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. 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. 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. 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.

Robert Harris - Penguin Books UK Robert Harris - Penguin Books UK

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. Harris's books are always supremely readable - he has practically trademarked the term 'master storyteller' Alex Preston, Observer 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.Oblivion' tells a fictionalised version of a story based around (overwhelmingly) real characters and encompassing real events of the time. 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. Harris is a master of historical fiction, a compelling author who brings to life the recent and ancient past Justin Warshaw, TLS

Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris | Waterstones Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris | Waterstones

Act Of Oblivion offers a resonant history of both England and America as they struggle to forge a myth of nationhood out of opposing ideologies Daily Mail The town’s unknown saviour became known as the Angel of Hadley. The mystery of his identity soon gained an extra frisson: it was rumoured that the Angel was the fugitive Major General William Goffe, a man with a huge reward on his head. Goffe was one of the regicides, the men who signed Charles I’s death warrant, whose lives had become forfeit after the Restoration of the monarchy. Act of Oblivion is an epic journey across continents, and a chase like no other. It is the thrilling new novel by Robert Harris.It will come as no surprise to readers familiar with Harris' work that this is a splendidly written historical novel. Harris really is a joy to read...Another top-flight effort from a master storyteller.

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

He took a while to reply. By the time he spoke the men had gone inside. He said quietly, 'They killed the King.' 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.An absolutely stunning historical novel and a ripping crime thriller at the same time. I've been recommending it far and wide and buying it for people for Christmas! Dead Good When it comes to the execution of English royalty, perhaps the most famous are the two wives of Henry VIII who met their ends at the Tower of London — Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. The double execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette by guillotine in France is equally if not more famous, and countless other royals have been killed by their enemies. However, only one reigning King of England has ever been publicly executed for treason: Charles I, or Charles Stuart, in 1649. This crucial event precedes the main plot in Robert Harris's Act of Oblivion. The book excels in its stunning recreation of the landscape of America... Harris proves himself to be masterful at this and it gives the book a vibrant memorability New Statesman I have been waiting for most of my life for Robert Harris to write a novel that is not gripping, insightful and entertaining. I am waiting still Ben Macintyre, The Times

Act of Oblivion - Penguin Books UK

He took a while to reply. By the time he spoke the men had gone inside. He said quietly, “They killed the King.” 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. 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. He has taken a truly extraordinary factual tale and turned it into a fun fictional version, with pace throughout, and a crowd-pleasing finale The Oldie Scott Shane's outstanding work Flee North tells the little-known tale of an unlikely partnership ...

Book Summary

I. Убийствата на крале не са нещо нечувано за 17-ти век, но официална смъртна присъда над едноличен владетел, обнародвана и приведена в изпълнение публично, ��езспорно е прецедент. 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. Colonel Edward Whalley and his son-in-law, Colonel William Goffe, cross the Atlantic. They are on the run and wanted for the murder of Charles I. Under the provisions of the Act of Oblivion, they have been found guilty in absentia of high treason.