Customer Reviews

The Falconer's Knot: A Story of Friars, Flirtation and Foul Play

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have read hundreds of historical mysteries and this one is top notch. Once I started it, I did not want to put it down. The main protagonists are Silvano, who has sought sanctuary in a Franciscan Friary after being accused of a murder he did not commit, and Chiara, who is forced to enter a neighboring convent because her family does not have the money for a dowry. The supporting characters are very interesting too. The lively plot could be described as Shakespeare meets Brother Cadfael. The fascinating details about color-making and fourteeenth century art brought back happy memories of my visit to the Basilica of St. Francis several years ago.

Three cheers for a book I delighted in reading. Interesting characters, interesting time, and how gently it helped me learn about how colors were prepared for artists--all while wrapped around medieval mystery, mayhem, and murder. The author carefully unwraps the story details and moves the reader through a variety of points of view, but still holds the reader captive. This is a terrific book for mature young readers and young mature readers as our sympathy moves from teen angst to adult sorrow.
I'm so glad this book fell off the library shelf and with the title alone invited me to read it.

I really wanted to like this book. The two main characters are potentially very compelling, and the mystery of who committed the murders in the plot is interesting. But the author does more "telling" or exposition of the thoughts and actions of the characters rather than letting readers watch the story develop by having the characters act it out. To me, that puts some emotional distance between the readers and the characters, and it keeps the book from having the impact it potentially could have. I was disappointed.

This poorly written novel is confusing and has absurd characters. Someone kills because he smells paint, and the characters are very one-dimensional. No anti-hero spin. Our school taught this book, and the students hated it. The setting is nice, and there are some nice themes about friendship. It is a mystery that I could have done without.

Silvano and Chiara are interesting characters - except you just don't read enough about them!

Silvano seeks refuge with friars after being accused of murder while Chiara's brother hands her over to the nuns. Both of these characters are unhappy with their situation - until they glance each other.

There is much in this story that I didn't like - the fact that I had worked out who had killed Tomo before half-way through the book was a major issue as it was too obvious. This is compounded with the eventual revelation of who killed all the others - it didn't make sense and was pathetic as it was just THERE.

But, even if the above issues were better written and, in my opinion the painter's role could have been completely cut out as it failed to advance the story as he droned on and on and on (not to mention the friar's conversations which did much the same), the biggest issue was the conclusion. It had a "everyone is happy and all worked out with a big smile" ending which let me down after forcing myself to read to the end.

Would never read another book by this author, in spite of the positive reviews. I have learnt my lesson!