This was much more of an experience than merely a book. I was never able to read the language fluently, but I was able to work through it at a faster pace at the end than the beginning. It's a very good story as well, with characters (including the land) that I felt like I got to know, at least a bit. ( )

Disappointing. Subject matter was interesting - England around the time of the Norman conquest. The much touted USP of the book is that it is written in an approximation of Olde English. That takes a bit of effort, but I actually enjoyed that aspect - unfortunately the plot really doesn't repay the reader. The protagonist is intensely dislikeable, and is taken with sitting around forests and fens - away from the remains of English civilization, and from the French that conquered them. It's a strange decision for a historical novel, to show as little as possible of the time in which it's set. The theme of the old pagan Gods being supplanted by Christianity was interesting, and the atmosphere was generally effective. But, overall, that was insufficient to counter the repetitive scenes, unengaging characters and aimless plot. ( )

I do not usually read historical fiction, but I chose to pick this book up because I was intrigued by its use of language. It is written in modern English, but with some vocabulary & syntax lifted from Old English. This initially made the book challenging to read, but once I got used to the language, I was able to read nearly at my normal pace. I found this language effective in emphasizing how different this world was from our own. However, I imagine this would be incredibly difficult (if not near impossible) to read for someone who is not fluent in English.

This story is told from the first-person point of view of Buccmaster, a farmer living in England during the Norman Invasion. More than anything else, this is a story about him as he grapples with these events. We also learn about his past, which aids in explaining why he is the way that he is. The other characters were not as strong - but this makes sense, because Buccmaster as the narrator is going to focus primarily on himself. What I found especially effective was that, while Buccmaster tried to make himself out to be some great hero to the reader, the author still was able to show us his (numerous) flaws.

The plot itself is rather meandering. I felt this made sense, given Buccmaster's character. There were certainly some exciting moments, but the focus was much more on Buccmaster.

I have only just found out that this is the start of a trilogy. I think this book stands strongly on its own, but I would be interested in reading the other books as well ( )

If this novel's protagonist, Buccmaster of Holland, was really the average English rebel against the Norman invasion in 1066, no wonder England never rose up successfully. Also, if this man was typical of followers of the old gods, they must have all despaired of their followers!
I did enjoy the pseudo Old English, even though it made reading the book more difficult. It was at one and the same time a pleasure and a nuisance. favourite word: wyrmfleoge - dragonfly.
also, Buccmaster was a fuccan esol. ( )

As I read the first few pages of The Wake I had the feeling that picking it up was a huge mistake. Paul Kingsnorth has written this novel of England at the time of the Norman Conquest in an invented language that approximates Old English. I battled with his style initially, but once the reader gets attuned to the novel's patois the narrative fairly rattles along, with only an occasional need to consult the pretty meagre glossary provided up the back.

The narrator of the novel is Buccmaster, a free farmer who owns a large holding in the fens country of Lincolnshire. Buccmaster comes across as a man seething with resentments: at the Christians who seek to supplant the Anglish gods, at his father, at the people of his village whom he considers his inferiors, at the feudal lords who take away his sons and working men to fight for King Harald and, most of all, at the bastard french duke who comes to his country and has his farm burnt and his wife killed.

Buccmaster is inspired by visions of a great Anglish hero, Weland the Smith. He takes Weland's sword, given to him by his grandfather, and flees into the woods and the fens, assembling a small band of men to help him fight the French. He struggles to make any headway or to establish himself as the great war leader he imagines himself to be. Buccmaster is somewhat like Don Quixote in this respect, only his visions begin to taunt him, calling him weak and contrasting him with the greater hero of the resistance, Hereward the Wake. Buccmaster comes to despise Hereward almost as much as he despises the French.

Kingsnorth has written a truly original historical novel in The Wake, far more original than the Wolf Hall novels that created such a stir. He works in significant details of the life and speech of the Angles at the time, of the course of the conquest and of the resistance, yet does not weigh his story down excessively. Buccmaster is a disturbing and fascinating central character and his outraged narrative engages the reader in its intensity. ( )