I wasn't sure I liked this at the beginning; it seemed very stilted but as I got to know the narrator who is male, (which is refreshing for a female author as they are not as common as a female voice) I realised that the stilted style was the whole point. There are touches of humour ('As for me I stayed in my study, where I had sherry for nourishment and brandy for sustenance.' -Though this is also meant to give a reason/excuse for the behaviour which follwed.)



You feel conflicting emotions for NVT. He's a man of the times (and maybe his age-group) as open as he probably can be given his nature. The terms of the marriage are typical of the time; women were the property of their father and of then of their husband, hence being 'given away' in Church by the bride's father.



NVT definitely parses those letter,s as a dry academic might, in one of the sections. His reforms of the college are quite surprising given his conservative nature. There's also the question of the alleged plagarism. Did he, or didn't he? We already know by the end of the book that he's open to immoral actions if it gets him what he wants.



This would be a great book club read; lots to think about and discuss. (I haven't written so much about a book for ages...) It's a carefully thought out and well written novel. It's one of my favourites of Shreve's books.