Last Hours

Fascinating historical fiction - I find The Plague and its history so interesting, and this is another story set in the 1300’s about a handful of survivors and how they managed, thanks to the common sense of one forward thinking heroine. As their journey unfolds i found myself in their world and turning the pages to see what happens next. As i neared the end, i was thinking i was running out of pages as to how all the stories within could be completed - and so I learned that there is indeed a second book on its way! You could stop after the first, but there is a feeling of being unsatisfied, so i shall pick up the next one when available to continue the journey!

Enjoyed this novel very much. It was well written & Interesting. The only objection I had & why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was that it was a bit long & could have been shortened a little by condensing Thaddeus's adventures little. Let's say it deserves 4 1/2 stars. The other thing that intrigued me was comparing the Black Plague with our current Pandemic & now Omicron - frightening.

Minette Walters brings her fantastic talent for immersing the reader in the psychological and social world to bear on the events and changes that the black plague brought to feudal Britain. This is a great read and I'm so looking forward to reading the next part of the story. The characters are deeply imagined and the reader looks on as they struggle to discover what exists outside the small world of their demense. This is a tale of breaking out of the brutality of feudalism. Out shows us how a little learning and intelligence can help people break out and control those who cruelly dominated them. It looks unflinching at the mistreatment of women in that time. It's also a study of young men finding their way in the world. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a beautifully drawn story illuminating a time that we may not understand very clearly.

Fascinating insight into a terrible time in history.

I have not read this author before which is a pity. Loved the book. Loved the characters which seemed to come to life before my eyes. The only disappointment is I have to wait until Oct. 2018 for the follow up book. A great story

I have read all this author's books which are usually mystery/crime thrillers with a social background. This book veers from her usual genre and she dives headlong onto the Middle Ages and the horrors of the Black Death in Dorsetshire. The details are historically correct and the story of one particular manor and its serfs, servants and Norman lords flows along effortlessly.I strongly recommend this book to all who enjoyed " Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett

Loved this book. Excellent read. Seemed away from her usual areas of writing. I did not want this to end. I then looked for another, or a sequel, or a prequel or an anyquel. So disappointed. I was INVESTED in those characters.

This is the first book I’ve read by Minette Walters and I came to it with high expectations knowing her reputation as a storyteller and because the period setting and subject matter intrigued me.The author does a good job of conveying the panic of the villagers as the plague takes hold and their ignorance of its source and method of transmission. Given the paucity of medical knowledge at the time, it’s easy to understand why many of them believe it to be a punishment sent by God. However Lady Anne’s religious beliefs and humanitarian instincts lead her to reject the idea of a merciless God raining down pain and suffering indiscriminately. Luckily for the villagers, she also possesses some quite modern notions of hygiene practices. That and her decision to have the villagers seek refuge behind the moat and walls of the manor house, cutting themselves off from the outside world, offer them the possibility of survival.Eventually the need for food and news of the outside world means some of them must venture outside the safety of the manor house. Their experiences take up a large proportion of the second half of the book.The book is clearly the product of extensive research and there were many things I found interesting. For instance, appreciating how little ordinary people travelled in those days and their lack of knowledge of what lay beyond even their own demesne. I hadn’t realised either that, at that time, cats were rare, unfamiliar creatures and forbidden by the Church as instruments of the Devil.Most interestingly, the author explores the social impact of the plague. Not only that it was no respecter of position in society, targeting serf and noble alike, but that it created a situation where, in its aftermath, lords would be dependent on their serfs to restore the wealth of their lands. If you like, the law of supply in demand would come into effect, with the few serfs left alive able to bargain with landowners for their freedom in return for their valuable labour. Furthermore, the needs of survival thrust ordinary people into positions of unaccustomed authority or forced them to take responsibility for decision-making and organisation where they would previously have been used to taking direction.I found a lot to enjoy in this book and I know many reviewers have been fulsome in their praise. However, I have to say that I did find it over long and rather slow, especially the second half which dragged for me. I was also taken by surprise and felt slightly let down by the nature of the ending.

Loved this book. Great historical fiction.If you plan on reading the sequel (which you will want to do, because it ends really suddenly) then don't read the last few pages, as there are spoilers for the next book.Absolute page turner!

I can't recommend this work enough - I hardly could put it down at all. The plot, characters, pacing, writing, and historical details are pretty spot on. If you enjoy historical fiction with a strong female protagonist who manages to smartly use the resources at her disposal (and can use some more as their husband is horribly incompetent) during a time of crisis - check this book out.As others mentioned, this work is best read together with the sequel (that wraps up the main plot threads left dangling at the end of this piece) - which is the only reason I'm giving the work four stars. It leaves you wanting for the end, which forces you to buy the next book (which, to be fair, is also worth the buy/read)

Au delà du roman, la recherche historique sur la vie des serfs au 14ème siècle est intéressante. Un style d'écriture fluide et facile à lire. A recommander.

Perfecto todo

A very good read as always from Minette, great characters and storyline. It was better than I thought it would be just because I'm used to reading her other books. Loved it!