ksted77's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
susannaheo's review
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jen_16's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ronanmcd's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
An exciting, tense look at a reproduction of the massacre that turned public opinion in the UK against slavery. It does a good job of looking at the various viewpoints around the trade and the massive trauma it induced.
Use of the n-word by the less savoury characters, and the drawing a line on racism at the time of abolition aside, the book tells a good story but very much from a white saviour viewpoint. That the hero is a man of the crown underpins this. Nonetheless, it's very entertaining, evocative and in its way informative.
Use of the n-word by the less savoury characters, and the drawing a line on racism at the time of abolition aside, the book tells a good story but very much from a white saviour viewpoint. That the hero is a man of the crown underpins this. Nonetheless, it's very entertaining, evocative and in its way informative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Rape, Racism, Pedophilia, Colonisation, Child abuse, Blood, Racial slurs, Murder, Mental illness, Genocide, Sexual violence, Torture, and Slavery
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
5.0
Harry Corsham is set for a successful political career, returned a hero from the American War, his marriage to Caro Craven has brought money, a position at the War Office and a beloved son. However when Harry is visited by his old friend's sister asking for help finding her brother, he enters a completely different world. When he arrives at Deptford he finds Tad is already dead, tortured and vilified for his abolitionist views. Harry vows to find whoever is responsible but this leads him into the world of slavery, a scandal hushed up and several more deaths.
I loved this book but found it quite intense. There is a lot of plot and a lot of side stories never quite followed through which makes it exhilarating but complex to read. The themes of politics and slavery are writ large and are true to the late 18th Century mentality where England is always at war and people want tobacco, sugar and cotton without caring where they come from. I had read about The Zong several years ago and the plot here lifts from that, profit is more important than slave lives and corruption runs deep. The research is impeccable and the sense of time and place immaculate. This is a wonderful first novel and I hope to read more.
I loved this book but found it quite intense. There is a lot of plot and a lot of side stories never quite followed through which makes it exhilarating but complex to read. The themes of politics and slavery are writ large and are true to the late 18th Century mentality where England is always at war and people want tobacco, sugar and cotton without caring where they come from. I had read about The Zong several years ago and the plot here lifts from that, profit is more important than slave lives and corruption runs deep. The research is impeccable and the sense of time and place immaculate. This is a wonderful first novel and I hope to read more.
burrowsi1's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
nellsmith's review
2.5
Undoubtedly well researched and an important part of British history, but lacking in storytelling. Too many threads and characters, none of which I cared about, which is a real shame! The writing just wasn’t good enough to hold such a complex story together.
burntout_bookworm's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Meh.
friendofgosig's review against another edition
3.75
This was a solid murder mystery with plenty of threads that wove in and out to create a catalogue of the historical point in time, and the issues that people might have faced at the time. Sometimes I felt that the author had tried to shoe-horn in to much history, but on the whole the historical world building was very well done.