overburdened, self r...This was my first look at the novelist whom Gaby Wood the Booker Prize Foundation s literary director somewhat rashly labeled this generation s Virginia Woolf I wasn t particularly convinced, although Samantha Harvey s writing is certainly well crafted stylistically as one might hope from someone who earns her living as a writing tutor she teaches on an MA program in Creative Writing at Bath Spa.Although The Western Wind is set in late fifteenth century Somerset, Harvey isn t a habitu of This was my first look at the novelist whom Gaby Wood the Booker Prize Foundation s literary director somewhat rashly labeled this generation s Virginia Woolf I wasn t particularly convinced, although Samantha Harvey s writing is certainly well crafted stylistically as one might hope from someone who earns her living as a writing tutor she teaches on an MA program in Creative Writing at Bath Spa.Although The Western Wind is set in late fifteenth century Somerset, Harvey isn t a habitu of historical fiction In an interview I read, she talks of having happened on her historical setting by accident, led by the theme she wanted to explore, that of confession The chief character of the book is the parish priest of the hapless village of Oakham, about to be swallowed up for its pasture lands by a hungry monastery nearby Shortly before Lent in 1491, the wealthiest man in the village vanishes overnight, presumed drowned and the local dean, sent in to inves...You know when you enjoy a book so much you want it to last as long as it can This is what I felt with The Western Wind Narrated by the wonderful Priest John Reve we follow a medieval hamlet and it s in habitants after the death of one of their richest members of their community, backwards Now this is a mystery but not a page turning one, it s a look at the intricacies and quirks mainly through their confessions to John that makes you put the pieces of their lives, and where they intersect a You know when you enjoy a book so much you want it to last as long as it can This is what I felt with The Western Wind Narrated by the wonderful Priest John Reve we follow a medieval hamlet and it s in habitants after the death of one of their richest members of their community, backwards Now this is a mystery but not a page turning one, it s a look at the intricacies and quirks...I thought I had the measure of this book early on, but it kept getting better More intricate andprofound A strange omission from prize lists, for me. A village of scrags and outcasts, Oakham, Beastville, Pigtown, Nobridge The village that came to no good the only village for miles around that doesn t trade wool, doesn t make cloth, doesn t have the skill to build a bridge Here s the village we pass by, with its singing milkmaids, we call it Cheesechurn, Milkpasture, Cowudder It s Lord is as pudgy and spineless as the cheese he makes Its people are vagrants that were ousted form their own villages and are in most respects desperate Its A village of scrags and outcasts, Oakham, Beastville, Pigtown, Nobridge The village that came to no good the only village for miles around that doesn t trade wool, doesn t make cloth, doesn t have the skill to build a bridge Here s the village we pass by, with its singing milkmaids, we call it Cheesechurn, Milkpasture, Cowudder It s Lord is as pudgy and spineless as the cheese he makes Its people are vagrants that were ousted form their own villages and are in most respects desperate Its richest man was whisked off down the river and drowned And here is its priest young John Reve, roosting in the...Thoughts soon.Maybe 4.5 stars I really enjoyed this one a brilliant historical fiction with a really interesting structure it works backwards in time The explorations of morality and religion were very well done, as are each of the characters I would highly recommend.A quiet, serious story set in 1491, the year Henry VIII was born, of conscience, guilt, desire, and the struggles between religion and superstition, the body and flesh Harvey sets her tale in the run up to Lent, and tells it through the voice of a village priest and confessor, privy to the secrets of his congregation but keeping his own to the last With the machinations of church men and the shade of the nearby monastery foreshadowing events we know will come in the next 40 or so years, this i A quiet, serious story set in 1491, the year Henry VIII was born, of conscience, guilt, desire, and the struggles between religion and superstition, the body and flesh Harvey sets her tale in the run up to Lent, and tells it through the voice of a village priest and confessor, privy to the secrets of his congregation but keeping his own to the last With the machinations of church men and the shade of t...An amazing 15th century whodunnit that is so atmospheric that you can t put it down Beautiful language, intrigue and unusual chronology all these kept me reading nearly non stop.I did not like what the autor made me do Read a story backwards, haltingly, with quite a bit of effort, trying to keep people and stories apart Trying to make sense of what happened, trying to figure out a plot that was not unfolding itself before my eyes, but had to be searched and dug for like a hidden core or nugget of wisdom Against the grain, against the flow, even against my will as it were albeit the story is finely executed, alive with fully drawn characters especially its narrator I did not like what the autor made me do Read a story backwards, haltingly, with quite a bit of effort, trying to keep people and stories apart Trying to make sense of what happened, trying to figure out a plot that was not unfolding itself before my eyes, but had to be searched and dug for like a hidden core or nugget of wisdom Against the grain, against the fl...

The Western Wind
  • English
  • 18 September 2018
  • Hardcover
  • 294 pages
  • 1787330591
  • Samantha Harvey
  • The Western Wind