An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears

Why are historical fiction books so darned long? This one goes for 700 pages and I am not sure why I stuck with it. It’s a mystery of sorts, told through the diaries of four different people living in Oxford under the reign of Charles II in the 1600s. There’s Marco de Cola, a travelling Italian merchant, James Prescott, the son of a noble killed for treason, Dr Wallis, a mathematician and priest, and Anthony Wood, a historian. A priest, Dr Grove, is murdered and the whole story revolves around that and the part that Sarah Blundy, a poor servant girl, plays in it. Every story adds something to the tale and by the end it all comes together as a kind of political thriller thing. It wasn’t a satisfying story, a stupid premise that isn’t believable, and the writer tries to write each person’s contribution in what he imagines to be the style of the time, except of course it isn’t, so the language is tediously overblown and completely unauthentic. However for historical fiction lovers, it might be fun. 2 stars