A goodhearted priest and scholar, a professor with a passion for the darker side of medieval psychology, a defrocked monk, and a rich young businessman who inherits some troublesome paintings are all helplessly beguiled by the same coed. The story is set in motion by the death of art collector Francis Cornish, and Robertson Davies weaves together the destinies of this remarkable cast of characters in smooth, lyrical prose, creating a wise and witty portrait of love, murder, and scholarship at a modern university.
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"Wacky look at a group of scholars at a Canadian University. Made me think and do a little research--lots of discussion of great thinkers and their philosophies interspersed with modern-day family and relationship issues. " — Mary (4 out of 5 stars)
"Wacky look at a group of scholars at a Canadian University. Made me think and do a little research--lots of discussion of great thinkers and their philosophies interspersed with modern-day family and relationship issues. "
“Davies…is one of the most delightful writers on this continent. Here…the English language is celebrated in a fireworks display of lively ideas, bawdy humor, and sustained brilliance.”
“[Davidson] accomplishes the task of preserving this restless story with a flowing narration. He modulates the voice of Maria, a graduate student, separating her from male companions with expressive accuracy. His slight English accent and dry, earthy elocution soundly stir this fiction to its concluding moment.”
“A compelling performance.”
“[A] darkly funny scuttle through academe’s more covert passageways…This is saucy stuff indeed—swept with vaporous intention and fertile with miraculous minnows of donnish wit.”
" Nice philosophical slice of Canadian university life in an earlier time. Some bizarre things happen. But sometimes the characters talk an awful lot. "
" Davies is a master of the art of literature. I sense that there's so much in his stories that I miss, not being a student of history or religion. "
" Multiple reads over the last 12 years. Charming, witty, wise, fun, erudite, and every character is a theater personality. Love this tirlogy. "
" This book really petered out for me. I loved What's Bred in the Bone, another one of the Cornish trilogy, but this I just grew impatient with. Perhaps I read it over too long a time, although that might also be because it never really engaged me... "
Robertson Davies (1913–1995) was an internationally acclaimed author, actor, publisher, and, finally, professor at the University of Toronto. The author of twelve novels and several volumes of essays and plays, he was the first Canadian to be inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.
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