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Act of Oblivion
From the bestselling author of Fatherland, The Ghostwriter, Munich, and Conclave comes this spellbinding historical novel that brilliant imagines one of the greatest manhunts in history: the search for two Englishmen involved in the killing of King Charles I and the implacable foe on their trail—an epic journey into the wilds of seventeeth-century New England, and a chase like no other
'From what is it they flee?'
He took a while to reply. By the time he spoke the men had gone inside. He said quietly, “They killed the King.”
1660 England. General Edward Whalley and his son-in law Colonel William Goffe board a ship bound for the New World. They are on the run, wanted for the murder of King Charles I—a brazen execution that marked the culmination of the English Civil War, in which parliamentarians successfully battled royalists for control.
But now, ten years after Charles’ beheading, the royalists have returned to power. Under the provisions of the Act of Oblivion, the fifty-nine men who signed the king’s death warrant and participated in his execution have been found guilty in absentia of high treason. Some of the Roundheads, including Oliver Cromwell, are already dead. Others have been captured, hung, drawn, and quartered. A few are imprisoned for life. But two have escaped to America by boat.
In London, Richard Nayler, secretary of the regicide committee of the Privy Council, is charged with bringing the traitors to justice and he will stop at nothing to find them. A substantial bounty hangs over their heads for their capture—dead or alive. . . .
Robert Harris’s first historical novel set predominantly in America, Act of Oblivion is a novel with an urgent narrative, remarkable characters, and an epic true story to tell of religion, vengeance, and power—and the costs to those who wield it.
'From what is it they flee?'
He took a while to reply. By the time he spoke the men had gone inside. He said quietly, “They killed the King.”
1660 England. General Edward Whalley and his son-in law Colonel William Goffe board a ship bound for the New World. They are on the run, wanted for the murder of King Charles I—a brazen execution that marked the culmination of the English Civil War, in which parliamentarians successfully battled royalists for control.
But now, ten years after Charles’ beheading, the royalists have returned to power. Under the provisions of the Act of Oblivion, the fifty-nine men who signed the king’s death warrant and participated in his execution have been found guilty in absentia of high treason. Some of the Roundheads, including Oliver Cromwell, are already dead. Others have been captured, hung, drawn, and quartered. A few are imprisoned for life. But two have escaped to America by boat.
In London, Richard Nayler, secretary of the regicide committee of the Privy Council, is charged with bringing the traitors to justice and he will stop at nothing to find them. A substantial bounty hangs over their heads for their capture—dead or alive. . . .
Robert Harris’s first historical novel set predominantly in America, Act of Oblivion is a novel with an urgent narrative, remarkable characters, and an epic true story to tell of religion, vengeance, and power—and the costs to those who wield it.
Audio CD
First published September 1, 2022
About the author
Robert Harris
60 books7,020 followersROBERT HARRIS is the author of nine best-selling novels: Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, Imperium, The Ghost Writer, Conspirata, The Fear Index, and An Officer and a Spy. Several of his books have been adapted to film, most recently The Ghost Writer, directed by Roman Polanski. His work has been translated into thirty-seven languages. He lives in the village of Kintbury, England, with his wife, Gill Hornby.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,585 reviews
July 24, 2022
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Using real events, dates and locations as well as real characters (except for one), Robert Harris has written a recreation of the true story of the tracking down of the killers of Charles 1, in what was the biggest manhunt of the 17th century.
It’s 1660, and Colonel Edward Whalley and his son-in-law Colonel William Goffe, take flight from England across the Atlantic. Supporters of Oliver Cromwell, there’s a price on their heads of £100 each - dead or alive, for they have been convicted in absentia of high treason. They are regicides, guilty of the murder of Charles 1.
There were 59 signatories on the death warrant for Charles 1, and there is one man determined to bring them all to justice.
Richard Nayler, Secretary of the regicide committee of The Privy Council in London is tasked with tracking down all of the fugitives, but he has personal reasons to want Whalley and Goffe dead, and he will literally follow them across oceans, prairies, forests and mountains in his pursuit. Nowhere will be safe for them - Nayler will make sure of that!
And so begins what is an epic journey, in a strange land far away from everything and everyone the fugitives have ever known. Their journey takes them from one community to another as they find sympathisers willing to give them shelter, whilst at the same time, there are others who would be happy to give them up for the £100 each on their heads. A breathless, frightening, claustrophobic way of life, much of it spent in hiding, is what awaits the fugitives every step of the way, never knowing how long it will be before they have to go on the run again, where they will next lay their heads.
This was a very turbulent time in history, dominated as it was by religion and politics, vile atrocities on both sides, and Harris’s research brings it very much to life. This is a master storyteller at work. An exceptional, exciting, and suspenseful chase, a magnificent piece of historical fiction, very difficult to put down, and in my humble opinion, an absolute must read.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann, for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
Using real events, dates and locations as well as real characters (except for one), Robert Harris has written a recreation of the true story of the tracking down of the killers of Charles 1, in what was the biggest manhunt of the 17th century.
It’s 1660, and Colonel Edward Whalley and his son-in-law Colonel William Goffe, take flight from England across the Atlantic. Supporters of Oliver Cromwell, there’s a price on their heads of £100 each - dead or alive, for they have been convicted in absentia of high treason. They are regicides, guilty of the murder of Charles 1.
There were 59 signatories on the death warrant for Charles 1, and there is one man determined to bring them all to justice.
Richard Nayler, Secretary of the regicide committee of The Privy Council in London is tasked with tracking down all of the fugitives, but he has personal reasons to want Whalley and Goffe dead, and he will literally follow them across oceans, prairies, forests and mountains in his pursuit. Nowhere will be safe for them - Nayler will make sure of that!
And so begins what is an epic journey, in a strange land far away from everything and everyone the fugitives have ever known. Their journey takes them from one community to another as they find sympathisers willing to give them shelter, whilst at the same time, there are others who would be happy to give them up for the £100 each on their heads. A breathless, frightening, claustrophobic way of life, much of it spent in hiding, is what awaits the fugitives every step of the way, never knowing how long it will be before they have to go on the run again, where they will next lay their heads.
This was a very turbulent time in history, dominated as it was by religion and politics, vile atrocities on both sides, and Harris’s research brings it very much to life. This is a master storyteller at work. An exceptional, exciting, and suspenseful chase, a magnificent piece of historical fiction, very difficult to put down, and in my humble opinion, an absolute must read.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann, for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
July 30, 2022
Robert Harris's latest offering is a gripping piece of historical fiction, a blend of fact and fiction that imagines the turbulent period of history after the Restoration. It is 1660 and the monarchy in the form of Charles II has been returned to power, Colonel Edward Whalley and his son-in-law, Colonel William Goffe are wanted for the execution of King Charles I, a consequence of the English Civil War, followed by the rule of Oliver Cromwell. They board a ship to cross the Atlantic to America and the New England colonies, where many Puritans reside, sympathetic to their plight, landing in Boston. They are on the run, with the royalists demanding a savage retribution. Under the provisions of the Act of Oblivion, 59 men who signed Charles I's death warrant have been found guilty in absentia of regicide and high treason.
Harris argues that there must have been someone who served the role of the fictitious Richard Nayler that he has created here, in London he is the secretary of the regicide committee of the Privy Council, he has the responsibility of tracking down the traitors. He is implacable in his pursuit of Whalley and Goffe, driven by a strong personal motivation, and willing to do whatever it takes, including manipulating the Duke of York. A huge reward of £100 each hangs over their heads for their capture, dead or alive. In a richly detailed and immersive narrative, Whalley and Goffe's predicament is given life beautifully, at first finding support and living openly amongst the community, but its not long before they are forced into hiding, having to move, facing betrayal as danger draws ever nearer. They have to survive in an inhospitable, if magnificent, unknown wilderness and harsh weather conditions, living under a cellar in virtual imprisonment, having to develop survivalist skills, learning from and bartaring with Native American Indians.
They desperately miss their loved ones back home, with Frances Goffe, Whalley's daughter and Goffe's wife, under close surveillance, and Whalley draws on his memories to try and write a memoir of his experiences of the Civil War and his relationship with Oliver Cromwell and Charles I. Will they be able to escape the powerful forces arraigned against them? One of the highlights for me was the stellar characterisations and the skills deployed in evoking Whalley and Goffe's challenging experiences in the New World, and showing how both sides believed they had God on their side. I have no doubt Harris's enthralling novel will be a success, it covers such a fascinating period of English history, it is very well written with a surprising twist at the end. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
Harris argues that there must have been someone who served the role of the fictitious Richard Nayler that he has created here, in London he is the secretary of the regicide committee of the Privy Council, he has the responsibility of tracking down the traitors. He is implacable in his pursuit of Whalley and Goffe, driven by a strong personal motivation, and willing to do whatever it takes, including manipulating the Duke of York. A huge reward of £100 each hangs over their heads for their capture, dead or alive. In a richly detailed and immersive narrative, Whalley and Goffe's predicament is given life beautifully, at first finding support and living openly amongst the community, but its not long before they are forced into hiding, having to move, facing betrayal as danger draws ever nearer. They have to survive in an inhospitable, if magnificent, unknown wilderness and harsh weather conditions, living under a cellar in virtual imprisonment, having to develop survivalist skills, learning from and bartaring with Native American Indians.
They desperately miss their loved ones back home, with Frances Goffe, Whalley's daughter and Goffe's wife, under close surveillance, and Whalley draws on his memories to try and write a memoir of his experiences of the Civil War and his relationship with Oliver Cromwell and Charles I. Will they be able to escape the powerful forces arraigned against them? One of the highlights for me was the stellar characterisations and the skills deployed in evoking Whalley and Goffe's challenging experiences in the New World, and showing how both sides believed they had God on their side. I have no doubt Harris's enthralling novel will be a success, it covers such a fascinating period of English history, it is very well written with a surprising twist at the end. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
January 21, 2023
When the English monarchy returned to power in 1660, King Charles II issued an Act of Oblivion, excusing all who had participated in the English Civil War, except for the " regicides," the 59 signatories of his father, Charles I's death warrant. In his latest work of historical fiction, master storyteller Robert Harris chronicles a transcontinental search for two of the signatories, Edward Whalley and his son-in-law William Goffe. Throughout this lively and fast-paced novel, Harris paints a vivid portrait of England and its American colonies and demonstrates his skill as a historical researcher.
Harris's use of multiple perspectives adds to the story's drama. To survive, Whalley and Goffe must constantly move through clandestine Puritan networks in the northeast. Goff espouses a strict Puritan worldview, while the older, more skeptical Whalley, Oliver Cromwell's close cousin, writes a chronicle of the English Civil War for his daughter. Chapters shift from colonial America to England and the hardships faced by their family, who must also hide from the authorities. Harris is at his best in depicting the massive London fire of 1666. In addition to these historical figures and events, Harris adds a fictional character, Richard Naylor, the official obsessed with tracking down Whalley and Goff.
Act of Oblivion is representative of historical fiction at its best. It captures the flavor of the times and entertains as it informs. I listened to the audio version, and the narrator, Tim McInnerny, does an excellent job
Harris's use of multiple perspectives adds to the story's drama. To survive, Whalley and Goffe must constantly move through clandestine Puritan networks in the northeast. Goff espouses a strict Puritan worldview, while the older, more skeptical Whalley, Oliver Cromwell's close cousin, writes a chronicle of the English Civil War for his daughter. Chapters shift from colonial America to England and the hardships faced by their family, who must also hide from the authorities. Harris is at his best in depicting the massive London fire of 1666. In addition to these historical figures and events, Harris adds a fictional character, Richard Naylor, the official obsessed with tracking down Whalley and Goff.
Act of Oblivion is representative of historical fiction at its best. It captures the flavor of the times and entertains as it informs. I listened to the audio version, and the narrator, Tim McInnerny, does an excellent job
September 8, 2022
This historical novel from Robert Harris blends fact & fiction & is based on a period in history that I knew very little about.
In 1660 Richard Nayler is obsessed with hunting down two men he considers responsible for the murder of King Charles I. The story is full of atmosphere & Harris creates a brilliant sense of time & place.
Where the novel falls down for me is the absence of any excitement. Despite being a chase across continents it lacks the tension of books like Fatherland & V2. It's a good read, but from Robert Harris I was expecting much more.
In 1660 Richard Nayler is obsessed with hunting down two men he considers responsible for the murder of King Charles I. The story is full of atmosphere & Harris creates a brilliant sense of time & place.
Where the novel falls down for me is the absence of any excitement. Despite being a chase across continents it lacks the tension of books like Fatherland & V2. It's a good read, but from Robert Harris I was expecting much more.
September 28, 2022
1649, a decisive moment happens in the English Civil War with the execution of King Charles I. 1660, Oliver Cromwell is dead having won the war but his short-lived Republic is over and the Restoration of the Monarchy has happened with Charles II installed as King of Britland. Parliament passes an “Act of Oblivion” which pardons everyone who committed crimes during the Civil War and subsequent Commonwealth period - except for 59 “Regicides” who signed their names on the King’s death warrant.
Over half the Regicides have since died but, of the remaining survivors, two names are highest on the most wanted list: Edward Whalley and William Goffe, who are suspected to have fled to the New England colonies across the Atlantic. Richard Nayler is appointed by the Crown to hunt down these men and bring them the King’s justice. And so the chase begins - will Whalley and Goffe get away with it?
Like in An Officer and a Spy, Robert Harris has taken a little known historical episode and written a lengthy novel about it - and, like that other novel, Act of Oblivion is unfortunately really boring.
Harris certainly seems to have done his research and he brings the time period to life convincingly enough with lots of detail. You know how sometimes people say they learn more about history through reading historical novels than actual history books? I can see people saying that about Harris’ historical novels like this one.
The problem is that this is the majority of the novel because there isn’t a great deal to the story itself. It takes an age for Nayler to get across the pond to the colonies and even longer for anything further to happen. And then nothing really happens after that until the cheesy Hollywood-esque ending.
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.
It’s not clear who we’re meant to be rooting for but, because Nayler, Goffe and Whalley are such meh characters, I didn’t feel strongly one way or the other whether the Regicides escaped or whether Nayler caught up to them. It’s that uninvolving a narrative.
An occasional scene was entertaining as the chase shortens at times - it helps that I wasn’t familiar with the history so didn’t know whether Whalley and Goffe actually escaped or not - and it is informative overall, so that you get a vivid idea of 17th century life in England and what would become the USA. It definitely isn’t compelling for the most part though, unlike quite a few of Harris’ novels - I wouldn’t rec Act of Tedium to anyone looking for a fun adventure, unless dry historical detail is all you’re after. If you want to read Robert Harris’ better historical novels and haven’t read them yet, check out Enigma, V2 or Imperium instead.
Over half the Regicides have since died but, of the remaining survivors, two names are highest on the most wanted list: Edward Whalley and William Goffe, who are suspected to have fled to the New England colonies across the Atlantic. Richard Nayler is appointed by the Crown to hunt down these men and bring them the King’s justice. And so the chase begins - will Whalley and Goffe get away with it?
Like in An Officer and a Spy, Robert Harris has taken a little known historical episode and written a lengthy novel about it - and, like that other novel, Act of Oblivion is unfortunately really boring.
Harris certainly seems to have done his research and he brings the time period to life convincingly enough with lots of detail. You know how sometimes people say they learn more about history through reading historical novels than actual history books? I can see people saying that about Harris’ historical novels like this one.
The problem is that this is the majority of the novel because there isn’t a great deal to the story itself. It takes an age for Nayler to get across the pond to the colonies and even longer for anything further to happen. And then nothing really happens after that until the cheesy Hollywood-esque ending.
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.
It’s not clear who we’re meant to be rooting for but, because Nayler, Goffe and Whalley are such meh characters, I didn’t feel strongly one way or the other whether the Regicides escaped or whether Nayler caught up to them. It’s that uninvolving a narrative.
An occasional scene was entertaining as the chase shortens at times - it helps that I wasn’t familiar with the history so didn’t know whether Whalley and Goffe actually escaped or not - and it is informative overall, so that you get a vivid idea of 17th century life in England and what would become the USA. It definitely isn’t compelling for the most part though, unlike quite a few of Harris’ novels - I wouldn’t rec Act of Tedium to anyone looking for a fun adventure, unless dry historical detail is all you’re after. If you want to read Robert Harris’ better historical novels and haven’t read them yet, check out Enigma, V2 or Imperium instead.
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May 22, 2023
4-Stars - "I Really Liked It"
Robert Harris - Act of Oblivion
Audiobook: 15:43 Hours - Narrator: Tim McInnerny
I started listening to Act of Oblivion on 19 April '23 and finished it on 20 May '23. I am a fan of Robert Harris and I know from the outset that his books are not written for those who want a 'quick read', or in my case, a 'quick listen'. Almost 16 hours in length, the audiobook version of Act of Oblivion is the equivalent of two regular audiobook novels and despite the excellent writing and narration, it requires a listener's attention throughout.
I seriously enjoyed listening to this book. 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. A few days of listening to several other, less note-worthy titles, ensued and I was ready to resume listening to Act of Oblivion to the end.
The narration by Tim McInnerny was excellent, with just enough change in vocal characterisations to be able to distinguish the main actors amongst quite a large cast of characters.
From my Reading Activity:
April 20 '23 @ 22.0% - "I expected to be intrigued by this book and @22% I am really enjoying it."
May 02 '23 @ 51.0% - "I am enjoying the narration of this interesting story. It is not a 'light-hearted' novel, and relates to events following the beheading of King Charles I, ordered by Oliver Cromwell, and the unrelenting search for the "regicides" following the ascension of Charles II to the throne."
I don't want to procrastinate finalising this review, so for those readers who might want more about the story arc and the periods of rule in Great Britain by Charles 1st, Oliver Cromwell and Charles 2nd, I refer you to the following excellent review by Goodreads Author and Reviewer, Mal Warwick, who has produced a far more articulate review of Act of Oblivion than I could possibly write: https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...
Robert Harris - Act of Oblivion
Audiobook: 15:43 Hours - Narrator: Tim McInnerny
I started listening to Act of Oblivion on 19 April '23 and finished it on 20 May '23. I am a fan of Robert Harris and I know from the outset that his books are not written for those who want a 'quick read', or in my case, a 'quick listen'. Almost 16 hours in length, the audiobook version of Act of Oblivion is the equivalent of two regular audiobook novels and despite the excellent writing and narration, it requires a listener's attention throughout.
I seriously enjoyed listening to this book. 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. A few days of listening to several other, less note-worthy titles, ensued and I was ready to resume listening to Act of Oblivion to the end.
The narration by Tim McInnerny was excellent, with just enough change in vocal characterisations to be able to distinguish the main actors amongst quite a large cast of characters.
From my Reading Activity:
April 20 '23 @ 22.0% - "I expected to be intrigued by this book and @22% I am really enjoying it."
May 02 '23 @ 51.0% - "I am enjoying the narration of this interesting story. It is not a 'light-hearted' novel, and relates to events following the beheading of King Charles I, ordered by Oliver Cromwell, and the unrelenting search for the "regicides" following the ascension of Charles II to the throne."
I don't want to procrastinate finalising this review, so for those readers who might want more about the story arc and the periods of rule in Great Britain by Charles 1st, Oliver Cromwell and Charles 2nd, I refer you to the following excellent review by Goodreads Author and Reviewer, Mal Warwick, who has produced a far more articulate review of Act of Oblivion than I could possibly write: https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...
November 3, 2022
Act of Oblivion recreates events where retribution and revenge, masquerading as justice, pursued fanatical zealots, true believers unrepentant for their murderous excesses. What is most impressive about the book is that you won’t find yourself wholly rooting for either side, not because the author exposes the extremes of both side (which he does), but because he so successfully shows the basic humanity of all of the characters. When he tells the tale from the perspective of the fugitive regicides, you feel for them, want them to escape the horrific fate that awaits them if captured. When the tale’s perspective shifts to their pursuer, you sympathize with him, feel his pain and anger, and hope that he will be successful in his hunt. When dealing with history so remote from our modern experience, with arrogant, monarchical power squaring off against self righteous religious fanatics, it is a true act of literary legerdemain to make us readers sympathize with All the characters.
October 18, 2022
King Charles I was captured, subjected to a cursory trial and executed. 59 men signed the King’s death warrant, and the new king plans to track down every one of them. Richard Naylor is tasked with finding each of the regicides, dead or alive. It reminded me of the pursuit of the conspirators who assassinated Julius Caesar. Naylor has a particular interest in Ned Whalley and his son in law Will Goffe. Ned and Will have left their families and fled to America to escape capture. Naylor is an invented character, but the author has created a very powerful motive for his prolonged and determined pursuit of these men. The author actually does a very good job of presenting multiple sides of the conflict between the followers of Oliver Cromwell and the supporters of the king.
A lot of the book is a cat and mouse game, as Ned and Will have to scurry from one hiding place to another. Much of their time is spent in wilderness conditions. They also encounter various examples of religious fanaticism. In England, their family does not have an easy time of it since they refuse to give up the location of the two fugitives. They also have to cope with a plague and fire.
For me, historical fiction is a success if it feels like events could have happened the way they are described in the book, and if when I finish the book I want to read more about the actual events. In my opinion, Harris has succeeded with this book. I knew almost nothing about the killing of King Charles I and the events that followed, but now I want to know more. The characters felt real (even when they weren’t) and well-rounded. It was an entertaining and educational story.
A lot of the book is a cat and mouse game, as Ned and Will have to scurry from one hiding place to another. Much of their time is spent in wilderness conditions. They also encounter various examples of religious fanaticism. In England, their family does not have an easy time of it since they refuse to give up the location of the two fugitives. They also have to cope with a plague and fire.
For me, historical fiction is a success if it feels like events could have happened the way they are described in the book, and if when I finish the book I want to read more about the actual events. In my opinion, Harris has succeeded with this book. I knew almost nothing about the killing of King Charles I and the events that followed, but now I want to know more. The characters felt real (even when they weren’t) and well-rounded. It was an entertaining and educational story.
July 14, 2022
Wow, this guy knows how to tell a story! Robert Harris is a master of his craft whatever genre he writes about. This is a wonderful story in the style of "The Fugitive" with a relentless pursuer determined to get his men.
Richard Nayler is committed, determined and totally single minded - a true zealot , who is determined to bring to justice all 59 signatories of the death warrant of Charles 1. His prime targets, Colonel Edward Whalley and his son-in-law, Colonel William Goffe have fled to America where they are hidden by Puritan sympathisers.
This is not merely a story of a pursuit, but also one about the entire conflict and the reasons behind the struggle between royalists and puritans. There is zealotry and cruelty on both sides and the book is superbly researched as well as plotted.
This is a breathless read and a book not to be missed.
Highly recommended.
Richard Nayler is committed, determined and totally single minded - a true zealot , who is determined to bring to justice all 59 signatories of the death warrant of Charles 1. His prime targets, Colonel Edward Whalley and his son-in-law, Colonel William Goffe have fled to America where they are hidden by Puritan sympathisers.
This is not merely a story of a pursuit, but also one about the entire conflict and the reasons behind the struggle between royalists and puritans. There is zealotry and cruelty on both sides and the book is superbly researched as well as plotted.
This is a breathless read and a book not to be missed.
Highly recommended.
September 23, 2022
Fortuitously released as Charles III ascends to the throne, this is the tale of Charles I and II, or more specifically, the fallout from the regicide of Charles I. An interesting tale, mis-sold a little by the cover claiming its the story of the greatest manhunt in history, when in fact there is precious little of a manhunt. Instead it's an intriguing story split between London and America. Plenty of interesting historical notes and Harris's writing is as solid as ever. Though I'm not a Royalist by any means, thank goodness Cromwell and his followers were eventually deposed if their portrayal here is anything to go by!
March 1, 2023
My knowledge of 17th century English history doesn't go much beyond the basics. Before reading this book I was unaware of the scope of the hunt for the "regicides", the men who were responsible for the beheading of Charles I as part of Cromwell's rise to power. Edward Whalley and his son-in-law William Goffe, officers in Cromwell's army, escaped from England to America, thus avoiding the ominous fate that awaited those who were captured in England or on the continent. Act of Oblivion: A Novel is a fictionalization of their lives, and those around them, after they landed in Boston.
This is a fine work of historical fiction on many levels. What struck me most, though, was way in which it served as a reminder of all the horrific things done over the millennia in the name of religion. All the ways in which humanity chooses to justify inhumane actions in an effort to force religious convictions on other-believers or non-believers. An old story, certainly, but one strikingly communicated by Harris's very effective portrayals of individuals on both sides of the English Civil War.
All of the characters in the book were real people with one exception: Richard Nayler, the chief regicide hunter. Harris has filled in gaps in what we know of the personalities of the principals and the events of their lives from 1660 onward.
He’s done a marvelous job of this. Whalley, Goffe and Nayler are vividly drawn, their decisions and actions consistent with the worldviews he has created for them. The arc of the story is well designed, with the focus shifting between New England and London, where Goffe’s wife (Whalley’s daughter) is the primary focus. A fictional memoir drafted by Whalley is an excellent device for filling in details about Cromwell’s rise - and fall.
Whalley is the only reflective character, confronting the possibility (in the memoir, though not to others) that perhaps God had not been on the side of the Parliamentarians. Goffe and Nayler remain rigid in their views to the end, starkly representing the opposing sides.
This well told tale, ably narrated by Tim McInnerny, deserves a solid 4 stars.
This is a fine work of historical fiction on many levels. What struck me most, though, was way in which it served as a reminder of all the horrific things done over the millennia in the name of religion. All the ways in which humanity chooses to justify inhumane actions in an effort to force religious convictions on other-believers or non-believers. An old story, certainly, but one strikingly communicated by Harris's very effective portrayals of individuals on both sides of the English Civil War.
All of the characters in the book were real people with one exception: Richard Nayler, the chief regicide hunter. Harris has filled in gaps in what we know of the personalities of the principals and the events of their lives from 1660 onward.
He’s done a marvelous job of this. Whalley, Goffe and Nayler are vividly drawn, their decisions and actions consistent with the worldviews he has created for them. The arc of the story is well designed, with the focus shifting between New England and London, where Goffe’s wife (Whalley’s daughter) is the primary focus. A fictional memoir drafted by Whalley is an excellent device for filling in details about Cromwell’s rise - and fall.
Whalley is the only reflective character, confronting the possibility (in the memoir, though not to others) that perhaps God had not been on the side of the Parliamentarians. Goffe and Nayler remain rigid in their views to the end, starkly representing the opposing sides.
This well told tale, ably narrated by Tim McInnerny, deserves a solid 4 stars.
September 18, 2022
I had the privilege to review this novel for Open Letters Review. My review can be read here:
https://openlettersreview.com/posts/a...
https://openlettersreview.com/posts/a...
February 17, 2024
I like history - it was my favourite subject at school – and I’ve worked my way through a number of books on the history of Britain, but the events covered in this book had certainly passed me by. In the mid 1600s Charles I (not likely to be seen in any list of the country’s top monarchs) was executed, to be replaced by Oliver Cromwell who took the title of Lord Protector. But shortly after Cromwell’s death the monarchy was re-established and a pardon was issued to all of those who, under Cromwell, had taken up arms against the King. That is to say, all except those who had signed the death warrant for Charles I.
The Act of Oblivion called for those that had a direct hand in the execution of the King to be arrested and charged with treason. The punishment for this crime was gruesome: to be executed by being hung, drawn and quartered. Some of the so called regicides had already died and a number of others voluntarily handed themselves in, hoping to avoid execution. Others ran to Europe, but this tale follows the fate of two men who escaped to New England, their names were Colonel Edward Walley and Colonel Will Goffe. Walley was actually a cousin of Oliver Cromwell.
Having said that I enjoy history, I’d have to temper that by admitting that I typically don’t enjoy historical fiction. I’m not quite sure why that is but I think it’s linked to the fact that I struggle to feel at home with arcane language and unfamiliar and somewhat obsolete behaviour – give me a contemporary tale any day. But this novel felt different, steeped in truth as it was. In fact the author’s forward told just how meticulous he had been in researching the plight of this pair, to the extent that virtually the only fictional character featured here is the manhunter himself, the despicable Richard Naylor. Though as Harris states in his preamble, there must have been such a man.
Walley and Goffe are forced to flit from town to town, seeking temporary refuge in the Puritan communities, those being no great fans of the British monarchy themselves, and sleeping rough. It’s a game of cat and mouse as the canny Naylor picks up their scent and is determined – for personal reasons we learn early in the tale – to catch them and see them brutally executed. Meanwhile, we’re we’re treated, in horrifying detail, to accounts of the executions being carried out back in England – even to those who handed themselves in.
It’s an exciting, terrifying and truly thought provoking tale that made me feel relieved that my time wasn't spent in 17th Century England (or America, in truth). There’s very little that appeals to me about life amongst these people and at this time. But what a story this is, and it's brilliantly told. It's is not a book I’ll easily forget.
The Act of Oblivion called for those that had a direct hand in the execution of the King to be arrested and charged with treason. The punishment for this crime was gruesome: to be executed by being hung, drawn and quartered. Some of the so called regicides had already died and a number of others voluntarily handed themselves in, hoping to avoid execution. Others ran to Europe, but this tale follows the fate of two men who escaped to New England, their names were Colonel Edward Walley and Colonel Will Goffe. Walley was actually a cousin of Oliver Cromwell.
Having said that I enjoy history, I’d have to temper that by admitting that I typically don’t enjoy historical fiction. I’m not quite sure why that is but I think it’s linked to the fact that I struggle to feel at home with arcane language and unfamiliar and somewhat obsolete behaviour – give me a contemporary tale any day. But this novel felt different, steeped in truth as it was. In fact the author’s forward told just how meticulous he had been in researching the plight of this pair, to the extent that virtually the only fictional character featured here is the manhunter himself, the despicable Richard Naylor. Though as Harris states in his preamble, there must have been such a man.
Walley and Goffe are forced to flit from town to town, seeking temporary refuge in the Puritan communities, those being no great fans of the British monarchy themselves, and sleeping rough. It’s a game of cat and mouse as the canny Naylor picks up their scent and is determined – for personal reasons we learn early in the tale – to catch them and see them brutally executed. Meanwhile, we’re we’re treated, in horrifying detail, to accounts of the executions being carried out back in England – even to those who handed themselves in.
It’s an exciting, terrifying and truly thought provoking tale that made me feel relieved that my time wasn't spent in 17th Century England (or America, in truth). There’s very little that appeals to me about life amongst these people and at this time. But what a story this is, and it's brilliantly told. It's is not a book I’ll easily forget.
November 9, 2022
Put this on your list of books to curl up with on a dreary winter's day. There is something deeply comforting about historical fiction, particularly one so rich in detail and intelligent in design. The slow burning plot weaves the thrill of the chase with a precise rendering of colonial America and royalist Britain.
After the Stuart monarchy is restored in 1660, a campaign of revenge against the followers of republican revolutionary Oliver Cromwell is undertaken with religious zeal. Richard Nayler, a minor administrator in the court of King Charles II, accepts the task of tracking down the signatories to the death warrant of Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649. Those captured meet a hideous fate: hung until unconscious, then revived, eviscerated while still alive, their entrails burned in front of them, and then finally beheaded, their heads mounted along prominent roads in London as a warning to any and all who would defy the primacy of England's throne. Nayler's hunt is personal: his wife died in childbirth after Nayler was arrested by Cromwell's soldiers.
Act of Oblivion is the built around the manhunt for two of the remaining fugitives: Edward Whalley and his son-in-law, William Goffe. The story opens with their 1660 arrival in the Massachusetts colony and unfolds over many years, moving back and forth across the Atlantic as Nayler's determination to capture them becomes an obsession.
Robert Harris imbues the events occurring on both sides of the Pond with rich and vivid detail, bringing the reader along the harrowing sea voyage from England to New England and into the cold rooms and muddy streets of 17th century England and pre-Revolutionary America. He electrifies episodes of the Plague, the Great Fire of London, and the hardcore, hardscrabble of colonial life with exacting imagery. All the while the plot moves with velocity as Whalley and Goffe elude capture. But for how long? Although the colonies are full of republican sympathizers, bounty hunters and royalists abound. 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. The story also follows Goffe's wife, Frances, who reflects the trials of living in the lion's den as she and her family are forced to hide in plain sight in London, constantly evading Nayler's reach.
This is 5-star historical fiction, immersive and breathtaking in scope and detail.
After the Stuart monarchy is restored in 1660, a campaign of revenge against the followers of republican revolutionary Oliver Cromwell is undertaken with religious zeal. Richard Nayler, a minor administrator in the court of King Charles II, accepts the task of tracking down the signatories to the death warrant of Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649. Those captured meet a hideous fate: hung until unconscious, then revived, eviscerated while still alive, their entrails burned in front of them, and then finally beheaded, their heads mounted along prominent roads in London as a warning to any and all who would defy the primacy of England's throne. Nayler's hunt is personal: his wife died in childbirth after Nayler was arrested by Cromwell's soldiers.
Act of Oblivion is the built around the manhunt for two of the remaining fugitives: Edward Whalley and his son-in-law, William Goffe. The story opens with their 1660 arrival in the Massachusetts colony and unfolds over many years, moving back and forth across the Atlantic as Nayler's determination to capture them becomes an obsession.
Robert Harris imbues the events occurring on both sides of the Pond with rich and vivid detail, bringing the reader along the harrowing sea voyage from England to New England and into the cold rooms and muddy streets of 17th century England and pre-Revolutionary America. He electrifies episodes of the Plague, the Great Fire of London, and the hardcore, hardscrabble of colonial life with exacting imagery. All the while the plot moves with velocity as Whalley and Goffe elude capture. But for how long? Although the colonies are full of republican sympathizers, bounty hunters and royalists abound. 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. The story also follows Goffe's wife, Frances, who reflects the trials of living in the lion's den as she and her family are forced to hide in plain sight in London, constantly evading Nayler's reach.
This is 5-star historical fiction, immersive and breathtaking in scope and detail.
June 12, 2023
A really fascinating novel. Robert Harris is such a talented writer.
April 23, 2023
I read this slowly until the half way point. After that and with more than a handful of returns to the book to continue, I read much faster and at certain points of continual continent switching (again) sped read.
So, is it historically on point? It is. And especially gives a more than average quality account for Boston, Cambridge etc. during this Puritan immigrant period. Is it 3 to 4 star in the ball park for the English and European continental ends of the pursuit for the regicides? Of course, this is Harris.
But the over-rating here! This is a favorite author for sure, mine too- but length, breadth, and continuity here? Way below par for Robert Harris. Below par for the complexity and length of copy too. My bar is high for the author of Munich, for all of those top notch Roman series based books etc. This one does not begin to rise to the midst of their quality. 2.5 stars and I cannot round it up.
Telling, telling, telling this tale, and when there is the showing and doing it is verbosity times a dozen to make the telling fit. In such times as prime obsessions of either religious or delusional dictates taken as an entire fever of life plan? It could have burned so differently. This stands apart and besides the primes on both sides here and doesn't exist for the "eyes" of the true believer intensity except in some Scripture asides or a page here or there. Hard to accomplish this droning calm that lengths of this did, but Harris actually diminished all the fire. Harris made the martyrdom and fervor elements become almost secondary. When in all reality they were staunch core center. Still are, ironically. Just like true "woke" or "green at any cost" true believers. Core religion "this way or no way" fervor was elemental here. Wordiness just killed it with diluting distraction.
This length and form did not do the subject justice. Roundheads indeed of every form and dogma! Still deluded, obsessed and just as intolerant for their current "you must believe this redefinition for reality" or "else" quotients for continual preaching. What a subject matter to attempt too in 2020 plus! The know better enlightened condescending are so visible and audible presently that this particular historical sequence did not have to be so splintered and with such minutia redundancy of tangent asides. WE GET IT. Cromwell's way or no way and the hell with any aftermaths. And revenge back to the last nasty justified. A better kingdom awaits for the true believers and social justice warriors that will make us all equal or else, regardless. Preach, teach and rule as new DEFINED and REDEFINED "true" is an old thing and an always thing. Hard to make it so mundane as here. Just the religions have changed and are not designated AS religion any more. But they are whole piece nearly identical.
My least favorite book by Harris for all these long years of his writing excellence. That's exactly why I could not raise the bar to round it up. I'll still try all he writes. But this was truly disappointing. After all these pages and people I also did not feel Nayler as a real person. Just as one dimensional as a super hero with almost nil personality or individuality in all these lengths of print. Reminded me of the long search for "the one armed man" in tv past. That sleuth was almost nil too. I just don't see any rendition of an "anti" cored prime being all that interesting either. I never have.
So, is it historically on point? It is. And especially gives a more than average quality account for Boston, Cambridge etc. during this Puritan immigrant period. Is it 3 to 4 star in the ball park for the English and European continental ends of the pursuit for the regicides? Of course, this is Harris.
But the over-rating here! This is a favorite author for sure, mine too- but length, breadth, and continuity here? Way below par for Robert Harris. Below par for the complexity and length of copy too. My bar is high for the author of Munich, for all of those top notch Roman series based books etc. This one does not begin to rise to the midst of their quality. 2.5 stars and I cannot round it up.
Telling, telling, telling this tale, and when there is the showing and doing it is verbosity times a dozen to make the telling fit. In such times as prime obsessions of either religious or delusional dictates taken as an entire fever of life plan? It could have burned so differently. This stands apart and besides the primes on both sides here and doesn't exist for the "eyes" of the true believer intensity except in some Scripture asides or a page here or there. Hard to accomplish this droning calm that lengths of this did, but Harris actually diminished all the fire. Harris made the martyrdom and fervor elements become almost secondary. When in all reality they were staunch core center. Still are, ironically. Just like true "woke" or "green at any cost" true believers. Core religion "this way or no way" fervor was elemental here. Wordiness just killed it with diluting distraction.
This length and form did not do the subject justice. Roundheads indeed of every form and dogma! Still deluded, obsessed and just as intolerant for their current "you must believe this redefinition for reality" or "else" quotients for continual preaching. What a subject matter to attempt too in 2020 plus! The know better enlightened condescending are so visible and audible presently that this particular historical sequence did not have to be so splintered and with such minutia redundancy of tangent asides. WE GET IT. Cromwell's way or no way and the hell with any aftermaths. And revenge back to the last nasty justified. A better kingdom awaits for the true believers and social justice warriors that will make us all equal or else, regardless. Preach, teach and rule as new DEFINED and REDEFINED "true" is an old thing and an always thing. Hard to make it so mundane as here. Just the religions have changed and are not designated AS religion any more. But they are whole piece nearly identical.
My least favorite book by Harris for all these long years of his writing excellence. That's exactly why I could not raise the bar to round it up. I'll still try all he writes. But this was truly disappointing. After all these pages and people I also did not feel Nayler as a real person. Just as one dimensional as a super hero with almost nil personality or individuality in all these lengths of print. Reminded me of the long search for "the one armed man" in tv past. That sleuth was almost nil too. I just don't see any rendition of an "anti" cored prime being all that interesting either. I never have.
September 19, 2022
Robert Harris has delivered another novel that draws in the reader and delights the senses with novel and surprising handling of the harshest of circumstances threatening survival for regicides in the "new world" fresh from their dealings with King Charles I.
Library Loan
Library Loan
April 17, 2024
This book is very well researched, as one would expect from a Harris tome, and some of the descriptions of the squalor of 17th century London or the haunting wilds of New England border on the poetic but I feel I mostly spoiled this book for myself by reading Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I by Charles Spencer first as much of the ground covered here is exactly the same, plus some dramatically fictionalized moments and exactly one wholly fictional character to connect the dots and act as the willing antagonist. To his credit Harris even cites the Spencer book as one of the key general histories he drew upon before getting into the nitty-gritty of his other praiseworthy scholarship.
The key question for me, however, remains whether a book can really still be considered a "thriller" if literal decades pass without any meaningful action? It is a fascinating story, but perhaps telling it in its entirety was a bit much.
The key question for me, however, remains whether a book can really still be considered a "thriller" if literal decades pass without any meaningful action? It is a fascinating story, but perhaps telling it in its entirety was a bit much.
November 27, 2022
През 1649 г. в Лондон публично е обезглавен богопомазаният крал Чарлз 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, безспорно е прецедент. В рамките на 11 години Англия е република. Посланието на надделелите през тези 11 години пуритани, наред с останалото, за първи път в Европа ясно и категорично заявява, че кралете не са над закона, важещ за техните поданици. И че властта на кралете не се дава от Бога, напук на официалната теза.
Мечтата за република не успява да надживее лорд-протектора Оливър Кромуел и през 1660 г. синът на екзекутирания крал, Чарлз II, доволен се завръща на трона в Лондон. Цената е Законът за Забравата, даващ амнистия на републиканците. Но не и на 59-те подписали смъртната присъда на Чарлз I.
Харис е интелигентен и ерудиран писател, който пресъздава всяка изследвана епоха не просто с педантичност, а с детайлен реализъм. Дали ще е стара Англия, където фанатичните роялисти и предимно католици доволно потриват ръце за реставрацията на монархията. Дали ще е Новият свят с неговите едва 30,000 заселници в новите щати, където никак не са малко вярващите пуритани, отхвърлящи светската власт, кралската изключителност и католическите порядки с еднаква непримиримост. Картината на епохата е пъстра, пресечена от религиозни разломи и огромни географски разстояния.
Слабостта в тази книга са героите и конкретният сюжет. Фанатичният роялист Ричард Нейпиър тръгва на лов за двама полковници от кромуеловата армия, подписали кралската смъртна присъда, убедени пуритани, забегнали в северноамериканските колонии през 1660 г. Нито един от тези трима централни герои не изпъква с някаква отличителна индивидуалност, а мотивацията им е изцяло в сферата на сухата писателска теория, без никаква осезаемост. Герои на практика липсват. Разгръщането на действието, за съжаление, ми беше крайно досадно и непоносимо скучно. Всички надежди за близък поглед към двете крайни гледни точки просто се удавиха сред сухи или маловажни детайли. Образът на Кромуел и драмата около процеса с Чарлз I почти никак не бяха засегнати, а малкото препратки бяха с размера и с вълнуващия стил на бележка под линия.
Проучването и стилът на Харис са добри, както винаги, но за все повече от неговите заглавия искрено недоумявам кога той най-накрая ще се сети, че е нужен и съответният сюжет. И че освен голямата история на епохата в романа е важна и малката история на героите. Иначе е по-разумно да се избере за прочит историческо изследване за съответната тема.
2,5⭐️
П. П. Българското издание е прекрасно оформено!
Мечтата за република не успява да надживее лорд-протектора Оливър Кромуел и през 1660 г. синът на екзекутирания крал, Чарлз II, доволен се завръща на трона в Лондон. Цената е Законът за Забравата, даващ амнистия на републиканците. Но не и на 59-те подписали смъртната присъда на Чарлз I.
Харис е интелигентен и ерудиран писател, който пресъздава всяка изследвана епоха не просто с педантичност, а с детайлен реализъм. Дали ще е стара Англия, където фанатичните роялисти и предимно католици доволно потриват ръце за реставрацията на монархията. Дали ще е Новият свят с неговите едва 30,000 заселници в новите щати, където никак не са малко вярващите пуритани, отхвърлящи светската власт, кралската изключителност и католическите порядки с еднаква непримиримост. Картината на епохата е пъстра, пресечена от религиозни разломи и огромни географски разстояния.
Слабостта в тази книга са героите и конкретният сюжет. Фанатичният роялист Ричард Нейпиър тръгва на лов за двама полковници от кромуеловата армия, подписали кралската смъртна присъда, убедени пуритани, забегнали в северноамериканските колонии през 1660 г. Нито един от тези трима централни герои не изпъква с някаква отличителна индивидуалност, а мотивацията им е изцяло в сферата на сухата писателска теория, без никаква осезаемост. Герои на практика липсват. Разгръщането на действието, за съжаление, ми беше крайно досадно и непоносимо скучно. Всички надежди за близък поглед към двете крайни гледни точки просто се удавиха сред сухи или маловажни детайли. Образът на Кромуел и драмата около процеса с Чарлз I почти никак не бяха засегнати, а малкото препратки бяха с размера и с вълнуващия стил на бележка под линия.
Проучването и стилът на Харис са добри, както винаги, но за все повече от неговите заглавия искрено недоумявам кога той най-накрая ще се сети, че е нужен и съответният сюжет. И че освен голямата история на епохата в романа е важна и малката история на героите. Иначе е по-разумно да се избере за прочит историческо изследване за съответната тема.
2,5⭐️
П. П. Българското издание е прекрасно оформено!
July 15, 2023
The story telling is the real gem with Robert Harris writing, everything flows, pulling you forward turning page after page.
I have found this to be true with every book of his that I’ve picked up to date & I’m hopeful that Act of Oblivion is no different?
It’s a slow read where in reality not a lot really happens in terms of action, I mention this as the preface mentions a chase across continents where in reality the two colonels run away & hide secluded from the outside world for months upon end – doesn’t sound very thrilling does it? But the fellah has a knack for turning staid stories into page turners, im not sure how, but he does. That was my early thoughts…. A book which showed promise.
I won’t give away the plot/story as that would royally ruin anyone wanting to pick this up but in summation, it’s perhaps overlong in places as at times I was willing for summit to happen, the second half jus never really got going & was more piecemeal than the opening chapters. As Puritans they seemed to rely on the bible & prayer for solace more oft than not which is not for me. I know I got to a point where I jus had to keep reading to find out what eventually happened to everyone concerned, which is not really a selling point nor recommendation for this book…
It’s a book about Puritans…. And I have to say I’m not a big fan of said zealots.
Slightly over the 3 stars, the writing is very good, as always, but the inactivity over the length really did for me & went a few days without wanting nor actually picking it up during the second half of the book
Bar brawl rating – Zero
I have found this to be true with every book of his that I’ve picked up to date & I’m hopeful that Act of Oblivion is no different?
It’s a slow read where in reality not a lot really happens in terms of action, I mention this as the preface mentions a chase across continents where in reality the two colonels run away & hide secluded from the outside world for months upon end – doesn’t sound very thrilling does it? But the fellah has a knack for turning staid stories into page turners, im not sure how, but he does. That was my early thoughts…. A book which showed promise.
I won’t give away the plot/story as that would royally ruin anyone wanting to pick this up but in summation, it’s perhaps overlong in places as at times I was willing for summit to happen, the second half jus never really got going & was more piecemeal than the opening chapters. As Puritans they seemed to rely on the bible & prayer for solace more oft than not which is not for me. I know I got to a point where I jus had to keep reading to find out what eventually happened to everyone concerned, which is not really a selling point nor recommendation for this book…
It’s a book about Puritans…. And I have to say I’m not a big fan of said zealots.
Slightly over the 3 stars, the writing is very good, as always, but the inactivity over the length really did for me & went a few days without wanting nor actually picking it up during the second half of the book
Bar brawl rating – Zero
September 6, 2022
Robert Harris is one of my favourite authors, so a new book by him is always something to look forward to. This one sounded particularly interesting, dealing with a manhunt that takes place in 17th century New England, a setting Harris has never written about before.
The men being hunted are Edward Whalley and his son-in-law William Goffe, both of whom had been colonels in Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army, fighting for the Parliamentarians against Charles I’s Royalists. When that war ended in a Parliamentarian victory, Whalley and Goffe, along with fifty-seven other men, signed the death warrant that led to the king’s execution. Oliver Cromwell then ruled as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland until his death in 1658.
Harris’ Act of Oblivion begins in the year 1660, just after Parliament invites the former king’s son to return from exile and take the throne as Charles II. With the monarchy now restored, attention turns to punishing the regicides who were responsible for Charles I’s beheading. Most of these are either already dead or are quickly caught and brought to justice, but several – including Whalley and Goffe – have disappeared, seemingly without trace. Richard Nayler, secretary of the Regicide Committee, is the man tasked with tracking them down.
Part of the novel is written from the perspective of Nayler and part from the points of view of Ned Whalley and Will Goffe. This means that the reader knows from the beginning exactly where Ned and Will have gone – they have crossed the Atlantic to America, to build new lives for themselves in the like-minded Puritan colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut. When Nayler arrives in pursuit, however, the two regicides are forced to move from one hiding place to another, never able to relax, knowing that they could be betrayed by anyone at any time.
If, like me, you come to Act of Oblivion with no knowledge of what happened to Whalley and Goffe (both real people), then I would strongly advise against looking up the details until you’ve finished reading. It’s better not to know and be kept in suspense wondering whether or not they’ll be caught. 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.
Whalley and Goffe are real historical figures, as I’ve said, and so are most of the others we meet in the novel, including not only Charles II, the future James II and the Lord Chancellor, Edward Hyde, but also many of the governors, magistrates and ministers of the colonies in which they seek refuge. Richard Nayler is fictional, although Harris states that he’s sure someone like Nayler must have existed in order to carry out the hunting down of the regicides. I found Whalley and Goffe quite difficult to identify with (particularly Goffe, a religious zealot and Fifth Monarchist who believes that Jesus will return to form a new kingdom on earth in the year 1666), so I actually found myself on Nayler’s side a lot of the time, which probably wasn’t the author’s intention!
The pages of this novel are packed with history, but what I found particularly interesting was the portrayal of life in the recently founded colonies of Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay and New Haven. New Haven’s role in sheltering the two regicides was apparently one of the reasons why that colony was never given a royal charter allowing it to become a state like the other two. The people of New Haven also follow a stricter set of Puritan laws than Whalley and Goffe had been used to in England and it’s interesting to see how differently the two men react to this, with Goffe feeling that he has found his spiritual home while Whalley begins to have doubts.
Act of Oblivion is not my favourite Harris novel, then – I think, for me, An Officer and a Spy and the Cicero trilogy will be hard to beat – but it’s still a very good one. I must find time to catch up on the earlier novels of his that I haven’t read yet!
The men being hunted are Edward Whalley and his son-in-law William Goffe, both of whom had been colonels in Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army, fighting for the Parliamentarians against Charles I’s Royalists. When that war ended in a Parliamentarian victory, Whalley and Goffe, along with fifty-seven other men, signed the death warrant that led to the king’s execution. Oliver Cromwell then ruled as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland until his death in 1658.
Harris’ Act of Oblivion begins in the year 1660, just after Parliament invites the former king’s son to return from exile and take the throne as Charles II. With the monarchy now restored, attention turns to punishing the regicides who were responsible for Charles I’s beheading. Most of these are either already dead or are quickly caught and brought to justice, but several – including Whalley and Goffe – have disappeared, seemingly without trace. Richard Nayler, secretary of the Regicide Committee, is the man tasked with tracking them down.
Part of the novel is written from the perspective of Nayler and part from the points of view of Ned Whalley and Will Goffe. This means that the reader knows from the beginning exactly where Ned and Will have gone – they have crossed the Atlantic to America, to build new lives for themselves in the like-minded Puritan colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut. When Nayler arrives in pursuit, however, the two regicides are forced to move from one hiding place to another, never able to relax, knowing that they could be betrayed by anyone at any time.
If, like me, you come to Act of Oblivion with no knowledge of what happened to Whalley and Goffe (both real people), then I would strongly advise against looking up the details until you’ve finished reading. It’s better not to know and be kept in suspense wondering whether or not they’ll be caught. 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.
Whalley and Goffe are real historical figures, as I’ve said, and so are most of the others we meet in the novel, including not only Charles II, the future James II and the Lord Chancellor, Edward Hyde, but also many of the governors, magistrates and ministers of the colonies in which they seek refuge. Richard Nayler is fictional, although Harris states that he’s sure someone like Nayler must have existed in order to carry out the hunting down of the regicides. I found Whalley and Goffe quite difficult to identify with (particularly Goffe, a religious zealot and Fifth Monarchist who believes that Jesus will return to form a new kingdom on earth in the year 1666), so I actually found myself on Nayler’s side a lot of the time, which probably wasn’t the author’s intention!
The pages of this novel are packed with history, but what I found particularly interesting was the portrayal of life in the recently founded colonies of Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay and New Haven. New Haven’s role in sheltering the two regicides was apparently one of the reasons why that colony was never given a royal charter allowing it to become a state like the other two. The people of New Haven also follow a stricter set of Puritan laws than Whalley and Goffe had been used to in England and it’s interesting to see how differently the two men react to this, with Goffe feeling that he has found his spiritual home while Whalley begins to have doubts.
Act of Oblivion is not my favourite Harris novel, then – I think, for me, An Officer and a Spy and the Cicero trilogy will be hard to beat – but it’s still a very good one. I must find time to catch up on the earlier novels of his that I haven’t read yet!
April 3, 2023
The hunter and the hunted…
Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II wants revenge on the men who were responsible for the murder of his father, Charles I. Many of the men who signed the warrant for the King’s execution have already died in the normal course of things, or have been rounded up and imprisoned, to be executed in their turn. But several are still on the run, hiding out in England or in Protestant countries on the continent. And two, Ned Whalley and Will Goffe, have made it all the way to the New World, to hide out in the Puritan settlements there. Richard Nayler is the man appointed to hunt them down, a man whose loyalty to the new King is matched by a personal grievance he holds against Cromwell’s men.
If the true story on which a historical fiction is based isn’t terribly exciting, an author has two choices – make stuff up to boost the interest level, or stick broadly with the known facts, and rely on good descriptive writing about the setting and characterisation to make up for the lack of action. Harris has opted for the latter, and I rather wish he’d gone for the former. The story sounds as if it will be far more interesting than it turns out. The runaways spend years in America, moving from town to town, always in hiding. Nayler spends years failing to find them. The book is quite long! And then there’s an abrupt ending.
I fear I eventually tired of it all, though I stuck it out to around the 60% mark before skimming speedily through the rest. I had no sympathy for either hunter or hunted, and no real interest in reading hundreds of pages about the lives of religious fanatics and the Puritans of England and America. (Sorry if any Puritans are reading this – strict religious observance may be great for the soul but it does not make for exciting fiction!) I have often wondered whether I’d have been a Cavalier or a Roundhead. The Kings were horrible tyrants who persecuted people on the grounds of religion. Cromwell was a horrible tyrant who persecuted people on the grounds of religion. They all thought God had chosen them, and only them, to rule the world. I can’t get up much enthusiasm for either side, and in the end usually opt for the Cavaliers on the grounds that they have nicer clothes and better hair-dos. And if I ever get to Heaven (an unlikely scenario) I’ll be very disappointed if I find that any of them on either side really have been turned into saints.
The stuff about the new settlements in America was the most interesting part for me, although Harris dragged it out for far too long. He assumes people will know the basic history of Cromwell and the Restoration, and puts no political element into the plot. I felt that more concentration on the Restoration and less on these two runaways would have given scope for more interest. There’s only so much you can say about two men hiding in a barn, or a cellar, or an attic, or even the wilderness.
A disappointing one for me, then, though most people seem to be loving it, so as usual it clearly comes down to subjective taste.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Random House Cornerstone via NetGalley.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II wants revenge on the men who were responsible for the murder of his father, Charles I. Many of the men who signed the warrant for the King’s execution have already died in the normal course of things, or have been rounded up and imprisoned, to be executed in their turn. But several are still on the run, hiding out in England or in Protestant countries on the continent. And two, Ned Whalley and Will Goffe, have made it all the way to the New World, to hide out in the Puritan settlements there. Richard Nayler is the man appointed to hunt them down, a man whose loyalty to the new King is matched by a personal grievance he holds against Cromwell’s men.
If the true story on which a historical fiction is based isn’t terribly exciting, an author has two choices – make stuff up to boost the interest level, or stick broadly with the known facts, and rely on good descriptive writing about the setting and characterisation to make up for the lack of action. Harris has opted for the latter, and I rather wish he’d gone for the former. The story sounds as if it will be far more interesting than it turns out. The runaways spend years in America, moving from town to town, always in hiding. Nayler spends years failing to find them. The book is quite long! And then there’s an abrupt ending.
I fear I eventually tired of it all, though I stuck it out to around the 60% mark before skimming speedily through the rest. I had no sympathy for either hunter or hunted, and no real interest in reading hundreds of pages about the lives of religious fanatics and the Puritans of England and America. (Sorry if any Puritans are reading this – strict religious observance may be great for the soul but it does not make for exciting fiction!) I have often wondered whether I’d have been a Cavalier or a Roundhead. The Kings were horrible tyrants who persecuted people on the grounds of religion. Cromwell was a horrible tyrant who persecuted people on the grounds of religion. They all thought God had chosen them, and only them, to rule the world. I can’t get up much enthusiasm for either side, and in the end usually opt for the Cavaliers on the grounds that they have nicer clothes and better hair-dos. And if I ever get to Heaven (an unlikely scenario) I’ll be very disappointed if I find that any of them on either side really have been turned into saints.
The stuff about the new settlements in America was the most interesting part for me, although Harris dragged it out for far too long. He assumes people will know the basic history of Cromwell and the Restoration, and puts no political element into the plot. I felt that more concentration on the Restoration and less on these two runaways would have given scope for more interest. There’s only so much you can say about two men hiding in a barn, or a cellar, or an attic, or even the wilderness.
A disappointing one for me, then, though most people seem to be loving it, so as usual it clearly comes down to subjective taste.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Random House Cornerstone via NetGalley.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
December 11, 2022
This book is a sweeping saga set in the 1600s about the hunt for two (real) men, William Goffe and Edward Whalley, who signed the death warrant of Charles I, and their life in hiding in America. Richard Nayler is the fictional hunter of the “regicides.” The hunt begins in 1660 upon restoration of Charles II, son of Charles I, to the throne of England after the ousting and death of Oliver Cromwell. The titular Act of Oblivion pardoned the past treasons committed against the Crown, with the exception of the regicides. The two fugitives are related by marriage – Whalley is the father-in-law of Goffe. Whalley is also cousin to Oliver Cromwell. The families are the two men also feature in the narrative.
America in the 1660s was sparsely settled. Two men on the run are housed initially by the Puritans (who sympathized with the anti-monarchists) but must flee when Nayler arrives in America to pursue them. The tale involves maritime travel from London to Massachusetts to the rugged terrain of the Connecticut wilderness.
The details of the period are beautifully drawn to enable the reader to picture the period. The history is well-researched, covering the English Civil War, the short-lived republic, and the restoration. These events are told in flashback through Whalley’s writings of his memoirs. We gain insight into the personalities of Cromwell and Charles I through Whalley’s eyes, and also to the politics of the era. The religious fervor of the time is conveyed via the actions of the characters. The tension is high, as the reader wonders if these two will be caught and suffer a horrible death (which has been laid out in graphic detail early in the narrative).
It is the type of historical fiction that I enjoy immensely – realistic to the period, containing well-developed complex characters and a plot that maintains the reader’s interest throughout. It is an immersive reading experience. It has the feel of a film, and I would not be surprised if it were adapted to the screen. Highly recommended!
America in the 1660s was sparsely settled. Two men on the run are housed initially by the Puritans (who sympathized with the anti-monarchists) but must flee when Nayler arrives in America to pursue them. The tale involves maritime travel from London to Massachusetts to the rugged terrain of the Connecticut wilderness.
The details of the period are beautifully drawn to enable the reader to picture the period. The history is well-researched, covering the English Civil War, the short-lived republic, and the restoration. These events are told in flashback through Whalley’s writings of his memoirs. We gain insight into the personalities of Cromwell and Charles I through Whalley’s eyes, and also to the politics of the era. The religious fervor of the time is conveyed via the actions of the characters. The tension is high, as the reader wonders if these two will be caught and suffer a horrible death (which has been laid out in graphic detail early in the narrative).
It is the type of historical fiction that I enjoy immensely – realistic to the period, containing well-developed complex characters and a plot that maintains the reader’s interest throughout. It is an immersive reading experience. It has the feel of a film, and I would not be surprised if it were adapted to the screen. Highly recommended!
July 24, 2022
Robert Harris has done it again; woven a riveting tale around real people and events in a realistic reimagining of history. The title is taken from an Act of Parliament which arose following the Civil War. Many were pardoned but those who were directly involved as signatories to the regicide of Charles 1 were hunted down and executed. I’ve read a couple of excellent non fiction books about this period by Charles Spencer. Act of Oblivion, as a fiction, adds real substance to the people and events and it’s a fast paced page turner.
This is a fascinating and unprecedented historical period. A King was executed after a farcical ‘trial’ and Cromwell governed until the monarchy was reinstated and Charles II crowned. Parliament ‘ruled’ but it was an unsettled time with widespread repercussions when Charles took back the throne. This story concentrates on all those directly involved in hunting down traitors and bringing them to justice. Two escaped to America and the exploits of Whalley and Goffe are documented. Their life as fugitives given refuge is incredibly realistic. America was a new colony and Harris really captures that feeling of new settlers trying to carve out a life in a strange land. They left families in England and the sense of distance and loss is well depicted. Alongside this is the story how the families in England were affected and the actions that were underway to track down and bring to justice ( execution) those most wanted.
This is a rollicking adventure. Robert Harris is a gifted storyteller who brings everything so vividly to life. It’s the thrill of the chase filled with remarkable individuals and an eye for rich detail that makes this a truly outstanding read. I wish I still had it to look forward to! In summary and absolutely incredible but true tale of revenge that kept me gripped from start to finish. Highly recommended.
This is a fascinating and unprecedented historical period. A King was executed after a farcical ‘trial’ and Cromwell governed until the monarchy was reinstated and Charles II crowned. Parliament ‘ruled’ but it was an unsettled time with widespread repercussions when Charles took back the throne. This story concentrates on all those directly involved in hunting down traitors and bringing them to justice. Two escaped to America and the exploits of Whalley and Goffe are documented. Their life as fugitives given refuge is incredibly realistic. America was a new colony and Harris really captures that feeling of new settlers trying to carve out a life in a strange land. They left families in England and the sense of distance and loss is well depicted. Alongside this is the story how the families in England were affected and the actions that were underway to track down and bring to justice ( execution) those most wanted.
This is a rollicking adventure. Robert Harris is a gifted storyteller who brings everything so vividly to life. It’s the thrill of the chase filled with remarkable individuals and an eye for rich detail that makes this a truly outstanding read. I wish I still had it to look forward to! In summary and absolutely incredible but true tale of revenge that kept me gripped from start to finish. Highly recommended.
January 19, 2023
This was a really good story. At the time I started, I thought this was a historical thriller, but now that I've finished, I realize it's much more than that. Mr. Harris covers a lot of history, from the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell, the death of Charles I, the sleezy personality of Charles II, and puritan life in America late 1600s.
April 25, 2023
Act of Oblivion -Robert Harris
تدور أحداث هذه الرواية التاريخية بعد وفاة أوليفر كرومويل وعودة الملكية. كرومويل الذي لعب دورً كبيرًا في السياسة الداخلية والذي كان شخصية رئيسية في التمرد ضد الملك والحرب الأهلية وانتهت بانتصاره وأنصاره وإعدام الملك تشارلز الأول عام 1649م في نهاية الحرب الأهلية ومن ثم حكم كرومويل انجلترا وايرلندا واسكتلندا باسم اللورد الحامي حتى وفاته بعد تسعة أعوام.
تتحدث الرواية تحديدًا عن مطاردة وتعقب الرجال الذين حكموا بإعدام الملك تشارلز الأول، وتتبع القصة محققًا خاصًا عينه البرلمان لهذه المهمة وهو الشخصية الخيالية الوحيدة في الرواية، كل شخصيات الرواية الأخرى حقيقية بالكامل. يتبع المحقق الخاص رجلين تحديدًا هربا من قبضة المحققين وربما ذهبا إلى مكان ما في أوروبا أو ربما إلى العالم الجديد "أمريكا".
لا أعرف الكثير عن هذه الحقبة من تاريخ المملكة المتحدة لكن الكتابة كانت رائعة ومتوازنة، تضم الكثير بلا توهان للقارىء، وتأخذه في رحلة مطاردة حامية وطويلة وتحبس الأنفاس وتجري عبر قارتين، ونهاية مذهلة .
قرأت هذه الرواية بترشيح من صديق هنا، وأود أن أشكره على ترشيحه، كانت رحلة رائعة،
Thank You Sam .
February 18, 2023
Book club. An unlikely selection this one: a religious historical fiction for a group of atheists… Charles I of England was executed. His death warrant was signed by 59 influential people, largely because he was responsible for many deaths and was a believer of the wrong religion. The coup was short-lived and the new king ordered their deaths. Thinking the new government wouldn’t last, the people who signed the death warrant either handed themselves in (regretfully), or sought exile until power was restored. Apparently both sides/religions killed lots of people unfairly so it was hard to go for either faction, if any. Between it all, an atheist was in charge of hunting down and killing them all. His character was dull: find ‘em, kill ‘em. He had a very slight backstory but that was dull too.
So the main exiles are stuck in far away places for a long time, away from their families. There’s some reflection. Meanwhile the atheist is playing cat and mouse with them for the first half. And it felt like a very long chase. Like the kings moving around a chess board awaiting stalemate.
My main gripe, other than the long length of the book was the diary/book dedicated to the exiled guy’s wife (or daughter, I was barely paying attention by this point). Instead of writing I miss you, or remember when we…or I’m proud of you…he just vomits out all these plays between the factions and the executed king and justification and lack of justification. I didn’t buy it. It was just a way to get the historical backstory going.
So this is a negative review, however 3 stars are given. The pluses were the writing style was excellent, it wasn’t a drag to read to the point of grumbling, sighing, or eye-rolling. It had just enough to read large sections at a time.
The book club were fairly unanimous, with 3.5, (my) 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5. General group thoughts: both factions were as bad as each other so no connection, a few themes were discussed but only to fill the discussion time, it wasn’t painful to read. Other books by this author were better.
So the main exiles are stuck in far away places for a long time, away from their families. There’s some reflection. Meanwhile the atheist is playing cat and mouse with them for the first half. And it felt like a very long chase. Like the kings moving around a chess board awaiting stalemate.
My main gripe, other than the long length of the book was the diary/book dedicated to the exiled guy’s wife (or daughter, I was barely paying attention by this point). Instead of writing I miss you, or remember when we…or I’m proud of you…he just vomits out all these plays between the factions and the executed king and justification and lack of justification. I didn’t buy it. It was just a way to get the historical backstory going.
So this is a negative review, however 3 stars are given. The pluses were the writing style was excellent, it wasn’t a drag to read to the point of grumbling, sighing, or eye-rolling. It had just enough to read large sections at a time.
The book club were fairly unanimous, with 3.5, (my) 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5. General group thoughts: both factions were as bad as each other so no connection, a few themes were discussed but only to fill the discussion time, it wasn’t painful to read. Other books by this author were better.
July 15, 2022
Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris has as its backdrop a series of real events around which he has crafted a fiction. Out of this he weaves a dramatic and thrilling tale, superbly researched, wonderfully realised and which feels extremely modern despite being set in the aftermath of the English Civil War in the seventeenth century. This is a chase thriller played out over continents and years, and is never less than propulsive.
The plot is simple: two men, part of a larger group responsible for regicide, are pursued across New England by a hunter. The latter figure is fictional, though as Harris makes clear in his introduction such a man must have existed. There are good sides and bad sides to both parties in this novel, shades of grey that make it all the more thrilling.
This is Harris' best book in ages - and it will delight his many fans and will certainly bring him new readers. It is highly recommended.
The plot is simple: two men, part of a larger group responsible for regicide, are pursued across New England by a hunter. The latter figure is fictional, though as Harris makes clear in his introduction such a man must have existed. There are good sides and bad sides to both parties in this novel, shades of grey that make it all the more thrilling.
This is Harris' best book in ages - and it will delight his many fans and will certainly bring him new readers. It is highly recommended.
August 20, 2022
As usual it was well written and researched but not that exciting imo. And I disliked all the characters - religious fanatics and/or simply nasty on both sides. I like most of Robert Harris's books but this one left me cold.
January 8, 2024
Regicide, the killing of a king, is not a word most of us come across. I wondered what the word for killing a queen is, so I've googled for it. Apparently it is the same word. As usual, in history, the women get no respect. But that is another subject entirely and has nothing to do with the book.
His chase must bring him to the American colonies where the two men have escaped. The reader is able to see how there is a network of Puritans in several communities willing to help Whalley and Goffe hide. I personally found this depiction of the colonies of the 1660s interesting quite apart from the story the novel tells. I am not descended from Puritans, but I have multiple ancestor families living in the colonies at this time and Harris was able to help me see the time and place.
I think I was supposed to feel some sympathy for Whalley and Goffe and not any for Richard Nayler. Actually, I found it hard to sympathize with murderers, either Puritan or Royalist. How was it the God-fearing Puritans thought it was OK to violate one of the 10 Commandments? And Nayler was so venomous, he could not garner any sympathy from me. But the story, because largely true, was fascinating. This is not 5-stars, however, but a solid 4-stars.
‘A new law, what they call an Act of Oblivion, has been laid before Parliament. The past is to be forgotten. There’s to be an amnesty for all who took up arms against the late King – with one exception. All those regicides, as they call them, who had direct involvement in the trial and execution of Charles Stuart are required to surrender themselves for judgement.’And, with this Act begins one the of the largest manhunts in history. The novel focuses on two of the men: Edward Whalley and his son-in-law, William Goffe. Both Whalley and Goffe were real people as were nearly all of the other people in the novel except one. As author Robert Harris writes in his Author's Note: The events, dates and locations are accurate, and almost every character is real, apart from Richard Nayler. I suspect there must have been such a person – you cannot sustain a manhunt without a manhunter – but whoever he was, his identity is lost to history. In some way, we see Nayler doing the job assigned to him. We learn, however, that he was also motivated by revenge. He was particularly focused on making certain that Whalley and Goffe were captured and executed.
His chase must bring him to the American colonies where the two men have escaped. The reader is able to see how there is a network of Puritans in several communities willing to help Whalley and Goffe hide. I personally found this depiction of the colonies of the 1660s interesting quite apart from the story the novel tells. I am not descended from Puritans, but I have multiple ancestor families living in the colonies at this time and Harris was able to help me see the time and place.
I think I was supposed to feel some sympathy for Whalley and Goffe and not any for Richard Nayler. Actually, I found it hard to sympathize with murderers, either Puritan or Royalist. How was it the God-fearing Puritans thought it was OK to violate one of the 10 Commandments? And Nayler was so venomous, he could not garner any sympathy from me. But the story, because largely true, was fascinating. This is not 5-stars, however, but a solid 4-stars.
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