In 1999, An Instance of the Fingerpost provided Iain Pears with a
critically acclaimed bestseller, and devotees of his ingenious
style of historical mystery have had a long wait for this equally
imaginative follow-up novel. Pears is also renowned for his
extensive writings on both art history and history, and he uses his
expertise to tie together this ambitious tale. Spanning the
centuries between the dying days of the Roman Empire and the Second
World War, it's set in Provence, and concentrates on slowly
revealing and developing the three main characters, ensuring they
can always rely on our sympathy. The dangers and madness of love
sweep across the years, connecting the three, as does the classical
text after which this book is named. Manlius Hippomanes, a
fifth-century French aristocrat, despairs of a world where men come
to power who have never even heard of Plato, as the growth of
Christianity destroys the intellectual heritage of paganism.
Eventually he decides to become a Christian himself - not out of
belief, but in a last-ditch attempt to save something of the past.
Whether dilettante or miracle worker, his impact touches the
honest, hopeful 14th-century poet, Olivier de Noyen, and percolates
down to Julien Barneuve, a French intellectual in the days of the
Vichy government. Eternal philosophical questions taunt them,
whether they are surrounded by the pleasures of a luxurious Roman
villa, the wonders of the papal palace in Avignon, or even on a
Mediterranean cruise where a young Julien fears falling in love.
Dealing with the contrasting historical backdrops with obvious
ease, Pears's attention to detail is faultless, and he invests each
page with a rich seam of quality. Although the story takes on such
vast and weighty matters as religion, philosophy, war and
corruption, the fact that the reader continues to turn each page
with such eager relish is a fitting testament to this compelling
work of fiction. Well worth the wait. (Kirkus UK)
Set in Provence at three different critical moments of Western Civilisation - the collapse of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, the Black Death in the fourteenth, and the Second World War in the twentieth - The Dream of Scipio follows the fortunes of three men, Manlius Hippomanes, a Gallic aristocrat obsessed with the preservation of Roman civilisation, Olivier de Noyen, a poet, and Julien Barneuve, an intellectual who joins the Vichy government.
The story of each man is woven through the narrative, linked by the classical text that gives the book its title, and by each man's love for an extraordinary woman. Dense, dark, erudite and, yet, like An Instance of the Fingerpost, utterly compelling, The Dream of Scipio confirms Iain Pears as one of Britain's most imaginative novelists.
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