These plots take some concentration to keep track of what's happening, and to keep the characters straight in your mind.Īutumn, 1882. It's really the plots, which are complex, mysterious, and full of unexpected twists and turns, not to mention quite a number of red herrings - so that you think you're getting a clue about what's happening, but then you don't. His female characters are usually not weak, and vary from the romantic and idealistic to the cold, calculating, remote and utterly dislikeable.īut he draws me in every time. Not to mention that he often portrays main male characters who are in many respects weak and not worthy of respect - but some improve as the book progresses. Normally, I would react against it, but I don't seem to. He writes in a rather flowery way, using an above average number of words I have to look up (and I consider my vocabulary to be reasonably good) perhaps he does so to represent the English of that period. So, along comes Robert Goddard, who seems to specialize in historical fiction involving dysfunctional, often dissolute, upper-class /aristocratic families, living (usually) in the 19th century or early 20th century. I'm also one who dislikes pretension - perhaps that's one reason why I'm so sensitive to that class system.

I'm not one who enjoys historical drama of the sort that the BBC is always praised for, because I seem to be more sensitive to the inequities of the British class system than most - even those, who, like me, spent their formative years living there - despite the fact that I don't think I suffered much of its effects. Robert Goddard's novels continue to confound me: I'm not sure what attracts me to them, but attract me, they do! I always hated history in high school it was always kings, queens, battles, wars, dates - all the stuff that was boring and irrelevant to a teenage boy.

Painting the darkness by robert goddard