Act of Oblivion: The Thrilling new novel from the no. 1 bestseller Robert Harris

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There have been countless wanted criminals among the huddled masses making their way into America over the centuries, but not many have had regicide on their rap sheet.

And yet, there is something about stepping outside what you feel is aimed in your direction… Will I ‘get’ a book written for men? However, the book wasn’t quite as exciting as I’d expected based on others I’ve read by Robert Harris; although some of the ‘chase’ sections are very gripping, a lot of time is also spent on a memoir Whalley has been writing about the events of the Civil War and his relationship with Oliver Cromwell, and I felt that this slowed the pace down a lot. He electrifies episodes of the Plague, the Great Fire of London, and the hardcore, hardscrabble of colonial life with exacting imagery. An old story, certainly, but one strikingly communicated by Harris's very effective portrayals of individuals on both sides of the English Civil War. I. Убийствата на крале не са нещо нечувано за 17-ти век, но официална смъртна присъда над едноличен владетел, обнародвана и приведена в изпълнение публично, ��езспорно е прецедент.The slow burning plot weaves the thrill of the chase with a precise rendering of colonial America and royalist Britain. My only negative comment is that it was perhaps a little too long, as I did find my interest and attention wane during the mid stages of the narration. It’s straightforward stuff and, to fill in the massive gaps to the narrative, Harris throws in scene after scene of characters politicking, asking each other where so and so has gone, going here, going there, flashbacks to the Civil War to give Cromwell and Charles I some useless airtime just because they’re major historical figures - it’s a lot of pointless fluff that bogs down a glacially-paced story. That these easter eggs are meaningless and even befuddling to new readers might make sense in terms of costs and benefits.

It was particularly fascinating for me because a lot of the American areas are areas I travel and live near. In June 2018 Harris reiterated his support for Polanski, and branded criticisms of Polanski's crimes as being a problem of culture and fashion. We know Charles I “nothing common did or mean” when he was executed, but I prefer the attitude of Major General Thomas Harrison – hanged, drawn and quartered for his part in the regicide – who punched his executioner while he was in the process of being disembowelled.Whalley and Goffe are forced into hiding, a fate that become more claustrophobic and tragic as the years pass and their families back in England lose hope.