Customer Reviews

A Weekend at Blenheim: A Novel

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was rather prepared to dislike this book after reading Publisher's Weekly put-downs and Amazon's sheep-like follow-ups but soldiered on to see what all the fuss was about -- and loved A Weekend at Blenheim! I thought the premise (that the dukedom itself might be in question) delightful, the suspense artful, the characters delightfully deceitful (and so typical of the British upperclass) and overall, the book one of the most entertaining and enthralling I've come upon in a long time.

I'm so glad I didn't let carping like PW's "overengineered" and "improbable" stop me. (DUH -- this is fiction!) And this holier-than-thou statement: "More than a few readers may find it in dubious taste that Morrisey ascribes some monstrous behavior to the Duke and Duchess who, after all, were real people" overlooks the fact that the monstrous behavior referred to (affairs and rudeness to others) were a documented part of their lives as it was the lives of others of their class.

The book is a page-turner; with real-life characters doing fictional but all-too-real things. The story is fabulous, beautifully timed, calculatingly told and a thoroughly delightful read. The slightly formal language of the book is that of Edwardian England, which adds a certain charm to the reading experience. Phooey on the nay-sayers. This one's a keeper!

"Weekend at Blenheim" reminded me very much of the works by Henry James (without James's tedious prose) and Edith Wharton (without Wharton's wit and elegance). The basic plot premise -- an innocent young American caught up in the machinations of the rich and the powerful) will remind every one of James's and Wharton's works. And while I did enjoy "Weekend in Blenheim," I have to own that it did unwind at a rather slow and somewhat deadened rate, and this sometimes made me skim the pages (esp the first few chapters), till I got to the more meatier bits

Through the good offices of his father-in-law, architect John Vanbrugh, has been commissioned by the Duchess of Marlborough (the American born Consuelo Vanderbilt) to redo her rooms. Vanbrugh is of course flattered and excited: this could be the commission that turns his career around completely. But the atmosphere at Blenheim is anything but conducive to brilliant redesigning ideas -- while the duchess is everything that is charming and gracious, the duke appears to be rude and abrasive. And Vanbrugh soon finds himself in the middle of a power struggle between the duke and duchess involving John Singer Sargents's missing sketch book, and a series of letters that Vanbrugh finds in the duchess's rooms that puts the entire legitimacy of the Marlborough house into question. And then one of the maid's is brutally murdered. Did her death have anything to do with the letters, missing sketch book and the power struggle going on between the duke and duchess? The duke tries to sweep the maid's murder under the carpet by throwing the blame on another servant. Vanbrugh is appalled, and does not at all buy into so pat a solution. And he is determined to discover who actually murdered the maid and why. Suddenly this commission instead of making Vanbrugh's career seems to have taken a rather deadly aspect instead.

While I am a bit of an anglophile, I'm not a blind fan either. And I've never particularly liked Winston Churchill in spite of his brilliant work during WWII. But I did find myself feeling a little leery about all the things that Morrisey attributes to the duke, duchess, Churchill, etc. Much of it bordered on the slanderous (esp when it touched on the murder and the tragedy that ensues). Another difficulty with this novel was that it was a rather hard to take Vanbrugh (our erstwhile hero) to heart. From almost from the first page, where he describes his unhappily pregnant wife in almost peevish tones, I found him to be a rather unsympathetic individual. This impression did not change very much in the ensuing chapters. Vanbrugh's wife, Margaret, however becomes more interesting a character as the book reaches it's climax. But certain bits of information about how much Margaret actually knows and understands and her motives for acting in a certain way, remain obscure to the very end, and left me feeling a little shortchanged. However, it spite of these few quirks, I must admit once the novel took off, I was hooked. The second half of the novel, from the murder of the unfortunate housemaid onwards was an engrossing and compelling read -- so atmospheric that you can actually feel the violence and anger that propels certain characters to act as they do.

In spite of certain reservations I had, I'd have to say that this novel is a must read. I was hooked not so much by the mystery of who killed the maid and why, but by the ambiance as well as the rather unlikeable characters and their actions and motivations.

Just want to say that Sunnye Tiedemann's review was right on the mark. I, too, couldn't decide whether to buy the book having read the review from Publishers Weekly, but it was inexpensive so I took a chance on a writer I had not read before. It was a very good book. The characters, for the most part, were real historical figures and the plot was believeable. Having been to Blenheim myself I could visualize the land around it.

It is good thing not to take as gospel some of the reviews that are written by the professionals. Go with your gut feeling and take a chance, especially if it doesn't cost too much. You might be in for a wonderful surprise.

I was really thrilled to see this book and snapped it up, looking forward to some good entertainment. What sold me, or should I say, fooled me, was all the praise from various writers on the cover, including Dominic Dunne. However, the dialogue is wooden and predictable after a very little while, the story is improbable (Winston Churchill opening a crypt? The man needed servants to lay out his underwear!) and the characters are unidimensional. Save your money, or buy a used copy if you're curious...

I would haved given it 5 stars, but I'm one of those picky-picky readers who like their fiction in a book like this to at least be possible. By "a book like this" I mean a book dealing with real people and real places. The story takes place in a weekend, with time so elastic that it would actually take a week to accomodate all the action. In less than 48 hours, the narrator, John Vanburgh, an architect invited along with his pregnant wife to spend the weekend at Blenheim on a trumped up excuse by the Duchess of Marlborough, falls in and out of love with the Duchess, tears apart a room, has two (or three) harrowing climbs over the roof of Blenheim for various reasons. He also helps find a body, has long interrogations concerning the murder, runs thru corridors and thru rooms, tears up hallways and breaks windows, insults the Duke, has a run-in with Winston Churchill, and along with his wife, searches thru a 1000 book library, book by book in less than an hour looking for a sketch book. What with meals and sleeping and bossing around the servants, he was a busy boy. A house guest from hell. I failed to see why he got so worked up over a situation that clearly was none of his business, and his snide dismissal of the Duchess at the end of the book was rather uncalled for. Why did I enjoy it? Because it kept me guessing as to what was coming next. The charactors were all very unlikable, with the exception of Dr. Barton, his father-in-law and the servants. I decided to just suspend my credulity, and go along for the ride.

From the back cover, this book appeared to have everything I enjoy in this genre -- historical setting, 'real people' playing more than cameos, a peek behind the closed doors of the British aristocracy (names like 'Spencer' and 'Churchchill' were an obvious attraction).

I almost loved it: Other reviewers have recounted the basics of the plot, but suffice it to say that there's one point toward the end of the book where the dispicable Duke looks around at all of his weekend guests and says, "I'm so sick of you all", that I almost jumped up and cheered.

Me, too. Parts of the book were too drawn out: we got the picture -enough, already! A judicious editor should have trimmed some of the middle sections.

What I really enjoyed, however, was how refreshing it was to read a thoroughly American book, one that offers at least a couple of idealistic, decent, honorable people who were concerned about doing the right thing. That's not something you find in contemporary literature very often anymore.

Then, too, there's a not-so-subtle swipe at the decadent class structure of the British system, contrasted with a real pro-democracy, the 'value of the little guy' theme, on the part of the protagonist and his father in law. It was delightful to see someone, finally, touting values and the virtues of honesty, loyalty and integrity, even when it wasn't to their personal benefit to do so.

Great book. Very worthwhile. That said, I'm still wondering about that stink from the crypt --what on earth was THAT all about??!

I don't usually read mysteries but something about this book drew me in. And I'm awfully glad it did, too. I found the characters utterly fascinating and the plot entirely involving. At no time did any character come across as a cardboard cut-out stereotype, as often happens in historical fiction. The author also has a firm grasp on his subject, but at no time does the research erode the story. I recommend this most entertaining novel to anyone, whether that person be a mystery fan or just someone who likes fantastic fiction.

I just finished reading "Weekend at Blenheim" and it was a very enjoyable experience. I visited Blenheim Palace about 10 years ago and I have vivid memories of it - it is an unforgettable kind of place. I think the characters were beautifully drawn and very believable, though I wish he had described more of the estate itself, rather than just the house. Nevertheless, it was very fun read. This book is a gripping mystery and an addictive thriller at the same time. That aristocrats could have and probably did behave in the way the book describes does not surprise me.
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely?"

The plot is interesting. The setting is interesting. The characters were not remotely interesting or the dialogue. I doubt very much if some unknown "architect" is going to spend the weekend in the country with the Duke and Duchess. I doubt the Duke runs around the castle chasing his guests. Silly story.

A friend recommended this book to me and then I finished it in two days. Any fan of historical fiction will love this novel. The plot is intricate and the characters are painted in vivid colors and the atmosphere is mesmerizing. After 20 pages, you'll be hooked.