The other morning, after my son left early for work, I retreated to bed with a cup of tea and my book. And read the following.  It’s from Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny, Sphere/Little Brown, ISBN 978-1-84744-437-0:

A lot of what we know to be history isn’t,” said Gamache. “You know that, I know that.  It serves a purpose. Events are exaggerated, heroes fabricated, goals are rewritten to appear more noble than they actually were.  All to manipulate public opinion, to manufacture a common purpose or enemy.  And the cornerstone of a really great movement?  A powerful symbol. Take away or tarnish that and everything starts to crumble, everything’s questioned. Can’t have that.

Louise Penny is a Canadian writer, one of the many really first rate ones that flourish there. She has written five detective novels featuring Chief Inspector Gamache, all set in the little Canadian village of Three Pines which rivals Midsomer for body count!  In this, her sixth book, Gamache returns to headquarters in Quebec and has to solve a several centuries old mystery before he can catch a present-day killer.  Won’t tell you any more in case you want to read the earlier ones first!  This one also includes a fascinating sideline on Captain Cook.

The first part of the quote is so Morton/Tudor.  The “cornerstone of a great movement”: Richard III – what would he have accomplished if he’d lived?  No wonder Ricardians question the tarnishing of his reputation.  “Can’t have that”!

Tags: Books