Monthly Group Reads: JUNE 2012 (Group Read 2): Inquisition by Alfredo Colitto

[Silver]

I have to say I always find it fascinating reading about various different medical procedures that were used in these times (and other historical periods). In some ways it can be quite brutal and gruesome, but in other ways I think it is amazing just how much they did understand, and in many cases they did have an acute perception they simply lacked the ability to treat it effectively. And in other cases some of the things they did were simply ridiculous.

I found the operation performed on Hugues de Narbonne quite interesting, and did a google search on trepan, and there were some rather interesting images and illustrations.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I found it fascinating too. Especially the genital hernia operation, it was hernia right?
I thought Colitto did some good research on these early medical practices and included them in the story well. It was one of the reasons I wanted to give the book more than 3 stars. For the historical research he did which in turn taught me many things about medicine and treatments, amoung other things, in medieval Italy.

I imagine you would find some disturbing images for trepanning online. Some gruesome ones I am sure.
It sure has been around a long time and I know archaeologists have found many a skull with evidence of early trepanning practices.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I see Dawn slammed down a one star on this baby. LOL!!!

Epic fail for Dawn. :D

[Jarrod]

Ouch, that's a bit harsh.

[Dawn]

And here I was trying to be all quiet about it...... :D

I haven't managed to write my review yet but it was the characters and the alchemy that put me off. I didn't mind the mystery but it wasn't that good either and the writing was a tad heavy-handed and melodramatic.
What really killed it was that I found it boring.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Lol. :-) merciless!!

I had a feeling it may not be for her as she didn't like Dissolution and I felt it had a similar feel. Only Dissolution, in my opinion, was done ten times better.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Dawn wrote: "And here I was trying to be all quiet about it...... :D

I haven't managed to write my review yet but it was the characters and the alchemy that put me off. I didn't mind the mystery but it wasn't ..."

I totally busted you. :-) I was looking at the book in the groups shelves..scrolling down the list of people , checking out their ratings and....what's this..O_O....Dawn...1 star......I had quite the giggle.

[Dawn]

Mean, you are mean. :)

Ah well, at least I don't have to avoid this thread anymore. :)

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Nope. Your secret is out! :D

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I think..Tasha is the last member reading this June group read. Tasha?

[Silver]

I am still working on it. Haven't quite finished yet, so I was saving my comments for when I reached the end.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Oh hi Silver, :) I didn't realise you were still going.

[Tasha]

Just started at night. I'm enjoying it so far!

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

It is one of those books that I feel you can tell was originally written in another language..and yet, I kind of like that 'translation feel'. I like the exoticness of feeling that a book I am reading was originally written in a beautiful language like Italian.

Can you tell it is a translation, Tasha?

[Tasha]

I was actually thinking the same thing. I can tell and I have been wondering what it might be like in the original language.

[Simona]

Actually I think that language is one of the very good things of the book.
Characters, instead, felt a bit flat...

[Tasha]

I agree Simona, every once in a while I can tell but generally the translation seems just fine. It's just every once in a while that i get a thought of 'i wonder how this sounds in it's original language?' because it flows or sounds a bit off. I didn't get to read much last night before I got too sleepy. Will try again today. :)

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Tasha wrote: "I agree Simona, every once in a while I can tell but generally the translation seems just fine. It's just every once in a while that i get a thought of 'i wonder how this sounds in it's original la..."

Yes, this is exactly how I felt too. Sometimes the sentence structure will seem out of character with the writing. It will seem a little simplistic and yet it is not all simplistic, it comes and goes, and this is where I often think the translation comes into play. And so I couldn't be critical because I knew I was not reading the original. It actually made me feel whimsical sometimes. Knowing that these simple sentences may be the result of translation from Italian. It gave the book it's exotic feel for me.Helped transport me to Bologna, Italy.

Books that have been translated a million times, such as The Count of Monte Cristo are missing that feel. When a book is written in a language that is not english, I like to feel that this is the case. So, I liked the rawness of inquistion.

[Tasha]

I'm enjoying this one. I'm having to read it in bits and pieces because these summer weeks have been very busy but enjoying those moments I squeeze it in. I like the little cliff hangers at the end of these last few chapters.

[Darcy]

I actually likes this one. It probably helped that I figured out the culprit early on. I tend to treat translations differently, because what is missing often are known cultural idioms that tend to get missed.

(view spoiler)[ I must say that it is a quite long winded way of approaching a current issue through the medieval period. It seems a warning to scientists, that in there discoveries of anatomy and how we can fool with it, one must take a step back and assess one's reponsabilities when holding such knowledge (hide spoiler)].

I did wonder though if this is not part of a series. It felt like the second or third book of one to me.

[Simona]

It is the first book in a series of three. The other two are actually better, in my opinion, but I don't know if they have been translated yet.

[Tasha]

I haven't finished the book but at this point, if the other books in the series become translated, I think I'll seek them out.

[Darcy]

I would as well.

[Andy]

Late on parade here but have to say I really enjoyed it, felt transported back to Bologna C1313 & that's the crux of a good h/f read for me. The mystery also had me floundering as to whodunnit & even when revealed before the end I had to read on to establish the howdunnit which was as much the mystery as the crime itself.

Characters weren't perhaps as evolved as they could have been esp the Templers involved but still the landscape more than made up for it & you can always blame the translation for some of it.

All good here with a clear 4 stars & has sneaked into my current top 10 reads for 2015