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An Instance at the Fingerpost (Paperback)

by Iain Pears (Author)

4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (271 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 704 pages
Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd (Sep 4 1997)
ISBN-10: 0224048376
ISBN-13: 978-0224048378

Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (271 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #869,043 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Amazon.com

An Instance of the Fingerpost is that rarest of all possible literary beasts--a mystery powered as much by ideas as by suspects, autopsies, and smoking guns. Hefty, intricately plotted, and intellectually ambitious, Fingerpost has drawn the inevitable comparisons to Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose and, for once, the comparison is apt.

The year is 1663, and the setting is Oxford, England, during the height of Restoration political intrigue. When Dr. Robert Grove is found dead in his Oxford room, hands clenched and face frozen in a rictus of pain, all the signs point to poison. Rashomon-like, the narrative circles around Grove's murder as four different characters give their version of events: Marco da Cola, a visiting Italian physician--or so he would like the reader to believe; Jack Prestcott, the son of a traitor who fled the country to avoid execution; Dr. John Wallis, a mathematician and cryptographer with a predilection for conspiracy theories; and Anthony Wood, a mild-mannered Oxford antiquarian whose tale proves to be the book's "instance of the fingerpost." (The quote comes from the philosopher Bacon, who, while asserting that all evidence is ultimately fallible, allows for "one instance of a fingerpost that points in one direction only, and allows of no other possibility.")

Like The Name of the Rose, this is one whodunit in which the principal mystery is the nature of truth itself. Along the way, Pears displays a keen eye for period details as diverse as the early days of medicine, the convoluted politics of the English Civil War, and the newfangled fashion for wigs. Yet Pears never loses sight of his characters, who manage to be both utterly authentic denizens of the 17th century and utterly authentic human beings. As a mystery, An Instance of the Fingerpost is entertainment of the most intelligent sort; as a novel of ideas, it proves equally satisfying. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Pears explores the nature of truth and its dependency on the perspective of the observer in this ingenious and meticulously researched novel set in Restoration England. The vehicle for this exploration is the murder by poison of Dr. Robert Grove of Oxford's New College. Four characters in turn tell their versions of events, highlighting at various times the political, religious, medical, intellectual, and romantic contexts. Pears skillfully evokes the period in these narratives, with language, beliefs, and attitudes. The abridged program, given an able and rich reading by Paul Michael, succeeds and forms its own logical whole. A discerning listener, though, will wonder how much of Pears's subtlety and care in writing and intricacy of the interlocking narratives are lost in the abridgment. Perhaps the type of reader this book truly appeals to will not be satisfied by an abridged reading. Still, demand and use will likely be heavy. Recommended, with reservations.AKristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Customer Reviews

271 Reviews

5 star:		(148)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(21)

Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (271 customer reviews)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So much more than a "murder mystery", Nov 23 2003

By	P. Micocci "embevecido" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Instance Of The Fingerpost (Mass Market Paperback)

One of the other customer reviewers of this book complained that the murder was solved summarily a hundred pages before the end and wondered if critics who call this a classic had skimmed the end to meet review deadlines. Such comments make me wonder if that reviewer did not, like so many of the characters in this book, miss the fingerposts.
For this book is not primarily a story about the solving of a murder. The murder itself serves more as plot device to bring the four narrators (and others) together in a certain time and place, allowing them to interact with each other and present their widely diverging views of events, actions, and consequences. Indeed, for three of the four narrators the murder is almost incidental to their narratives, only two of them are actually concerned (or even desirous) that justice be done, and none of them is especially sorrowful about the death of the murder victim. Rather, for each of them the murder is really only significant for the part it plays in their own narrative and what they believe it indicates in terms of their interpretation of events. The driving idea behind the novel is not the solution of a murder, but how different people can see the same facts, or parts thereof, and draw differing conclusions - particularly when those conclusions serve to reinforce preconceived notions; and the more some people believe in the rightness of their preconceptions, the more willing they become to pervert truth to suit their ends.
This extraordinary novel is really a masterpiece of crafting. The use of the first-person narrative allows each narrator to present a depiction of himself (and his motives) very different from the way others see him, which has the effect of causing the reader to rethink and re-examine opinions formed along the way. In particular, the chilling, almost unwitting portrayal by two of the narrators of their own destructive, delusive obsessions is worthy of Patricia Highsmith at her best. "An Instance of the Fingerpost" is by turns amusing, infuriating, puzzling, informative, and even heartbreaking. It also goes a long way toward evoking the uncertainty, chaos and duplicity of the era (so very different from today's era of open and transparent government).
I should say that although I enjoy a good, intriguing mystery, I'm not particularly a fan of the "mystery" genre; I'm more partial to books that provoke reflection on the human condition. This is one of a very few books I've bought based on the recommendation, and I can honestly state that I was totally unprepared for the level of quality I found in it. I can think of few works of fiction that have moved me quite as much as this one.
As some schools of thought insist that every critique must perforce call attention to shortcomings, I suppose I should include a few for form's sake. I could mention a couple of niggling instances of grammatical lapse by men purportedly of education, such as the use of the objective pronoun in a comparison (i.e. "older than me"); for some reason this error always grates on my nerves (although it seems to be almost a prerequisite for translators), but the occurrences were far too few to impact my overall opinion. The only real complaints I can muster are two: first, that this book deprived me of much sleep during the time I took to read it; and second, that it left me at a loss as to what to read next.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, Jun 19 2004

By	J. Brzozowski - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Instance Of The Fingerpost (Mass Market Paperback)

I picked up this book on a whim from a used book store. I decided to buy it because of the unique title. Now, this is one of my favorite books of all time. I love hearing the story from 4 different perspectives, and the ending is so unexpected. After each section, I was so sure I had determined the identity of the murderer, only to discover that I was wrong every time. The history is so interesting, and all of the characters well-developed. I have to concede that the book is LONG, but I do feel that the story benefits from all of the richly descriptive text. I have loaned the book to a friend, but I'm going to read it again when she returns it. I'm sure I will love it even more the second time.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars please read the whole book, Jun 1 2004

By	J. Zuech (Norman, OK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Instance Of The Fingerpost (Mass Market Paperback)

I have just read many reviews. Two people gave the book 1 star after not even finishing the book!! On just any book, this would be a crime. For this book, it is a travesty. This book patiently sets up the great finally and these people are missing it. The end puts the other parts of the book into perspective. When you read it the second time, everything makes much more sense; so please at least read the whole book before reviewing it.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but overlong and unpolished.
I must confess to some bias in regard to this book: I live in the oxford college in which much of it is set. Read more

Published on Jun 23 2004 by Samuel J. Parkinson