Restoration

By: Rose Tremain

Narrated by: John Franklyn-Robbins

Restoration is a panoramic novel of life in 17th-century England, from the restoration of vitality to the empire after the onslaughts of the London fire and the plague, to the restoration of purpose and wakefulness in the life of Robert Merivel, who places his faith in the greatest symbol of a forward-moving era - the King.

©1989 Rose Tremain (P)1992 Recorded Books, LLC

Disappointing

This historical novel doesn't deliver much either as history or as novel. It doesn't delve into political, economic or social details of the time, except for the broad strokes necessary to give the novel a setting. That might be okay if the novel itself were worth the candle, but it is not. The story of Robert Merivel is pointless from beginning to end, a story that never really gets going and peters out at the end. This was particularly disappointing after hearing Rose Tremain's intricately plotted and deliciously satisfying "Trespass." I would suggest you listen to that instead.

That said, I did very much enjoy John Franklyn-Robbins narration and his skill with the voices and dialects of the characters.