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8th out of 39 books
—
36 voters
Music and Silence
by
Rose Tremain
Set in seventeenth-century Denmark, Rose Tremain's dazzling, prize-winning tale is a pungently atmospheric, richly provocative, and masterfully orchestrated romance of point and counterpoint: loyalty and deception...tenderness and violence...community and alienation...peace and conflict...Music & Silence. Peter Claire is an English lutenist summoned to Denmark to join...more
Paperback, 512 pages
Published
May 1st 2001
by Washington Square Press
(first published 1999)
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Due to my unreasonable irritability the author's reversal of the historical relationship between Christian IV and his mother over money and the bizarre invention of having the Danes ask the Russians for mining experts to help them develop silver mines in Norway but who are eaten by wolves on their way there, (the Russians had no expertise in silver mining in the 17th century) leave me feeling negative overall about this book.
Should you not be prone to the same character faults as myself you coul...more
Should you not be prone to the same character faults as myself you coul...more
2003- Peter Claire travels in 1629 from England to Denmark to be part of King Christian IV's orchestra. Swirling around him are tons of stories, and at least 12+ different viewpoints are used in the book, each showing the differences of how people's age, sex and status makes them view events. King Christian and his wife Kirsten's marriage is on the rocks, the country of Denmark is almost broke, and Peter and his love Emilia are kept away from each other. We also see the stories of how King Chris...more
I am a late convert to Rose Tremain's writing - and what beautiful writing it is. Having suffered through some appalling novels of late, it was wonderful to have this novel remind me that there are still some very talented authors out there!
It took me a little while to get used to the episodic nature of this novel - more pronounced than in 'Restoration'- but I found myself engaged by the characters and their stories (even the appalling Kirsten!) and intrigued by the narrative. At times the novel...more
It took me a little while to get used to the episodic nature of this novel - more pronounced than in 'Restoration'- but I found myself engaged by the characters and their stories (even the appalling Kirsten!) and intrigued by the narrative. At times the novel...more
I read a review in this week's New Yorker on a new Tremaine book that praised her older work, so I went to the library and got Music & Silence, which has a Whitbread Award. It concerns a lute player and his misadventures in 17th C Denmark. Sadly for me, it's written in that faux archaic style which some authors think emulates the time they are writing about, and I find it cloying. How does she know people talked like that? To add to my chagrin, the characters seem to be either saints or depr...more
Interview with Rose Tremain for Russian Mass Media by Elaine Karpos-Dedukhina
Хочу успеть сделать еще многое, до того
КАК УСКОРЕНИЕ ВЫЙДЕТ ИЗ-ПОД МОЕГО КОНТРОЛЯ
ИНТЕРВЬЮ: РОУЗ ТРЕМЕЙН, автор романов "Музыка и Тишина", "Дорога к Дому", "Реставрация" и др.
Елена Дедюхина: Много лет Вы преподавали на литературных курсах Университета Восточной Англии. Среди Ваших учеников ныне всемирно известные писатели: Эндрю Миллер, Трейси Шевалье, Мик Джексон, Эрика Вагнер…
Роуз Тремейн: Я горжусь успехами этих п...more
Хочу успеть сделать еще многое, до того
КАК УСКОРЕНИЕ ВЫЙДЕТ ИЗ-ПОД МОЕГО КОНТРОЛЯ
ИНТЕРВЬЮ: РОУЗ ТРЕМЕЙН, автор романов "Музыка и Тишина", "Дорога к Дому", "Реставрация" и др.
Елена Дедюхина: Много лет Вы преподавали на литературных курсах Университета Восточной Англии. Среди Ваших учеников ныне всемирно известные писатели: Эндрю Миллер, Трейси Шевалье, Мик Джексон, Эрика Вагнер…
Роуз Тремейн: Я горжусь успехами этих п...more
Music & Silence was an enjoyable read overall, although the English teacher in me can't help but search for deeper meanings.
It follows a whole range of characters in the court of King Chrisitian IV of Denmark, and is very loosely based on historical facts. Although it's an historical novel the characters and the language come across as quite modern, and there is a wicked vein of humour that runs through the novel. That said though the ending is very conventional - the two respectable couple...more
It follows a whole range of characters in the court of King Chrisitian IV of Denmark, and is very loosely based on historical facts. Although it's an historical novel the characters and the language come across as quite modern, and there is a wicked vein of humour that runs through the novel. That said though the ending is very conventional - the two respectable couple...more
The research Tremain must have done for this book is astounding but it never shows. I heard an interview with her on Woman's Hour recently (about her new novel, Merivel, A Man of his Time) in which she quoted Rudyard Kipling's attitude to research. He said (I'm paraphrasing) that you should build up your research the way you build up a fire but when you're actually writing a book you should merely riddle that fire ... and Tremain is a past mistress of that. I loved this book. It has so many stor...more
In’t kort: Denemarken, 1629. Peter Claire, een Engelse luitspeler, komt aan op het Deense hof, waar hij al snel de vertrouweling wordt van koning Christiaan IV. Peter wordt verliefd op Emilia, de steun en toeverlaat van de koningin. Koning en koningin kunnen echter niet meer met elkaar doorheen dezelfde deur. Hoe kan Peter de weg vinden die zijn dromen werkelijkheid doet worden en zijn ziel zal redden als zijn loyaliteiten zo fataal verdeeld zijn ?
Mijn oordeel: dit boek werd mij in de handen ged...more
Mijn oordeel: dit boek werd mij in de handen ged...more
Wow, this was an interesting read, if a bit heavy at times. It's about two years in the middle of the reign of the most popular Danish king, Christian IV, namely of the time when he finally got fed up with the antics of his morganatic wife Kirsten Munk and sent her away. I'm ashamed to admit I didn't know anything about the historical figures mentioned in the book (apart from Dowland), so I had to check some stuff when I finished, which was about 10 minutes ago.
The book is very long, and has lot...more
The book is very long, and has lot...more
Jan 26, 2008
Bre Droptiny
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
history lovers. romantic fantatics, music lovers
This is the story of a Danish king, his rogue queen and his musicians and their loves in the middle ages. This book is written in choppy paragraphs jumping back and forth in time with lots of detail and interesting tidbits about life in that time period. The modern writing style made it very refreshing to read.
The skill with which the various strands of this story are interwoven is extraordinary. It paints a fascinating picture of life and politics in Denmark in the 17th century, as well as it's relationships with other European countries. The story itself took me a little while to become absorbed by, and every so often some of the liberties taken with coincidence struck me as being more typical of the short cuts movies take than those you expect in a sophisticated novel. Nevertheless, by the end I wa...more
Liked it. Read all 601 pages in 2 days flat. I decided to read more recent novels by women (though not chick lit - not my thing) -- Rose Tremain was one inspiration in this. After I saw Restoration (film version) I decided that epic stories could be interesting all over again even after reading so many written by men throughout the ages. A few exceptions aside, they all seemed like written by the same self-important mind after a while....
I was yearning for real insights into humanity and relatio...more
I was yearning for real insights into humanity and relatio...more
A splendid read. I always love Rose Tremain's novels, but this has to be my absolute favourite and I'm not in the least surprised that it won the Whitbread Novel Award in 1999.
Set in the court of King Christian IV of Denmark (which, for non-historians, is when Charles I occupied the English throne), Tremain seems to almost physically transport one to the time period. She moves between a large number of characters, most of whom have the chance to share their innermost thoughts and feelings with t...more
Set in the court of King Christian IV of Denmark (which, for non-historians, is when Charles I occupied the English throne), Tremain seems to almost physically transport one to the time period. She moves between a large number of characters, most of whom have the chance to share their innermost thoughts and feelings with t...more
Set in 17th century Denmark at the court of Christian the 4th, this book reminds me of a fairy tale by Hans Andersen, for it is full of magic and wonder. The writing is lovely, except for the sections in which certain characters revel in some rather sordid sexual antics. The writing, though, fits the characters and events. There are several witches, a king, the good girl, the hero -- even a boy who works wonders. They are all larger than life -- another element that adds to the feeling of fairyt...more
This book is about Denmark in the late 1600's and the lives of the King and several key characters connected to the court. If you like challenging, historical fiction, this might be a good book to try.
Although I thought this book was beautifully written, I was relieved when I finished it. Just as though I was watching a play (e.g. Hamlet would be a good comparison to this book), I felt that there was some strange barrier between the reader and the characters. While I found the story interesting...more
Although I thought this book was beautifully written, I was relieved when I finished it. Just as though I was watching a play (e.g. Hamlet would be a good comparison to this book), I felt that there was some strange barrier between the reader and the characters. While I found the story interesting...more
I found this book was a real struggle - possibly because I didn't empathise with any of the characters. The detail was incredibly intricate and Tremain covers a lot of ground. The two central stories - of King Christian's twin struggles over his political and personal life, and the thwarted romance between Peter and Emilia - are interesting. However I some of the sub-plots added so much superfluous detail and background that I was getting distracted and confused at times about the main narrative...more
Dec 23, 2009
penelopewanders
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
rings-rays-loans-traded,
historical-romance
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Music & Silence is beautifully written. Though the plot is relatively simple, it becomes suspenseful towards the end. There is a feeling of disconnect from the characters, perhaps due to the prose style itself or the historical era. The other character that the reader seems to fully get to know is Kirsten. The character of Christian IV is kept at a distance, almost King Arthur like. This is not wholly surprising considering the historical background for the story and who the actual people r...more
Loved it..couldnt put it down. I love the way its written from different perspectives and jumps back in time so you gradually learn more about the characters backrounds and connections. Im not a massive fan of alot of Historical fiction, preferring to read the real thing. For example - Alison Weirs or Antonia Frasers biographies of European Royals are as gripping as any fiction with plots counter-plots intrigue and sumptous detail, why would you need a weak inaccurate story built around the same...more
One of my favorite Tremain offerings. I've found most any of hers are worth the time but I loved the period setting here.
A wonderfully woven tapestry of differnt lives weaved together. Years later, I still think about these characters.
Beautifully written and evocative. Almost lyrical historical fiction.
May 06, 2009
Murray
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those who like to get their teeth into history
Shelves:
historical,
novel
This is a darker novel than Restoration which I read a little while earlier. The action commences in 1629 in the court of the King of Denmark, where the King is coping with a fairly public cuckolding. He seeks solace in music and the events of this tale involves Peter Claire, a talented lute player. The King has his orchestra in a very cold room below his audience chamber so the music occurs, at least for the courtiers, as if by magic.
As with all Tremains books there is nothing wasted in her wri...more
As with all Tremains books there is nothing wasted in her wri...more
Peter Clair, a young English lute player, arrives in Copenhagen in 1629 to play in the orchestra in the court of King Christian IV. Because of his good looks, Christian IV declares Peter “his angel” and treats him as a favorite. Before long, Peter meets and falls in love with Emilia, the favorite maid of Kirsten, Christian IV’s second wife. Kirsten is insecure and therefore highly controlling, and after her husband discovers Kirsten’s affair with a German officer, he divorces her and she leaves...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I liked this book very very much. It is set in the time of King Christian IV of Denmark in the 1630's when a young lutenist from England, Peter Claire, joins the King's orchestra. The setting follows the historical facts regarding the King's early life, his private marriage to Kirsten Munk, her adultry with a German officer, and the subsequent drama. I found the story delightful; it is oddball and magical, gothic, strange and lovely. The characters were fully believable to me, very three-dimensi...more
I found this book a bit hard to get into, but once I was, I found it hard to put down.
This is a wonderful historical novel set in the early 1600's in Denmark. King Christian IV is a decent king (as a result of his boyhood) with growing concerns (perhaps somewhat paranoid) about the financial state of his kingdom. He lives with his ghastly adulterous wife Kirsten, and retreats from his daily miseries in his chamber music. His musicians are the finest in Europe and they must play for him at will...more
This is a wonderful historical novel set in the early 1600's in Denmark. King Christian IV is a decent king (as a result of his boyhood) with growing concerns (perhaps somewhat paranoid) about the financial state of his kingdom. He lives with his ghastly adulterous wife Kirsten, and retreats from his daily miseries in his chamber music. His musicians are the finest in Europe and they must play for him at will...more
Story of royal love-lives with Danish history background.
As this was kind of compulsory reading for the subject in my university, I was forced to look at it from the different angle comparing with how I would interpret this book reading it on myself. To be completely honest, I would not have chosen it and, if by some chance of the destiny it fell right into my hands, I wouldn't read it. This is just an honest confession what, nonetheless, does not give any judgement of the book.
Despite the main...more
As this was kind of compulsory reading for the subject in my university, I was forced to look at it from the different angle comparing with how I would interpret this book reading it on myself. To be completely honest, I would not have chosen it and, if by some chance of the destiny it fell right into my hands, I wouldn't read it. This is just an honest confession what, nonetheless, does not give any judgement of the book.
Despite the main...more
A wee bit of upstairs downstairs in 1600's Denmark, with a king, a pseudo queen, a lutenist, a maid, a widow, and various other characters whose lives intertwine while Denmark goes bankrupt. If this were Downton Abbey, the characters would be thus:
King Christian IV: Earl Of Grantham, desperately trying to keep his house (and country) in order. Many sleepless nights soothed by music, noble conversation and starched clothing.
Kirsten, title-hungry second wife of King Christian: A mix of O'Brien, th...more
King Christian IV: Earl Of Grantham, desperately trying to keep his house (and country) in order. Many sleepless nights soothed by music, noble conversation and starched clothing.
Kirsten, title-hungry second wife of King Christian: A mix of O'Brien, th...more
“Music and Silence” by Rose Tremain was recommended to me as a superb example of a multi-voiced novel.
This is a long book (+450 pages), superbly written in a lyrical prose style. Set in 17th century Denmark, it’s well-researched and brilliantly conveys what life must have been like in that time. In addition, it cleverly hints at correlations between that corrupt world and today’s world.
From the historical King Christian IV of Denmark to the fictitious English lutenist, Peter Claire, the charact...more
This is a long book (+450 pages), superbly written in a lyrical prose style. Set in 17th century Denmark, it’s well-researched and brilliantly conveys what life must have been like in that time. In addition, it cleverly hints at correlations between that corrupt world and today’s world.
From the historical King Christian IV of Denmark to the fictitious English lutenist, Peter Claire, the charact...more
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Rose Tremain is the author of fifteen works of fiction, including The Road Home, winner of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, and Restoration, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. She lives in Norfolk and north London.
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“And she did not want him to think her quite mad, only a little unique, only containing within her just that measure of the unexpected sufficient to make her irreplaceable.”
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Oct 08, 2012 07:16am