Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Quincunx
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside another edition of this book

Quincunx (Paperback)

by Charles Palliser (Author) "It must have been late autumn of that year, and probably it was towards dusk for the sake of being less conspicuous ..." (more)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


22 used from £1.43
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 16 used & new from £1.13
Paperback (New Ed) £14.99 £10.47 27 used & new from £0.01
Loose Leaf Order it used

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Unburied

The Unburied

by Charles Palliser
3.9 out of 5 stars (22)  £5.99
The Crimson Petal and the White

The Crimson Petal and the White

by Michel Faber
3.9 out of 5 stars (73)  £6.97
The Meaning of Night

The Meaning of Night

by Michael Cox
4.1 out of 5 stars (68)  £5.47
An Instance of the Fingerpost

An Instance of the Fingerpost

by Iain Pears
4.4 out of 5 stars (51)  £5.97
Kept: A Victorian Mystery

Kept: A Victorian Mystery

by D.J. Taylor
2.6 out of 5 stars (9)  £5.99
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 800 pages
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (Jan 1991)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0345371135
  • ISBN-13: 978-0345371133
  • Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 4.1 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 676,837 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #9 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > P > Palliser, Charles

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
It must have been late autumn of that year, and probably it was towards dusk for the sake of being less conspicuous. Read the first page
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
See all 12 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Quincunx
88% buy the item featured on this page:
Quincunx 4.4 out of 5 stars (35)
The Unburied
5% buy
The Unburied 3.9 out of 5 stars (22)
£5.99
The Meaning of Night
4% buy
The Meaning of Night 4.1 out of 5 stars (68)
£5.47
The Girl Who Played with Fire
2% buy
The Girl Who Played with Fire 4.4 out of 5 stars (162)
£3.96
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

35 Reviews
5 star:
 (27)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (35 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Best of its Kind, 15 Mar 2006
This review is from: The Quincunx: The Inheritance of John Huffam (Paperback)
In response to an earlier review, I have just reached the point where I can read this again, 10 years after first reading it, and I can confirm that it just gets better with time. Wilkie Collins, Dickens, Conan Doyle are all pastiched wonderfully and knowingly in this book, but with a level of interpretation which eludes all but the most observant readers on first reading - myself included. I finished the book on first reading with the nagging feeling that the understanding the narrator arrives at by the end is missing something important - and the joy reading this the second time around is tracking this hidden plot beneath the explicit plot. With the apparent revival of interest in the Victorian mystery in recent years - witness the success of Fingersmith, another great read - I am amazed that this masterpiece is relatively little known. Perhaps it is the 1200 pages that put off casual readers? If you are willing to lose yourself completely for weeks or months, this is the book to do it in.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, 11 Feb 2007
By India Knight (London, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Quincunx: The Inheritance of John Huffam (Paperback)
This is breathtakingly good. I literally couldn't stop reading - in fact one morning last week I took the absurd step of setting my alarm an hour early so I could get my fix before starting the day. I came to The Quincunx circuitously, having loved The Crimson Petal and The White, The Meaning of Night, and a slew of other Victorian semi-pastiches. This knocks them all into a cocked hat - not only is it vastly superior to any of them, but it's a work of sheer imaginative brilliance in its own right, regardless of when it might be set. I couldn't recommend it more - but be prepared to set aside days of your life, because it's compulsive, up-till-three reading.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars historical masterpiece, 4 Nov 2002
This review is from: The Quincunx: The Inheritance of John Huffam (Paperback)
I wanted a complete change from the type of books I had been reading and after The Unburied, also brilliant! I brought Quincunx. I can sympathise with one reviewer on the US site who wouldn’t get passed the first few pages, I made it after the forth attempt and I’m so glad I persevered for this is a wonderful book!! The plot is just unrelenting, hurling the main character(s) from one adventure to the next. The detail is breath taking, the descriptions of poverty seem so real and the characters, well drawn out and in so much detail... I can’t recommend this book enough, it’s brilliant!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A long way from Dickens
This book is often referred to as a 'Victorian novel' or even as 'a homage to Dickens', but it is not particularly convincing even as a pastiche, and certainly never reaches the... Read more
Published 3 days ago by Mr. N. R. Ash

5.0 out of 5 stars Scintillating
Encountered The Quincunx by accident and dived straight in, emerged several days later and wondered where I'd been - just had to read it again straight off. Read more
Published 1 month ago by New Rose

5.0 out of 5 stars A sense of comic consternation
A tremendous achievement at 1,206 pages, packed with action and adventure. The Quincunx, despite its length, doesn't flag for a moment. Read more
Published 1 month ago by E. Shaw

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent modern "victorian" novel with a dense and complex plot
I read this book about 15 years ago and it still resonates. Whilst the book is modern, it feels like a victorian novel with a plot which is extremely complex and dense. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Aquinas

5.0 out of 5 stars Dickensian and a suspenseful mystery - what's not to love?
Great, dense plot and a myriad of beautifully drawn characters. It feels very much like a Dickens novel written for a modern audience. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Script Angel

5.0 out of 5 stars a highly addictive read, very enjoyable
this book should have a government health warning. it is highly addictive. in the few weeks it took me to read its 1200 or so pages i frequently had trouble putting the book down... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr. P. Skinner

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
I don't have time to write a review that could begin to do this book justice, but I'm astonished it doesn't have a higher overall score (i.e. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Miki

5.0 out of 5 stars best book I've read in a long time
Having read some of the reviews here on this book I do agree with some points made by others.It was a very convoluted plot and John did escape from situations which were... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Barbara A. Middleton

5.0 out of 5 stars Palliser's perfect page-turner
I'm completely baffled by the review below of one my favourite books. Has Book Maven read the same book that I have? Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2007 by Jim Bead

2.0 out of 5 stars A professor's didactic novel
Charles Dickens had a good reason for writing volumes - he was paid by the word. His disciple Charles Palliser was not, so no such justification for the self-indulgent verbosity... Read more
Published on 25 Oct 2007 by Book Maven

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
I am confused about the ending to The Quincunx 4 January 2009
› See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject








i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.