Mum's Monday: The Second Sleep by Robert Harris

This type of book is not normally my type of thing. I was recommended it and the more I thought about it the more intrigued I became, in the end enough to buy it and to start reading it. I should say I like paranormal stories and books set in places I have visited. This is, I have been reliably being informed about kind of ‘Time travel’, a priest and set in an Exmoor village, somewhere I haven’t been to.  

As I am reading the first two chapters I get the sense that this will actually be an interesting book for me to read. I am happy to read on and see how it progresses, a sign of a good book if you are not normally into the initial subject of it. 

During reading this first part of the book there is mention of a ‘Curfew’ and also the members of the house hold are up in the middle of the night and the title of the book ‘The Second Sleep’ is mentioned. In the year 1468 this must mean something, with my lack of too much knowledge of the history around this time and the fact that the story doesn’t go into an awful lot of detail as yet on this particular subject, so for me I don’t want to put this book down to find out more. 

In chapter six, whilst reading the letter I forgot that this is a story set in the 1400s. this is brilliantly well written I really don’t want to put it down. 

It is heart-warming how Father Christopher Fairfax reacted to what he found at the ‘Piggeries’, a little comforting can be very reassuring to the mother. 

Despite Rose wanting or as it first seemed Rose wanted Father Fairfax gone, I read that he may have a murder mystery to solve. Only reading on will tell and what has Rose revealed to him? I still don’t want to put this book down, the plot as they say thickens. 

This book is a good example of ‘A Priest’s work is never done’. With some good news to announce, Father Fairfax wants to leave after the Sunday service, yet as there is still a lot more of this book to read, something else may come up to prevent him. It has already been mentioned that ‘If he stays too long he may never leave’. This is all very well written. 

I can see the irresistible draw to visit where Father Lacy was found dead, after reading about all the place in England that has somehow disappeared. It is interesting to read about either obscure places or made up for the purpose of this book. I wouldn’t mind looking to see if the place mentioned in this book is real or not. If they are it will be nice to think about/learn more of the places not so well known in the UK.  

I would like to know why Shadwell’s demonstration was thought to be illegal, hopefully as I read on I will find out. What I do find interesting is how the characters in this book think all the items/events happened long ago in the past, but when talking about things in the future back in the 1400s, it is realistic not to have the understanding of things as we do today in the year 2019. Or have/did the events happen the way it is described in this book? I do wonder how this story will end. 

This could be seen as a controversial story with priest’s breaking their vows. This is a brave but sadly, I feel a realistic book in maybe a case or two. Although this isn’t the only storyline where a priest has broken their vows. There is ‘The Thorn Birds’ with Richard Chamberlain, ‘Father Ted’ with Dermot Morgan and even a storyline in the Australian soap ‘Neighbours’. Sadly, the phrase ‘No smoke without fire’ springs to mind for real life.  

It is intriguing as the ‘Dig begins’ to see what the group will find. One member of the team has already found his books he thought he had lost, which is a good thing, but the plot is thickening still and I want to read until the end. I do like how things are described in this story, but the name of the item is not actually mentioned, yet instinctively I know what the things are.  

I have no clue how this story could end, how all that is happening can come together. Now I have read too the end, this book doesn’t actually end how I thought it would. It seems, now I don’t want to give away the ending, but you could say this story is about ‘The Second’ something.