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A remarkable, sparkling historical novel by the author of A Catch of Consequence. Diana Norman's second book for us, published at the same time as the paperback of A Catch of Consequence, is another brilliant, stylish historical novel. Even though it is set in the eighteenth century, this novel like her previous one has rare contemporary echoes. Two women, both searching for apparently missing people, meet in the chaos of wartime Plymouth. Britain is at war with the French and the rebellious American colonies. But where the French captured by the British navy are recognized prisoners of war, the Americans are the non-combatants of their era. One woman, a young aristocrat recently saved by the death of her husband from a brutal marriage, is searching for the imprisoned son of a colonial friend: the other, a self-made woman, is looking for her daughter and companions, rescued from their destroyed ship but somehow lost on arrival in Britain. The journey of discovery both women make through docks and prisons, government offices and brothels, palatial houses and smugglers hideaways, not only allows them to find the missing persons but also to forge an unlikely friendship and to find rem… (altro)
This is the second book in Diana Norman's "Makepeace Hedley" series. You may be familiar with Norman's alter ego, Ariana Franklin (Mistress of the Art of Death). In the first novel, A Catch of Consequencewe met Makepeace, a redheaded pubkeeper in colonial Boston. Her adventures took her to England, where she married first a nobleman and then a rugged miner. Near the end of the book, Makepeace sent her eldest daughter back to the colonies, accompanied by her friend Susan and Josh, the artistic son of a black woman who was more friend than slave or servant to Makepeace. Now we learn that the ship was attacked by either pirates or a British vessel (the American Revolution being in full swing), and Philippa, Susan, and Josh are missing. The main plot focuses on Makepeace's struggle to find Philippa (which doesn't take too long), to learn the fate Susan, and to free Josh from an English prison. In addition, a blockade against the French, who have been aiding the Americans, has trapped her husband on the Continent. How will Makepeace bring him home?
Makepeace's story is intertwined with that of Diana Stacpoole, a recently widowed aristocrat, the long-suffering victim of a sadistic husband. Diana has spent her life confined by the expectations of her class. She thought that her life would improve when he husband died, but her son, the new earl, while not cruel, is just as status-conscious and determined to keep her in check. Diana takes a huge step when she decides to take action on a former servant/friend's request that she find her nephew, a French soldier who has apparently been captured by the British. The two women meet in the course of their searches and form an unique friendship that will change Diana's life forever.
I don't want to give away too much of the story, but suffice it to say that there is a lot of suspense and intrigue, peppered with smugglers, pirates, and an obsessed Revenue agent. I learned a good deal about the conditions in the prisons at the time, especially in prison hospitals, and there is a running commentary on slavery as well. Norman really did her research (as she always does), and the writing is very fine indeed. There is one more book in the series (but since it focuses on Philippa rather than Makepeace, I'm not quite as eager to read it). I recommend this series if you're a historical fiction plan and like a good, complex, rip roaring tale with strong female characters. ( )
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To my friend and agent, Sarah Molloy
Incipit
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As the immediate family and the priest emerged from the crypt in which they had delivered the corpse of the Earl of Stacpoole to its last resting place, his Countess met the gaze of the rest of the mourners in the chapel and saw not one wet eye.
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A remarkable, sparkling historical novel by the author of A Catch of Consequence. Diana Norman's second book for us, published at the same time as the paperback of A Catch of Consequence, is another brilliant, stylish historical novel. Even though it is set in the eighteenth century, this novel like her previous one has rare contemporary echoes. Two women, both searching for apparently missing people, meet in the chaos of wartime Plymouth. Britain is at war with the French and the rebellious American colonies. But where the French captured by the British navy are recognized prisoners of war, the Americans are the non-combatants of their era. One woman, a young aristocrat recently saved by the death of her husband from a brutal marriage, is searching for the imprisoned son of a colonial friend: the other, a self-made woman, is looking for her daughter and companions, rescued from their destroyed ship but somehow lost on arrival in Britain. The journey of discovery both women make through docks and prisons, government offices and brothels, palatial houses and smugglers hideaways, not only allows them to find the missing persons but also to forge an unlikely friendship and to find rem
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Makepeace's story is intertwined with that of Diana Stacpoole, a recently widowed aristocrat, the long-suffering victim of a sadistic husband. Diana has spent her life confined by the expectations of her class. She thought that her life would improve when he husband died, but her son, the new earl, while not cruel, is just as status-conscious and determined to keep her in check. Diana takes a huge step when she decides to take action on a former servant/friend's request that she find her nephew, a French soldier who has apparently been captured by the British. The two women meet in the course of their searches and form an unique friendship that will change Diana's life forever.
I don't want to give away too much of the story, but suffice it to say that there is a lot of suspense and intrigue, peppered with smugglers, pirates, and an obsessed Revenue agent. I learned a good deal about the conditions in the prisons at the time, especially in prison hospitals, and there is a running commentary on slavery as well. Norman really did her research (as she always does), and the writing is very fine indeed. There is one more book in the series (but since it focuses on Philippa rather than Makepeace, I'm not quite as eager to read it). I recommend this series if you're a historical fiction plan and like a good, complex, rip roaring tale with strong female characters. (