Landscape of Lies ~ Peter Watson
Book #5: 24 February, 2008 to 27 February, 2008
Landscape of Lies ~ Peter Watson
I've read this book before, many years ago, when I borrowed it from my then partner. I loved the idea of a painting concealing clues to a hidden treasure as I love mysteries and so this was really right up my street. It came to mind a few weeks ago and I really felt like reading it again so after a bit of a search to find the title, I got hold of a copy from the library. I read it in four days flat! Quite an achievement.
Peter Watson is originally a journalist, whom I presume has some knowledge of art. I think that may be an indication as to why this book is not exactly brilliantly written. It's a great page turner, but there's very little description in it or setting of any scenes as such. Some of the prose seems awkward or clumsy. The characters, of which there are very few, are quite bland and two dimensional, and I found it hard to really get a grip on them or get any feel for them.
The plot however, is great. Bear in mind, this was written in 1989, so many years before Dan Brown got hold of the same idea and acted as if no one had thought of it before him. I loved all the symbolism in it - really, Dan Brown could do to take a lesson from Mr Watson about that - how even the smallest details in the painting are meaningful and how it's all very well explained as to what they mean and why. I really got the impression that Mr Watson either really knows what he's talking about or he did a hell of a lot of research! There's also a great deal of history in the book too, mainly centered around medieval religious history of the south coast of England, but still quite interesting and again, something obviously well-known or researched. Some of it was a bit on the grisly side, and I also found the painting unnerved me for some reason but this really isn't enough to detract from the enjoyment of the book.
It is a very good book, a really enjoyable read that I would certainly recommend to those who like mysteries and history. My advice would be to read it with a magnifying glass at hand, because it will certainly come in useful!
Landscape of Lies ~ Peter Watson
I've read this book before, many years ago, when I borrowed it from my then partner. I loved the idea of a painting concealing clues to a hidden treasure as I love mysteries and so this was really right up my street. It came to mind a few weeks ago and I really felt like reading it again so after a bit of a search to find the title, I got hold of a copy from the library. I read it in four days flat! Quite an achievement.
Peter Watson is originally a journalist, whom I presume has some knowledge of art. I think that may be an indication as to why this book is not exactly brilliantly written. It's a great page turner, but there's very little description in it or setting of any scenes as such. Some of the prose seems awkward or clumsy. The characters, of which there are very few, are quite bland and two dimensional, and I found it hard to really get a grip on them or get any feel for them.
The plot however, is great. Bear in mind, this was written in 1989, so many years before Dan Brown got hold of the same idea and acted as if no one had thought of it before him. I loved all the symbolism in it - really, Dan Brown could do to take a lesson from Mr Watson about that - how even the smallest details in the painting are meaningful and how it's all very well explained as to what they mean and why. I really got the impression that Mr Watson either really knows what he's talking about or he did a hell of a lot of research! There's also a great deal of history in the book too, mainly centered around medieval religious history of the south coast of England, but still quite interesting and again, something obviously well-known or researched. Some of it was a bit on the grisly side, and I also found the painting unnerved me for some reason but this really isn't enough to detract from the enjoyment of the book.
It is a very good book, a really enjoyable read that I would certainly recommend to those who like mysteries and history. My advice would be to read it with a magnifying glass at hand, because it will certainly come in useful!