The comparison to Umberto Eco is appropriate. Both are possessed of staggering intellects and an engaging storytelling ability. It is equally true to say that you cannot finish this in a day...but, damn it you will want to. Rarely am I captivated by a book so much that I will stay up until dawn reading because my mind is humming so much from the content that I couldn't sleep even were I to put down the book. The perspectives Mr. Pears brings out in the recounting of Sarah Blundy's unfortunate fate leads one to believe that he may be possessed by multiple personalities, each a prize-winning author in his own right. To say that the book is imaginative and engaging is entirely inadequate, yet I am at a loss as to how to describe the extent to which I was captured by it. Everyone who reads this book will be the better for having done so. Having finished Fingerpost, I was compelled to purchase Mr. Pears other works, each of which is masterfully written as well.

Reading this novel was sometimes painful. While I was gratified by the attention to detail and wonderful atmosphere, I never experienced a moment of true enjoyment while reading this supposed mystery. If the point of the book is to show the unreliabilty of memory and point-of-view, then I wish each narrator could at least have been believeable and/or compelling. Two out of four of the narrators are illogical and practically insane- their narratives are bogged down in infuriating and uninteresting detail. How these strories of revenge, murder and political intrigue are rendered boring is beyond me.

My other major complaint is about Sarah. Without revealing too much, her character takes on a role that is unbelievable and almost comical in its outcome. I can hardly belive the messianic spin in the last section- it's almost offensive.

The first part of the four was the most interesting- it all went downhill very fast. WHile I get the idea that this book is about itruth and deception, it lacks suspense.

This review is long overdue. I read this book back in January of this year, but I can never find the right words to describe a book of such elaborate complexity. The book is really four version of the same story told by as many witnesses.
The story takes place in Oxford University, when the dean is found dead (or murdered). The story also takes place during the Restoration, a volatile period of British History.
Four different characters present their unique point of view, with numerous references to famous contemporary scientists, from mathematicians, such as Fermat and Leibnitz, to physicians from the past (or spagyrist) like Paracelsus and even ancient Roman historians like Suetonius.
Ian Pears sparkles his story with so many contemporary theories and believes that instead than just recreating the physical aspects of the times, we understand their mentality. His intellectually stimulating style makes it difficult to put this book down.

Dazzling work, large in volume with lots of curious facts and details, and hours of guaranteed good entertaining reading.

AIotF is a terrific historical novel, expertly crafted from start to finish, both entertaining and erudite. Pears seemlessly blends real and fictional persons and historical events, masterfully evoking a bygone age in fascinating detail. The story that runs through this novel is exceptionally compelling. At 700+ pages, not a word of this novel is wasted. AIotF is, in a word, superb.

A murder mystery that takes place in 17th century Oxford England and is told from four different points of view. The first 200 pages are narrated by a Venetian Physician. It illustrates the state of medical knowledge at the time and is truly fascinating. Overall you get an authentic feel for the politics, legal system, science and religion of the 17th century all wrapped in an intriguing murder mystery. The first and fourth narrators are five star material. The middle two lose some steam and a star for the novel but luckily are the shortest sections. The four distinct voices add surprising twists to an extraordinary story.

This may be a great book, but the wordiness (not length of story, but torrent of unneccessary words) was too much, after even 50 pages. I don't enjoy the verbosity of the book and wish the writer could have been more succinct and precise in his writing.

This book is not going to appeal to most casual readers. Its length alone makes it a formidable task for even the most energetic book lover. Couple that with a story based on the early sciences and that takes place in the 1600s, and you've got one difficult sell.

However, for lovers of good mysteries and detailed period pieces then this book has the potential to amaze.

The story is as old as the hills. Someone has died. There are plenty of people with the motivation to kill and that could benefit from the death. You must figure out who done it.

But what makes An Instance of the Fingerpost unique is the way the clues are revealed. You are provided with a myriad of details about the people and circumstances before, during and after the death from the perspective of several different people. But you must understand that each distict version of the facts comes without benefit of filtering the storyteller's own flawed observations, personal biases, truths and lies. With each new recounting you wonder how much of what you read earlier is fact, fabrication or embellishment. Fascinating.

If you're looking for an interesting whodunit with a unique perspective and contains lots of insights into the then "modern" sciences, then AIOTF should be on your nightstand.

Read this after dream of scipio, which impressed me with its consideration of ethical questions.

Fingerpost does that only through the odd plot of Sarah possibly being a version of Christ. But the novel is too long, as other reviewers point out. If one reads different characters' takes on something, each perspective must add to one's overall understanding. Specifically, the third section adds very little to the story; it just seems like Pears indulging in his writing ability.

He's a good writer, but even the best writers need good editors.

Fingerpost is a murder mystery (and more) set in 17th-century England as related by four separate protagonists. Each have their own story, their own spin, the aggregate of which is, indeed, a twisted tale. Highly evocative, if bordering on the verbose, the book deftly portrays the socio-political machinations surrounding the English Civil War and the Restoration. But, this is merely the backdrop. Common to the four chronicles is a young woman of the lower classes whose messianic qualities lead from allegations of harlotry to that of saviour and redeemer. She is alternately used, abused, pitied and worshipped. Her role is, at times, overwrought.

Insights into the primitive state of medicine are prominent throughout as are societal norms of time and place. Pears does an commendable job of bringing the reader there. The book is truly engrossing for long stretches of time and, if one is immune to gratuitous character detail now and again, I could see where it might merit 5 stars. But, I think a better Fingerpost could be roughly 100 pages shorter and, with that, pack even more of a punch. I love hefty books, the heftier the better, but this one is longer than it's supporting theme truly allows. 4 stars.

Autopsies, transfusions, poison, traitors, prison, public hanging, trials, science vs. religion, truth, lies, destiny, deception, wars, monarchy, class differences, ciphers, hidden clues....oh my! There was a lot to this book and if you're up for the challenge of reading it, it is indeed a worthwhile venture. Don't get me wrong- its not a "hard" read, per se. Rather, its quite long-winded and dense, but filled with enough "juicy" topics (see above) to keep the reader interested.
Its the only book I've read of its kind- very unusual and different from others in this genre of historical/mystery fiction.

It is esentially a murder mystery told from four different viewpoints- each storyteller had some unique version of the same events/time period and each came to a different conclusion as to who murdered the victim (I won't give anything away). The "truth" learned at the very end of the book is actually gratifying and makes it worth the read, as does the breadth of ideas and subjects involved.

I recommend this book but only for people who love this genre or are serious readers (I don't think casual or occasional readers would love this work and/or its breadth/depth and the time it takes to get through it).

Autopsies, transfusions, poison, traitors, prison, public hanging, trials, science vs. religion, truth, lies, destiny, deception, wars, monarchy, class differences, ciphers, hidden clues....oh my! There was a lot to this book and if you're up for the challenge of reading it, it is indeed a worthwhile venture. Don't get me wrong- its not a "hard" read, per se. Rather, its quite long-winded and dense, but filled with enough "juicy" topics (see above) to keep the reader interested.
Its the only book I've read of its kind- very unusual and different from others in this genre of historical/mystery fiction.

It is esentially a murder mystery told from four different viewpoints- each storyteller had some unique version of the same events/time period and each came to a different conclusion as to who murdered the victim (I won't give anything away). The "truth" learned at the very end of the book is actually gratifying and makes it worth the read, as does the breadth of ideas and subjects involved.

I recommend this book but only for people who love this genre or are serious readers (I don't think casual or occasional readers would love this work and/or its breadth/depth and the time it takes to get through it).

If you're looking for a "Name of the Rose"- style historical mystery, don't bother with this one. In the paperback edition, the novel drags itself along for 725 pages without ever getting interesting. In general, late-Renaissance historical fiction with lots of references to early science is my forte, so for me to say a book of this genre is painfully boring is quite the statement.
The characters are uncharismatic in the extreme, and do nothing better than to remind the reader of the ignorance, violence, and misogyny of the time period. The only character who seems halfway interesting is raped, beaten, killed for a crime she didn't commit, and then to put icing on the cake, graphically torn apart to fulfill a tinkerer's anatomical curiosity.
Whatever the true point of this story may be, it's not worth the horror of working one's way to the end.

This is a hefty book which took a great commitment of time to get through, although it was quite addictive and not easy to put down...I simply had to tear myself away to go to work! It's one of the few very ambitious narratives that actually measures up to its hype and promise. Can't recommend it enough.

This is a hefty book which took a great commitment of time to get through, although it was quite addictive and not easy to put down...I simply had to tear myself away to go to work! It's one of the few very ambitious narratives that actually measures up to its hype and promise. Can't recommend it enough.

pears writes well, and the story is interesting enough. the four different accounts never really feel separate though, rather they all read like one person wrote them but just made a few revisions here and there. it's a quick, light read, and it flows pretty smoothly up to the end. it's the last chapter that disappoints though, because instead of a good whodunit with twists it becomes some bizarre reaffirmation of religion novel. blah

I began reading this book with a negative vibe already in place due to the huge amount of reviews claiming this book was
Difficult but rewarding
Hard but good

The list of self serving metaphors continued but I want to talk about the book.

It is NOT a difficult read. The prose are colorful but simple. The story is very engaging. The characters are nicely fleshed out and the mystery is quite rewarding. All in all, it's a long book, that reads very fast.

Unlike what so many reviewers have stated you do not need to have a degree in philosophy or history to enjoy this novel. The book tells a colorful vibrant story without becoming melodramatic piece of trash such as the usual DAN BROWN novel.

Which brings me to my final point.

The reviews on this website for this book are hilarious as well as a bit sickening. It is so obvious that by pasting the book up as some kind of difficult read the BIBLIO SNOBS who review it are basically stating that they are smarter than the average reader because they got through a fictitious book. Ridiculous.

This book is by no means Dickens or Perez. It's not award worthy it's just a really good, fast read.

Don't let others make your mind up for you. Read for yourself.

A POINT-OF-VIEW NOVEL THAT IS TOO CONFUSING TO FOLLOW IF YOU TEND TO NOT READ STRAIGHT THROUGH. ONE MUST BE THROUGHLY FAMILIAR WITH HISTORY OF THE RESTORATION PERIOD IN ORDER TO FOLLOW THIS STORY. I WOULDN'T REALLY RECOMMEND IT, AND I WAS SORRY TO BE LED TO IT BECAUSE OF MY OTHER CHOICES IN HISTORICAL FICTION. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE EXCEPT A EUROPEAN HISTORY MAJOR, AND I USED TO TEACH ENGLISH LITERATURE MYSELF!

"To all men I say, there are many roads which lead to my door; some broad and some narrow, some straight and some crooked, some flat and commodious while others are rough, and pitted with dangers. Let no man say that his is the best and only road, for they say so out of ignorance alone."

An Instance of the Fingerpost, Iain Pears page 606.

Anyone who has ever had an interest in 17th century England should read this. I'm talking to all the Baroque Cycle, Neal Stephenson fans. Though a great book, I couldn't see reading all 600+ pages if I had not known of Cromwell, The Glorious Revolution and subsequent Reformation before hand.

Also, many of the main characters are straight from the history texts of the period (esp. scientific and state) such as Robert Boyle, John Locke, Richard Lower (blood transfusion), John Thurloe (Cromwell's Secretary of State), John Wallis (founding member of the famed "Royal Society") and Anthony Wood (Historian and last viewpoint in the novel).

The story follows the murder of an Oxford don and subsequent arrest and hanging of a common serving girl- Sara Blundy. This one simple tale turns out to be anything but, as it is recalled through the letters of various gentlemen all purporting to hold the truth of events. Each of the four narrators-an Italian medical student, a young man out to prove his traitorous father innocent, Charles I's, Cromwell's and Charles II's Cryptographer (all the same man) and finally a simple historian.

Sadly I feel that most who start this will never finish and thus miss the surprise at the end. Wonderful novel that brings the time period to light.

*WARNING* If you are sensitive to issues of religion or feminism this book will anger you to no end. However, as far as I know all the ideas expressed in this novel are done in an accurate fashion. It was a horrible time for women and anyone not of the upper-class and while reading of it can be painful, it is useful in understanding the "hows" and "whys" of the past.

I do not read much fiction but this book was absolutely spectacular. Pears' writing style is phenominal, he builds absolutely amazing characters that put you right there with them.

This story is very interesting and the way he intertwines history into the plot is not only great but very educational.

A must read if you want something more than the usual Clancy fiction and expect more in a book.

I read this book after The Dream of Scipio, which I enjoyed immensely.

This is a difficult book, largely because it's sometimes difficult to keep all the "dramatis personnae" clear. I strongly recommend, therefore, reading this book in as short a time as possible, perhaps spread over a week at most, definitely not as train reading with a little at a time.

However, the book was greatly rewarding. It gives a wonderful hisorical insight into England in about 1660 (it helps to already know a little about the Civil War at the time of Chrales I, the Protectorate of Cromwell, and the subsequent Restoration of Charles II). What was so interesting, and extremely well researched by Iain Pears, was the constant reminder that this was a period of great intellectual transition. The characters are groping toward modern, scientific ways of answering questions, yet they carry the baggage of many mediaeval superstitions alonside them (one is reminded of Keynes' view of Isaac Newton, who is briefly mentioned, not as the first modern scientist, but as the last of the sorcerers).

Even though the book is about the same set of events, seen through different eyes and written in manuscripts, which can be confusing to remember who thought what, stay with the book. The last manuscript section (called by the title of the book) does make many, previously unanswered questions clear.

Bravo, Iain Pears! Please do continue writing outstanding historical novels.

Oxford in 1663, just after the restoration of Charles II to the throne, was the intellectual center of England. The country was in ferment after eleven years of rule by Oliver Cromwell and a devastating civil war, and disagreements and passions ran high. Conflicts in religious dogma ranged from the Puritanism of Cromwell to the Church of England, Quakerism, and Catholicism. Political conflicts were obviously connected with the religious conflicts, and intellectual, scientific, and philosophical investigations were calling many long-held beliefs into question.

It is in this turbulent Oxford milieu that Dr. Robert Grove is found dead in his chambers--his servant, Sarah Blundy thought to have murdered him with poison. Sarah, the daughter of a rebel whose whereabouts are unknown, lives with her mother in poor circumstances, barely staying alive, yet they are visited during the mother's final days by important people.

Four men tell the story of Grove's murder, and each explains his own connection, if any, with Sarah and her family. Marco da Cola, a physician from Venice, has come to London to check on his father's mercantile interests but responds to her pleas for help for her seriously injured mother. Jack Prestcott, the son of a man labeled a traitor, is trying to rehabilitate his father's reputation and regain his land. Dr. John Wallis, a mathematician, is also a cryptographer who has worked both for Cromwell and now King Charles II. And Anthony Wood, a young Oxford historian, has employed Sarah in his mother's house and recommended her to Dr. Grove.

As each man tells his story plausibly, all using the same basic information, the complexity of the mystery increases, since the four men individually do not know all the facts, and the reader does not know which of these men can be considered reliable narrators. Pears develops these characters through fine period detail, depicting both the world in which Sarah Blundy and her mother have lived and the relationships and conflicts among the narrators. The period comes to life with all its harshness and betrayals, and as the reader tries to ascertain who it is who has killed Dr. Grove, the universal question of truth and how to find it becomes an overwhelming issue.

A complex mystery, an intricate historical novel which reveals the tumult of the period, and a study of intriguing characters (some of whom, such as Wallis, Wood, and Boyle actually existed), the novel is challenging and stimulating. Ultimately it satisfies on all levels, a big book with big ideas and a big conclusion. n Mary Whipple

While large in 'size' this book is actually four tellings of the same story...and holds your interest throughout.

In attempting to tell of the same death through four different pairs of eyes, four different motives, and four different viewpoints, an author is hard pressed to keep the narrative lively, and entertaining from start to finish, as Iain Pears does nicely.

The comparisons to Umberto Eco's 'The Name of the Rose' are apt, if not exactly accurate, as the 'scholarly pursuit of the murderer' is not really the case here. The reader is treated to four different voices, from four different 'types' of persons, and therefore the tone of the book experiences changes throughout.

The basis of the tale? A murder at an English University, a sure-fire motive and suspect (for each 'narrater' in the four sections), and a host of characters eager to put 'someone' in the hot seat for the crime, either to see justice, or to cover their own tracks.

An invigorating read, an excellent murder mystery, and, like Caleb Carr's early 20th century offerings (The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness) an intriguing look at early forensics and detection methods in order to catch a killer.

For fans of this genre, as well as fans of 'Dickensian' literature and, of course, The Name of the Rose, this book will not fail to deliver.

At the time of this writing, there were 296 reviews of this book on Amazon. The variety among them is amazing!
I don't see how anyone in their right literary mind, however, can conclude that this is not a GREAT piece of fiction. It is all here and managed by a master of his craft. The device of four differing perspectives of the "murder" is ingenious and satisfying. I just have one question. Why does a great book like this have to be SO long, and at times, tedious? I know that right away some will dismiss that comment as unscholarly and unworthy of the serious reader. Maybe so, but I am not afraid of a long read. It is just that in plowing through the plot, I often concluded that the four narrators were far tooo detailed in matters unrelated to that plot. I guess that serves to educate a reader about the intricate details of 17th century British academic life, but I can read that in a social/cultural history of the period, say like Macauley.
Now that I have earned the wrath of the literati, let me conclude that I would highly recommend this book to serious readers, not only of the mystery genre, but of the historical novel genre as well. To those devoted readers in the Dan Brown fan club, however, I offer one piece of advice in a Latin phrase - caveat lector!! (Let the reader beware).

An Instance of the Fingerpost now stands (after two readings) as simply the best book I have ever read... and I read a LOT of books.
Pears' work is simply stunning in its' complexity - not only does he obviously know the history of England of 300 years ago, he understands the stories behind that history. To hook the modern reader, he has created a murder mystery that is, in many ways, the basis of the story... but is in reality only a prop to wrap a far more detailed story around. The book is divided into four parts, each told from a different character's point of view, and each conflicting with the others. All of the characters "know" what happened... and you, as the reader, believe them... until you are shown to be wrong. And wrong again. And again. When you are finally certain that you now know the facts of the case, and who committed the murder and why, well, you're still wrong... until the end, where you finally DO learn the truth of the story.
Beyond the murder mystery, though, there are wonderous twists of politics and science, religion and medicine, and secrets within secrets.
Most impressively, Pears has managed to keep track of dozens of different characters, placing them in each narrator's testimony as being in the same places... but for differing motives, or, in some cases, showing how and why one or more of the narrators might have been mistaken about who or what he saw. Nothing and no one is what they seem, but absolutely everything is tied up neatly and explained. One of the book-blurb reviewers, as I recall, described the book as an intricate tapestry, all the more impressive and unbelievably well-crafted the deeper one studied it. I can't top that as an explanation of the fascinating web Mr. Pears has woven.
If your familiarity with Pears' work is through his "Art History Mystery" series, forget all that... those are fine fluff, but Fingerpost is a masterpiece as surely as any VerMeer or DaVinci.
I cannot recommend this novel highly enough.