Tag: HF Reading Challenge

About the Book

What price justice?

London 1678.  Titus Oates, an unknown preacher, creates panic with wild stories of a Catholic uprising against Charles II. The murder of a prominent Protestant magistrate appears to confirm that the Popish Plot is real.  Only Nathaniel Thompson, writer and Licenser of the Presses, instinctively doubts Oates’s revelations. Even his young wife, Anne, is not so sure. And neither know that their friend William Smith has personal history with Titus Oates.

When Nathaniel takes a public stand, questioning the plot and Oates’s integrity, the consequences threaten them all.

Format: Paperback, ebook (354 pp.)    Publisher: Crooked Cat Books
Published: 16^th July 2018                        Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com  ǀ Publisher
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find The Road to Newgate on Goodreads

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My Review

I knew the name Titus Oates but very little detail about the events surrounding his rise and fall.  The Road to Newgate has rectified that.  In the book, the author immerses the reader in the turbulent events of 1678, albeit in fictional form but based on the actual events and historical records of the time.  We witness the action through the eyes of Nathaniel Thompson, a writer of news-sheets (a composite of two real life figures), his wife, Anne, and Nat’s friend, William Smith, who finds himself embroiled in Oates’ denunciations.

The author vividly brings to life the London of the period: the cruelty of the bull-baiting pit; the bloodthirsty crowds witnessing the execution of traitors; the hubbub of the coffee houses as patrons peruse the latest news-sheet; the hustle and bustle of the market place.   The squalor of the ‘hell-hole’ that is Newgate Prison is particularly effectively depicted and I chuckled at this description of the House of Commons: ‘The chamber of the House of Commons, viewed from the public gallery above, resembles nothing so much as a stew-pot bubbling and turning: a human soup.  Noise rises up like steam, and little of what is said has any real substance… Bewigged, be-robed, befuddled, bemused, belligerent, and bellicose, all our great men are spread out before us.’  Thank goodness, that’s all changed then….

The atmosphere of the time is one of fear (of Popish plots), intrigue and rumour.  There’s plenty of opportunity for ‘fake news’ to circulate playing on people’s fears and prejudices, particularly against Catholics.   As Nat’s friend, Henry, observes, ‘This is not about the truth. God, it is so little about the truth I am surprised we still have the word in the language’.

However, Nat has the inquisitive instincts of a modern day investigative journalist and is convinced that Titus Oates is not what he seems and that many of those he accuses are innocent.  Nat soon finds that his stance puts him out of step with public opinion and risks making powerful enemies who can jeopardise both his livelihood and the safety of those close to him.

I really liked the tender, supportive relationship between Nat and his wife, Anne even though Nat does confess that, at times, ‘married life is rather trying.’ The way they come together when tragedy visits them is extremely touching.  I also loved Anne’s independent spirit that really comes to the fore later in the book.

The Road to Newgate is a fascinating insight into a turbulent period in English history with a murder mystery thrown in for good measure for those who like their crime.  If you’re interested in learning more about the events depicted in the book, Kate’s website/blog (links below) has some fabulous background information, including images of news-sheets from the period and links to articles she’s written about 17^th century coffee shops and the role of women.

I received a review copy courtesy of the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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In three words: Absorbing, well-researched, atmospheric

Try something similar…Forsaking All Other by Catherine Meyrick (read my review here)

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About the Author

Kate Braithwaite grew up in Edinburgh and lived in England and Canada before moving to the Brandywine Valley in Pennsylvania with her husband and three children. In Canada, she was the recipient of the Marina Nemat Award and the Random House Student Writing Award from Toronto University. Her first novel, Charlatan, a tale of poison and intrigue at the court of the Sun King, was long-listed for the Mslexia New Novel Award and the Historical Novel Society Novel Award.

Kate writes articles and book reviews for a range of blogs and book review websites including the Historical Novel Society. She also maintains a humorous blog about the differences been UK and US English.

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About the Book

Song is just a boy when he sets out from Lishui village in China. Brimming with courage and ambition, he leaves behind his impoverished broken family hoping he’ll make his fortune and return home. Chasing tales of sugarcane, rubber and gold, Song embarks upon a perilous voyage across the globe to the British colony of Guiana, but once there he discovers riches are not so easy to come by and he is forced into labouring as an indentured plantation worker.

This is only the beginning of Song’s remarkable life, but as he finds himself between places and between peoples, and increasingly aware that the circumstances of birth carry more weight than accomplishments or good deeds, Song fears he may live as an outsider forever.

This beautifully written and evocative story spans nearly half a century and half the globe, and though it is set in another century, Song’s story of emigration and the quest for an opportunity to improve his life is timeless.

Format: Hardcover, ebook (464 pp.)    Publisher: Unbound
Published: 28^th June 2018                      Genre: Historical Fiction

Pre-order/Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com  ǀ Hive.co.uk (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Song on Goodreads

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My Review

I was supposed to have been publishing my review of Song as part of the recent blog tour but due to a mix-up over dates (largely my fault) I wasn’t able to do this.  I’m rectifying that omission now.

Arriving in Guiana, nine-year old Song finds little evidence of the easy fortunes to be made that enticed him to risk his life to travel there.  Instead he finds only punishing labour, harsh cruelty and an existence akin to slavery on a sugarcane plantation.  By a stroke of good fortune, Song is taken under the wing of Father Holmes who teaches him to read and write and introduces Song to the love of books and reading.  Not everyone agrees with Father Holmes’ decision to educate a ‘houseboy’ but Father Holmes robustly defends his actions.  “Reading changes everything.  Writing will give him a step up.  Whatever Song chooses to do in life he’ll do it better with a pen or book in his hand.” (Who could disagree with that?)  Together Song and Father Holmes form a close bond, sharing a mutual interest in documenting the native birds of Guiana.

A trip ‘upriver’ with Father Holmes gives Song a possible new direction in life. However, it’s one that is not without danger.  When a shocking act of betrayal and violence occurs, it results in a desperate act that will haunt Song for years afterwards.  It also illustrates the lure of gold which, like a fever, infects the so-called ‘pork-knockers’ who set out to make their fortunes.

As Song sets out to achieve the life objectives he has set himself, he faces discrimination and injustice.  This reader certainly gave a little cheer as Song begins to fight back against the forces of the “old boys’ network” he finds ranged against him. However, along the way, he is forced to make difficult and at times questionable moral choices.

Song is clever, resourceful and mindful of the advice he receives from the influential figures in his life: Father Holmes (a wonderful warm and humane character); his shipmate on the terrible voyage to Guiana, Li Bai; and mining engineer, Mr Leigh.  He also benefits from the wisdom of several women – Jingy, Josie, Amalia – with their ability to read a situation.

I’m always drawn to descriptions of food in books and there are some great ones in Song that really bring to life the atmosphere of Georgetown.  ‘There were baked chicken legs in molasses; chicken wings in forest honey; bass with onion and ginger; cauldrons of pepper pot; rice coloured with strands of saffron; blackened barbecue pork; potato and pea curry with turmeric, and dozen dishes of stewed okra and fried tomatoes.’

A repeated theme of the book is the importance of living a life that is ‘a story worth telling’.  Song’s life is definitely a story worth telling.   Song is a wonderful tale of survival, friendship, courage and triumph over adversity.  It also has at its heart a tender and heart-warming love story.   Michelle, you had me in tears at the end.

I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, Unbound, and Random Things Tours, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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In three words: Compelling, emotional, uplifting

Try something similar…The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (read my review here)

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About the Author

Michelle Jana Chan is an award-winning journalist and travel editor of Vanity Fair. She’s also contributing editor at Condé Nast Traveller, presenter of the BBC’s Global Guide and a writer for the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and Travel & Leisure. Michelle has been named the Travel Media Awards’ Travel Writer of the Year. She was a Morehead-Cain scholar at the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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