The White Company
US publication: 1891
Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
Detective:
Genre: Novel
Plot
summary and comments: Afterword by Peter Glassman. Young Alleyne Edricson journeys to France in 1366 to join the White Company, a bold band of archers, and is swept into a series of exciting adventures. Written by the creator of Sherlock Holmes and illustrated by one of America's most distinguished artists, this lavishly illustrated deluxe gift edition is available once again. A Books of Wonder Classic.
::READERS REVIEWS::
A simple plotted but relatively interesting book. - The plot in this story seems to be quite simple, therefore the story becomes as simple as its plot is. So the story is difficult to compete with well-plotted stories. Besides, there are quite a lot of very old words in this story, which make the reading become less interesting although the author's intention is to try to re-produce the circumstances in that time.
Historical Adventure - For anyone whose only expsure to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is the Sherlock Holmes tales, this book will be an interesting read. It's a fantastic adventure book, featuring characters with depth set in a truly historical setting. Doyle did his research, and while the characters may be mostly fictional, the rest of the book is historically accurate.
Absorbing and Enjoyable - The White Company was said to be one of Canon Doyle's favorite creations, and it does show the great pains he took in research, both in speech and the customs of the day. The plot ramps up slowly at the start but once it gets going, hang on for the adventure of your life- it is non-stop heart pounding action. And throw in a budding romance and you have one heck of a tale. I found the White Company a more tightly constructed book then Sir Nigel, which was subsequently written as the prequel to the White Company. I found the final ending of the story a tad Hollywoodish, but I suppose he wanted a happy one. All in all, one of the most memorable books I've read.
Doyle at his best - Of all of Doyle's writing, The White Company has, perhaps, the best character development of all. The surrounding history, personal motivations and flavor of the times show him to be a formidable historian as well as a skilled story-teller.
If you have a young boy, this would be a wonderful way to get him excited about reading. Then again, you could plunk him in front of the TV and save the price of the book.
An old favorite revisited - I first read this book over 50 years ago, and wondered how I would like it now. I found it to be an absorbing description of feudal times in England and what we now call France. I can readily see why the French dislike the English, although 700 years seems a long time to hold a grudge! The book is a fine adventure, with lots of detail about combat in the 13th century. The style may be a little slow for those used to a modern pace.
::AMAZON REVIEWS::
A simple plotted but relatively interesting book.The plot in this story seems to be quite simple, therefore the story becomes as simple as its plot is. So the story is difficult to compete with well-plotted stories. Besides, there are quite a lot of very old words in this story, which make the reading become less interesting although the author's intention is to try to re-produce the circumstances in that time.
Historical AdventureFor anyone whose only expsure to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is the Sherlock Holmes tales, this book will be an interesting read. It's a fantastic adventure book, featuring characters with depth set in a truly historical setting. Doyle did his research, and while the characters may be mostly fictional, the rest of the book is historically accurate.
Absorbing and EnjoyableThe White Company was said to be one of Canon Doyle's favorite creations, and it does show the great pains he took in research, both in speech and the customs of the day. The plot ramps up slowly at the start but once it gets going, hang on for the adventure of your life- it is non-stop heart pounding action. And throw in a budding romance and you have one heck of a tale. I found the White Company a more tightly constructed book then Sir Nigel, which was subsequently written as the prequel to the White Company. I found the final ending of the story a tad Hollywoodish, but I suppose he wanted a happy one. All in all, one of the most memorable books I've read.
Doyle at his bestOf all of Doyle's writing, The White Company has, perhaps, the best character development of all. The surrounding history, personal motivations and flavor of the times show him to be a formidable historian as well as a skilled story-teller.
If you have a young boy, this would be a wonderful way to get him excited about reading. Then again, you could plunk him in front of the TV and save the price of the book.
An old favorite revisitedI first read this book over 50 years ago, and wondered how I would like it now. I found it to be an absorbing description of feudal times in England and what we now call France. I can readily see why the French dislike the English, although 700 years seems a long time to hold a grudge! The book is a fine adventure, with lots of detail about combat in the 13th century. The style may be a little slow for those used to a modern pace.