- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Little, Brown & Company; First Edition edition (18 Sep 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0316731544
- ISBN-13: 978-0316731546
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.2 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 269,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
A Whispered Name (The Father Anselm Novels)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'Worthy of le Carre at his best' Allan Massie, The Scotsman *** 'A tense, sophisticated, wholly convincing novel of suspense. This is a remarkable debut' Michael Holroyd *** 'Wonderful. The engrossing essence of this novel is the morality of the individual. And - rare for a first novel - the questions we are left with are ones that are basic to human existene' Gitta Sereny, The Times
Review
For The Sixth Lamentation: 'William Brodrick has written a tense, sophisticated, wholly convincing novel of suspense. This is a remarkable debut' Michael Holroyd ** 'It is a wonderful book ... should go on to become a classic' Paul Britton, author of The Jigsaw Man ** 'It's indeed rare to find such a masterful blending of sharp suspense and literary resonance ... truly compelling' Jeffrey Deaver, author of The Vanished Man **
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Brodrick's latest novel finds another investigation worthy of the ability and insight of Brother Anselm, a monk previously trained as a lawyer. It's an understanding of not only the law but the deeper motivations of the human spirit that is required in A Whispered Name, and what greater mystery could there be than the personal events and upheavals endured by young men and boys under the command of unfathomable laws in the trenches of WWI?
A mysterious visitor to the Larkwood monastery reveals and unknown aspect to the life of one of its oldest inhabitants, the founder of the monastery itself, Fr. Herbert Moore and his part in the sentencing of a young Irishman, Private Joseph Flanagan, charged with desertion during the battle for Passchendaele in 1917. Fr. Moore however is now dead, leaving the events and incomplete accounts of the incident shrouded in secrecy. What drove a young Irishman to fight alongside the English? Why did he risk an unknown, perhaps personal mission that could see him dishonoured and shot for desertion? And why are the pages of his trial containing the final judgement incomplete?
Caught up in complicated military legal procedures, the events distorted by unreliable and incomplete accounts, Anselm's investigation seems to be an impossible one, "looking for meaning in the one place it cannot be found". Yet this is precisely the strength of Brodrick's work. The writing is again brilliant, the author masterfully creating the conditions of the WWI trenches, but more than that, capturing the deeper complexities of memory and human behaviour caught up in exceptional circumstances.
If there could be one minor quibble, it's in the actual account of what occurred remaining one step ahead of Anselm's investigations, the story drawn out at length as he gradually puts together the pieces of the puzzle. But yet again with Brodrick, it's the process of discovery that is just as important as its revelation. Anselm's role is an important one that few are as well placed to approach as that of the lawyer-monk - to give testimony to a terrible incident in one of the darkest chapters of modern history, honour the memory in the present day, and fulfil the role of "tending a fire that won't go out". Brodrick's great ability is to turn this into a profoundly moving human and spiritual experience.
A mysterious visitor to the Larkwood monastery reveals and unknown aspect to the life of one of its oldest inhabitants, the founder of the monastery itself, Fr. Herbert Moore and his part in the sentencing of a young Irishman, Private Joseph Flanagan, charged with desertion during the battle for Passchendaele in 1917. Fr. Moore however is now dead, leaving the events and incomplete accounts of the incident shrouded in secrecy. What drove a young Irishman to fight alongside the English? Why did he risk an unknown, perhaps personal mission that could see him dishonoured and shot for desertion? And why are the pages of his trial containing the final judgement incomplete?
Caught up in complicated military legal procedures, the events distorted by unreliable and incomplete accounts, Anselm's investigation seems to be an impossible one, "looking for meaning in the one place it cannot be found". Yet this is precisely the strength of Brodrick's work. The writing is again brilliant, the author masterfully creating the conditions of the WWI trenches, but more than that, capturing the deeper complexities of memory and human behaviour caught up in exceptional circumstances.
If there could be one minor quibble, it's in the actual account of what occurred remaining one step ahead of Anselm's investigations, the story drawn out at length as he gradually puts together the pieces of the puzzle. But yet again with Brodrick, it's the process of discovery that is just as important as its revelation. Anselm's role is an important one that few are as well placed to approach as that of the lawyer-monk - to give testimony to a terrible incident in one of the darkest chapters of modern history, honour the memory in the present day, and fulfil the role of "tending a fire that won't go out". Brodrick's great ability is to turn this into a profoundly moving human and spiritual experience.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the first William Brodrick Novel I've read and I've discovered a wonderful and moving writer.
The events of "A Whispered Name" are set in the trenches of WW1 where a young Irishman Joseph Flanagan is facing execution for desertion. Some 70 years later Father Anselm researches the sad events leading up to this pitiful moment.
While the plot moves along at a gentle pace, the horror of war is starkly laid out. There are no bad guys, even the officers sending this poor chap to death are viewed in sympathetic light. What I loved about the story was the strong undercurrent of spirituality which seep through every paragraph, yet without preaching God and church, more about the reality of goodness and the search for what is right.
Brodrick has created a novel that is both tragic and heart warming, capturing the slaughter of WW1 and the search for peace of mind.
That argument for faith and religion have taken a battering of late - with Dawkins, the religious right, the battles in the vatican and CoE all persuading the intellect to steer well away, Broderick is reminding us that maybe we should think again.
The events of "A Whispered Name" are set in the trenches of WW1 where a young Irishman Joseph Flanagan is facing execution for desertion. Some 70 years later Father Anselm researches the sad events leading up to this pitiful moment.
While the plot moves along at a gentle pace, the horror of war is starkly laid out. There are no bad guys, even the officers sending this poor chap to death are viewed in sympathetic light. What I loved about the story was the strong undercurrent of spirituality which seep through every paragraph, yet without preaching God and church, more about the reality of goodness and the search for what is right.
Brodrick has created a novel that is both tragic and heart warming, capturing the slaughter of WW1 and the search for peace of mind.
That argument for faith and religion have taken a battering of late - with Dawkins, the religious right, the battles in the vatican and CoE all persuading the intellect to steer well away, Broderick is reminding us that maybe we should think again.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read both The Sixth Lamentation (Father Anselm Novels) and The Gardens of the Dead (Father Anselm Novels)with great enjoyment and thoroughly looked forward to reading this, the third Father Anselm story.
Whilst I can acknowledge that it is indeed well written, very readable... and all those things, I do have to confess to a more than a little disappointment. Where the enjoyment of the first two novels was in the character of Father Anselm and the problems with which he was faced, in this book he does seem to play second fiddle to a much bigger story set during the First World War.
It's possible that Father Anselm may well have been an excellent springboard for Brodrick's writing voice, but in this instance, the story seemed too big for him - so maybe it is now time for Brodrick to expand his own horizons as a writer and leave Father Anselm behind (a shame...)?
Whilst I can acknowledge that it is indeed well written, very readable... and all those things, I do have to confess to a more than a little disappointment. Where the enjoyment of the first two novels was in the character of Father Anselm and the problems with which he was faced, in this book he does seem to play second fiddle to a much bigger story set during the First World War.
It's possible that Father Anselm may well have been an excellent springboard for Brodrick's writing voice, but in this instance, the story seemed too big for him - so maybe it is now time for Brodrick to expand his own horizons as a writer and leave Father Anselm behind (a shame...)?
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A story of sacrifice and redemption
When a story covers the horror that was Passchendaele, it takes real skill to make one particular death significant. Brodrick does just that, and more. Read more
Published 13 months ago by S. L. Parkinson
****** if I could
Wonderful book. I think that, for Britons, the First World War is by far the most evocative period in recent memory. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Aberter
thoughtful, vivid and very moving in places
I think this is marginally the best of the Father Anslem books. Two visitors, an old man and a younger woman, come to Larkwood Priory seeking an explanation from long, long ago. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mr. Ian A. Macfarlane
Badly executed
If you like the TV programme 'Who do you think you are? then this novel will be appealing. If you've spent many happy hours retracing your ancestry on the Internet then here is an... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Officer Dibble
A Whispered Name
This is one of the best books I have read because it so well written and a compulsive read. William Brodrick captures the horror and the atmosphere of what we know to be the 1st... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Jeannie B
Not very good
I was disappointed with this book in that the author bases his story on the British army on the Western Front and clearly knows little about his subject. Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2010 by Geoffrey Peters
wonderful read
I have just finished reading this excellent book, it was an intriquing read well worth buying.
Published on 31 Dec 2009 by susan robinson
Great writing, poorly finished
I couldn't shake the conviction that Brodrick is a good writer but that his publisher had failed to advise him well on some big faults. Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2009 by Mr. Anthony M. Johnston
A Whispered Name
The "Shot at Dawn" first World War soldiers have been a contentious and emotive issue for many years, they recently received a pardon. Read more
Published on 2 Dec 2009 by John R. M. Edmunds
A bit long winded
I am sorry to burst the bubble here.This is a moving , interesting book.It gave me a fascinating insight into WW1 executions . Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2009 by Neil
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
