Act of Oblivion: The Sunday Times Bestseller

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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. 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. A sweeping historical adventure set during one of the most turbulent periods of British history--featuring a heroine you'll never forget... 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.

Editions of Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris - Goodreads

Veteran actor Tim McInnerny delivers a masterly narration of Harris's novel. He truly inhabits the characters, his voice and manner finely tuned to the personality and convictions of each: Goffe, a fanatical, millenarian Puritan; Whalley, more practical and ultimately disillusioned; Nayler, smoothly menacing, but prey to depression ... this production is perfect. 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? 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. Nayler is searching for them. A fictional character, created by Harris, he appears a less sympathetic person than Ned and Will, but reveals the other face of this civil war which had split the nation; a royalist supporter who had dipped his handkerchief in the king's blood and who always carried it with him. 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.

Reader Reviews

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. 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. In this tense and beautifully written account of the ensuing manhunt, Harris brings sympathy to characters on either side of the civil war that divided a nation. Daily Mail 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.

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

The execution of the king was the defining event of this struggle. Harris chooses to focus instead on the lives in exile of two of the regicides, Goffe and Edward Whalley. In 1660, they fled to America, where many of the colonists were Puritans with no love for the king. Both men were distinguished soldiers. Whalley was Oliver Cromwell’s cousin, a trusted member of the Lord Protector’s inner circle, and Goffe was Whalley’s son-in-law. We know tantalisingly little about their lives in America. They lived in hiding, in constant fear of arrest by the royalist agents who were searching for them. In the most part, Act of Oblivion features real characters and real events, with lots of fun to be had in the fiction Harris weaves into the gaps. He took a while to reply. By the time he spoke the men had gone inside. He said quietly, 'They killed the King.'

Media Reviews

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. 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. He took a while to reply. By the time he spoke the men had gone inside. He said quietly, "They killed the King." 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 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.

Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris | Goodreads

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. 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. 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. 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 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 otherThis historical novel from Robert Harris blends fact & fiction & is based on a period in history that I knew very little about. 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 As the German poet and philosopher Novalis remarked more than two centuries ago, novels arise out of the shortcomings of history. Harris sets out to plug the gaps in the record, and succeeds remarkably well. He’s writing fiction, but he treats the few available facts and the more plausible theories with respect, and skilfully extrapolates from them.

Act of Oblivion: The Sunday Times Bestseller Kindle Edition Act of Oblivion: The Sunday Times Bestseller Kindle Edition

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 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. 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. Ron Rash is renowned for his writing about Appalachia, but his latest book, The Caretaker, begins ... 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.Harris's books are always supremely readable - he has practically trademarked the term 'master storyteller' Alex Preston, Observer 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... 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.