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Conceit

Mary Novik

Hardcover | Pages: 402 pages

Rating: 3.38 | 294 Users | 63 Reviews

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Original Title:	Conceit
ISBN:	038566205X (ISBN13: 9780385662055)
Edition Language:	English
Characters:	John Donne, Ann More, Pegge Donne, Izaak Walton, Samuel Pepys
Setting:	London, England(United Kingdom)
Literary Awards:	Scotiabank Giller Prize Nominee (2007), Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize (2008)

Commentary Toward Books Conceit

It is the Great Fire of 1666. The imposing edifice of St. Paul's Cathedral, a landmark of London since the twelfth century, is being reduced to rubble by the flames that engulf the City.

In the holocaust, Pegge and a small group of men struggle to save the effigy of her father, John Donne, famous love poet and the great Dean of St. Paul's. Making their way through the heat and confusion of the streets, they arrive at Paul's wharf. Pegge's husband, William Bowles, anxiously scans the wretched scene, suddenly realizing why Pegge has asked him to meet her at this desperate spot.

The story behind this dramatic rescue begins forty years before the fire. Pegge Donne is still a rebellious girl, already too clever for a world that values learning only in men, when her father begins arranging marriages for his five daughters, including Pegge. Pegge, however, is desperate to taste the all-consuming desire that led to her parents' clandestine marriage, notorious throughout England for shattering social convention and for inspiring some of the most erotic and profound poetry ever written. She sets out to win the love of Izaak Walton, a man infatuated with her older sister.

Stung by Walton's rejection and jealous of her physically mature sisters, the boyish Pegge becomes convinced that it is her own father who knows the secret of love. She collects his poems, hoping to piece together her parents' history, searching for some connection to the mother she barely knew.

Intertwined with Pegge's compelling voice are those of Ann More and John Donne, telling us of the courtship that inspired some of the world's greatest poetry of love and physical longing. Donne's seduction leads Ann to abandon social convention, risk her father's certain wrath, and elope with Donne. It is the undoing of his career and the two are left to struggle in a marriage that leads to her death in her twelfth childbirth at age thirty-three.

In Donne's final days, Pegge tries, in ways that push the boundaries of daughterly behaviour, to discover the key to unlock her own sexuality. After his death, Pegge still struggles to free herself from an obsession that threatens to drive her beyond the bounds of reason. Even after she marries, she cannot suppress her independence or her desire to experience extraordinary love.

Conceit brings to life the teeming, bawdy streets of London, the intrigue-ridden court, and the lushness of the seventeenth-century English countryside. It is a story of many kinds of love — erotic, familial, unrequited, and obsessive — and the unpredictable workings of the human heart. With characters plucked from the pages of history, Mary Novik's debut novel is an elegant, fully-imagined story of lives you will find hard to leave behind.

Present Regarding Books Conceit

Title	:	Conceit
Author	:	Mary Novik
Book Format	:	Hardcover
Book Edition	:	Anniversary Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 402 pages
Published	:	August 28th 2007 by Doubleday Canada
Categories	:	Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Literature. 17th Century. Canadian Literature. Cultural. Canada. European Literature. British Literature

Rating Regarding Books Conceit

Ratings: 3.38 From 294 Users | 63 Reviews

Weigh Up Regarding Books Conceit

Almost exactly six years ago, I was lucky enough to have Quill and Quire ask me to review Mary Novik's debut novel Conceit. I was blown away by it, as the following review which I've just rescued from my old files, attests. Now I hear that her novel about Francesco Petrach will be out in August, and I'm really looking forward to reading it.In the meantime, here's my review of Conceit:How to write a review in 350 words that does justice to Mary Noviks extraordinary novel Conceit? Nearly

Portrait of John Donne through the eyes of his daughter, Pegge Donne. Interesting view of life in seventeenth-century London.

There is a certain eternalness about the characters who are carved so sharply, so beautifully from the words that flow together as poetry. This was a beautiful book - it is a classic. And I am entirely enamored by the world created by Novik. The story of Pegge, who might have been Cinderella in some other story, who dreams and wants as feverishly as her genius father. Her genius has no audience, and her desires are largely unspoken. However, at the end of it all, she finds fulfillment. And love.

This is a captivating read. The author's historical research coupled with her amazing imagination made this reading experience a most special one.

This is a beautifully-written historical novel, told mainly from the pov of John Donne's daughter. This is the type of historical fiction I delight in, with flawlessly crafted prose, delightful details, wit, and interesting family dynamics. I highly recommend it.

This review and others can be found on Cozy Up With A Good ReadThis book was on a list of recommended books from Random House of Canada and I will have to say that this is one of the books that took me the longest to get through, but it was really interesting. The book is long and very detailed but not in a way that distracts from the story. Every little thing adds to the story and I found that Mary Novik's writing made it easy to imagine the setting and the characters. She gives readers every

I loved this book. Now that I'm done, I'm going to check back on the discussion in Book Haven to see what everybody's saying about it. http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...