Saturday, May 1, 2010

THE DAUGHTER OF TIME

TITLE: THE DAUGHTER OF TIME
AUTHOR: JOSEPHINE TEY
Pages: 759 (E-Reader)
Date: 01/05/2010
Grade: 4.5
Own

I have been listening to people raving about this book for such a long time that I got quite frustrated when it seemed impossible to get my hands on a copy. Neither of my libraries had the book, and I couldn't find it in any of the bookshops I tried either. But, the combination of internet and E-Reader came to my rescue and at long last I've read the story. Thankfully, after all the searching, I wasn't disappointed.
This is the story of Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard who is laid up in hospital and growing more bored and grumpy by the minute. To distract him, a friend brings him some pictures of historical figures with some mystery attached to them. Among these is a picture of Richard III and Grant starts wondering how a man who looked liked the man in the picture could end up murdering his two young nephews.
Curious, Grant turns to history books to find out more, only to discover that the more he learns about the king, the less likely it seems he was guilty of the murders.
With the assistance of an American scholar, Grant starts digging deeper and it soon becomes clear that very little of what we think we know about Richard III is actually based on historical fact.
But, is it possible to either prove or disprove a case after 400 years have passed?
This is a charming story and a fascinating investigation of a historical figure I knew little or nothing about. I've got a feeling I'll be revisiting this story at least a few times in the future.

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