What's Bred in the Bone (Cornish Trilogy) - Softcover

Davies, Robertson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140097112 ISBN 13: 9780140097115

Publisher: Penguin Books, 1986

Synopsis

Francis Cornish was always good at keeping secrets. From the well-hidden family secret of his childhood to his mysterious encounters with a small-town embalmer, an expert art restorer, a Bavarian countess, and various masters of espionage, the events in Francis’s life were not always what they seemed.

In this wonderfully ingenious portrait of an art expert and collector of international renown, Robertson Davies has created a spellbinding tale of artistic triumph and heroic deceit. In this second book of the Cornish Trilogy, Davies spins a tale told in stylish, elegant prose, endowed with lavish portions of his wit and wisdom. 

"A deliciously readable story...An altogether remarkable creation, his most accomplished novel to date." --  The New York Times 

About this title

About the Author:

Robertson Davies (1913-1995) had three successive careers during the time he became an internationally acclaimed author: actor, publisher, and, finally, professor at the University of Toronto. The author of twelve novels and several volumes of essays and plays, he was the first Canadian to be inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

From AudioFile:

Frederick Davidson performs this intelligent and entertaining novel about the life of Francis Cornish as told by the guardian spirit who controls his fate. Cornish is a secretive man of extraordinary artistic talent, who suffers with a lonely heart. The attentive listener is aided by Davidson's portrayal of this spirit's slightly detached, but affectionate and bemused, tone towards Cornish, as well as by Davidson's reasonable pace and careful pronunciation. Seasoned with a pleasant British dialect, Davidson's cultivated tone fits well Davies's elegant writing style. In addition, Davidson employs a rhythmic rising and falling of pitch, which is surprisingly effective in entertaining and relaxing the listener. His emphases are intelligently chosen, and his characterizations of women are especially good. P.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: 1986
• ISBN 10: 0140097112
• ISBN 13: 9780140097115
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448