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Sto caricando le informazioni... Conrad Monk and the Great Heathen Armydi Edoardo Albert
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Conrad is a monk, but he has become a monk through trickery and against his will. So, it is fair to say that his heart isn't really in it. Conrad is also clever, charming, entirely self-serving, self-absorbed and almost completely without scruple -- but in Anglo-Saxon England, when the Danish invaders come calling, those are very helpful attributes to have. And so it comes to pass that Conrad finds himself constantly dodging death by various means, some reasonable, some... less so. His tricks include selling his brother monks into slavery, witnessing the death of a king, juggling his loyalties between his own people and the Danes, robbing corpses and impersonating a bishop. By his side throughout is the gentle and honourable Brother Odo, a man so naturally and completely good that even animals sense it. He is no match of wits for the cunning Conrad but can he, perhaps, at least encourage the wayward monk to behave a little better? Conrad Monk and the Great Heathen Army takes the reader on a hugely entertaining and highly informative trip through the Anglo-Saxon world, in the company of a persuasive and likeable -- if frequently despicable -- tour guide. It is a story that combines painstakingly accurate depictions of history with a fast-moving and often hilarious plot, and as such is bound to appeal to lovers of history, historical fiction and character-driven fiction alike. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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The travails of an opportunistic monk with a chequered past who rises in the church through lies, misdeeds and an eye for personal advantage. Conrad is a despicable rogue. A knave, whose rapid rise to importance is owed to his incredible self seeking antenna geared towards his own survival, his silver tongue and ability to turn dross into gold, metaphorically speaking.
When the marauding Danes come to call, Conrad looks firstly towards his own survival (most often at the expense of others), and then to lining his own pockets with a share of the loot.
His Machiavellian machinations made my head swim, let alone those he was shafting. He's accompanied by Brother Odo, a gentle foil to Conrad, without artifice who seems to survive all by the grace of God. I am never sure if Conrad's success is ultimately owed to some cosmic joke being played on him, or the otherness of the devout Odo.
A tongue in cheek, hilarious march through Anglo Saxon England, with a not so loveable rogue and his innocent sidekick.
History should always be this enjoyable.
A NetGalley ARC ( )