Do you think that Lymond intentionally allowed himself to be seen as the villain because he’d been out of his brother’s (and father’s) graces for so long that he’d given up hope of clearing his name? Richard had no room to give Lymond the benefit of the doubt, but it is so heartbreaking that Lymond did not try to defend himself. Though it dawned on me as I read the book that the reason he was so ferociously seeking “that man” must be to clear his name.
I love how Dunnett unapologetically makes Lymond the dashing, irresistible, and mystifying hero, which I think it was she set out to do (as written in one of her forwards). I was reminded of the Scarlet Pimpernel and Lord Peter Whimsey as his most loquacious, both of whom are heroes that we like to admire, who puzzle and awe us, and who keep most people in their lives at an arm’s length.
Actually, I kept thinking “Dorothy Sayers must have read these books!” and then remembered that she died before they were written. So the other way around – perhaps Dorothy Dunnet read Sayers, because her compact story-telling method (laying clues that don’t come into play until 300 pages later) is like Sayer’s style, and her hero is charming and outrageous and spouts poetry in various languages.
(BTW, I could get a master’s in book discussion too!)
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Book 1 discussion
Date: 7/5/17 05:14 pm (UTC)I love how Dunnett unapologetically makes Lymond the dashing, irresistible, and mystifying hero, which I think it was she set out to do (as written in one of her forwards). I was reminded of the Scarlet Pimpernel and Lord Peter Whimsey as his most loquacious, both of whom are heroes that we like to admire, who puzzle and awe us, and who keep most people in their lives at an arm’s length.
Actually, I kept thinking “Dorothy Sayers must have read these books!” and then remembered that she died before they were written. So the other way around – perhaps Dorothy Dunnet read Sayers, because her compact story-telling method (laying clues that don’t come into play until 300 pages later) is like Sayer’s style, and her hero is charming and outrageous and spouts poetry in various languages.
(BTW, I could get a master’s in book discussion too!)