Chris Orwa
A book on the how the merchant and royal interests married in the sea gave birth to a new world. Push to take over international commerce brings European countries to loggerheads and war is inevitable. It is easy to loose track how many wars are fought since alliances are broken at and allies become enemies, and to a surprising end allies and enemies rotate between the French, Spanish, English and Dutch in all the multiple wars.
The Spanish with their fleet (Armada) are the first maritime superpowers and are soon dethrones by the Dutch regents who want her rich colonies in the Americas. They thus build bigger warships, reform their society to suit merchant needs and say goodbye to Catholicism. Thence the English grow weary and jealous of Dutch commerce - resolution is having privateers plunder Dutch warships and war breaks out.
The war leads both countries to debt and France emerges as the dominant maritime and commercial powerhouse. British and Dutch become jealous alliance is formed and war breakout.
This cycle of growth in trade in one country and war with other countries goes on through 200 years but it was not all for nothing. The much enjoyed Bill of Rights in most constitutions came from this era when William III invaded England to claim the throne and supported by disloyal parliament
wrist who only pledged their allegiance if a law would be passed to limit the powers of the Crown. This law enacted on 13 February 1689 known as ‘An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subjects and Setting the Succession of the Crown' became the Bill of Rights.
The concept of individuality also emerges from this era in England when many wars and allies breaking their trust led to people shifting true love/allegience to individuals as Jonathan Swift put it. “I have ever hated all nations, professions and communities, all my love is towards individuals”. Perhaps the best anecdote in the book is when on 22 May 1670, King Loius XIV of France offers Charles II King of England £100,000 to convert to Catholicism in order to guarantee him support against the Dutch.
Vincent Cronin uses words so vivid that no illustration can capture in his quest to inform the world of the enterprising Florentine citizens and how they changed the artistic world by revisiting the ancient Roman and Greek Ideals. From Coluccio Salutati, the Chancellor of the Republic of Florence who bestowed upon the citizenry the necessary education for prosperity to Girolamo Savonarola who according to Cronin eroded the resilient and enterprising spirit of the Florentine that led to fall of the city.
In between, the book covers the life of great Florentine residents such as The Medici, Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Leornado Bruni, Filippo Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Donatello among other but it is Cosimo de' Medici who stands out as the patron of Renaissance Florence. The day to day narration of the Florentine life encapsulating all aspects of living makes a satisfactory read and agreeable conclusions. The most outstanding mark of the book are personal letters and relation among prominent personalities that crowns the writing.
The book has a protracted plot spanning decades from the childhood life of Jacques Rebiere into his adulthood and finally old age. It passes as a tiring read and it is easy to forget events and details at the beginning due to many settings and failure of an overriding setting. However, the research done for the psychological ailments in the story is excellent, details are accurate and fascinating too, it might fit the bill of a psychology fan facts book. But the again, it seems there was too much emphasis on the details vis-a-vis the storyline.
As a historical novel, the book perfectly captures the scenes of the 18th and 19th centuries. Among the outstanding ones was the depiction of lifestyle and medical changes occasioned by invention of electricity and other industrial machines. The story ends on an anti-climax, in-fact the story has no climax, it's flat. The pace it starts on is maintained through out the plot.
Prey epitomizes the classical plot of American novels. Plot begins with a simple situations and subsequent events unfold to reveal the setting (linear story telling). The introductory part and the initial chapters are by far the most interesting portion of the book, the suspense is just ‘unputdownable'. On the gist of the story Michael Crichton does what he does best, fascinate us. The technological advancements put forth lay at the edge of our imagination.
Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.