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Imprimatur (Paperback)
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Short Description for ImprimaturSheds light on the power struggles of 17th-century Europe.
Full description- Publisher: Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited
- Published: 25 April 2009
- Format: Paperback 640 pages
- See: Full bibliographic data
- Categories: Crime | Historical Crime | Historical Fiction
- ISBN 13: 9781846971051 ISBN 10: 1846971055
- Sales rank: 75,742
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Reviews for Imprimatur
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Top review
Disappointing
Controversy engenders bestsellers, but in this case it seems more indicative of the oversensitivity of the Vatican than the weight of anything revealed in this story. It is set in a fascinating period of history, and while the authors attempt to evoke and revel in intrigue and the grotesque, they introduce too many elements to be dealt with in any but the most perfunctory manner. There are lots of winks and nods intended to gratify astute readers, yet the plot is far too reliant on clunky artifice and far-fetched coincidence.
I spent a good deal of time trying to distinguish the dozen or so major players, and was unengaged by the endless forays into period cuisine or the exhaustive lists of quack medicines used to ward off the plague. The book is obviously meticulously researched and does contain some memorable characters, but is more a pedestrian potboiler than the â??literary page-turner' promised by the blurb.
As historical fiction it compares poorly with the exuberance of The Baroque Cycle, which treats many of the same events such as the siege of Vienna, the machinations of the Sun King, and the rise of William of Orange; or the novelty of Q, which shares the theme of papal venality and a clearly subversive intent. by Sholto Spradbury
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