Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
494th out of 3,145 books
—
13,791 voters
Caprice and Rondo (The House of Niccolò #7)
With the bravura storytelling and pungent authenticity of detail she brought to her acclaimed Lymond Chronicles, Dorothy Dunnett, grande dame of the historical novel, presents The House of Niccolò series. The time is the 15th century, when intrepid merchants became the new knighthood of Europe. Among them, none is bolder or more cunning than Nicholas vander Poele of Bruges...more
Paperback, 576 pages
Published
July 27th 1999
by Vintage
(first published May 19th 1998)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,109)
Originally published on my blog here in February 1999.
The seventh Niccolo book starts as his various businesses are trying to recover from the revelation of his activities in Scotland and their probably effect on the country's economy, he himself being exiled from Western Europe on pain of having these activities made public. So he goes to Poland, where he embarks on a life of debauchery until the arrival of his old friend Julius, seeking to set up a business of his own there, distracts him. Aft...more
The seventh Niccolo book starts as his various businesses are trying to recover from the revelation of his activities in Scotland and their probably effect on the country's economy, he himself being exiled from Western Europe on pain of having these activities made public. So he goes to Poland, where he embarks on a life of debauchery until the arrival of his old friend Julius, seeking to set up a business of his own there, distracts him. Aft...more
Nicholas, exiled from his friends and family, can be found carousing through the winter with pirates in the vicinity of Danzig. But when his old companion Julius and his wife Anna settle into town the old Nicholas gradually resurfaces. Julius is the one of his company who unhesitatingly dashes into dangerous hijinks with Nicholas. Two of them in a row become near-deadly, and when the scene clears Nicholas is traveling with Anna into the Crimea.
Much as he loves his wife and son, Nicholas keeps he...more
Much as he loves his wife and son, Nicholas keeps he...more
This gets five stars just for the sheer, bonkers brilliance of it. Caprice and Rondo sees the redemption of Nicholas, and the culmination of the psychological and emotional build-up that's been six books in the making. It's got Dunnett's trademark mix of complex, elliptical prose, political and economic intrigue, and a vast array of characters—but also an array of revelations and intrigues that makes the Lymond books seem almost tame in comparison. The first couple of secrets revealed made my ey...more
‘He had not known, until recently, that love could exist in so many different forms.’
January 1474 finds Nicholas de Fleury in Danzig. There are consequences from his vengeance in Scotland and Nicholas is in hiding. But Nicholas is not the only person at risk, and his need to protect those he feels responsible for including his estranged wife Gelis, their son Jodi, and many of his friends and associates, means that he is soon on the move. There is also a possibility that he may be able to recover...more
January 1474 finds Nicholas de Fleury in Danzig. There are consequences from his vengeance in Scotland and Nicholas is in hiding. But Nicholas is not the only person at risk, and his need to protect those he feels responsible for including his estranged wife Gelis, their son Jodi, and many of his friends and associates, means that he is soon on the move. There is also a possibility that he may be able to recover...more
Niccolo comes back from the brink in a very believable and satisfying way. Dunnett is sometimes over the top but always stimulating and entertaining. But, boy, she kills off a lot of old friends in this one. Only one left in the series, then it will be time to start all over again. (BTW, reading this on my Nook made it so much easier to track characters and events than trying to page through 600+ pages in print.)
This is the seventh volume of The House of Niccolo series. This time, Nicholas travels to eastern Europe and the Crimea, with a brief foray into Persia before returning to Flanders. It's quite the tour de force of plot twists and character interactions. There is both a lot of change and a lot of resolution in this volume. Most importantly, a few of the overarching conflicts and questions of the series get resolved, making it clear that we are heading toward the climax and resolution of the saga....more
I just this minute finished Caprice and Rondo, and all I want to do is run upstairs to my bookshelf and grab the 8th and final book of the series, Gemini, and keep on reading.
C and R was actually the MOST exciting of the books yet. Nicholas finds himself maneuvering against a hidden enemy, someone who is not what they seem...someone who endangers his whole family and everyone he loves. Nicholas also learns some secrets about how he was separated from his family, the de Fleury's, that help him ma...more
C and R was actually the MOST exciting of the books yet. Nicholas finds himself maneuvering against a hidden enemy, someone who is not what they seem...someone who endangers his whole family and everyone he loves. Nicholas also learns some secrets about how he was separated from his family, the de Fleury's, that help him ma...more
7/8 of the way through the series, and I'm (a) very addicted and (b) sad that there is only 1 book left. Nicolaus continues to be an interesting and complex character, and his supporting cast is very interesting. This book has less natural beauty than the previous few, but the interpersonal relationships make up for it.
Dunnett hasn't quite finished the story yet, but appears to be running short on villains, so here is a "You what?" villain for your entertainment. 1 book to go in the series. Rated M for adult themes, moderate war violence and moderate coarse language. 3/5
Ok in comparison with much historical fiction out there, this really is much better than a three-star novel but when compared to other Dunnett novels, I really do think this series had one book too many for reasons I will develop later -- when I have the time. I found the whole Adelina story line rather unnecessary.
My least favorite of this incredible series, but that's probably because it was mostly about tying up a bunch of story lines and setting the stage for the finale final book. (Which I'm saving for my real honeymoon).
I'm still loving this series, even seven books in! Stayed up late last night because the last 100 pages of each of them is too full of important events to set down!
Nicolo gets to Poland, Persia, and Russia in this installment of his travels throughout the known world of the 15th century.
Nicholas redeemed. I did see the Anna bit coming, but that just added to the suspense. And the ending...oh, goodness.
Wow! Things are becoming clearer.
Another superb historical drama.
Beautifully written and fabulous with characters to die for.
In this volume we have the redemption of Niccolo from the worst period of his life. Niccolo is a fascinating character, brash, mysterious, nearly unlikeable despite his charm, and his self-effacing silliness that makes him let people assume the worst about him without correction. Yet he is legendary with his luck, his amazing abilities and his physical stature. This volume ends with Niccolo changed but the world around him changing even more dramatically.
Maybe my favorite of the series. Nicholas is such a fascinating character. It was so satisfying to see him mature as an individual, and finally begin to realize the kind of relationships that he has always had/needed. It has been hard to watch such an incredibly gifted character exemplify such self-destruction, through undisciplined mania. I'm so excited to jump into the next and final installment of the series.
As good as usual. and now only one more to go. I feel as though Nicholas and Gelis, et al are part of my life.
The Lymond Chronicles is a tighter, more riveting and satisfying series. The House of Niccolo is raw and messily complex and the characters are deeply flawed. In most of the books that's been frustrating. In this one it made the story richer.
The last of the long, long journey that is the Niccolo novels lives up to the best of the rest. I loved the whole saga, being a great lover of historical fiction, but I must say I'm glad to have finished reading a 7-volume series!
these two series by dorothy dunnett are my absolute favorite. nothing different to say about them; together, they will take you off the planet for a full summer and just might re-direct your life, as they did mine.
The last hundred pages upped my review from 4 to 5 stars. Nicholas is too intriguing a character to deserve anything less.
Reread for the third time. Still amazing, though I think it might seem slow if you don't know what it's building up to.
Book 7, or the redemption of Niccolo ... Brilliant, and it just keeps getting better.
Definitely more enjoyable than the two books preceding it. One more to go, yay.
The series finale. It was great, but I hated to see it end.
Brilliant.
May 21, 2013
Catherine
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Dorothy Dunnett OBE was a Scottish historical novelist. She is best known for her six-part series about Francis Crawford of Lymond, The Lymond Chronicles, which she followed with the eight-part prequel The House of Niccolò. She also wrote a novel about the real Macbeth called King Hereafter (1982), and a series of mystery novels centred around Johnson Johnson, a portrait painter/spy.
Excerpted from...more
More about Dorothy Dunnett...
Excerpted from...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
Oct 02, 2010 12:42am