<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Complicated and surprising
Review: An amazing, complicated mystery, in which the past comes alive in startling detail. Martin Nanther is an engaging character who finds himself drawn into the story of his ancestors, as he prepares to write a biography of the first Lord Nanther. What is the great secret that Henry carried to his death? How did his wife die? How does all this affect Martin and his wife, Jude? It was an ending for which I was completely unprepared. Past and present are entwined here perfectly as the mystery unfolds.
This is a must for all Barbara Vine/ Ruth Rendell fans.
Rating: 
Summary: I felt cheated
Review: Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell has written several very good books. That is why I thought this one would be like that as well. The Blood Doctor is very well written, not complicated at all although it deals with genealogical charts. But since the beginning of the novel you'd think the great secret of the Doctor is that he was Jack the Ripper or something along those lines, and when you get to the denoument you end up thinking "and this is the horrible secret??" I mean, this would have been a great short story or novella, but not a novel of almost 400 pages.
I am going to continue reading Barbara Vine's books (although Grasshopper was awful!) because I know there is going to be another one that will leave me completely surprised and excited like The Chimney Sweeper's boy or No night is too Long.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly unsurprising
Review: I usually really like Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell, so I was disappointed that I could see the denouement in this one coming hundreds of pages ahead. Yet somehow it kept me up reading all night! It took a while to get going, but once it does, the author does an excellent job simultaneously telling the two stories. If you're someone who is intimidated or otherwise put off by books with genealogical charts, this book is not for you! Personally, I like them - "the Quincunx" is one of my all-time favorites. The importance of the chart also means this is probably an impossible choice for an audiobook.
Rating: 
Summary: Unbelievably disappointing
Review: I'm a serious Rendell/Vine fan -- the 'Rendell' books, every one of them, are wonderful, and several of the 'Vine' series (Dark Adapted Eye, House of Stairs) are among the best psychological thrillers around. That said, if I hadn't been such a devoted reader of Ms. Rendell's other books, I would have quit reading this one early on. It's a big disappointment. This is one of those books where the 'truth in advertising' theory ought to be invoked -- the blurb on the dust jacket leads you to believe there is something terrifying, sinister or otherwise typical of the Vine books in 'Blood Doctor' -- but there isn't. Instead, we plod through 370 pages of a great grandson (now middle-aged) dealing with three separate story lines, first, trying to intuit something about his famous physician ancestor, and seeking out (and talking to) family members he's located; second, dealing with a wife who's obsessed with bearing a child, to the point you want to grab her by the shoulders, shake her amd say 'enough already'; and third, pondering his ouster from the House of Lords as the 'Reform' Bill is considered and passed. Aside from whatever educational value the material on the daily operation of the House of Lords offers, there is little compelling about any of these issues, and nothing to make you want to turn the page -- except for the fact that you know this author is one of the best. Sooner or later, you find yourself thinking, this must get better. It doesn't. In this instance, perhaps we should have been guided by the designation this book bears: "A Novel". Right -- this isn't suspense, there is nothing very sinister going on, merely a different time and culture, and a strikingly unpleasant family, through all generations. Perhaps as a 'novel' -- with no hints of the danger, suspense or obsession that characterize most of the other works this author has published -- the book might be worthy. But for those of us expecting a real Barbara Vine book, it's nothing but disappointment. Perhaps it was the marketing gurus who bear the onus of a clinker. Could it have been they who chose to paint this "novel" as they did -- calling it 'The Blood Doctor' and amplifying that theme by out-of-context quotations like "Red is my favorite color. To me a splash of blood is beautiful...", and hints about "his great grandfather's fascination with blood", and his "darker side". All this belies the truth: The great grandfather in question was a physician researching hemophilia, a blood disease, and ultimately, the alleged "dark themes of obsession and murder" never materialize. Not even close. If you're looking for suspense and excitement, forget this book and consider plunking yourself down in the laundromat and watching the clothes spin. Better yet, pick up one of this authors' other fine books. Ms. Rendell is certainly capable of writing the best there is, in this genre. I wonder what happened here?
Rating:
Summary: A bit bloodless...
Review: In "Blood Doctor," the reader spends a lot more time in the head of fatuous, middle-aged member of Parliament Martin Nanther than in any state of suspense. That comes as a bit of a letdown considering the book's title and salacious jacket copy. But Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell is hardly your typical hack-n-slash mystery writer, and for long stretches, it's worth sticking around for the ride. Several hundred pages in, however, the fact that both main characters are basically unsympathetic starts to erode what pleasure there is in Vine's writing and powers of observation. And this American reader is hardly fascinated with the intricacies of the House of Lords and the petty snobberies of Britian's class-obsessed multitudes. The mystery at the center also comes out as unsavory rather than horrifying. But I'll certainly pick up another Vine/Rendell book, just to get a glimpse of the author's idiosyncratic and skillfully rendered obsessions.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant - mature and riveting as only Rendell can be
Review: Lord Martin Nanther is digging up the past, researching the life of his great-grandfather, the first Lord Nanther, in order to write his biography. Henry Nanther was a physician to Queen Victoria, and an expert in diseases of the blood, in particular hemophilia. For his services to the Queen, Lord Nanther was the first surgeon to be granted a peerage. He kept meticulous notes and diaries, clearly desiring to one day be the subject of such a biography. However, as Martin delves further into Henry's life, he discovers discrepancies throughout, puzzling questions which seemingly make no sense. Such as, why did he break off his engagement to a wealthy heiress, marriage to whom would allow him access into the very social circle which he craved? Why did he choose to marry a poor solicitor's daughter instead? And what was the real story behind her violent death? Even without these questions Martin is burdened enough. The House of Lords, in which he sits, is being reformed, and the hereditary peers (of which Martin is one) are being thrown out. If that weren't enough, his wife is unable to conceive the child she so desperately desires. To top it all off, Martin will also discover that his great-grandfather died with a monstrous secret. This is a superb novel. Ruth Rendell has long been one of my very favourite authors, and reading this book has only cemented that opinion. I don't understand those who dont like tihs book. They perplex me inexpressibly. Did they not read it properly? Are they not incredibly stimulated by it, all the topics it covers and all the characters she flawless creates? She weaves absolutely seamlessly between the past and the present. And the reader is just as interested in both plot strands (the research into Henry Nanther and the complications surrounding Martin Nanther's wife's inability to bring a child to birth.) She paints both eras excellently. Brilliant modern social observation and the ability to acurately depict our society, is matched by her ability to write authentically about events at the turn of the century. The characters are drawn beautifully...very realistic and likeable (in particular, Jude, Martin's sorrowful wife) even the characters who lives over a hundred years ago are drawn well. Unusual for a Rendell novel, the characters are not actually mentally damaged in some serious way. There are no sleeping passions, no strange quirks, nothing which would make them seethe and finally explode. This is a tale about rather normal people uncovering horrible secrets from the past. RR deals with the Reform of the House of Lords excellently. She offers us incredibly interesting glimpses into the institution, about which very little is known by most people. And the insights she gives us are truly fascinating. Martin's and the other hereditary peer's, departure from the Lord is written in such a way that it is subtly moving. The regalness and gothicness abd overall atmosphere is painted wonderfully. She has whetted the appetite, and i now wish i could know more about The House Of Lords! The mystery about the first Lord Nanther's life slowly unfolds, and the truth is certainly strange. There is so much that people reading this book could be interested in...there is genealogy, information on the royal family, information about blood diseases, in particular heamophillia, the subplot about the house of lords, the subplot of Jude's miscarriages...and, the icing on the cake, the mystery elements. This is truly a feast, and it is more than enough to satisfy her fans. Indeed, i think it will satisfy even those who are new to Vine/Rendell. All i can say is thank God for her - she is the best novelist currently at work in any language, and this is exceptional stuff even by her standards. If you don't love it, there's something deficient somewhere.
Rating:
Summary: A fair achievement
Review: Martin Nanther's great-grandfather Henry Nanther was interested in blood. Henry Nanther became an expert in diseases related to blood, particularly haemophilia, of which some members of Queen Victoria's court suffered. Martin, wanting to write a biography of his great-grandfather, starts researching Henry's life and soon discovers that he was not just an expert in the matters of the blood but was virtually obsessed with it. Martin begins to suspect that his great-grandfather was less innocent about his work and life as he progresses through Henry's medical diaries and journals. It seems that he was trying to conceal something because the tragedies linked to haemophilia in his family do nor appear to be mere accidents. It may even be that they have implications for the blood doctor's descendant. It is Mrs Vine's fair achievement, though not her best book. Henry Nanther's story is lengthily interrupted by Martin Nanther's personal and marital preoccupations, so that the book would perhaps be more enjoyable if it were shorter.
Rating: 
Summary: A serious "paper mystery" and historical recreation.
Review: Queen Victoria, her family, and her genetic contribution to the scourge of hemophilia in ruling families throughout Europe, all figure in this fascinating medical mystery. Dr. Henry Nanther, Physician In-Ordinary to Prince Leopold, Queen Victoria's beloved hemophiliac son, tells through letters, diary entries, and his personal "alternative history" the story of his research into hemophilia and how it is transmitted.
Martin Nanther, the 4th Lord Nanther, who inherited his peerage from his great-grandfather Henry, is the desk-bound modern detective in this tale, researching Henry's life for a biography he intends to write about his contributions to history and medicine. The agony of the hemophiliac during the Victorian era, when little help could be offered the sufferer, is finely drawn.
Though most of the action takes place "off stage," Vine's characterizations are fully drawn and Martin's quest is intriguing,making the reader feel like part of the action, even the action of 100 years ago. Students of genealogy will be fascinated as Martin follows a genealogical paper trail through many generations of Nanthers and the Hendersons, his forbears on his mother's side of the family.
The serious, intellectual tone and Vine's careful attention to detail, particularly as it reveals the psychology and motivation of her characters, elevate this a serious novel and give the reader much to contemplate. Ironically, Henry's personality is so carefully delineated that many readers may figure out, on the basis of Vine's information, Henry's secret history, well before the conclusion.
With its insights into the Victorian period, the clear discussions of genetics, the contemporary insights into British reforms of the House of Lords, the personal and medical mysteries at the heart of the story, and the urgency of Henry's and Martin's quests, Vine's novel is an unusual and fascinating entertainment. Mary Whipple
Rating:
Summary: "Themes of obsession and murder"
Review: Well, there is an obsession, and there's a death that can be considered as bad as murder. I agree that at 370 pages, the book is too long, but other reviewers have not noted these two additional facts: it takes forever to get the unveiling of the mystery started, and when it does start, I guessed what the secret was long, long before our hapless narrator does. Both these facts made me restive. I suppose the themes of the House of Lords, and of Martin and Jude's problem, are brought in to weave additional symbolism about "blood" and inheritance; but both become wearisome. And no one, even the ever-reflective Martin Nanther, notes that the creation of "designer babies" poses in its way another question of killing.
<< 1 >>
|
