Tombland

Although I devoured all the previous books in this series, the length of this one made me postpone reading it for a couple of years. So often of late it seems that successful authors become self-indulgent, extending and expanding their stories in ways that really don't make them any better, just longer. Perhaps their editors are cowed by the authors' previous successes and disinclined to suggest that shorter can be better?

Would that be the case with Tombland? Any series reader should go into this volume with a baseline anticipation of the rich details of religion, life and politics in the 16th century that underlie all the Shardlake books. But although each previous book was longer than the one before, none came close to 880 pages!

As show more it happens, in this book Sansom's goal is not only to write an intriguing mystery in a distinctive setting, but to share with readers his interpretation of the Robert Kett Rebellion of 1549. Not as well known as Wat Tyler's rebellion of 1381, in recent decades the events and causes of this uprising have been explored in new detail, much of which Sansom works into his story. In his typical fashion (fans of the series might be put in mind of the royal progress to York in [b:Sovereign|138684|Sovereign (Matthew Shardlake, #3)|C.J. Sansom|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440215651l/138684._SY75_.jpg|1698960]) he imagines what daily life in the camp of thousands of impoverished and indignant rebels outside of Norwich might have been like. All this is rooted in meticulous research, which he recounts for us in an extended essay that follows the end of the book.

I'm happy to report that although I continuously assessed, as I read, whether the book could have been as good had this-or-that section been deleted, the answer was always "no". The interplay of characters and events was so complete that eliminating any would have diminished the texture or the plot - or both. Sansom also does a masterful job of integrating characters who remained in London with the events in Norwich; little detail, but occasional communications that, whether or not they were successful, kept the connections intact. Most importantly, the story continually moved forward, paralleling the real life events of that summer.

The story also resonated with me as a comparison with the contemporary American culture and economy. There are still so many reasons for those at the bottom of the ladder to cry foul. True, the parallels aren't exact. The yeoman class, situated between the landless laborers and the gentry, was actually growing during Tudor times, where our middle class is now stagnant. But the most affluent among us increase in wealth, often with the government's assistance, and the numbers of the poor have become even greater during the pandemic.

Oh, by the way, despite the fact that the murder mystery takes a back seat to the rebellion in [b:Tombland|40095725|Tombland (Matthew Shardlake, #7)|C.J. Sansom|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526558444l/40095725._SY75_.jpg|62146274], it's still a worthy tale, replete with suspects and motivations. As always, Steven Crossley provides excellent narration. show less

Sansom has covered a little-known chapter in the history of Tudor England in this book. In the author's note he says "The seismic events of the 1549 English rebellions are surprisingly little known, but Tombland is based on the known evidence, and the huge camp on Mousehold Heath actually existed." So it's not just because I wasn't paying attention in Grade 9 History that I knew nothing about the rebellions that took place during Edward VII's reign.

Shardlake has been acting on behalf of Lady Elizabeth (Anne Boleyn's daughter) since the death of Henry VIII. Henry left both his daughters substantial legacies and they have been buying up property around the country to invest the inheritance. As a lawyer Shardlake has been obtaining show more conveyances of land on Elizabeth's behalf. However when he is called to her country house it is for a different reason; a relative of Anne Boleyn's in Norfolk has been charged with murdering his wife and Elizabeth wants Shardlake to investigate. This means a long journey to Norwich before the summer assizes to determine if John Boleyn was guilty of murder. However the laws at the time meant that Shardlake could not appear in court on Boleyn's behalf. It was up to Boleyn to present any evidence Shardlake might turn up. Elizabeth also gave Shardlake a request for a pardon which she requested Shardlake present if Boleyn was convicted. Thus Shardlake, his assistant Nicholas and a Norfolk native of Boleyn's original lawyer nose around Norwich and the surrounding area. Shardlake does find some evidence which seems to cast doubt on Boleyn's guilt but he is found guilty at trial and is sentenced to die by hanging the next day. Shardlake lodges Elizabeth's pardon request (it was not uncommon apparently for people found guilty to be pardoned if they had enough money; another character in the book, Sir Richard Southwell, had killed a man years earlier and received a pardon enabling him to rise to a prominent position at court) and is astonished the next day when he sees Boleyn being taken to the gallows. He and Nicholas manage to prevent the hanging and Boleyn was returned to jail. Shardlake was injured in this attempt and had to stay in bed for some days after. Meanwhile rebellions among the lower classes had started to spring up in other parts of England and Shardlake overhears a conversation at a pub that makes him think one will take place in Norfolk. Before he is fully recovered the rebellions start. The prime reason for the uprising is the landlords taking over common lands to graze their sheep, a system called enclosures, which deprived the lower classes from pasture for their few cattle and sheep. Shardlake and his companions, including Barak who is now working for the assize judges, have the bad luck to be caught up in one enclosure rebellion led by the Ketts from Wymondham. The Ketts are loyal subjects but want the King (or his Protector Lord Somerset) to follow through on promises to send commissions to investigate the enclosures. They establish a camp just outside of Norwich on Mousehold Heath to make their demands known. William Kett asks Shardlake to assist him at trials of landlords that will be conducted at Mousehold until the commissions appear. Shardlake agrees in the first place because he thinks he may be able to ensure the rules of justice are followed. Later he becomes convinced that the group's grievances are valid and the King's response unsatisfactory.

Sansom devotes much of the book to describing conditions in the camp and the stories of the people who lived there. The class system at the time treated anyone who was not a "gentleman" with inequity and contempt. This treatment was exacerbated in the year of 1549 by galloping inflation due to the Tudors mismanagement of the monetary system to finance their wars and by a poor harvest year. Small wonder the lower classes thought they had nothing to lose by rebelling. In a way it reminds me of the conditions in Winnipeg 100 years ago when the working class staged the Winnipeg General Strike. Both actions were put down and leaders punished but they had a long-lasting effect of improving rights later on. I think this is one of Sansom's best books and that is saying something because I have loved all of them. show less

Set in 1549, Tombland by C.J. Sansom is the 7th in the Matthew Shardlake series of historical fiction novels but can easily be read as a standalone. Shardlake is asked by the Lady Elizabeth (yep, the yet to be crowned Elizabeth I) to investigate the murder of a distant relative.

Matthew Shardlake is a hunchbacked lawyer and is investigating the murder with his assistant and friend when they're caught up in the peasant rebellion in Norwich. Being of the gentlemen class they're taken captive and need to use their wits to stay alive.

I didn't know anything about this country-wide peasant rebellion led by Robert Kett during the time of Edward VI, 2 years after the death of Henry VIII. I learned that the rebels sought to overthrow the show more landlords and address their unlawful and unjust practices and at the end of the novel, Sansom writes that it was a "colossal event that has been much underplayed." Page 806

Tombland is a chunkster of a book coming in at 866 pages, but with the last 66 pages containing an essay, acknowledgements, end notes and bibliography this was an enduring but rewarding book. The writing is excellent, the history and characterisation was top notch and I enjoyed the dialogue immensely. Here's an example:
"God's pestilence, lad, how on earth should I know? I have no idea." Page 34
The cursing was amusing, with contributions like: "God's bones", "God's blood" and "shut your clack box." That one was so immediately evocative and amusing, it's stayed with me. Shardlake is a memorable character too, his condition and how it is perceived in the mid 1500s as well as how the lifestyle of the period impacts his health was infinitely interesting.

My advice? Don't let the size of Tombland by C.J. Sansom put you off picking this one up. It was a 5 star read for me the entire way and I came to think of it alongside the ilk of Ken Follett.

Highly recommended.

* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan * show less

It is 1549 in "Tombland," C. J. Sansom's seventh book in his Matthew Shardlake series. Henry the Eighth has died and his son, eleven-year-old Edward the Sixth, is too young to take the throne. Instead, the boy's uncle, the Duke of Somerset, becomes the country's Protector at a tumultuous time in British history. Many of the problems that unsettle us today also plagued sixteenth century England: religious intolerance; political corruption; income inequality; futile and expensive wars; and insurrections. Shardlake is a lawyer whose comfortable life is upended when Elizabeth, the fifteen-year-old daughter of Henry the Eighth and the late Anne Boleyn, orders Matthew to look into a delicate matter involving a distant relative, John Boleyn. show more John is accused of murdering his wife, Edith, who vanished for nine years before unexpectedly reappearing. During Edith's absence, John met and fell in love with the beautiful Isabella Heath, who remains devoted to him. Matthew and his assistant, Nicholas Overton, travel to Norwich to investigate John's case. Later on, Shardlake becomes the legal adviser of Robert Kett, the charismatic and passionate leader of a daring rebellion.

Sansom is a meticulous writer who incorporates well-researched facts into this atmospheric work of fiction. The author evocatively describes prisoners tossed into dungeons to wallow in their own filth; pitiless executions carried out en masse; and impoverished farmers struggling to feed their families. The lower classes struggle mightily, thanks to a debasement of the currency, rising prices, a poor harvest, and greedy nobles who confiscate their land. It is not easy to keep track of the numerous people, places, and events in this massive book (eight hundred pages, plus a historical essay). However, patient and attentive readers will be able to follow the main plot without too much difficulty.

Along with the social issues that Sansom raises, this novel has many poignant scenes that stir our emotions. Shardlake has a touching reunion with his former servant, Josephine Brown, whose adorable baby girl, Mousy, takes a shine to Matthew. Jack Barak, Matthew's old and dear friend, is back and he joins forces with Shardlake and the rebels. Robert Kett is a courageous and principled man who prefers peace and justice to bloodshed and vengeance. Forty-seven-year-old Matthew has a deformed back that aches much of the time, his hair has turned white, and he becomes exhausted more easily than ever. Still, he carries on valiantly, and serves as the book's moral compass. Shardlake is knowledgeable, good-natured, and a champion of the underdog. This tragic saga clearly demonstrates how little human nature has changed over the centuries. "Tombland" is a must-read for Shardlake fans, who will be eager to learn how their hero fares when he is faced with daunting physical challenges and troubling ethical dilemmas. show less

Set in 1549, when Henry VIII's young son, Edward, has inherited his father's throne, this story deals with an uprising against Edward's guardian, the Lord Protector Somerset. The rebellion is led by two brothers from Norfolk called Kett and the story centres on the city of Norwich, which at that time was England's second biggest.

As with all of Sansom's Tudor novels, it 'stars' the hunchback lawyer, Matthew Shardlake, and his sidekick, Jack Barak. They're sent by Edward's older step-sister, the Lady Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth I) to investigate a gruesome murder near Norwich when Kett's Rebelion erupts.

In short, of all the Shardlake novels, I think this is Sansom's finest creation.

The great thing about the Shardlake stories is the show more continuous development of the main characters and the come-and-go of secondary characters. This creates a believable world whose central figure is appealing but broken in various ways. In reading Tombland, I was impressed by the continuing development of Shardlake's religious sensibilities, as he progresses from his almost frantic grasp on principles he learned from other people to the deeply real almost-atheism he exhibits in this book. I just wish Sansom could have the kindness to send him a little real happiness.

In short, it's a great yarn filled with superb historical insights and detail. Highly recommended. (And with a very intelligent, learned, yet easily readable coda reviewing the historical sources with Sansom's own well-informed comments.) show less

Shardlake is commissioned by the Lady Elizabeth to support her distant cousin who has been accused of murder and is to be tried in Norwich. The case is suspicious but Boleyn is convicted and nearly hanged until Shardlake intercepts. Around Norwich there is talk of rebellion and Shardlake and his companions end up being caught up in Kett's Revolt which ends in a battle between the English Army and English rebels.
At their heart Sansom's novels are just satisfyingly complex historical mystery novels but that is to completely underplay them. Shardlake is a flawed and damaged character and he seems to be a bystander to major events in Tudor England. Here the rebellion against the Protector and the landed classes by the poor across the South show more of England is the setting. This is a little known piece of history, taking place over one summer in the early reign of Edward VI, in which the poor rose up against the gentry angry about inflation and the eroding of their rights. Yes, there is a murder to solve and a few tricky situations for the protagonists but Sansom's research and the comfortable accuracy of her use of time and place make this writing peerless in the genre. show less

Oh my, this was good! As always, it's a mix of a mystery for Matthew, the larger sweep of English history, social changes, Matthew's personal and spiritual evolution, and the changes in his personal relationships and the lives of his friends. This time it's all well-balanced and all compelling. Matthew starts out investigating a murder but gets caught up in a massive rebellion. This gives a chance to watch in detail as Matthew's, Nicholas's, and Barak's worldviews all get put to the test when they're exposed to lives and experiences far outside their usual scope. It's all well-woven with the social changes that are happening throughout England affecting the mystery, the rebellion, and every character. Fascinating and compelling, hard to show more put down.

But, if this sounds fabulous, start the series from the beginning! You'll miss so much of the character arcs if you start here. show less