Title: Plays fast and loose with history and yet purports to be based on fact
Product review: I just finished this book and have to say I found it quite disappointing. I expected a fun story about scholars on the trail of a historical mystery--a la A.S. Byatt or something like that--but unfortunately the gross distortion of the history of the Beagle voyage, of Darwin's life, of Wallace's life, and many other details really ruined it for me. I don't mind a little literary license, but painting Darwin as a thief, murderer, and fraud goes way beyond mere embellishment for the sake of the plot. Another reviewer recommended Harry Thompson's To the Edge of the World, and I heartily second that recommendation. Thompson's book is a great read and is written with enough literary embellishment to bring the story to life, but not so much as to grossly distort it. I don't know why Darnton has such an axe to grind, but it doesn't make for a great novel.
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