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Title: What's Bred in the Bone by Robertson Davies ISBN: 0-14-009711-2 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: May, 1987 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (15 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Davies certainly isn't faking
Comment: This is the first book by Davies I ever read, and it remains my favourite. As I found out later, it is the centrepiece of what came to be known as the Cornish trilogy. It is the story of Francis Cornish, a talented artist from provincial Canada who is recruited into the British secret service and participates in a major art forging operation intended to thwart the nazis. In the course of the process he finds and loses the love of his life, paints a medieval tryptich depicting the Marriage at Canaan that is also a representation of the major figures in his life (all of them very colourful), unmasks another forger after the war and ultimately has to give up his career as a "medieval painter" when his masterpiece is purchased by a Canadian museum on the assumption that it is genuine. Cornish's life is narrated by his daimon, a sort of "biographical angel", and has many more twists and turns than I can possibly describe here. The book is full of Davies' urbane wit and Jungian wisdom. It tails off a bit towards the end, but that is compensated in the "sequel" about his nephew Arthur and his patronage of the arts, "The Lyre of Orpheus". Highly recommended, but I suggest you start with the first part of this trilogy, "The Rebel Angels". Newcomers, beware: Davies' fiction is highly addictive.
Rating: 5
Summary: Forged Truth
Comment: What's Bred in the Bone is the one true stand-alone novel in the Cornish Trilogy. This middle volume is a superb telling of the life of Francis Cornish, the hinge upon whom all of the trilogy is supported. Some elements of the story are clearly reminiscent (to readers of Davies) of his earlier book, Fifth Business. But this is no mere reworking of an old theme. There is a freshness to this novel that makes for a story well worth the read.
This book takes the reader back into rural Ontario of the early 20th century, filling us with fictionalized visions of Davies's own childhood. Lest that be off-putting to some, however, it should be noted that this is a novel that also takes the main character to far away Europe, into the intrigues of war, and the mysteries of forged (and not-quite-forged) artworks. What this story misses, relative to the first and third books of the trilogy, is the spice given to us by Maria's mother and uncle, who are absent here. Theirs is the archetypal energy that finds no true parallel in this book. The reader is compensated for this absence, however, by the personage of the coachman/undertaker, a rich character indeed!
I give this book my solid and hearty recommendation. It is suitable for anyone interested in reading a book by this master of the pen, whether or not they care to read the other volumes of the trilogy (though I sincerely hope that you will read the other books!). Superb.
Rating: 4
Summary: An astonishing book.
Comment: I, at first, did not enjoy this book since I am not a fan of the rather cold English way of writing which lacks empathy and joy and is full of cynicism and an almost brutal acceptance of suffering without any concomitant emotions. This changed throughout however and the book is almost a work of art.
The book concerns itself with the life of Francis Cornish from his childhood to middle age with almost no mention of his later life up to his death. There are really two distinct parts to the book, the first deals with Francis's childhood and is written in that witty (and a little dry) style so characteristic of British humour. His childhood encompasses Francis's experiences of the Catholic and Protestant faiths as practised among his relatives who represent almost cliches in this sense. His impressive Grandfather, warm aunt, rarely seen mother and distant father as well as a range of fascinating characters such as Victoria Cameron the Scottish Protestant cook, Zadok the coachman and enbalmer and finally the crusty old doctor. This part builds the final character of Francis, except in one aspect, and gives an idea of why and how his life proceeds.
The second part is really about two people, Francis and Tancred Saraceni the Meister of Art who teaches Francis all about art restoration as well as much that is wise and deep. It is Saraceni who I believe to be the most interesting character and the last step in building Francis as a man, or as Saraceni calls him Corniche. This final part of his character one would call "Bildung" in German with all that this entails. As Francis develops his art, which started as a little boy with sketches of just about anything, his true talent is revealed. the moment when the Maestro tells him he is a master now is, I think, the finest moment in the book. It is unfortunate that Francis's talent is not further developed after he completes his only Masterpiece "The Marriage at Cana" a magnificent large oil painting in the 16th Century style. This painting really tells the story of Francis's soul and could have been the start of an incredible career of the Alchemical Master as Saraceni puts it. Unfortunately his career as an artist never takes off and one is disappointed of his lack of drive and passion to continue. It is this last third of the book where it becomes difficult to really enjoy it as much. It must not be forgotten how well Davies writes in this section about art and especially about the soul of art. This is why the book itself is perilously close to a work of art itself.
The last part deals with Francis's life as, first, a low grade spy in the service of MI5 during WWII and finally as an art dealer in Canada. Here too we learn a little more about his father and his one love affair with Ismay the passion driven beauty of his life. His father never really steps out of his "Wooden Soldier" shoes but Ismay represents some real women I have known.
An astonishing book and hopefully the remaining ones in the trilogy are as good.
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Title: The Lyre of Orpheus by Robertson Davies ISBN: 0140114335 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: January, 1990 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies ISBN: 0140062718 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: January, 1983 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Mrs. Bridge : A Novel by Evan S. Connell ISBN: 0865470561 Publisher: North Point Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1990 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: The Cornish Trilogy: The Rebel Angels/What's Bred in the Bone/the Lyre of Orpheus/3 Books in 1 Volume by Robertson Davies ISBN: 0140158502 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: February, 1992 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Fifth Business by Robertson Davies, Gail Godwin ISBN: 0141186151 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 02 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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