An historical novel describing the London of the late 1880s. The history is more interesting than the fictional story unfortunately. The character flaws of the lead character simply didn't carry the weight they needed to. Worth the read, if this period interests you. I certainly learnt a great deal from it. ( )

I don't read a lot of historical fiction and, admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of the genre which is probably why I picked up and put down this book three or four times before I managed to settle into it this time around. It had languished on my bookshelf unread since Christmas of 2014 - two years - but, since it was a gift from Mark, it was high priority on my to-read list. He's not a reader and yet supports my reading habit; how could I not read the book he had chosen for me?

In the end, pushing on with this book was incredibly worthwhile. It was a slow start, but a third of the way through, I found myself fascinated by Maribel's character, a woman with twists and turns in her past, carefully hidden from the public eye. Halfway through I found myself fascinated by the political atmosphere of the setting; the climate of unrest felt so parallel to the climate of unrest we have found ourselves in the last few months. Now at the end, I find myself grateful to have read this book now, and not immediately after I read it. History repeats itself over and over again; this book clearly highlighted that for me.

My biggest complaint about the story? It was looong. It didn't have to be nearly so long. It was well written, but not gripping enough for nearly 500 pages. There were long passages that involved not much more than wealthy women lingering over tea in stuffy parlours. Accurate, I'm sure, but not the most exciting to read. But, perhaps someone who consistently gravitates to historical fiction would disagree. ( )

Maribel Campbell-Lowe (half French, half Spanish, raised in Chile) is the embodiment of the late-Victorian New Woman; her husband, Edward, inheritor of an impoverished Scottish estate, is the radical rising star of the Socialist Party - but as we soon find out, Maribel has secrets that only her husband knows, and that if these should be made public, it would be disgrace for her, and the end of his political career. So far, she has lived out this "beautiful lie", but now she fears journalist Alfred Webster could be about to expose her, partly to bring down her husband.
This is a meticulously researched, meticulously evocative portrait of the late 1880s, beautifully characterised and beautifully written. Clare Clark plays with may levels of deception and pretence throughout - Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show, which is taking London by storm, Maribel's passion for photography (and the vogue for "spirit" photographs), the rise of investigative journalism, the young Maribel's passion to go on the stage and its consequences, a possible gold mine in Spain that could save the family estate ... (if I have a niggle, there seemed perhaps to be "too much" being drawn in to the narrative).
All in all though, this is a glorious slice of Victoriana, richly characterised and extremely moving in chronicling Maribel's story and how her whole life .
becomes her greatest role
And it is based on fact, Edward and Maribel Campbell-Lowe have real-life counterparts in the Socialist MP and founder member of the Labour Party, Robert Cunninghame-Graham, and his "French / Spanish" wife, Gabriela. Alfred Webster is a possibly more unpleasant version of the famous campaigning journalist, William Stead (who brought to light a number of MP's scandalous liaisons) ( )

Despite how enigmatic and unsympathetic the protagonist Maribel is, her story is strangely entrancing. Clare Clark's beautifully woven descriptions draw the reader in, urging one to keep reading and attempt to understand the mysterious character and her past, even if the explanations are ultimately unsatisfactory. ( )

Interesting, but not compelling. And what was with that field trip, research that had to get into the book lest the IRS get ticked off? ( )