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The Daughter of Time
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Manufacturer: Touchstone
Author: Josephine Tey
Publisher: Touchstone
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $11.20
You Save: $ 2.80 ( 20% )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Touchstone
Author: Josephine Tey
Publisher: Touchstone
Average Customer Rating:
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The Daughter of Time Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.912
EAN: 9780684803869
ISBN: 0684803860
Label: Touchstone
Manufacturer: Touchstone
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 208
Publication Date: 1995-11-29
Publisher: Touchstone
Studio: Touchstone
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.912
EAN: 9780684803869
ISBN: 0684803860
Label: Touchstone
Manufacturer: Touchstone
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 208
Publication Date: 1995-11-29
Publisher: Touchstone
Studio: Touchstone
Editorial Review of The Daughter of Time
Josephine Tey re-creates one of history's most famous -- and vicious -- crimes in her classic bestselling novel, a must read for connoisseurs of fiction, now with a new introduction by Robert Barnard
Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard, recuperating from a broken leg, becomes fascinated with a contemporary portrait of Richard III that bears no resemblance to the Wicked Uncle of history. Could such a sensitive, noble face actually belong to one of the world's most heinous villains -- a venomous hunchback who may have killed his brother's children to make his crown secure? Or could Richard have been the victim, turned into a monster by the usurpers of England's throne? Grant determines to find out once and for all, with the help of the British Museum and an American scholar, what kind of man Richard Plantagenet really was and who killed the Little Princes in the Tower.
The Daughter of Time is an ingeniously plotted, beautifully written, and suspenseful tale, a supreme achievement from one of mystery writing's most gifted masters.
Customer Reviews of The Daughter of Time
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Witty, dynamic and uncomplicated
Review: Dynamic and uncomplicated story that keeps unraveling with the speed of an avalanche.
Set in an unexpected surroundings (a hospital), the story evolves around the investigation
and subsequent discovery of the true reason behind the murders of the Two Princes in 1483.
The writing style is engaging, full of interesting fact and witty comedic nuances that make one oblivious to the time it takes to finish the book. The author gets to the heart of matter without painting unnecessary surroundings. It's a well-written, entertaining book and I recommend it if you have an afternoon to kill.
by Simon Cleveland
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: WHAT IS TRUTH
Review: Author Elizabeth MacKintosh, wrote under the pseudonym of Josephine Tey. She died in 1952 but her unique talent continues to entertain and enlighten her readers with her unusual mystery scenarios. With Daughter of Time she invites us to join the team of a 20th century Scotland Yard inspector Alan Grant and an American researcher currently on assignment at the British Museum as they utilized their powers of deductive reasoning (ala Sherlock Holmes) to ascertain the truth about with Richard III. Having been previously characterized by everyone from Shakespeare to Sir Thomas More as an evil hunchbacked usurper who murdered his two young nephews in the Tower of London in order to claim the throne; the Richard Plantagenet of this investigation is portrayed as an unusually trusting, loving and gentle man with no physical deformity.
As creatively and intellectually plotted as this novel is, its' true beauty lies in the fact that it encourages the reader to THINK. It obliquely tells us that one should never accept any recorded history without question since most history is written from the perspective of those in power at the time and is not necessarily factual. In addition it enhances knowledge and vocabulary and sent this reader scurrying to the computer to look up definitions of items such as Bill of Attainder, Titulus Regius, and Star Chamber (lo and behold....it is more than a movie with Michael Douglas).
Admittedly, this is a novel and the "Richard argument" presented by Tey's characters, although compelling, should not be viewed as incontrovertible fact. Her writing, however, deserves to be treasured and enjoyed like a fine wine that is rolled around on the tongue and savored before it is swallowed.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Boring!
Review: As much as I love history and historical fiction, I hated this book. The story-teller, Grant, is sarcastic and petty. He is negative and utterly uninteresting. The writing was weak and boring, the story, or mystery was lacking in mystery! Nothing special here, just a guy named Grant griping about his hospital stay. A disappointment.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: THERE IS MORE TO THIS THAN MEETS THE EYE...
Review: This is a wonderful genre bending book...part history, part mystery. Written by Scotswoman Elizabeth MacIntosh, who wrote under the pen name Josephine Tey, it was first published in 1951. It is tragic that the author died in 1952 and was never to know the pleasure that this book would bring to generations of readers and that the Mystery Writers of America would ultimately rank it fourth among the one hundred best mysteries ever written.
The title of the book is derived from a historical source, as it is attributable to Sir Francis Bacon, "For truth is rightly named after the daughter of time, and not of authority." The book itself is not a traditional mystery but rather an application of deductive reasoning to an actual historical event. The event in question is the murder of the princes in the tower, sons of King Edward IV, allegedly by their uncle, Richard III, who eventually usurped the English throne after the death of his brother. It has been widely held that Richard III did, indeed, murder the two young princes, his nephews, in order to secure his claim to the throne.
The reader is introduced to Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant, who is hospitalized and recovering from injuries sustained in the line of duty. While convalescing, he becomes intrigued by a picture of a portrait of Richard III, a likeness with which he is unfamiliar. Grant is puzzled that someone with such a sensitive face could have been such a monster as to murder his two nephews in cold blood. So, our intrepid Inspector decides that he will reconsider the evidence upon which such a dastardly assumption has been based. With the help of an American researcher doing the necessary legwork, Grant compiles enough archival historical fact that incrementally helps him formulate a new theory as to who actually may have murdered the princes in the tower.
This analysis and reformulation is done as though it were being argued to a jury. Indeed, so persuasive is Inspector Grant through the application of some insightful deductive reasoning and clever dialogue that the reader comes away thinking that Grant has solved one of the most intriguing historical mysteries of all time. This is certainly an unusual book conceptually but one that succeeds brilliantly. It should appeal to those readers who enjoy having a mystery unraveled, as well as to those who harbor a love of English history. Bravo!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Intriguing
Review: I was introduced to Josephine Tey through a group I belong to on [...]. We have an informal book group and discussion, and this is our most recent selection. It's the first Tey I've read, and it won't be the last. It features a character who apparently recurs in several of her novels, Inspector Alan Grant of the Scotland Yard.
Laid up after suffering a broken leg, Grant tries to dispel the boredom by trying to solve an unsolved crime: the mysterious disappearance of the two princes in the Tower in the fifteenth century. Using the evidence presented to him, Grant and his research associate from the British Museum come up with a satisfactory and believable solution to a problem that has puzzled people for over five hundred years.
One thing I found difficult to believe in this mystery was the fact that Grant knew so little about the history of his own country. For example, he didn't recognize a famous portrait of Richard III on sight. And that he was easily convinced by Thomas More's "evidence" of Richard's having murdered the boys, keeping in mind that More was writing after the fact, in the reign of a Tudor. Its also pretty obvious what Grant's conclusion is going to be about the mystery. But that said, that conclusion is completely believable (and, I suspect myself, most likely true). It's a short mystery that will keep you entertained for an afternoon or so.
Review Summary: Witty, dynamic and uncomplicated
Review: Dynamic and uncomplicated story that keeps unraveling with the speed of an avalanche.
Set in an unexpected surroundings (a hospital), the story evolves around the investigation
and subsequent discovery of the true reason behind the murders of the Two Princes in 1483.
The writing style is engaging, full of interesting fact and witty comedic nuances that make one oblivious to the time it takes to finish the book. The author gets to the heart of matter without painting unnecessary surroundings. It's a well-written, entertaining book and I recommend it if you have an afternoon to kill.
by Simon Cleveland
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: WHAT IS TRUTH
Review: Author Elizabeth MacKintosh, wrote under the pseudonym of Josephine Tey. She died in 1952 but her unique talent continues to entertain and enlighten her readers with her unusual mystery scenarios. With Daughter of Time she invites us to join the team of a 20th century Scotland Yard inspector Alan Grant and an American researcher currently on assignment at the British Museum as they utilized their powers of deductive reasoning (ala Sherlock Holmes) to ascertain the truth about with Richard III. Having been previously characterized by everyone from Shakespeare to Sir Thomas More as an evil hunchbacked usurper who murdered his two young nephews in the Tower of London in order to claim the throne; the Richard Plantagenet of this investigation is portrayed as an unusually trusting, loving and gentle man with no physical deformity.
As creatively and intellectually plotted as this novel is, its' true beauty lies in the fact that it encourages the reader to THINK. It obliquely tells us that one should never accept any recorded history without question since most history is written from the perspective of those in power at the time and is not necessarily factual. In addition it enhances knowledge and vocabulary and sent this reader scurrying to the computer to look up definitions of items such as Bill of Attainder, Titulus Regius, and Star Chamber (lo and behold....it is more than a movie with Michael Douglas).
Admittedly, this is a novel and the "Richard argument" presented by Tey's characters, although compelling, should not be viewed as incontrovertible fact. Her writing, however, deserves to be treasured and enjoyed like a fine wine that is rolled around on the tongue and savored before it is swallowed.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Boring!
Review: As much as I love history and historical fiction, I hated this book. The story-teller, Grant, is sarcastic and petty. He is negative and utterly uninteresting. The writing was weak and boring, the story, or mystery was lacking in mystery! Nothing special here, just a guy named Grant griping about his hospital stay. A disappointment.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: THERE IS MORE TO THIS THAN MEETS THE EYE...
Review: This is a wonderful genre bending book...part history, part mystery. Written by Scotswoman Elizabeth MacIntosh, who wrote under the pen name Josephine Tey, it was first published in 1951. It is tragic that the author died in 1952 and was never to know the pleasure that this book would bring to generations of readers and that the Mystery Writers of America would ultimately rank it fourth among the one hundred best mysteries ever written.
The title of the book is derived from a historical source, as it is attributable to Sir Francis Bacon, "For truth is rightly named after the daughter of time, and not of authority." The book itself is not a traditional mystery but rather an application of deductive reasoning to an actual historical event. The event in question is the murder of the princes in the tower, sons of King Edward IV, allegedly by their uncle, Richard III, who eventually usurped the English throne after the death of his brother. It has been widely held that Richard III did, indeed, murder the two young princes, his nephews, in order to secure his claim to the throne.
The reader is introduced to Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant, who is hospitalized and recovering from injuries sustained in the line of duty. While convalescing, he becomes intrigued by a picture of a portrait of Richard III, a likeness with which he is unfamiliar. Grant is puzzled that someone with such a sensitive face could have been such a monster as to murder his two nephews in cold blood. So, our intrepid Inspector decides that he will reconsider the evidence upon which such a dastardly assumption has been based. With the help of an American researcher doing the necessary legwork, Grant compiles enough archival historical fact that incrementally helps him formulate a new theory as to who actually may have murdered the princes in the tower.
This analysis and reformulation is done as though it were being argued to a jury. Indeed, so persuasive is Inspector Grant through the application of some insightful deductive reasoning and clever dialogue that the reader comes away thinking that Grant has solved one of the most intriguing historical mysteries of all time. This is certainly an unusual book conceptually but one that succeeds brilliantly. It should appeal to those readers who enjoy having a mystery unraveled, as well as to those who harbor a love of English history. Bravo!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Intriguing
Review: I was introduced to Josephine Tey through a group I belong to on [...]. We have an informal book group and discussion, and this is our most recent selection. It's the first Tey I've read, and it won't be the last. It features a character who apparently recurs in several of her novels, Inspector Alan Grant of the Scotland Yard.
Laid up after suffering a broken leg, Grant tries to dispel the boredom by trying to solve an unsolved crime: the mysterious disappearance of the two princes in the Tower in the fifteenth century. Using the evidence presented to him, Grant and his research associate from the British Museum come up with a satisfactory and believable solution to a problem that has puzzled people for over five hundred years.
One thing I found difficult to believe in this mystery was the fact that Grant knew so little about the history of his own country. For example, he didn't recognize a famous portrait of Richard III on sight. And that he was easily convinced by Thomas More's "evidence" of Richard's having murdered the boys, keeping in mind that More was writing after the fact, in the reign of a Tudor. Its also pretty obvious what Grant's conclusion is going to be about the mystery. But that said, that conclusion is completely believable (and, I suspect myself, most likely true). It's a short mystery that will keep you entertained for an afternoon or so.