A review by elementarymydear
The Low Road by Katharine Quarmby
dark
medium-paced
5.0
What a powerful and impactful book!
The Low Road follows the life of Hannah Tyrell, a young woman born to an unmarried woman in the early 19th Century. We follow her turbulent childhood, the hardships of her youth, and eventually the stability she finds as an adult.
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Quarmby doesn’t shy away from the injustices Hannah faces, and the way society actively shuns her just because of her circumstances. Her story could be the story of so many women at this time, which makes it all the more heartbreaking.
As much as the story is about hardship, Hannah’s tenacity and determination balance the dark side of this story. She’s a great perspective to read from, as we witness the world through her eyes. I particularly enjoyed seeing how her perception of others – and other people’s treatment of her – changed across the course of the book.
I also thought this was a great depiction of the lives of queer woman in this era. Women’s sexuality is often written out of history, and this felt like a very honest portrayal of a woman following her heart in a world that has no words for it.
This is a beautifully written triumph of a book, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. I hope we get more historical fiction from Quarmby, because the world is better for it.
I was given a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
The Low Road follows the life of Hannah Tyrell, a young woman born to an unmarried woman in the early 19th Century. We follow her turbulent childhood, the hardships of her youth, and eventually the stability she finds as an adult.
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
Quarmby doesn’t shy away from the injustices Hannah faces, and the way society actively shuns her just because of her circumstances. Her story could be the story of so many women at this time, which makes it all the more heartbreaking.
As much as the story is about hardship, Hannah’s tenacity and determination balance the dark side of this story. She’s a great perspective to read from, as we witness the world through her eyes. I particularly enjoyed seeing how her perception of others – and other people’s treatment of her – changed across the course of the book.
I also thought this was a great depiction of the lives of queer woman in this era. Women’s sexuality is often written out of history, and this felt like a very honest portrayal of a woman following her heart in a world that has no words for it.
This is a beautifully written triumph of a book, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. I hope we get more historical fiction from Quarmby, because the world is better for it.
I was given a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.