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Interwoven with the accurately portrayed events and places of the time are fictitious characters, including the narrator, Mr. Roger Mallock and his cousin and lady-love Dolly. Sent by Pope Innocent XI to Charles' court as a diplomatic representative of the Vatican, Mallock becomes a trusted confidant of the King and acts upon Charles's deathbed wish to give his confession to, and receive absolution from, a Catholic priest.
380 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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About the author
Robert Hugh Benson
326 books186 followersMrsgr. Robert Hugh Benson AFSC KC*SG KGCHS was an English Catholic priest and writer. First an Anglican pastor, he was received into the Catholic Church in 1903 and ordained therein the next year. He was also a prolific writer of fiction, writing the notable dystopian novel Lord of the World, as well as Come Rack! Come Rope!.
His output encompassed historical, horror and science fiction, contemporary fiction, children's stories, plays, apologetics, devotional works and articles. He continued his writing career at the same time as he progressed through the hierarchy to become a Chamberlain to Pope Pius X in 1911, and gain the title of Monsignor before his death a few years later.
His output encompassed historical, horror and science fiction, contemporary fiction, children's stories, plays, apologetics, devotional works and articles. He continued his writing career at the same time as he progressed through the hierarchy to become a Chamberlain to Pope Pius X in 1911, and gain the title of Monsignor before his death a few years later.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 13, 2016
For the first half of the book, I thought that Robert Hugh Benson was not making a good end of his historical novels; by the end I was exerting all the strength I could spare from reading to keep my crying unnoticeable to the others in the room. I do not often cry while reading. It takes very skillful, very true writing to bring me to tears. Therefore I give this story five stars. Read it. I can't say much without giving away the ending, but let's just say that it gives one a lot to think about! I reverse my first impression and declare that Robert Hugh Benson is solid gold to the very end.
August 2, 2010
This only appealed to me while in the depths of boredom of summer. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. My entire family was adequately impressed with Robert Hugh Benson, the son of the Archbishop of Canterbury who was also an Anglican priest before he converted to Catholicism. If you can find it, read it! You wont be disapointed.
January 5, 2026
Al protagonista, Roger Mallock, un novizio benedettino, è affidato l’incarico papale di convertire il Sovrano, riportando il Regno d’Inghilterra nelle braccia della Chiesa. È ancora una volta la calunnia – nella fattispecie attraverso l’invenzione di una congiura papista contro il Re – a impedire il naturale scorrere degli eventi attraverso lo scatenamento di una violenta persecuzione nei confronti dei cattolici.
Come in altre opere dedicate al periodo dello scisma anglicano, Benson riesce a farci vivere il clima di terrore in cui i cattolici britannici erano costretti a vivere.
Come in altre opere dedicate al periodo dello scisma anglicano, Benson riesce a farci vivere il clima di terrore in cui i cattolici britannici erano costretti a vivere.
October 11, 2016
The story cannot quite bear the weight of all the research, and staggers under masses of information and a cast of thousands of name-dropped historical figures. If the title character had been more glancingly associated with the intrigues of the later years of Charles II's reign, and had more of an arc of his own, it would have been much more satisfactory, methinks.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews