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Robertson Davies Message Board 7/1/2008 4:28:30 AM
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Davies has written!

Author Davies's Book Reviews

A Mixture of Frailties
Mrs. Bridgetower has died, and used her will as a final weapon against her son and his wife. Under the terms of it, Solomon and Pearl will not inherit until they have a son; in the meantime, the income of the estate is to be spent educating a Salterton girl in Europe. And so Monica Gall, a secretary and singer for a church choir, is sent to England to learn to be a professional singer. The book follows Monica's education, her personal development, and...
Fifth Business
In this first book of Davies' trilogy, a snowball aimed at Ramsay by his childhood friend Percy Boyd Staunton hits the pregnant Mrs. Dempster. Mrs. Dempster gives birth to Paul prematurely, and Ramsay finds himself feeling guilty over Paul's condition and Mrs. Dempster's subsequent decline. Ramsay develops an obsession with the Dempsters, although he seems unable to help them. Eventually, Paul Dempster runs away. Ramsay also leaves the small Canadian...
Leaven of Malice
A false announcement of the marriage between Solomon Bridgetower and Pearl Vambrace, to take place on November 31, is inserted into the Salterton newspaper, and things get weird for the paper's editor, Pearl, and Solly. Widening spirals of confusion touch many of the characters from Tempest-Tost. This is the second book in the Salterton trilogy, and although it can stand alone, it's better read in order. ...
Tempest-Tost
Amateur theatricals - a phrase to strike fear into every heart. Tempest-Tost is about an amateur production of The Tempest and all the personal struggles, romances, scandals, and fights that go on behind the scenes of this type of play. By turns humorous and sympathetic, Davies shows us that he knows his stuff, even in this, his first book. ...

Davies booklist

The Lyre of Orpheus
The Lyre of Orpheus is about the making of a new opera. Anybody who has spent any time around any kind of theater or in academia will recognize Davies' experience with these matters. ...
The Manticore
In this second book of Davies' trilogy, David Staunton, the son of Percy Boyd Staunton, travels to Switzerland. He is traumatized by his father's strange death and his own unhappy childhood. Although David is a lawyer, he is a rootless and unhappy failure. David decides on Jungian analysis as a possible answer to his troubles. However, while in Switzerland, he encounters the heiress Liesl, the hagiographer Ramsay, and the magician Magnus Eisengrim. ...
The Rebel Angels
The questions asked in this review engine do not begin to do justice to what's going on in this book. For starters, there are two protagonists, the grad student Maria Cornish, in love with her deep and inscrutible professor, Clement Hollier, and Prof. the Rev. Simon Darcourt, writing "The New Aubrey" about the University at Toronto and in love with Maria. This book is an enlarging and engaging marvel, from its discourses on Paracelsus and the nature o...
What's Bred in the Bone
The life - from birth to death - of Francis Cornish, who became a philanthropist, artist, and collector. This is the second book of Davies' Cornish Trilogy, but it can easily stand alone....
World of Wonders
In this final book of Davies' trilogy, famed illusionist Magnus Eisengrim is cast in the starring role in a film about French illusionist Robert-Houdin. During filming, Magnus stays at a Swiss castle with his old friends Liesl and Ramsay. There, Magnus' tells his entire life story, with frequent interruptions by Ramsay and Liesl. Magnus tells of his early illicit trip to a fair, where he was abused and then taken along with the travelling show. The il...