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| The Daughter of Time | 
| Author: Josephine Tey
Creator: Derek Jacobi
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $17.85
You Save: $12.10 (40%)
New (14) from $17.85
Avg. Customer Rating:  133 reviews
Sales Rank: 862669
Format: Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 5.7 x 4.9 x 1
ISBN: 1572704667
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781572704664
ASIN: 1572704667
Publication Date: March 10, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: P20080807104853S
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| Customer Reviews:
 WHAT IS TRUTH June 12, 2008
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
Author Elizabeth MacKintosh, wrote under the pseudonym of Josephine Tey. She died in 1952 but her unique talent continues to entertain and enlighten her readers with her unusual mystery scenarios. With Daughter of Time she invites us to join the team of a 20th century Scotland Yard inspector Alan Grant and an American researcher currently on assignment at the British Museum as they utilized their powers of deductive reasoning (ala Sherlock Holmes) to ascertain the truth about with Richard III. Having been previously characterized by everyone from Shakespeare to Sir Thomas More as an evil hunchbacked usurper who murdered his two young nephews in the Tower of London in order to claim the throne; the Richard Plantagenet of this investigation is portrayed as an unusually trusting, loving and gentle man with no physical deformity.
As creatively and intellectually plotted as this novel is, its' true beauty lies in the fact that it encourages the reader to THINK. It obliquely tells us that one should never accept any recorded history without question since most history is written from the perspective of those in power at the time and is not necessarily factual. In addition it enhances knowledge and vocabulary and sent this reader scurrying to the computer to look up definitions of items such as Bill of Attainder, Titulus Regius, and Star Chamber (lo and behold....it is more than a movie with Michael Douglas).
Admittedly, this is a novel and the "Richard argument" presented by Tey's characters, although compelling, should not be viewed as incontrovertible fact. Her writing, however, deserves to be treasured and enjoyed like a fine wine that is rolled around on the tongue and savored before it is swallowed.
 Boring! May 19, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
As much as I love history and historical fiction, I hated this book. The story-teller, Grant, is sarcastic and petty. He is negative and utterly uninteresting. The writing was weak and boring, the story, or mystery was lacking in mystery! Nothing special here, just a guy named Grant griping about his hospital stay. A disappointment.
THERE IS MORE TO THIS THAN MEETS THE EYE... May 18, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a wonderful genre bending book...part history, part mystery. Written by Scotswoman Elizabeth MacIntosh, who wrote under the pen name Josephine Tey, it was first published in 1951. It is tragic that the author died in 1952 and was never to know the pleasure that this book would bring to generations of readers and that the Mystery Writers of America would ultimately rank it fourth among the one hundred best mysteries ever written.
The title of the book is derived from a historical source, as it is attributable to Sir Francis Bacon, "For truth is rightly named after the daughter of time, and not of authority." The book itself is not a traditional mystery but rather an application of deductive reasoning to an actual historical event. The event in question is the murder of the princes in the tower, sons of King Edward IV, allegedly by their uncle, Richard III, who eventually usurped the English throne after the death of his brother. It has been widely held that Richard III did, indeed, murder the two young princes, his nephews, in order to secure his claim to the throne.
The reader is introduced to Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant, who is hospitalized and recovering from injuries sustained in the line of duty. While convalescing, he becomes intrigued by a picture of a portrait of Richard III, a likeness with which he is unfamiliar. Grant is puzzled that someone with such a sensitive face could have been such a monster as to murder his two nephews in cold blood. So, our intrepid Inspector decides that he will reconsider the evidence upon which such a dastardly assumption has been based. With the help of an American researcher doing the necessary legwork, Grant compiles enough archival historical fact that incrementally helps him formulate a new theory as to who actually may have murdered the princes in the tower.
This analysis and reformulation is done as though it were being argued to a jury. Indeed, so persuasive is Inspector Grant through the application of some insightful deductive reasoning and clever dialogue that the reader comes away thinking that Grant has solved one of the most intriguing historical mysteries of all time. This is certainly an unusual book conceptually but one that succeeds brilliantly. It should appeal to those readers who enjoy having a mystery unraveled, as well as to those who harbor a love of English history. Bravo!
Intriguing April 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was introduced to Josephine Tey through a group I belong to on [...]. We have an informal book group and discussion, and this is our most recent selection. It's the first Tey I've read, and it won't be the last. It features a character who apparently recurs in several of her novels, Inspector Alan Grant of the Scotland Yard.
Laid up after suffering a broken leg, Grant tries to dispel the boredom by trying to solve an unsolved crime: the mysterious disappearance of the two princes in the Tower in the fifteenth century. Using the evidence presented to him, Grant and his research associate from the British Museum come up with a satisfactory and believable solution to a problem that has puzzled people for over five hundred years.
One thing I found difficult to believe in this mystery was the fact that Grant knew so little about the history of his own country. For example, he didn't recognize a famous portrait of Richard III on sight. And that he was easily convinced by Thomas More's "evidence" of Richard's having murdered the boys, keeping in mind that More was writing after the fact, in the reign of a Tudor. Its also pretty obvious what Grant's conclusion is going to be about the mystery. But that said, that conclusion is completely believable (and, I suspect myself, most likely true). It's a short mystery that will keep you entertained for an afternoon or so.
Not my personal favorite but still excellent March 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is supposed to be Tey's Magnum opus and, indeed, it is a fine and unique British mystery, a pillar of the genre; however, I think it's more of a writer's book than a reader's book in that it's artfully conveyed but atypical of cosy murder formulas.
Here, Inspector Grant is hospitalized, taken out of action, with a broken leg. In an effort to keep him entertained, a murder investigation is laid in his lap... a very old one. Based upon his renowned skills as a crime solver, he's challenged to discover whether or not Richard III actually murdered his nephews, a long standing British legend.
Thus, the story is sort of told in retrospect and there is quite a lot of historical filler in order to arm the unapprised with the background of the orginal saga.
I first read this book (1997) as an assignment for a western culture class. I have since read it again recreationally. As I said, it's a fine mystery but, because this title was so very popular, Tey seems to have gotten tagged with it as this being her "personal writing style". As a result of this paradigm, the bulk of her notable other works are intermittently viewed by some as being inferior in quality, which they are definitely not. I think that this dichotomy is more demonstrative of Tey's versatility as a writer.
The Scottish Josephine Tey (real name, Elizabeth Mackintosh, 1896-1952), was taken from us far too soon and so she did not ultimately yield all that many books when we compare her to, say, Dorothy L. Sayers or Agatha Christie. I find that her books fall into two categories, albeit they are all mysteries: Arty Mysteries and Cosy Murders. So, if you like "The Daughter of Time" you'll probably also savor "Brat Farrar". But if you prefer the more stereotypical British murder mystery, read "The Man in the Queue," "A Shilling for Candles," or, "The Singing Sands".
I much recommend "The Daughter of Time" for fans of the genre.
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