Merivel: A Man of His Time - Tapa dura

"Social, political and physical labyrinth" (Frances Osborne Evening Standard)

"Satisfying... agreeably sardonic" (Quentin Letts Daily Mail)

"Robert Merivel is one of the great imaginative creations in English literature of the past 50 years" (Telegraph Magazine)

"At times witty and enchanting, on other occasions full of doubt and self-loathing, Merivel remains a stunning achievement. He is Everyman and speaks to us all" (Virginia Blackburn Sunday Express)

"A tour de force of literary technique, a treasure house of diligent research and imaginative ingenuity" (Jane Shilling Telegraph)

As heard on 'Book at Bedtime', BBC Radio 4

The gaudy years of the Restoration are long gone. Robert Merivel, physician and courtier to Charles II, loved for his gift to turn sorrow into laughter, now faces the agitations and anxieties of middle age. Questions crowd his mind: has he been a good father? Is he a fair master? Is he the King’s friend or the King’s slave?

In search of answers, Merivel sets off for the French court. But Versailles – all glitter in front and squalor behind – leaves Merivel in despair, until a chance encounter with Madame de Flamanville, a seductive Swiss botanist, allows him to dream of an honourable future.

But will that future ever be his? Back home at Bidnold Manor, his loyalty and medical skill are tested to their limits, while the captive bear he has brought back from France begins to cause unexpected havoc in his heart and on his estate.

With a cascade of lace at his neck and a laugh that can burst out of him in the midst of torment, Merivel is a uniquely brilliant creation, soulful, funny, outrageous and achingly sad. He is Everyman. His unmistakable, self-mocking voice speaks directly to us down the centuries.