Why read The Quincunx?

Book cover of The Quincunx

Book description

An extraordinary modern novel in the Victorian tradition, Charles Palliser has created something extraordinary—a plot within a plot within a plot of family secrets, mysterious clues, low-born birth, high-reaching immorality, and, always, always the fog-enshrouded, enigmatic character of 19th century—London itself.

“So compulsively absorbing that reality disappears . . .…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Quincunx as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Theodore Irvin Silar

Author

I like tours-de-force. I like when authors pull out all the stops to write something mind-boggling. The Quincunx is a tour-de-force of Victoriana. Time and again, I thought I was reading Charles Dickens. Palliser's literary style is so accurate, I could not detect a single anachronism. And I also love the recreation of past cultures. I found this book to be a field guide to the lifestyles of the 19th-century

From Theodore's 3 favorite reads in 2024.