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Company of Liars

Karen Maitland

2008 · 576 pages · Historical fiction

dark moodmoderate paceheavy and literary tonebittersweet ending

How it reads

Company of Liars is historical fiction (medieval plague thriller, specifically), and its dominant mood is dark. It goes to difficult places and doesn't look away. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in several locations, in the historical past, told in the third person across several viewpoints. Its central concerns are survival, faith and class and society. In weight it's heavy and literary — denser, more serious, and more demanding of you.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending is bittersweet: it resolves, but at a price. At 576 pages it's a real commitment. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.

Pick it up if…

  • you're in the mood for something dark
  • you want something to chew on
  • you want a complete story in one book

Maybe not if…

  • you need something cosy, heartwarming or funny
  • you want something you can finish this weekend

All 15 dimensions

Author gender
female
Author experience
established
Setting: place
multiple locations
Setting: time
historical
Mood / feeling
dark
Pace
moderate
Tone / weight
heavy and literary
Length
long
Narrative style
third person, several viewpoints
Publication era
recent
Popularity
moderately known
Series vs standalone
standalone
Themes
survival, faith, class and society
Ending style
bittersweet

What these mean: the 15 dimensions of a book.

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