The Cornish Trilogy

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A fascinating story told beautifully.......2006-08-03

The Cornish Trilogy is a beautiful work of fiction as Robertson Davies takes the reader on a trip across Europe and North America to unravel the mysteries of the rather unusual Cornish family. It sheds light on the human condition as it explores such things as culture traditions, societal class barriers, love, desire, power, altruism and morality as part of a historical journey.

But is it art?.......2005-07-23

Davies's Cornish trilogy should be read by anyone with an interest in the philosophy of art -- questions of attribution, forgery and fakery, and authenticity pervade all three novels, which deal with literature, painting and music respectively. Art in general, and art objects in particular, take on a shadowy, slippery aspect in spite of the very palpable (and almost erotically desirable) qualities they have for Davies's characters. Aesthetic and spiritual experience are intertwined. But the style, while elevated, is never dry or preachy -- the characters are rounded and often delightfully vulgar and even the most intellectual threads of the story are brimming with life and humour.

Art a la Carte with a Side of Salacious Behavior.......2004-09-03

Robertson Davies' greatest strength has always been in his ability to create a protagonist whose adventures quickly intrigue you. One can debate the virtues of each novel in this trilogy, but the simple fact remains that as parts of a trilogy the story remains incomplete without reading all three.

Stories as intriguing as this do not often appear. You will travel between a thinly veiled Toronto and war-torn Europe, through generations of a family and across decades of time. A master storyteller, you will need to pay close attention (perhaps create a family tree) to understand how everyone fits together. The literary allusions could have you researching for months, and pepper the pages with just enough spice to add creedence to the education levels of the characters.

The main thread that ties all three books together is the main character, Reverend Simon Darcourt, who is on a quest to write the biography of a philanthropist with whom he was acquainted. To say that this is the entire story would be a gross understatement. The plot leaves few stones unturned in the lives of its characters, who three-dimensionally number in the dozens.

Give yourself a lot of time to read this book, because once you start you won't be able to put it down.

Good as a whole........2004-02-17

Robertson Davies' Cornish trilogy is good, in fact a kind of work of art. Its the second book (which I have already reviewed) which is the main attraction throughout. In fact the second book should be read first of all of the three, followed by the first and third in that order. The second book is a great piece of work and without it the other two would not stand as they do. Its much like a painting and the technique of preliminary drawings of the main work. The main work being the second book and the drawings the first and third books.

Although there are characters in the other two books who are interesting in their own right they have nowhere near the life and depth of Francis Cornish of "Bred in the Bone". These two books surround the great one on either side sort of like hangers on to a great man hoping for some of the glory themselves.

The first is concerned with the academic life in a Canadian University especially concerning the life of Maria Theotoky a great student of Renaissance legend Rebalais being mentored by the brilliant but socially inept Professor Hollier who is overwhelmed by the arrival of his old friend, the obnoxious Parlabane. Although interesting especially when discussing academic life and the jealousy evident when a reputation or fame is at stake, the novel does not really come to life in the same sense as the second. There are some characters who liven things up such as Maria's mother Mamusia the gypsy half of her. To be honest its difficult to tell where the male leads end and Maria begins, there is really little differentiation. A woman's aspects, as compared to the men involved, do not really come to light. The somewhat stale atmosphere of academia is never expunged by any kind of life, even from the female heroine. Still not bad at all.

The third book details the life of another of the characters in the first, i.e. Professor Darcourt, a priest but now successful academic and his and other's attempt to execute the estate of Francis Cornish, especially the use of the Cornish Foundation and its attempt to support the PhD of a gifted composer Hulda Schnakenburg. It's her fascinating mentor Dahl-Soot, as well as the spirit of Hoffmann who keeps this going.

All told the books enliven each other but the second one gives the whole thing a semblance of greatness. Its Davies' inability to really produce passion and spontaneity which prevents me from singing the books praises.

Good as a whole.

A frenzy of artistic expression.......2003-10-15

Robertson Davies writes like a friendly, jocose composite of every college professor you've ever had. Like Rabelais, the French Renaissance scholar who is one of the many subjects of "The Cornish Trilogy," he is amazingly learned and uses his fiction to display the staggering expanse of his knowledge, but he understands the inherent joy in reading and learning and balances his writing with equal measures of highbrow, middlebrow, and lowbrow humor.

These three novels revolve around a man named Francis Cornish whose wealth, talent, and connections elevate his uncommonly consequential life almost to the status of an Ontario folk legend. Growing up in a rural town called Blairlogie, he develops a sensibility for the power of visual images and becomes an artist and an art connoisseur, educating himself at the University of Toronto's College of St. John and the Holy Ghost, affectionately called Spook. After working as an art assessor and spying for the British from a Bavarian castle during World War II, he spends the rest of his life amassing a tremendous collection of art, books, and manuscripts, which he leaves to Spook and other Canadian institutes upon his death.

The trilogy's second novel, "What's Bred in the Bone," in which Cornish's life story is narrated by a Recording Angel, is like the gentle, reflective adagio of a three-movement symphony. By contrast, the first novel, "The Rebel Angels," in which three Spook professors, the executors of Cornish's will, are assigned to catalogue and distribute the bequeathal, is in a modern Rabelaisian spirit: erudite, bawdy, and perverse. The discovery of an unknown Rabelais manuscript leads to an academic uproar among Clement Hollier, his nubile graduate student Maria, and his obnoxious rival Urquhart McVarish, whose tea-time companion, the boorish ex-monk John Parlabane, will do literally anything to get his unreadable autobiographical novel published.

The third novel, "The Lyre of Orpheus," concerns itself with an unfinished opera about King Arthur by E.T.A. Hoffmann which is found among Cornish's manuscripts. As a tribute to their benefactor, the Cornish Foundation allows to have the opera completed by a filthy waif of a girl who goes by the name of Schnak and is being hailed as a musical prodigy, with the libretto penned by Simon Darcourt, Spook's resident Anglican priest. The proceedings are annotated by none other than the ghost of Hoffmann himself, trapped in Limbo because he was unable to complete his Arthurian opera, and the Cornish Foundation's effort is his only chance to pass on to the next world. As the fledgling opera goes into production, Davies gives a brilliantly colorful account of the stormy dramas and passions involved in the world of musical theater.

These novels are broad satires of the worlds of academics, art, and music, respectively, and the main characters are so fatuously self-important they almost dare the reader to hate them. The general theme is the imagined conflict between the artist and the philistine, illustrated by Hoffmann's Johannes Kreisler/Tomcat Murr alter egos, but this imaginary line is only as thick as we make it. If, as Hoffmann's ghost says, a philistine is someone who is content to live in a wholly unexplored world, then Davies's "Cornish" trilogy acts wonderfully as an antiphilistine corrective.

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Very amusing and thoughtful.

Serendipity.

The Perfect Novel?

Good Characters and a Good Foundation for the Trilogy

Deep erudition and fun: a rare cocktail for the mind

The Rebel Angels (Cornish Trilogy)
Robertson Davies
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140062718

Customer Reviews:

Very amusing and thoughtful........2007-06-10

I had to give this wonderful book 5 stars even though there are some flaws in the plot that are especially evident toward the end of the novel. HOwever, it is a delightful read, full of history, and philosophy, and base instincts wrapped up as academic intellectual whimsey.

The beautiful, brilliant and wealthy Maria Theotoky is a Ph.D. graduate student who becomes involved in an interesting academic power struggle for both her affections and for a discovered manuscript from the Middle Ages. He major professor, Clem Hollier; another professor who narrates much of the book, the Reverend, Simon Darcourt; a renegade gay dope-addict monk, Brother Parlabane; and a bright young billionaire, Francis Cornish, all compete for her mind, her attention, her love and finally, her hand in marriage.

Clever, witty, intelligent, absurd, and insightful are the odd mix that describes this book. It is Jungian in it symbolism but also very knowing of university politics and ambitions. It is amusing and thoughtful, entertaining and stimulating. It is a winner.

Serendipity........2006-08-04

I was at my favorite second hand bookstore, and picked The Rebel Angels up on a whim. I had been looking for something that I could not find. I honestly no longer remember what I was originally looking for-- nor do I know what possessed me to pick this little Davies novel from the shelf. I can only tell you that I am glad that I did.

The Rebel Angels is everything I like in a novel. Academics, art, philosophy, history and romance-- all tied up in a witty and well-written package. I would call it a cozy for intellectuals, but that would be unfair and making it sound a little bit more trivial than it is. Still, there is something to the description. It made me feel good to read it. It manages to convey experience without ever falling prey to cynicism. This is no mean feat.

When Parlabane comes back, Maria Theotoky is not quite sure what it is going to mean for her and her desired romance with her professor/advisor Clem Hollier. She only knows that once she meets him, she does not like him, and she does not trust the influence that he will have on her future.

The Rebel Angels is told by turns from the point of view of Maria and Reverend Simon Darcourt. Although the shifting voices took some getting used to, the device worked well and by the end of the book I found nothing jarring about the transitions.

Highly recommended, particularly if academic fiction is one of your interests.

The Perfect Novel?.......2003-11-08

The Rebel Angels immediately entered my personal canon of favorite works of literature. Could it be the perfect novel? It features astounding characters, well defined and memorable (especially the unforgettable John Parlabane, almost as singular a character as Liesl in Davies' Deptford Trilogy). It features a page turning plot. I was initially hoping for a literary mystery, along the lines of Eco, when the "lost manuscript" is introduced. The plot doesn't exactly lead that way, but creates its own twists and turns, both comic and tragic.

Davies' fine novel is an erudite display of knowledge, philosophy, emotion. There are no blacks and whites, nor even shades of grey. Each character is peppered alternately both black and white...each an incredibly real person encompassing friendship and selfishness, good and evil.

This is the kind of novel you feel better for having read. It impressed me on each page; a great work of literature as well as a very enjoyable read.

Good Characters and a Good Foundation for the Trilogy.......2003-10-28

The Rebel Angels starts off Robertson Davies's Cornish Trilogy by introducing us to a cast of characters and a mood that are the raw material of the collection of related stories. Davies is an author who utilizes a palette of archetypes, applying them again and again in successive snippets and passages. This first book of the trilogy serves as a kind of under-painting for the books that follow. It sets the stage and lays a foundation. But, like all under-painting, it is incomplete in itself. It needs the detail that comes from what follows. In a sense, then, this book is not truly complete apart from the other components of the trilogy. But, that said, in no way should the reader be dissuaded from reading this novel, for the rewards are deeper than the limitations.

Davies gives the reader a rich feast of characters and experiences, heightened and exaggerated, but never untrue. His pages welcome us into reflection upon the common chords of life found mirrored back to us by somewhat uncommon people in somewhat unusual places. A few of the characters stand out. Parlabane, for instance, gives us an annoying villain who is both disturbing and likable. Sometimes the tidy fence between goodness and evil seems to melt away in this story, leaving the reader a bit unsettled by the dark shadows within him or herself. This is, however, merely a minor - not too jarring - revelation of what we attempt to hide from ourselves. Robertson Davies gives us, in The Rebel Angels, an uncommon window upon the common human experience. If you are like me, you will find that you remember less of the details of this book than you feel that you have been reminded of the characters and experiences of your own life that sometimes too easily pass from notice.

I highly recommend this book; but only for those who are willing to commit to reading the whole of the trilogy. Without the other volumes, you will feel cheated. But with them, you will find yourself greatly enriched by having read The Rebel Angels.

Deep erudition and fun: a rare cocktail for the mind.......2003-06-30

In a tranquil Canadian University a voice spreads: Parlabane is back! Cave!Cave!, Molesworth would say. Cerebral and celebrate scholars, fascinating student girls, modern-style mecenates and unconventional researchers will soon find their lives upset by the most Rebel of the Rebel Angels. A disgraced teacher,Parlabane is philosophically contradictory, insolent, taking everyone for a ride in his absolutely anarchic world, and is the pivotal personnage of this wonderful novel. His ex-colleagues are also involved in the inventory of an inherited literary and artistic treasure, from which an important Rabelais' manuscript is missing.A literary puzzle that will be solved in a very bizarre manner.
All is wonderful in this novel: the irony, the depiction of the
academic world, the charachters beautifully detailed like Beerbohm caricatures, the great arcane erudition of Robertson Davies, and a marvelous story whose unpredictable end is absolutely unique. A gem of a book, whit an exquisitely arcane flavor

The Cornish Novels Omnibus (Rose Tevelyan Trilogy) (Rose Tevelyan Trilogy)

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The Cornish Novels Omnibus (Rose Tevelyan Trilogy) (Rose Tevelyan Trilogy)
Janie Bolitho
Manufacturer: Allison & Busby
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ASIN: 0749006129

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Artist Rose Trevelyan lives a peaceful life in her cottage overlooking Mount s Bay in Cornwall, sketching on the beach at Mousehole when the weather is fine, or taking photographs of the harbour at Newlyn to be sold as postcards in the local gift shops in towns dotted around the coast. Always willing to lend a helping hand to those in need, Rose often finds herself drawn into the oddest situations. Of course, being naturally curious, Rose finds it very hard to let an unsolved puzzle pass her by, even when the consequences of her actions mean her own tranquil lifestyle becomes somewhat stormy... With a cast of colourful characters and the beautiful county of Cornwall as the backdrop, this omnibus edition brings together for the first time three engrossing mysteries featuring amateur sleuth Rose Trevelyan - Snapped in Cornwall, Buried in Cornwall and Framed in Cornwall.

What's Bred in the Bone (Cornish Trilogy)

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Brilliant through and through, absolutely one of my favorite novels
Blairlogie
An astonishing book.
Forged Truth
Not Robertson's strongest offering

What's Bred in the Bone (Cornish Trilogy)
Robertson Davies
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140097112

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant through and through, absolutely one of my favorite novels.......2006-12-18

I first read this book about 20 years ago. I still remember it vividly. Francis Cheggin Cornish seems less like a fictional character to me than a real person a favorite uncle told me stories about. Actually, that's as apt a description of Davies as a novelist/persona I can think of.

At the simplest level, this book is about the life of an artist -- but that gross simplification doesn't even scratch the surface of Davies' rich exercise in fictionalized biography. To me, this book is nothing less than a contemplation of how life experience makes a person what they are. A simple enough idea, but one that opens up to infinite complexities. It is rare to encounter a life (real or imagined) unspooled with such fascinating lucidity and a deft insight.

What's that mean? Basically, Davies' writes about the character Francis Cornish in a way that draws you in at every level. By the end, you will feel as if you KNOW him. Again, it sounds like a simple literary idea -- fictionalized biography -- but you feel free to hunt around for other examples as good as this. You won't be finding many, I'd be so bold to wager.

This is the "middle" book of Davies' Cornish Trilogy (my favorite of his trilogy of trilogies, though you can't go wrong with any of 'em) though, chronologically, the first in the story. I read it that way, way back when, and I actually recommend that. Maybe I'm off-base here but I think the first book (The Rebel Angels) works better when you know this one, regardless of the order Davies wrote the works in. I dunno. You decide.

Anyway, a heck of a book. A heck of writer. Can't recommend it enough.

-- mm

Blairlogie.......2004-04-26

I didn't know of Davies' history - except that he went to UCC and Queens and UofT - and that he was a wonderful storyteller.

What's Bred in the Bone tells the story of Francis Cornish, beginning with his birth and childhood in Blairlogie. As I read on, I soon realized that Blairlogie was in fact Renfrew Ontario, my hometown... I didn't know how he had been able to describe my hometown so well, but I was knew it was Renfrew - physically, historically, economically and personally.

I later learned that Davies had been able to draw such a devastatingly clear, ironic and satirical portrait of Renfrew, because he too grew up there. He attended the same public school as me (although we had proper plumbing by the time I went there) and attended the same church. The story is populated with Renfrew names... Cornish was the Anglican Minister, Froats - the Monument Maker - and so on.

It is a wonderful story - and all the more so because Renfrew continues with much the same social system, which includes an annual "Lumber Baron Days," while ignoring the wonderful love letter from a homegrown son. Too Rich!

An astonishing book........2004-01-21

I, at first, did not enjoy this book since I am not a fan of the rather cold English way of writing which lacks empathy and joy and is full of cynicism and an almost brutal acceptance of suffering without any concomitant emotions. This changed throughout however and the book is almost a work of art.

The book concerns itself with the life of Francis Cornish from his childhood to middle age with almost no mention of his later life up to his death. There are really two distinct parts to the book, the first deals with Francis's childhood and is written in that witty (and a little dry) style so characteristic of British humour. His childhood encompasses Francis's experiences of the Catholic and Protestant faiths as practised among his relatives who represent almost cliches in this sense. His impressive Grandfather, warm aunt, rarely seen mother and distant father as well as a range of fascinating characters such as Victoria Cameron the Scottish Protestant cook, Zadok the coachman and enbalmer and finally the crusty old doctor. This part builds the final character of Francis, except in one aspect, and gives an idea of why and how his life proceeds.

The second part is really about two people, Francis and Tancred Saraceni the Meister of Art who teaches Francis all about art restoration as well as much that is wise and deep. It is Saraceni who I believe to be the most interesting character and the last step in building Francis as a man, or as Saraceni calls him Corniche. This final part of his character one would call "Bildung" in German with all that this entails. As Francis develops his art, which started as a little boy with sketches of just about anything, his true talent is revealed. The moment when the Maestro tells him he is a master now is, I think, the finest moment in the book. It is unfortunate that Francis's talent is not further developed after he completes his only Masterpiece "The Marriage at Cana" a magnificent large oil painting in the 16th Century style. This painting really tells the story of Francis's soul and could have been the start of an incredible career of the Alchemical Master as Saraceni puts it. Unfortunately his career as an artist never takes off and one is disappointed with his lack of drive and passion to continue. It is this last third of the book where it becomes difficult to really enjoy it as much. It must not be forgotten how well Davies writes in this section about art and especially about the soul of art. This is why the book itself is perilously close to a work of art itself.

The last part deals with Francis's life as, first, a low grade spy in the service of MI5 during WWII and finally as an art dealer in Canada. Here too we learn a little more about his father and his one love affair with Ismay, the passion driven beauty of his life. His father never really steps out of his "Wooden Soldier" shoes but Ismay represents some real women I have known.

An astonishing book and hopefully the remaining ones in the trilogy are as good.

Forged Truth.......2003-10-28

What's Bred in the Bone is the one true stand-alone novel in the Cornish Trilogy. This middle volume is a superb telling of the life of Francis Cornish, the hinge upon whom all of the trilogy is supported. Some elements of the story are clearly reminiscent (to readers of Davies) of his earlier book, Fifth Business. But this is no mere reworking of an old theme. There is a freshness to this novel that makes for a story well worth the read.

This book takes the reader back into rural Ontario of the early 20th century, filling us with fictionalized visions of Davies's own childhood. Lest that be off-putting to some, however, it should be noted that this is a novel that also takes the main character to far away Europe, into the intrigues of war, and the mysteries of forged (and not-quite-forged) artworks. What this story misses, relative to the first and third books of the trilogy, is the spice given to us by Maria's mother and uncle, who are absent here. Theirs is the archetypal energy that finds no true parallel in this book. The reader is compensated for this absence, however, by the personage of the coachman/undertaker, a rich character indeed!

I give this book my solid and hearty recommendation. It is suitable for anyone interested in reading a book by this master of the pen, whether or not they care to read the other volumes of the trilogy (though I sincerely hope that you will read the other books!). Superb.

Not Robertson's strongest offering.......2002-12-04

I have a conflicted view of this novel. On the one hand, almost all characters (except Francis himself) are unreal, unsympathetic, contrived, flat like papercut. The plot is outrageous and sophomoric (the spying career makes no sense whatsoever, either as a personality builder or plot mover; there are many more). The biggest complaint is characters: they are chess pieces the author moves on the board to move his story, with no lives of their own.

Yet, somehow Mr. Davies managed to keep me reading, despite the exasperation and the knowledge that I was being taken for a sucker. This has to do with his trademark erudition and good writing. Depsite the bad story, there are flashes of interesting passage and musing (particularly as related to arts) that keeps one from throwing the book in complete disgust.

Customer Reviews:

Characters are the Treasure Here.......2003-10-28

The Lyre of Orpheus is the concluding novel in Robertson Davies's Cornish Trilogy, and it stands as a strong work within the context of that collection. Like The Rebel Angels (the first book), The Lyre of Orpheus is very much dependent upon the two other books and does not do well as a stand-alone.

In many ways, The Lyre of Orpheus was surprising to this reader. Its plot revolves around an Arthurian quest (loosely) to put on a production of a long-dead composer whose opera had fallen short of completion at the time of his death in the early 19th century. The task was to write an opera that was sufficiently of his spirit, so as to be called his, and then produce it according to the conventions of the theatre of the day. Honestly, I would be hard-pressed to think of a plot that would be less likely to rouse my interest, personally (my apologies to all those truly devoted to early 19th century opera!). Having invested myself in the first two books of the trilogy, however, I resigned myself to the task of reading this last installment (lest I have to chastise myself in future years for having gone so far and then turned back). The `round table' of this tale was, for me, the most tedious of experiences (except when a drunken, rude Scandinavian music scholar provided me with some humour to console my page-turning drudgery). Indeed, the book often wanders with Davies's own apparent unclear quest to find his way from one cover to the next. BUT - all of that said, I found myself falling in love with this book, the more I read of it.

Robertson Davies has (though he is gone, he is not really) a delightful gift of making us find joy in the chatter and company of our own lives. This book, perhaps more than many of his creation, takes us through a luxurious indulgence in the meanderings of days strung together whose meaning can only be guessed, or retroactively assigned. The `round table,' though often a great annoyance to this reader, began to feel as beloved (and despised) as the Thanksgiving table filled with family and friends. The treasure of this book is to be found in the characters, not in the plot (which is a mere backdrop - and excuse for the story - just as the libretto is an excuse for the opera's music (according to Davies)).

I give high marks to this book. I expected not to like it; but I did. Very much so, in fact. I commend it to your reading.

Unless your an Welsh Opera fanatic.......2001-02-01

After reading "The Rebel Angels" and "What's Bred in the Bone", two five star novels, I expected to thoroughly enjoy the last segment of the trilogy. Well, the only reason I made it through the novel was that I wanted to say that I read the entire trilogy. The book completely changes in tone from the first two. Professors I respected in the first books are buffoons in this one. There are an untold number of quotations from opera librettos, medieval poems, etc. that were not relevant to me at all. One of the characters is incapable of appearing without making multiple references to Wales, Welsh literature and history. This would not have been a problem except that this is one of the main characters. The whole gypsy theme, which was so fascinating in the rebel angels gets overwhelmed by the Welshness.

In sum, it turned its back on wonderful characters, made obscure references to poems I never read, focused too much on opera and changed in tone from the first two books in a rather dissappointing way. Alas.

Fun, But The Weakest of the Trilogy.......2000-09-08

The Lyre of Orpheus continues the story of the characters introduced in The Rebel Angels -- Maria and Arthur Cornish, Simon Darcourt, Clement Hollier, etc. I read the Cornish Trilogy straight through, and while I very much enjoyed it, I thought Davies ran out of gas somewhere in the Lyre of Orpheus. What I liked so much about the first two books was Davies' delving into the personalities of the characters; What's Bred in the Bone deals more with Francis Cornish, but goes very deeply into the forces that shaped his life. Davies has great insight into human nature. In The Lyre of Orpheus, the characters' motivations are not well explored. For example, we learn that a character's wife has an affair that results in pregnancy, and that the man, with apparently little ado, not only forgives his wife and treats her with undiminished devotion, but also continues to regard her lover as the dear friend he had been. Well, that's great, but uncommon, and Davies makes no attempt to explain this astounding level of generosity other than to analogize it to the Arthurian legend (but that was a legend). Similarly, we learn that Simon Darcourt has taken something of a new path in his life, but for motivation we are told little more than that, after taking a walk in woods, he has decided to view his life differently. Instead of helping us to relate to these characters, Davies spends a great deal of time educating us about how to produce an opera, evidently a great love of his. Opera fans will find this great fun, but it doesn't make for a great story. Finally, the analogizing to Arthurian legend of the characters' lives that permeates the entire work as a leitmotif becomes increasingly heavyhanded as time wears on, almost to the point of self-parody. In short, it's an entertaining read, but not up to the level of the first two parts of the trilogy.

Pretty good..........2000-08-02

This is a pretty good book...it kept my attention and had enough pull to take me out of the real world for a time. Just one warning, however--do not go into this book expecting it to have very much to do with Arthurian legend!

Regarding opera.......1999-11-09

I have some of the same criticisms that others have about this book. Somehow, Maria doesn't seem fleshed out as well as I had hoped from Davies. He seems to have a little trouble with characterizations of women. However, no one is perfect and that is a minor problem for a very talented author. I loved this book as much as the others (actually, Rebel Angels was my least favorite of this trilogy). Each book was about a different type of art. Rebel Angels was about a (sort of) the writing of a novel, What's Bred in the Bone about painting, and the Lyre is about opera. It was wonderful seeing Darcourt come into his own, the resolution of Frank Cornishes' painting, and the opera develop. I enjoyed the rather transparent parallels in the plot of the opera and the life of the prinipals. All of Davies books have this (sometimes more in the background than in others) one theme that is most present in this book, namely, find your own myth and live it to its fullest. Written well aand truly.

The Cornish Ordinalia: A Medieval Dramatic Trilogy

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The Cornish Ordinalia: A Medieval Dramatic Trilogy

Manufacturer: Catholic University of America Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0813202590

The Lyre of Orpheus (Cornish Trilogy Ser.)

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The Lyre of Orpheus (Cornish Trilogy Ser.)
Robertson Davies
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ3HKM

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The Rebel Angels, Cornish Trilogy

Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HFJGG2

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The Cornish Trilogy
Robertson Davies
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7FCTY

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The Cornish Trilogy
Robertson Davies
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIYQL2

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