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irrene97's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
todl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lydsansthekidd's review against another edition
2.0
This was so hard for me to get through. I'm not sure if it was because I was reading it for a school project or what, but I found this book SO hard to finish. The plot seemed slow to me and I guess various events in it seemed choppy and random, but I'm going to blame about a quarter of that on my reading schedule with this book.
As far as Doyle is concerned, I think that this was some of his best and I think I would say most vivid writing. His main character left a great deal to be desired though. Alleyne was such a boring main character with real no flaws. He was plenty good at fighting, painting, languages, and playing instruments, but the only real problem Doyle gave him was that he was really hard to calm once his temper flared. There was development for him since he went from clergyman to squire, but... I don't know... I just couldn't bring myself to like him.
Oh, there was one other thing that bugged me a little: Doyle never offered any translations for his French. I don't speak the language and there were very little context clues in my opinion to understand it any time it came up, which irritated me a bit.
Also, there was the super happy ending. None of your main characters died and they all lived happily ever after as respected men. BORING! I've seen much better endings from Doyle.
As far as Doyle is concerned, I think that this was some of his best and I think I would say most vivid writing. His main character left a great deal to be desired though. Alleyne was such a boring main character with real no flaws. He was plenty good at fighting, painting, languages, and playing instruments, but the only real problem Doyle gave him was that he was really hard to calm once his temper flared. There was development for him since he went from clergyman to squire, but... I don't know... I just couldn't bring myself to like him.
Oh, there was one other thing that bugged me a little: Doyle never offered any translations for his French. I don't speak the language and there were very little context clues in my opinion to understand it any time it came up, which irritated me a bit.
Also, there was the super happy ending. None of your main characters died and they all lived happily ever after as respected men. BORING! I've seen much better endings from Doyle.
srreid's review against another edition
3.0
The fabled White Company of which this book is supposedly based don't actually make an appearance until about 85% through the story. A young man's journey from the monastery to the battlefields, with a few odd little adventures along the way. Got a bit tiresome with the Knights constantly looking for honor and advancement, and the ancient language made reading it a chore sometimes.
emsir's review against another edition
4.0
Sir Nigel's obsession with honorable advancement is one of the most endearing character traits I've had the pleasure of reading.
sparklefarm's review against another edition
I give up. I started this book when I was...12? and quit because of a weird bet (I was a very competitive child). I finally picked it up again and....nahh. Nothing rang any bells with me. And nothing drew me in. I'm not into reading books I'm not into. Goodbye.
meileea's review against another edition
2.0
If you like tales filled with exclamations like "By my hilt!" this is the book for you! As for me, this was a tough read filled with archaic words. My curiosity forced me to read this book with a dictionary close by and even then some of the words were so "out of use" that I couldn't chase down their meaning in the dictionary. I had to reference an online glossary of words from the 17th and 18th century.
The novelty of the old-timey language carried me through the first 200 pages but it was pure devoir that carried me to the end of the book.
Here's a sampling of some of the words I looked up.
Bejaped
Gallybagger
Gapeseed
Herbergage
Oriflamme
Rammucky
Rattlepated
Sickerly (has nothing to do with being ill)
Two of my favorite lines that stood out to me in the book were "It is easy for the man in the sunshine to preach the man in the shadows." Another favorite line and I may be paraphrasing here "I'll warrant if you have the ale, I warrant I have the throat for it."
I lost my enthusiasm for this tale somewhere around page 230 when lusty swashbuckling men roaming the countryside in search of glory and fame grew tiresome. I slogged my way to the end.
The novelty of the old-timey language carried me through the first 200 pages but it was pure devoir that carried me to the end of the book.
Here's a sampling of some of the words I looked up.
Bejaped
Gallybagger
Gapeseed
Herbergage
Oriflamme
Rammucky
Rattlepated
Sickerly (has nothing to do with being ill)
Two of my favorite lines that stood out to me in the book were "It is easy for the man in the sunshine to preach the man in the shadows." Another favorite line and I may be paraphrasing here "I'll warrant if you have the ale, I warrant I have the throat for it."
I lost my enthusiasm for this tale somewhere around page 230 when lusty swashbuckling men roaming the countryside in search of glory and fame grew tiresome. I slogged my way to the end.