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Nov 26, 2008

Kristen rated it:

I imagine that it must be incredibly difficult to write an ending to a novel. Especially one that has been building a sense of mystery, suspense, and dread for a couple hundred pages. Up until the last handful of pages, Company of Liars is intriguing and illuminating. I have a soft spot for historical fiction, and an interest in medieval Europe, so I'm already naturally inclined toward this book. The author very deftly avoids the pitfall of writing a sort of Ye Olde Renaissance Faire kind of boo More...

3 comments like (12 people liked it)

Nov 09, 2008

Carrie rated it:

Company of Liars by Karen Maitland is a reinterpretation of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Set in 14th century England, during a time of fear, religious power, and superstition, it is the story of nine travelers trying to escape the Plague. As they travel inland, it becomes apparent that each one carries a secret. One by one, the secrets are exposed, with deadly consequences.

There is Zophiel, the traveling magician whose wagon full of boxes is a constant source of worry. No one knows wh More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 26, 2009

Brooke rated it:

Although I gave it 4 stars, it's closer to a 3.5. Company of Liars has been advertised as a reinterpretation of The Canterbury Tales, but it's been so long since I read Chaucer (and it was only excerpts, if I'm remembering my freshman high school English class correctly) that I didn't have much to compare it to. Standing on its own, Company of Liars is a solid historical mystery. Nine people are traveling together across England to escape the plague, and each is hiding a secret from his companio More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Jun 07, 2011

Jo rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 16, 2012

Bettie rated it:

An enjoyable and mildly supernatural romp through superstitious and pestilent times; some of those story lines were easy to see through but that didn't seem to matter too much as the customs and traditions of the times were enthralling to learn about. Five star goodness.

NB not out in US until 30th Sepetember

8 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Bernadette rated it:

We are in England in 1348. ‘The pestilence’ has arrived in the southern ports and as panic and desperation mount in roughly equal measures a company of unlikely travelling companions begins to form of necessity rather than any inherent liking for each other. The first member of the company, and the story’s narrator, is Camelot: a seller of religious relics. Camelot is soon joined by two musicians, a painter and his pregnant wife, a young child (who reads runes) and her carer, a one-armed/one-win More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 24, 2010

Hilary rated it:

I've read multiple novels about the Plague (Year of Wonders, Doomsday Book, probably others I can't think of right now). This was a completely different experience. The Plague is, in some ways, huge, and in other ways a minor character. A nod to the Canterbury Tales, this is the story of a motley group of travelers thrown together in their desperate attempt to escape the ravages of the pestilence.

I found this to be a total immersion experience. It doesn't wallow in medieval language, More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Nov 06, 2008

LJ rated it:

COMPANY OF LIARS (Hist. Myst-Camelot-England-1348) – VG+
Maitland, Karen – Standalone
Penguin/Michael Joseph, 2008, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 9780718153229

First Sentence: ‘So that’s settled then, we bury her alive in the iron bridle. That’ll keep her tongue still.’

The plague has come to England and nine people have joined together in an attempt to outrun it and find safety. A very disparate group it is: a scarred trader of holy relics, a magician, a musician and More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 07, 2009

Suburbangardener rated it:

This story of 9 travelers is filled with suspense and dread. It is also an exploration of the nature of good and evil, secrets and truth, hope and lies, hypocracy, scapegoating, trust and friendship, and religion and faith, all set against the backdrop of the plague sweeping its way through England in the 14th century. It ably demonstrates how the plague broke down the midieval social order, paving the way for the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. It is as much a psychological drama as a myste More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 17, 2009

Roseann rated it:

Just finishing up this one. Read it in four days. Truly great read for me, likeable characters that you could follow easily, even when reading before bed, half asleep. A unique perspective on the "pestilence" and that time in history for peasants .... would not want to be them!....and "the pardoner", the "healer" the "Rune Reader" and the "Musicians" are all here with their story. A re-telling of the Canterbury Tales with a twist...A good read

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 30, 2009

Sarah rated it:

I really enjoyed this novel of plague-era England. In a way, the premise kind of reminded me of McCarthy's The Road in that here we have characters who are struggling to endure and move forward with hope, even though it seems like there really shouldn't be any hope left.

Maitland deftly arranges a set of characters who are forced to travel together. This motley assortment of people adds a lot of excitement and intrigue to the overall puzzle of the book. I never felt like she was pa More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 22, 2008

Amy rated it:

There's not a better way to end the year of great reads in 2008 than to end it with Karen Maitland's first book, Company of Liars. This book has everything: love, death, friendship, witchcraft, deception...it's a little historical fiction mixed with a little fantasy rolled in to one yummy nugget of a novel.

The plot was excellent, the storytelling was just amazing and the characters are ones you are not soon to forget. This is one of those that stay with you a while. I find myself mis More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 27, 2010

Hayes rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

14 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 26, 2011

Sophie rated it:

I really liked this book, and loved that it was a new take on the Canterbury Tales (kinda the Canterbury Tales for those too weird or unconventional for Chaucer's Pilgrims.) The only thing that stops me loving this book entirely is the ending. It was so predictable and cliched, I found myself mentally pleading with the author for the last few chapters to not end it that way, let it all be a red herring. Alas, I was right. If it wasn't for that final 'revelation' this would probably be five start More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 17, 2009

Ann rated it:

I have so many wishes. I wish I’d paid less attention to the “stunning reinterpretation of the Canterbury Tales!” part of the book jacket and noticed that all the blurbs were from people who write scary books. If you are like me – for whatever reason, I have read A Distant Mirror yet cannot sit through even the most banal mystery book without crapping my pants – then this is not for you. I wish I had the foresight to realize that even though I was rolling my eyes with every other page, I woul More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 01, 2009

Deirdre rated it:

No, this book is not about the Bush administration or any other political formation. Yes, I needed some escape from reality and I got it with Maitland's worthy novel.

Set in the England in 1348, a year when it rained every day from Midsummer's Day to Christmas, a plague (or three) stalks a band of misfits as they try to move north to outrun the pestilence. They are a horribly scarred peddler of religious relics, a surly and overly righteous magician, two musicians recently "let More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 29, 2008

Cathy rated it:

This was a terrific book. I am so glad I live in the 21st century! This book's atmosphere seeps into your consciousness. I swear I felt cold, wet and hungry the whole time I read this book.

Each character is a mystery, and yet sympathetic in their own way. Despite the large cast of characters, the story moves along briskly. The interplay between the travelers is the heart of the book, but the author also vividly sketches the world they live in. Even her observational asides tend haunt More...

0 comments like

Dec 07, 2008

Vegantrav rated it:

historical novel set during the time of the Black Death - book is advertised as being similar to the Canterbury Tales; however, it is not remotely like Chaucer's masterpiece - the nine travelers who navigate the English countryside in an attempt to escape the pestilence (as they call the Black Death) do NOT pass the time by regaling themselves with tales - yes, there are a handful of tales within this story, but only about a half-dozen; only a few of the characters actually do tell a tale, but w More...

1 comment like

Jan 17, 2012

Samantha rated it:

Set during the Black Plaque, “Company of Liars” is a book that will be hard to put down. This novel takes you back to the 14th century when many beliefs were based upon superstitions and Christian beliefs. The conflicts between characters are intense and ultimately lead to the groups down fall because the stresses of having to travel with strangers in order to survive, while having secrets to protect catch up to them.
The story is told by a member of the company, Camelot, who embarks on a l More...

0 comments like

Jan 11, 2012

Angela rated it:

This was a book that I had a hard time finishing...I found it very easy to set aside. Perhaps the reason for that was the book's central refrain (in my opnion)--namely, that hope is in vain, evil will win out in the end, and the things we think are innocent (whether people or actions) can in truth be the most malevolent. So trust nothing.

This book is about deception and its costs. But where is the Truth? You can't have a lie without truth, and you can't perceive darkness without More...

0 comments like

Jan 02, 2012

Jennyreadsexcessively rated it:

My favorite History Channel special is The Plague-- always try to catch it when it's on. Ever since Pillars of the Earth and its sequel World Without End, I have been fascinated by all things Medieval. Company of Liars is set in 14th C. England during the terrible years of The Black Death. A group of misfits led by Camelot, a seller of religious relics, travel eastward trying to outrun its destructive path. Each member of the company is hiding a secret and there is a lot of suspense following ea More...

0 comments like

Jul 09, 2011

Hsudonym rated it:

Read this book on a Library Thing recommendation. I did not find it as tedious to get through as others seem to. Characters were both strong and weak in development. I felt that Adela was somewhat too cliche- not much of a backbone, and flat. However, given the main character of Camelot, this may have been on purpose, to highlight the strength of Camelot's character. Zophiel was thoroughly hateful- well developed nastiness that all makes sense when his story unfolds. Cygnus was tragic, and somew More...

0 comments like

Jul 06, 2011

Wolf rated it:

It's a great idea. A company not of pilgrims telling tales to pass the time that illuminates their characters, but a company of disparate refugees from disaster telling stories that simultaneously try to conceal the truth, whilst displaying other aspects of themselves. Research is carefully employed to help recreate the vanished world of the mid-fourteenth century; often grim and dark, often mysterious from a modern perspective - all the more so because this is more of a work of Magical Realism More...

0 comments like

May 30, 2011

Hannah rated it:

Company of Liars : A Novel of the Plague
Karen Maitland
(My first review - please bear with me!)

Company of Liars was a quietly extraordinary book. Four Stars

I have been holding on to Company of Liars by Karen Maitland for a long time, waiting for the right moment to delve into it's grim tale. I started it some time ago, but got so caught up it the gruesome reality of Dark Ages England that I couldn't finish it. Some of the imagery put my off. However, af More...

0 comments like

Apr 16, 2011

Nicola rated it:

Company of Liars, a “novel of the plague”, set in 14th-century England, squanders its interesting milieu with unrelenting misery. Obviously, a pestilence-torn country is unlikely to be all sunshine and puppies, but I am a great believer in balancing darkness with light in fiction. Liars is just endlessly macabre, with no humour, laughter or heartfelt warmth to act as juxtaposition.

Clocking in at a hefty 550 pages, it’s unsurprising that Liars is plodding and overwritten. Worse, the plo More...

0 comments like

Nov 24, 2010

Felice rated it:

The Company of Liars. What a great title. That title tells you to be ready to trust no one. I like that.

This company is a marvelous mix of Canterbury Tales meets The Seventh Seal meets And Then There Were None---or Ten Little Indians. I never know what that book is really supposed to be called. Anyway you get the idea. In 1348 a group of nine travelers brought together by chance and are trying to out run certain death. The Black Plague is everywhere. It will ultimately be responsible More...

0 comments like

Oct 30, 2010

Free rated it:

It's almost a reversal of Chaucer. Instead of going on a pilgrimage to the tomb in Canterbury, they're running away. Instead of telling tales to pass the time, they're being forced to give up their deepest, darkest secrets.

Medieval fiction that's realistic is hard to find, since no one really seems to know anything about what went on back then.

Company of Liars, I imagine, doesn't necessarily reflect what the time period was really like. It's set in the time of the Black Death, with Eur More...

0 comments like

Jun 22, 2009

Meg rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 23, 2010

Linda rated it:

It is 1348 and the Black Plague is racing through England. In a desperate attempt to outrun death a disparate group of travelers band together hoping to make it to the North, away from the cities and ports that have become little more than ghost towns. As they slowly wend their way through the countryside and we get to know each traveler it becomes clear that none of them are what they profess themselves to be and each of them is guarding a closely held secret.

I thoroughly enjoyed th More...

0 comments like

May 19, 2009

ej rated it:

An absolutely wonderful historical novel that not only revolves around history, but also around a riveting mystery that is shocking up until the very end. I highly, highly recommend this book.

I wish I could give this book more than five stars, so: *******************************************************
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0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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