Sea Change
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Amazon.co.uk Review
The greatest crimes are ones where a whole society is the victim; Robert Goddard's excellent historical thriller Sea Change has as its background the South Sea Bubble, the vast concatenation of Stock Market frauds which changed and corrupted eighteenth-century English life. Naive young Spandrel is pulled from debtor's prison to carry abroad a book detailing bribes paid by the South Sea Company to the highest in the land, and finds himself the victim of murderous assault and a frame-up for murder. Trying both to clear his name, and profit from the situation, he finds himself chasing the beautiful untrustworthy Estelle and her confederates from Amsterdam to the Alps and on to Rome, where the Jacobites would just love to buy a lever to oust King George, and then to London, where things become even more complex. Spandrel is all the more attractive a protagonist because he is no more than averagely honest and goes through an interesting metamorphosis from victim to hero; Estelle is a villainess with interesting attacks of conscience. This is an intelligent portrait of an age, imaginatively combining known historical fact with some fascinating invention and some moments of desperate excitement or startling revelation. --Roz Kaveney
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
'Cliffhanging entertainment... Goddard unwinds his plots like a conjurer' Guardian. * 'Hypnotising' Daily Mail. * 'A master storyteller' Sunday Independent. * 'One of Britain's finest thriller writers' Time Out. * 'The master of the triple double-cross' The Times. * 'A compelling storyteller of our time' Sunday Telegraph.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Robert Goddard goes further back into history for the setting of Sea Change, a tale of a rather credulous and oppressed young man in the grip of powerful political and financial forces at the time of the 18th century South Sea bubble scandal.
Its OK as far as it goes but that is not as far as this talented writer of rather eerie suspense can do. The plot is plodding, the characters never really come alive, the twists and turns are entirely predictable and the end comes as no real suprise. The settings and descriptions are nicely worked, as ever with Goddard, but some details seem implausible and forced.
For some writers this would be an enjoyable 18th Century romp, nothing too demanding but a nice light read. For Robert Goddard, who has produced some of the most tense and page-turning thriller fiction in the last decade or so, it is a disappointment. If this put you off Goddard, don't let it - try Caught In The Light, Painting The Darkness, In Pale Battalions, or frankly any of his previous work to see what this master of suspense really can do.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this book immediately after reading "Take no farewell" by the same author. I was so impressed with the previous book that I was really eager to start this one...however there was no comparison in the enjoyment that I got. It was difficult to care about any of the characters, they just did not ring true.
It was well researched, giving me an insight to what had previously little known era of history, but this is the very least that I would expect of this author.
If you're a first time reader of this author's books, I would suggest that you give him another chance. Don't write him off on the basis of one off day!!
It was well researched, giving me an insight to what had previously little known era of history, but this is the very least that I would expect of this author.
If you're a first time reader of this author's books, I would suggest that you give him another chance. Don't write him off on the basis of one off day!!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
There is a clear pattern that emerges from other reviews of this book on this site: the more familiar one is with Goddard's work, the more disappointing one finds Sea Change. I have read all his books and, for the first time, was relieved to finish one. In the past, I have been profoundly moved by some of his denouements, and full of admiration for the way he extracts them from labyrinthine plots. There is nothing to stir the blood in Sea Change. If you are new to Goddard, forget this one and read the rest (and in particular, In Pale Battalions and Painting the Darkness, which are my favourites) .
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
OK, but not up to RG's other offerings.
Like many other reviewers I found this novel to be one of the least pleasing of Goddard's offerings. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. John Ryan
Synopsis
It is January 1721. London is reeling from the effects of the greatest financial scandal of the age, the collapse of the South Sea Bubble. Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2009 by Javaslublu Books
Good historical adventure and intrigue.
I read this when it was first released in 2000 and actually enjoyed it more second time around.This is to date, Robert Goddard's last purely historical adventure, set in 1721/22... Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2009 by richard Brown
From the back cover...
It is January 1721 and London is reeling from the greatest financial scandal of the age -- the collapse of the South Sea Bubble. Read more
Published on 3 April 2007 by Angel Silver
Sea Change
Robert Goddard is one of my favourite authors and I have read every one of his books. I have loved them all except this one -it does not seem like a Robert Goddard book at all,... Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2005 by Anne Cook
Perfect adventure story
Mr Goddard's novel begins in January 1721. Sir Theodore Janssen, once afinancier of legendary acumen, stands on the brink of ruin after thebankruptcy of the South Sea Company. Read more
Published on 26 April 2004 by HORAK
A gripping tale that should not be missed !
Robert Goddard makes you feel that you really are in eighteenth centuary London and takes you on an adventure where you care what happens to his characters. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2002 by R. A. Jakes
This guy is my most favourite author
If you thought Goddard's previous protagonists were ill suited to the role of hero William Spandrel makes them look like James Bond. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2001
A compelling read...buy it and savour it
Since first reading Caught in the Light, I became an avid reader of Goddard. I have now acquired all titles and have four left to read. Suffice it to say, I ration them! Read more
Published on 2 Aug 2001
A difficult but enjoyable read
I have read the previous reviews of this book in Amazon and I have found them to be fairly harsh. Whilst this is definately not the authors best effort, it is an enjoyable read... Read more
Published on 27 May 2001
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