- Hardcover: 576 pages
- Publisher: Michael Joseph; 1st Edition edition (31 Jan 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0718153227
- ISBN-13: 978-0718153229
- Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 15.8 x 4.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 63,056 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Company of Liars
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Product Description
Daily Express
'A richly evocative page-turner which brings to life a lost and terrible period of British history, with a disturbing final twist worthy of a master of the spine-tingler, such as Henry James'
Mirror
'Compelling and highly atmospheric'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Overall I have to say that I enjoyed Company of Liars. It was absorbing from the first pages and quickly built up a detailed and effective atmosphere of the bleakness of the times. The descriptions of the environment are wonderfully evocative without ever becoming long-winded.
Karen Maitland is skilled at creating characters with whom we can empathise and associate with, in this case Camelot, outwardly a seller of holy relics but to us, the readers, a self-confessed seller of hope.
The almost paranormal elements of the story are cleverly introduced and I found myself more than once with a few goosebumps and the odd shiver down the spine (forgive what seem like cliches but it's pretty much how parts of the book made me feel). The feeling of apocalyptic doom descending over a country in the grip of the Black Death was wonderfully conveyed but....
I would like to have given this book three and a half stars but I can't do that. And I couldn't quite bring myself to give it four as I feel the ending(s) left me with a feeling of profound disappointment.
The twist is rather obvious from quite early in the book and yet this isn't the main disappointment. It's the feeling I had that the author either didn't know how to end the story or that she was under pressure from her publisher to get it finished by a deadline and had to rush.
Either way, the build-up and development of the story were let down by the ending which is a shame as I'd found myself unable to put the book down in the earlier stages.
That said, I'd still read her next book.
Karen Maitland is skilled at creating characters with whom we can empathise and associate with, in this case Camelot, outwardly a seller of holy relics but to us, the readers, a self-confessed seller of hope.
The almost paranormal elements of the story are cleverly introduced and I found myself more than once with a few goosebumps and the odd shiver down the spine (forgive what seem like cliches but it's pretty much how parts of the book made me feel). The feeling of apocalyptic doom descending over a country in the grip of the Black Death was wonderfully conveyed but....
I would like to have given this book three and a half stars but I can't do that. And I couldn't quite bring myself to give it four as I feel the ending(s) left me with a feeling of profound disappointment.
The twist is rather obvious from quite early in the book and yet this isn't the main disappointment. It's the feeling I had that the author either didn't know how to end the story or that she was under pressure from her publisher to get it finished by a deadline and had to rush.
Either way, the build-up and development of the story were let down by the ending which is a shame as I'd found myself unable to put the book down in the earlier stages.
That said, I'd still read her next book.
53 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Historical novels are the love of my life (apart from my wife and kids that is), and this is very probably one of the very best I've ever read.
The year is 1348, when the plague laid most of Europe waste. Camelot is a seller of fake relics, and when the plague reaches England he decides to try and outrun it, heading north. Along the way, he picks up other misfits until they make up a company of nine: the Venetian musician Rodrigo and his pupil Jofre, the one-armed storyteller Cygnus, the painter Osmond and his wife Adela who is with child, the conjuror Zophiel, and the midwife Pleasance who has a remarkable, white-haired child with her: Narigorm. Together they set out trying to outrun the plague.
What happens next is an incredibly engrossing story, told with gusto. This is one of those novels that keep you up at night, unable to stop reading, eager to know what'll happen next. England during the plague is described in such telling and colourful details that the place comes alive, and you cannot help but feel 'this is surely how it must have felt like in reality'. England in the grip of the plague swiftly descends into chaos, and lawlessness becomes the rule. And through this bleak landscape, rain constantly pouring down, the nine companions trudge on and slowly get to know each other better.
Before long it becomes clear that each of them has a secret to hide, and none of them is what they make out to be. All have have been beaten down and trodden upon by life's mishaps, and - sometimes for the best of reasons or quite simply because they had no other choice - are now living a lie, haunted by their past.
550 pages of superb entertainment for the price of barely two packs of cigarettes, what are you waiting for?
The year is 1348, when the plague laid most of Europe waste. Camelot is a seller of fake relics, and when the plague reaches England he decides to try and outrun it, heading north. Along the way, he picks up other misfits until they make up a company of nine: the Venetian musician Rodrigo and his pupil Jofre, the one-armed storyteller Cygnus, the painter Osmond and his wife Adela who is with child, the conjuror Zophiel, and the midwife Pleasance who has a remarkable, white-haired child with her: Narigorm. Together they set out trying to outrun the plague.
What happens next is an incredibly engrossing story, told with gusto. This is one of those novels that keep you up at night, unable to stop reading, eager to know what'll happen next. England during the plague is described in such telling and colourful details that the place comes alive, and you cannot help but feel 'this is surely how it must have felt like in reality'. England in the grip of the plague swiftly descends into chaos, and lawlessness becomes the rule. And through this bleak landscape, rain constantly pouring down, the nine companions trudge on and slowly get to know each other better.
Before long it becomes clear that each of them has a secret to hide, and none of them is what they make out to be. All have have been beaten down and trodden upon by life's mishaps, and - sometimes for the best of reasons or quite simply because they had no other choice - are now living a lie, haunted by their past.
550 pages of superb entertainment for the price of barely two packs of cigarettes, what are you waiting for?
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Now for me this was a different read. Travelling north through England during The Plague in 1348 with a bunch of suspect characters, bad weather, the runes, spooky stories, lies and murder kept me thinking how less stressful today's life is! It's a medieval road story with a whodunnit, some well drawn characters to keep you guessing, dreading the next village with the pestilence or the next murder in their company.
Life was sustained by lies to make a living and lies to keep them alive and give them hope until the truth must be revealed! I recommend it wholeheartedly and commend it for bringing us a taste of the great tradition of storytelling.
Life was sustained by lies to make a living and lies to keep them alive and give them hope until the truth must be revealed! I recommend it wholeheartedly and commend it for bringing us a taste of the great tradition of storytelling.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Horrible
This was a really horrible book, Contrived and with flat characters. Shows the old cliche that 'a book cannot be judged by it's cover' to be so true. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Gary Selikow
Company of Liars
The is a great debut novel, based in a very dark backdrop of English history, the characters are all very different but richly described. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Vinnie m
secrets, lies and death
I found this story to be one of the most engrossing that I've picked up for a long time. I don't usually read historical novels but this has made me want to read more of them! Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mrs. Lisa M. Griffin
Great Historical Detail
Each of the characters in this book are given their own identity and with so many characters i felt that Karen Maitland showed excellent skill as a writer. Read more
Published 3 months ago by S.Duncan
Nothing's Happening !!!
I only got past the first few chapters and was just soooo bored..... Nothing was happening. I did go into the book excitedly, thinking I was in for a good solid page turner..... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kossoff
A story of stories
Set in the plague ridden England of 1348, Maitland introduces us to Camelot, an elderly and facially disfigured traveller who sells fake relics to people who are desperate for... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Rebecca
Engaging and different
A friend bought me this book for my birthday, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. This is an engaging piece of well-researched historical fiction, with a supernatural twist. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Griffin33
Boring.
I read it and I also skimmed over some of it. It's let down (as usual with Kindles books) with spelling errors, formatting errors and a lack of proof reading. Read more
Published 10 months ago by J. BROWN
Historical thriller
I couldn't put this book down! From the first page it is gripping and at the same time really interesting. And 'No' I didn't guess the end at all - superb suprising end. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mrs. Virginia H. Stewart
It's all about the lies
The wording on the book cover is quite interesting: "a novel of the plague", because this book is not about the plague as such. Read more
Published 11 months ago by RubySlippers
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