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| Plot Summary of An Instance of the Fingerpost |
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"In 1663, an Oxford professor has been poisoned with arsenic -- that much is clear. But who did it and why is not. Four different narrators tell the same story and implicate four different killers. This strange story takes place against the historical backdrop of the English civil wars and restoration of King Charles II after the death of Cromwell. One of the narrators is Italian businessman and sort-of physician Marco da Cola; one is Jack Prestcott, a man obsessed with clearing the name of his father who was convicted of treason against England; one is John Wallis, a sort of secret service official of his day; and the fourth is Anthony Wood, a poor scholar and librarian. A witch will be executed, government secrets found and lost again, dissections and experimental transfusions attempted. This long and literary 1998 bestseller set a new standard for historical mystery novels."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of An Instance of the Fingerpost |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- Dry-cynical
Time/era of story:
- 17th century
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Big focus on forensic evidence
- Big focus on autopsies
Kind of investigator
- british mystery (I say!)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Mostly a criminal POV story
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- scholar
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an above average amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
The antagonists are:
- evil politicians
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
City?
Yes
City:
- London
- Dirty, dangerous (like New York)
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- dumb rednecks, like Gomer Pyle
- hostile, like Gomer Pyle on steroids
Misc setting
- prison
Style
Person
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- actual description of sex
- descript. of breasts
- rape (yeech!)
Unusual forms of death
- poisoning
- hanging
- frying (cooking)
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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