in thes, this historical novel is narrated by Dunstan, a boy taken in at Glastonbury Abbey to be trained as a monk and who went on to become one of the most influential men of his time.
I really liked how the reader was invited to read between the lines quite often, to see how Dunstan's view of his actions perhaps varied from how he was perceived by others! Lots of historical detail and a really enjoyable read.
Sadly, I am going to have to not finish this autobiographical novel of the historical Dunstan, ath century Abbot of Glastonbury who was canonized as a saint, I hate doing that with an ARC because I feel like by receiving a free ARC, I'm obligated to finish it, but I know that's not actually a part of NetGalley's rules or expectations so I'm doing it.
The beginning of The Abbot's Tale just did not grab me, The prologue was sort of rambling, and the first few chapters, the main character, Dunstan, just seemed to be a bully, a narcissist, and a sociopath, I was hoping it would get better, but then Dunstan did something I just couldn't get past see spoiler below, if you want to, His only redeeming quality is that he cares about and tries to protect his little brother, even though he is simultaneously cruel to him, But is that really a redeeming feature Because abusers do the same thing: "I can be mean to you, but no one else can because you're mine, " So I'm not even sure Dunstan even has one good quality, Most frustrating of all is the fact that he doesn't even realize how horrible he is, he genuinely doesn't understand why most people don't treat him like a god, blaming and resenting them when they don't.
Only the people he is able to hoodwink into thinking he's "touched by angels" treat him the way he thinks he deserves to be treated,
Look, I know antiheroes are popular right now and I'm all for it, if it works, But this one doesn't, and I frankly don't understand how this book has gotten such a high average rating with such an unlikable protagonist, Even "Dexter," from the likewise titled TV show, which also features a psychopathic, murdering protagonist, has some kind of moral code, but Dunstan does not, I tried to hang in there, and I think I gave it a fair chance, but I just can't take any more of Dunstan,
I'm giving it a half star,just because the writing quality was good, and it might have been a great story if the characterization hadn't been so bad,
Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley, My opinions are my own, This book was beautifully written, It grabbed me from the first, Recommended for all those who love historical fiction!,stars. I have always forgiven my enemies, but only when they have been punished, Thus spake Dunstan!
Conn Igguilden is to be admired for creating such a memorable character, Very little is known of St Dunstan other than the bare facts his clerical career, family relationships, and his rebuilding of an abbey in Glastonbury where he was Abbot and a cathedral in Canterbury not the current version while Archbishop there.
He was involved at different levels in the reigns ofkings over his lifetime and was even banished to Flanders by one, What isnt known Igguilden imagines and, in doing so, creates a believable, historically accurate, in terms of the period, version of events,
In Igguildens imagination, Dunstan was no saint and he was constantly plotting against those who stood between him and his ambitions, This may or may not be even partially true but, lets face it, it would have been a boring book if hed done nothing but good!
This is the first book of Igguildens that Ive read.
It didnt blow me away but it was entertaining and easily earns,stars. Superb.
Received from Netgalley and Penguin UK for honest review,
The premise of this book was good and it thoroughly lived up to the hype, A wonderful tale of growing up and living life inAD,
Centres around Brother Dunstan as he grows into being the abbot of Glastonbury,
A really entertaining and enjoyable read,that showed Dunstan having his ups and downs,as Vengeance is a fine thing,
Really enjoyed this one
Part saint, part sinner, . .
Young Dunstan and his brother are sent off by their father to be educated by the monks in the abbey at Glastonbury, There, Dunstan will become fascinated by the
processes involved in construction and smithing, and will decide early on that one day he will replace the current abbey with a great building for the glory of God and, much more importantly, for the glory of Dunstan.
To achieve this aim he must become a monk and must cultivate the rich and powerful who will be able to fund his dream, This is the story of Dunstans long life, of the seven Kings he served and of the gradual coalescence of all the small kingdoms into one coherent England, ruled by a single monarch.
Ive seen so much praise for Conn Iggulden over the years, but generally he writes “sword and sandals” stories about early wars, and the periods and subjects rarely appeal to me.
So I was delighted to get the opportunity to try his work in this story, which is much more to my taste, You can now sign me up as a fan hes a great storyteller, and this is a great story!
I didnt know much about the real Dunstan and deliberately avoided finding anything out before reading, so that I could accept Igguldens version at face value.
His historical notes at the end of the book remind us that our knowledge of this early period theth century, AD is patchy, with many gaps that may never be filled.
The main facts of Dunstans life are well documented, and Iggulden sticks to them, But that leaves him plenty of room to use his imagination to fill in all the bits that arent known and to create a characterisation that could be true, and is certainly believable.
The story is given in Dunstans own voice, writing his reminiscences towards the end of his life, This makes it a perfect format for an audiobook, and the narrator, Geoffrey Beevers, does a wonderful job of bringing the man and his story to life,
Igguldens Dunstan is hardly saintly, especially in his youth and early adulthood, Hes deliciously wicked and does some pretty terrible things during his life, but somehow he keeps the reader on his side, I think its because he doesnt really attempt to explain too much or to justify his actions he occasionally feels guilt and a twinge of remorse, but he never wallows or gets mawkish about it.
Instead he shows us the inherent instability and violence in a society almost perpetually at war, either between internal rival factions or against the Viking raiders who were a constant threat, and the use and abuse of power that was commonplace among those who could wield it.
All of this makes Dunstans own actions seem far less out of the ordinary than they would be in a less lawless environment,
The stream of Kings all with annoyingly similar names provide the drama that keeps the story moving along at a good pace, Some are Dunstans friends, some mistrust him, some are outright enemies, As he ages, some of the later ones, whose fathers and grandfathers Dunstan had known, look on him as a mentor, and in some cases, at a time when primogeniture wasnt quite as established as it later became, Dunstan is influential in ensuring their accession to the crown.
Again, Iggulden appears to stick to the known facts but provides fictional stories to fill the spaces inbetween, making each of these monarchs fully rounded humans rather than just names and dates in a history book, and keeping the whole thing firmly rooted in the attitudes of the day.
As a monk and later Abbot of Glastonbury, and finally rising to be Archbishop of Canterbury the top religious job in England the early church plays a role in the story too, and again I found Igguldens portrayal entirely convincing.
This was centuries before the Reformation, of course, but the corruptions in the Roman church already existed, and both reallife and fictional Dunstan were involved in rooting out the worst of these and transforming the Church in England to follow the Benedictine rule.
Igguldens Dunstan, though, is hardly a devout, pious man, although his relationship with God and his religion deepens as he ages, He recognises his sins, but believes that God will weigh them in the balance with his great works the buildings he constructed, his role as Royal Treasurer, his influence over the kings and, through them, the realm, and his transformation of the Church.
This is a lengthy book with a huge cast of characters, but Iggulden makes them all individual so that the reader doesnt feel swamped by them, I felt fully immersed in Dunstans world, even though it took me weeks to listen to the whole thing, and I feel Ive learned a lot about a period of history that was previously a blank to me.
I do hope Iggulden writes more on subjects like this, although Im now tempted to try his sword and sandals books after all, . .
sitelinkwww. fictionfanblog. wordpress. com.stars.
Look, it wasn't bad by any means, but once my interest began to wane, I just found it really hard to get back into it properly in the last half of the novel.
Dunstan was a figure that I hadnt come across before, and I was completely unfamiliar with his story and this time period, so I was looking forward to exploring it.
I really loved the first part the writing was incredible, and I got so sucked in, And then Dunstan got stuck at the abbey in his teenagedyears, and the more time spent there, the more I began to lose my interest, It wasnt exactly boring, but I just wasnt interested in reading about how badly he was treated by certain brothers, and how he had these great visions about building the Glastonbury Cathedral.
Maybe I was simply hanging out for the political elements of the AngloSaxon royal court to happen, But even by the time the plot had moved onto that particular section, it was a little bit too late, I just wasnt able to regain my initial interest in the novel, There was a lot of skipping over years by Iggulden at various times, and as a result, the reader would often be left with page after page where Dunstan just basically tells us what happens, rather than having us experience the event through his narration.
This didnt work for me, and caused my attention to drop considerably, I didnt hate the novel, but I did end up skimming the last quarter of the novel in the hope that it would pick up soon, It didnt, and I was left with an overall feel of indifference and disappointment that I hadnt enjoyed this one,
There is never one truth, one love, or one enemy, I wish it had been so simple,
sitelinkThe Abbot's Tale is just an example of really great storytelling, Conn Iggulden recreates the life of an important but lesser known figure from history Dunstan of Glastonbury in a story filled with action, careful manipulations, and grim humour,
Dunstan was a great mind and, as great minds tended to do in the Middle Ages, he turned to the church as a way of realizing his ambitions.
Through the church, he climbed to the highest ranks, aiding multiple kings in their decisionmaking, But this all makes him sound ruthless and cold, sitelinkThe Abbot's Tale is about the man and before that, the boy behind the ingenious priest,
I didn't know what to expect going in, but I found Dunstan's tale absolutely gripping, I should warn that the short prologue is written in a strange style wordy and oldfashioned but this falls away into a more palatable narrative once Dunstan's life story begins.
And it begins with a tense and dramatic scene that immediately piqued my interest,
Here, Dunstan is such a witty, cheeky boy who becomes a clever, successful man, I love the complex characterization Iggulden has brought to such an intriguing figure, He's a cynic who never forgets those who've wronged him, but he also loves his brother deeply, He lives through some fascinating and awful historical events, but his biting wit never runs dry and never stops getting him into trouble,
Unless you are already a lover of historical fiction, in my experience, this genre can be a tough sell, I've seen eyes glaze over as soon as people realize the book I'm recommending is about history, But I think a lot of this genre works well not just for history lovers but for those who enjoy fantasy, too,
sitelinkThe Abbot's Tale is a gritty story full of kings, murder, backstabbing and revenge, It's like sitelinkA Game of Thrones and other epic political fantasy novels, except it's somewhat real,
sitelinkBlog sitelinkFacebook sitelinkTwitter sitelinkInstagram sitelinkYoutube,