Tag: historical fiction

#BookReview #Ad The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson @MantleBooks

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About the Book

‘My father had spelt it out to me. Choice was a luxury I couldn’t afford. This is your story, Red. You must tell it well…’

A girl known only as Red, the daughter of a Cornish fortune-teller, travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient method: the Square of Sevens. When her father suddenly dies, Red becomes the ward of a gentleman scholar.

Now raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendour of Bath, her fortune-telling is a delight to high society, but she cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul: who was her mother? How did she die? And who are the mysterious enemies her father was always terrified would find him?

The pursuit of these mysteries takes her from Cornwall and Bath to London and Devon, from the rough ribaldry of the Bartholemew Fair to the grand houses of two of the most powerful families in England. And while Red’s quest brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads into her grave danger . . .

Format: eARC (560 pages) Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication date: 22nd June 2023 Genre: Historical Fiction

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My Review

In her historical note, Laura Shepherd-Robinson states that she wanted to write ‘something mythical and magical, a sweeping Dickensian story with a twist’ and, boy, has she succeeded. The author takes us on a endlessly inventive and enthralling journey that in its story of disputed inheritance, suspicious deaths and familial intrigue has echoes of Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins and Robert Louis Stevenson but never feels derivative.

The book is peopled with fascinating supporting characters, notably Lazarus Darke whose name could surely have come from a Dickens novel. And I couldn’t help thinking of Dickens’s Bleak House when it comes to the long-running legal case, in this instance between two powerful families connected by blood but divided by past events, that forms much of the backdrop to the book.

Any attempt to summarise the twists and turns of the plot would be doomed to failure and risk giving away some of the many surprises awaiting the reader, so I’m not even going to try. Safe to say, the dividing line between truth and illusion is gossamer thin and you shouldn’t necessarily believe what you see or hear.

Our heroine, Red, is the epitome of relentless determination, pursuing her goal with ingenuity and, at times, a careless regard for her own safety. She’s also not averse to a little manipulation when she believes it will serve her purpose. Let’s face it, in this book she’s not alone when it comes to that.

I loved the way the author integrated the Square of Sevens itself into the book, with each chapter bearing an illustration of a card whose accompanying interpretation may give clues to the events about to unfold.

At over 500 pages The Square of Sevens is a chunky book but it moves along at pace with a constant sense there is a surprise around the next corner. There invariably is. Some of them are positively audacious. In fact, I can imagine the author thinking, gotcha!

Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s previous two books, Blood & Sugar and Daughters of Night, were great but this is definitely her best yet. The Square of Sevens is a rip-roaring romp of a historical novel that will keep you turning the pages.

I received a digital review copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan via NetGalley.

In three words: Enthralling, twisty, spirited

Try something similar: The Quincunx by Charles Palliser

About the Author

Laura Shepherd-Robinson worked in politics for nearly twenty years before re-entering normal life to complete an MA in Creative Writing. Her debut novel, Blood & Sugar, was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month and won the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown and the Specsavers/Crimefest Best Debut Novel prize. Her second novel, Daughters of Night, was shortlisted for the Theakstons Crime Book of the Year, the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award, and the HWA Gold Crown. The Square of Sevens is her third novel. She lives in London with her husband Adrian.

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The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2023 – My Wrap-Up

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WalterScottPrizeThe announcement of the winner of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2023 on 15th June 2023 at the Borders Book Festival – These Days by Lucy Caldwell – was the final stage in a process that began in August last year when submissions opened.

Over the next few months, books submitted by publishers were whittled down by the judging panel to a longlist of twelve which was announced on 14th February 2023.  The books that made the longlist were:

Walter Scott Prize 2023 Longlist
Photo credit: The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction

The Romantic by William Boyd
These Days by Lucy Caldwell
My Name is Yip by Paddy Crewe
The Geometer Lobachevsky by Adrian Duncan
Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph
The Chosen by Elizabeth Lowry
The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk
The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane
Ancestry by Simon Mawer
I Am Not Your Eve by Devika Ponnambalam
The Settlement by Jock Serong

As an avid reader of historical fiction I like to think I have my finger on the pulse but, as usual, the longlist provided some surprises with books I’d not only not read, but never even come across. In fact, I’d only read two of the books that appeared on the list – These Days and The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho. And my attempt to predict the books that might appear on the longlist was pretty much a failure – I only got three right.

I managed to read three more of the longlisted books – The Romantic, I Am Not Your Eve and The Settlement – before the shortlist of seven books was announced on 4th April 2023.

Walter Scott Prize 2023 Shortlist
Photo credit: The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction

These Days by Lucy Caldwell
The Geometer Lobachevsky by Adrian Duncan
Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
The Chosen by Elizabeth Lowry
The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane
Ancestry by Simon Mawer
I Am Not Your Eve by Devika Ponnambalam

I managed to read a further three of the books – The Chosen, Ancestry and The Geometer Lobachevsky – before the winner was announced.  Based on the books I read, my choice of winner would have been The Chosen. I still hope to get around to reading the two shortlisted books I haven’t read. My attempts to read all the longlisted books in previous years have ended in failure so I won’t even begin to think about trying to do that.

Have you read any of the books on the longlist or shortlist? If so, what was your favourite? And if you managed to read them all – kudos to you, if you did – do you agree with the judges’ decision?