Restoration

March 31, 1990
The double import of Tremain's title--it refers both to the reign of the 17th-century Restoration King Charles II and to the restoration to the protagonist of his beloved home and aspirations for his life--is one of the subtle delights of this accomplished novel, shortlisted for the Booker and winner of other awards in Britain. The story is of one man's rise and fall and rise again, of his discovery of love and faith, and his emotional maturation in a crucible of harrowing experiences. In a larger sense, however, it is a social, cultural and psychological picture of that age, when bluebloods lived in gaudy excess but others were expected to be content in their ``appointed stations.'' Through the whim of his adored monarch, narrator Robert Merivel becomes veterinarian to the Royal Dogs, unofficial Fool, and ``paid cuckold,'' when he marries the King's mistress, Celia Clemence, on condition that he himself will never fall in love with her. Having unwittingly succumbed to that forbidden emotion, Merivel is cast off by both wife and King, and must join his dour Quaker friend Pearce working in a lunatic asylum in remote, bleak Whittlesea. Another tragic loss sends him back to plague-ridden London, where his life comes full turn. Merivel embodies the contradictions of his era: though he is vain, frivolous and cynical, he is also a man of sensibility, intelligence and imaginative daring; his wry, witty voice holds the reader absorbed. A thoroughly satisfying read, the complex plot is augmented by acutely observed historical detail, nuanced character development, humor and poignancy.

Rose Tremain takes us back to the extravagant reign of Charles II, focusing on Robert Merival's search for his true role in the new order. She is a meticulous writer, choosing language and thematic focus appropriate to a seventeenth-century courtesan. John Franklyn-Robbins's reading is equally deliberate. He is clear and precise in his narration but never unnatural, even in the most colorful passages. His inflections and intonation clearly convey the range of Merival's emotions. Less successful is his expression of different dialects, and the transitions from character to narrator are often blurred. Overall, though, the listener will find this reading both engaging and entertaining. B.M.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine