The Sheriff of Nottingham

Fun read looking at the Robin Hood legend from the point of view of the Sheriff of Nottingham who is portrayed as the classic middle management bureaucrat caught between an unreasonable boss and facts on the ground.

Good price for this excellently written novel about a man of decent character who has been often maligned in media.

The story of Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest and his nemesis the Sheriff of Nottingham, vassal to usurper Prince John is well known and oft-told. However, for as many versions of the legend we might find on the shelves, there is little reliable factual information to be found. Richard Kluger has tried to present here his version based upon some of that actual historical record – and thrusts his Sheriff of Nottingham into the central role, appointed by Prince John and beset by intrigue, rivalry, and conflicting loyalties and obligations on all sides.At some 480 pages, we follow 16 years in the lives of the residents of Nottingham, the castle there, and in nearby Sherwood Forest – as well as in England as a whole. As the title makes clear, the narrative is told principally from the perspective of our Sheriff and the how and why of Robin Hood showing up is only one of his numerous challenges over the time covered by the novel. Our hero is war veteran, sheriff, husband, father, legal guardian and his roles are not always clear or compatible with each other or with his desired goals.The book seemed to me to be a bit long for what I was getting, in great part a reflection upon how many other narratives of the life of Robin Hood have been shared by authors over the years. It has to be very challenging to contend not only with the historical Robin Hood and Sheriff of Nottingham (even with as little as we know for certainty about them) but to also compete with the myriad mythical Robins and Sheriffs may have stretched my credulity and patience too far to fully appreciate this effort. Your mileage may vary and this story does have a little bit of historical detail going for it.

If you are looking for a mindless quick read, this is NOT a good book for you. It is clear the author is a deeply read and aware man, who writes English as if it were a fine tuned musical instrument. I have read this book several times and each time, I get a new burst of appreciation from it. I find it a book with excellent observations about life and power, but also entertaining, and based on historical facts. The Philip Marks, the Sheriff of Nottingham, the main character in the story, did live in those times, although there is no evidence that Robin Hood, also a major character in the book, did.Just one quote: "Say that he steals. He must-they all do, from what you tell me-Brother Jocelin most of all. Some clerk of the royal treasury!” Only Chaplain Ivo doesn’t dip into the castle collections, so far as I can determine-which makes him our gravest menace.”Yes, the most dangerous man is an honest man.

the sheriff of nottingham by richard kluger1208 England has sheriffs in the towns to keep peace. love era, the costumes, legends,things people stood up for, castles, taming of the big birdsNever realized how much religion and how much politics played a huge part of all this.I rate this a 4, because it was very long and took me forever to finish it. Really liked the era and all that entails, quite a tale.

This is a very well researched book that is unfortunately marred by racism and no little amount of misanthropy. All the characters are 1-dimensional variations on the theme of exploiter or victim, and the entire feudal enterprise - looked upon with the disdain of the ignorant, contemporary critic. Typical elitist trash with a leftist bent, there isn't anyone who has any redeeming qualities except the lead character, whose fault is that he's so "perfect" it's actually bad, almost fantastically farcical. Like so many other leftist works, the implication of utopia is discerned by the constant criticism of the past and the present. That his own utopia is nothing but a horrifying dystopia has been proven by history, undoubtedly ignored.This is sort of the equivalent of a medieval romance novel for social critics. I pity the town in which the author lives, undoubtedly casting his caustic criticisms upon the unwary.

As other readers have mentioned, Kluger has done a fine job revisiting a challenging historical era. He draws from all social levels to bring Nottingham and Thirteenth Century England to life. If you enjoy reading about this time period, you will appreciate this novel.However, the plot itself never really finds its balance. The Sheriff himself is a fine role model, but lacks character growth and development; although the reader might cheer for him as a pillar of moral fortitude in a tumultuous time, there is no success or finale for him to achieve by the end. If anything, his success is that he kept himself alive and in office for so long against such odds. This is very rewarding in a real-life sense, but in the novel it gives a feel of aimlessness. Therefore the book takes on an episodic style. Various problems occur, the sheriff is offered the low road, chooses the high road, and moves to the next dilemma. It is hard to push through and see what happens next, and the reader will never be quite satisfied with how it turns out. Bottom line: Sherriff of Nottingham provides a sweeping picture of the England of Magna Carta, but fails to find a central character worth enjoying when placed on the scene.

Kluger does an excellent job depicting the life of actual sheriff of Nottingham Philip Mark. The author took known incidents and worked them into the framework of his story expertly.I was interested in the narrative for every page, a rare occurence in a nearly 500 page novel. I've been entertained and learned about early 13th century England. Keep a dictionary handy. Kluger uses obscure words.

This was my first purchase of a second hand book through Amazon - it arrived exactly when expected, and was pretty much of the quality described. Certainly brilliant value.The book itself disappointed a little - I expected it to be a little dry from other reviews, but felt that written by a Canadian, it lacked the 'local' feel that someone living in Nottingham might have expected to find. However, it seems historically accurate, and while not a romping read, matches what I expected.Wouldn't rush to read any other of his books, and not surprised it wasn't popular and available in UK.