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Dissolution
  
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Dissolution (Library Binding)

by C. J. Sansom (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (132 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Library Binding: 400 pages
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1435290399
  • ISBN-13: 978-1435290396
  • Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 12.2 x 2.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (132 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,347,424 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #24 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > S > Sansom, C.J.

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Product Description

The Guardian

'A mix of serious history and its political contect, together with first-rate murder mystery.' --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Dissolution
84% buy the item featured on this page:
Dissolution 4.3 out of 5 stars (132)
Revelation (Shardlake)
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Dark Fire (Shardlake) 4.6 out of 5 stars (86)
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4% buy
Sovereign (Shardlake) 4.4 out of 5 stars (111)
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Customer Reviews

132 Reviews
5 star:
 (81)
4 star:
 (29)
3 star:
 (12)
2 star:
 (7)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (132 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
121 of 124 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Historically rooted, gripping story, a whodunnit with real verve, 12 April 2007
By Mark Meynell "quaesitor" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
This review is from: Dissolution (Shardlake) (Paperback)
To begin with i thought this was just a pastiche of Eco's Name of the Rose: Monastery in winter, dodgy monks, murders and a beautiful young girl with an unusual detective plus honourable apprentice (even Aristotle's lost work On Comedy makes an appearance). But this is set a few centuries later and is firmly rooted in the Tudor terrors at the time of Dissolution of the Monasteries. National politics and the reformation are the sword of Damocles that hang over the monastery throughout. What is so exciting and satisfying is the way (rather like Eco did) that national politics and scandals are interwoven naturally into the goings on in this remote monastery on the South Coast. Henry VIII exists as an invisible presence throughout; the nearest we get to him is his ruthless and foul henchman, Thomas Cromwell. But his lethal authority and whims are stamped on every page.

The hero of the piece is Matthew Shardlake who finds himself having to do Cromwell's bidding. He is a believable character, idealistic but flawed, given to blindspots and jealousies - but he acknowledges all these, especially as he recognises that to have remained neutral could have helped find the culprits sooner and thus prevented more deaths.

This is a great read - and brings a dark chapter of England's history to life. There are no easy answers - and the rights and wrongs of the period are not so categorically stated that the reader is drawn inevitably to either 'papists' or 'reformers'. A tour de force.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing, exciting - a great book, 5 Oct 2004
By C. Winston (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Dissolution (Shardlake) (Paperback)
I also bought this book on a whim in an airport - and was delighted to find a new author I hope to read much more of. The book itself is a great murder mystery - plenty of twists, without losing its credibility, and simply a superb story.

On top of this though, it's a great picture of a time of enormous change in England - although I knew the basics of the dissolution of the monasteries, this really brings everything to life, and although there is plenty of detail for those who like their history, it never becomes dry or boring.

Quite simply, this is one of the most gripping and readable books I've picked up for quite a while, and I'll be recommending it far and wide.

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52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Muder in the Monastary, 3 Mar 2005
By Mrs. D. J. Smith "eowyngreenleaf" (Luton, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
This review is from: Dissolution (Shardlake) (Paperback)
I'd had this book for a while, it was one I'd picked up in a publishers clearance shop. I thought it looked as if it might be OK to amuse myself for a few hours at some point. Now I have finally got around to reading it, I'm sorry I didn't read it before! It's well written, feels historically authentic and there are excellent characters and a really gripping mystery to boot! It's interesting that the 'hero', Commissioner Matthew Shardlake, is a hunchback and is sent to investigate the brutal murder of an official in a monastery, around about the time Henry VIII and Cromwell are starting to dissolve the monasteries, with the lesser ones already having gone. At this period, any physical impairment was seen as a judgement from God on that individual, so our hero has prejudice to struggle against on top of everything else! A really good read it put me a little in mind of Sharon Penman's Justin de Quincy books - highly recommended! Probably not for the squeamish though - it's a bit graphic in places.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyed it from the mystery novel standpoint.
From reading some of the other reviews of this novel I'm thinking this is one of those times I should celebrate the fact that I'm not driven to read historical mysteries by my... Read more
Published 8 days ago by J. Lesley

4.0 out of 5 stars oops!
Part way through and loving the story as long as I force myself to avoid the errors. As another reviewer has said a better proof reader was needed. Read more
Published 9 days ago by nellie

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, gripping read
As always with the doings of Shardlake I was gripperd from the start. The combination of fascinating history and gripping 'who-done-it' makes for a hugeley entertaining read.
Published 28 days ago by Christine Pickard

5.0 out of 5 stars Top book
I've now read all the books in this series and there all excellent. The only down side is they're so good I finished them in no time at all. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. W. A. Horsfall

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting, absorbing novel
As the first of the Shardlake novels I found this book well written with the characters acutely drawn. Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. M. Cowell

5.0 out of 5 stars HISTORICAL, GRIPPING WHODUNNIT
THIS NOVEL IS SET DURING HENRY VIII'S REIGN WHEN HE DECREED TO DISSOLVE THE MONASTARIES. MATTHEW SHARDLAKE A HUNCHBACK INVESTIGATOR/LAWYER PLAYS THE UNLIKELY PROTAGONIST, APART... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Anne - History Junkie

4.0 out of 5 stars Can't really say
Sorry cannot review as this was bought for someone else who hasn't had the courtesy to tell me if or when it arrived or in what condition - my contact with the company which sold... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Elorac

5.0 out of 5 stars a real page turner.
Having never read such a epic historic novel before, I would recommed this book to everyone who fancies a change from the safe light hearted witty girly fiction. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Soothing Sole

5.0 out of 5 stars More, More, More
Someone please tell me that this charector has more in store for us all.

I cannot put the books down.
Published 3 months ago by John Jackson

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Read
I actually picked this book up as a sort of 'well it looks ok I might give it a go' type of novel. I love historical fiction and whodunnits so I thought this might be worth a... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Raegan E. Brady

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