Merivel

More than two decades since Rose Tremain found success with Restoration, she resurrects her 17th century physician and courtier, Sir Robert Merivel, for another chapter in his colourful life.

Wannabe novelists looking for an example of plot deriving from character, look no further. Merivel is a wonderfully rich creation and everything that occurs in this novel spouts from him: from his sexual appetite, his love for his daughter and his servant Will, his past failings and his present flaws, which include greed, selfishness, pride and a lot more besides. He's a rogue, but Tremain never fails to make us empathise with him, even in his most unsympathetic moments.

This is England in a state of decline: King Charles II is more concerned with his mistresses and his spaniels than his people. Bound to the monarch by money, duty, love and a complicated history, Merivel inhabits the Norfolk stately home granted to him in reflective mood. Nearing his late years, he's searching for something - a sense of purpose, a way to leave his mark on the world. This search takes him on a journey, both hilarious and poignant, to Versailles, London and then Switzerland. In keeping with the swashbuckling nature of the era and Merivel's largesse, it's a journey that includes a duel, typhus, a caged bear, prostitutes and rich Barons. It's beautifully described, hugely evocative and so entertaining that coming to the end feels like a loss.