Present Books Conducive To A Wayside Tavern
Original Title: | A Wayside Tavern |
ISBN: | 0449201406 (ISBN13: 9780449201404) |
Edition Language: | English |
Norah Lofts
Mass Market Paperback | Pages: 368 pages Rating: 4.19 | 270 Users | 43 Reviews
Point Regarding Books A Wayside Tavern
Title | : | A Wayside Tavern |
Author | : | Norah Lofts |
Book Format | : | Mass Market Paperback |
Book Edition | : | First Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 368 pages |
Published | : | July 12th 1983 by Fawcett (first published 1980) |
Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Romance. Historical Romance |
Relation As Books A Wayside Tavern
A Wayside Tavern tells, in a series of dramatic incidents, the story of a Suffolk drinking place from the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, until the present day. The Roman veteran, crippled and left behind, worshipped Mithras, so the place became known as the One Bull and down through the centuries it accommodated itself to changing times and became a clearing house for contraband, a miniature Hell Fire Club, a fashionable hotel, a mere pub.Rating Regarding Books A Wayside Tavern
Ratings: 4.19 From 270 Users | 43 ReviewsJudge Regarding Books A Wayside Tavern
Well what can I say. I feel like the reader who couldn't decide to give Gone with the wind fives stars or none.I was looking for historical fiction and this was recommended. It spans the life of an inn from about 340 ad to 1975.From its humble beginnings as a deserted romano inn left to a sick slave girl recovering from a still birth practically walled in, and a wounded retreating Roman soldier right up the the last generation who take it on.The characters all the way down are the same familyHow Lofts uses place (a house, a priory, and here a tavern) to weave spell-binding stories of multi-faceted characters while also seamlessly imparting centuries of England's history is magical. When I finish one her books, I often seek out non-fiction works dealing with the periods that book covered. She is the invisible teacher provoking the student (reader) to learn more. "A Wayside Tavern" spans 1,600 years in the life of one family's tavern--from the retreat of the Romans in the 4th century
This book is one of the very last that Lofts wrote. And it is long in page count for her "house" books. But it starts in the 4th century with the Roman's camp in Mala, Britain- so there is much of dozens of generations to tell. And Paulus, the first character in this book, IMHO, is one of the best characterizations that Lofts ever did. Down to his donning his helmet and cape at his final reveal.It's filled with memorable characters from the most ambitious to the least changeable and for every
Paulus, a crippled Roman soldier deserted by his legion at the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, and Gilda, a former slave girl - dedicate a wine shop with a mosaic-patterned floor to Mithras - the god whom the soldier worships. So it was from such humble beginnings that the 'One Bull at Mallow' was born. Yet, from the fourth century right down to present-day Suffolk, the building has remained in the hands of one particular family, known as the Gildersons. And, through the years the
Despite a salacious cover in the thumbnail of some editions (the edition I read was a bit less mills n boon in the cover art than some others) it was quite a good read. A definite forerunner to Edward Rutherford's historical novels which are about a place or family through the ages. I preferred this as with Rutherford's there was too much unrealistic repetition of events and or family traits, although both are well written otherwise. The author covers the history of a tavern and the Gildersons
== Too disjointed and distracting to be a substantive novel == This novel is comprised of many short stories all of which revolve around One Bull, a wayside tavern. The time period covered by the novel extends from the fourth centurywhen the last of the Romans left Britain and it was being invaded by Jutes, Angles and Saxonstill the twentieth century. The book is divided into six sections, most of which are further divided into several chapters some of which follow each other without a time gap;
It is not a fast paced book but goes through the many family members who owned the inn. Its a very good historical novel and is quite detailed in many respects but jumps over the years and the people quickly. I have enjoyed the book and am glad that you can put it down and go Back to it easily as it changes time periods.
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