Tag: historical fiction

#BookReview Magician and Fool by Susan Wands

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Magician and FoolAbout the Book

Pamela Colman Smith begins her career as an artist at the end of the Victorian Age at the Lyceum Theatre where she grows from innocent empath to seer and channeller, creating her now world-famous deck of tarot cards.

Introduced to The Golden Dawn cult by Bram Stoker, the second in command at the Lyceum Theatre, she is commissioned to create a tarot deck for the members to use in their quest for magic. Golden Dawn’s most evil member, Aleister Crowley, becomes obsessed with unlocking the mysteries of the Tarot. His obsession peaks when he sees the power of her deck and realizes he can create a rival deck, leading him to manifest magical power to harm Pamela’s incarnates of her cards.

Format: ebook (348 pages)                 Publisher: i2i Publishing
Publication date: 4th October 2017 Genre: Historical fiction, occult

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*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

My Review

I confess I’d never heard of Pamela Colman Smith before being approached by the author to read and review Magician and Fool. Unlike the author, I have very little knowledge of tarot or interest in the occult. Therefore some of the scenes in the book where strange or supernatural happenings occur rather tested my sense of disbelief and the references to incarnates and the like left me a little perplexed.

From an early age, Pamela shows remarkable artistic ability. She also has visions and an unusual response to music and colours akin to synesthesia. Her belief in the supernatural is boosted by her youth spent in Jamaica and the obeah stories told to her by her nurse.

If the occult elements of the book left me slightly cold, what I did enjoy was the evocative depiction of the theatre of the period and the detours into the lives of figures such as Bram Stoker, Sir Henry Irving and Ellen Terry. For example, the scenes at the Lyceum Theatre during the performance of the play, The Corsican Brothers, really sparkled with life. It was also fun spotting the origins of some theatrical phrases and superstitions.

A vast array of well-known figures from the period have walk-on parts in the book, especially when Pamela and Ellen Terry’s daughter, Edy, start hosting artistic soirees. Their guest lists are a who’s who of celebrities of the period – poets, playwrights, authors, musicians and painters – giving rise to memorable exchanges along the lines of “Mr Yeats, have you met Mr Debussy and Mr Whistler?”

The sinister and rather repellent figure of Aleister Crowley brings a darker element to the story. The end of the book leaves the enticing prospect for those intrigued by Pamela’s life of the story continuing in a future book.

My thanks to Susan Wands for my copy of Magician and Fool and her patience in waiting for it to reach the top of my review pile.

In three words: Well-researched, atmospheric, intriguing

Try something similar: Shadowplay by Joseph O’Connor

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Susan-headshot-2014-2-768x615About the Author

Susan Wands lives in New York City, where she has worked as a writer, playwright, producer and actor. A practitioner of tarot cards, she has used them as a resource for inspiration and guidance for thirty years. (Photo credit: author website)

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#30DaysOfBookBlogs #BookReview Mrs P’s Book of Secrets by Lorna Gray

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It’s a pleasure to be bringing you my review of Mrs P’s Book of Secrets by Lorna Gray (published under the title The Book Ghost in the US). Thanks to Lorna for inviting me to mark publication of her book by taking part in her month long celebration of book bloggers, #30DaysOfBookBlogs.

UK (2)About the Book

The Cotswolds, Christmastime 1946: A young widow leaves behind the tragedy of her wartime life, and returns home to her ageing aunt and uncle. For Lucy – known as Mrs P – and the people who raised her, the books that line the walls of the family publishing business bring comfort and the promise of new beginnings.

But the kind and reserved new editor at the Kershaw and Kathay Book Press is a former prisoner of war, and he has his own shadows to bear. And when the old secrets of a little girl’s abandonment are uncovered within the pages of Robert Underhill’s latest project, Lucy must work quickly if she is to understand the truth behind his frequent trips away.

For a ghost dwells in the record of an orphan girl’s last days. And even as Lucy dares to risk her heart, the grief of her own past seems to be whispering a warning of fresh loss.

There are no white shrouded spectres here, no wailing ghouls. Just the echoes of those who have passed, whispering that history is set to repeat itself.

Format: ebook (400 pages)                        Publisher: One More Chapter
Publication date: 14th December 2019 Genre: Historical fiction

Find Mrs P’s Book of Secrets on Goodreads

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My Review

I really enjoyed how the author conjured up the slightly antiquated atmosphere of the bookshop, publishing office, print room and attic which are the main settings for the story.

The story progresses at a gentle pace with the occasional moment of melodrama but a lot of the reader’s time is spent inside the head of Mrs P as she continually seeks to interpret other’s words, actions, gestures and emotions, particularly those of the new editor, Robert Underhill. Whilst much personal interaction is, as the author so aptly describes it, ‘an endless dance around the edge of misunderstanding’, at times this introspection and constant second-guessing risked distracting from the story. However, I can also see it reflected Mrs P’s own uncertainty about her position, how others regard her and her abilities, and the general reluctance of many to talk of things related to the war. So many questions that can’t be asked for fear of touching on some hidden trauma.

The mystery surrounding the young girl mentioned in the book Robert Underhill is editing reflects one of the underlying themes of the book, that the dead still ‘exist’ as long as someone remembers them or their presence is recorded in some way, whether through stories, artefacts or even the places they lived. ‘The ghosts of this world are all around in the words and actions of those who have gone before.’ Eventually Mrs P reaches a point where she can reconcile herself to the loss of her husband and the life they might have had, and to begin to see another fulfilling future for herself.

Mrs P’ s Book of Secrets is a thoughtful, tender exploration of the legacy of war and how people face the challenges of making new lives for themselves.

I received a review copy courtesy of One More Chapter via NetGalley.

In three words: Gentle, reflective, insightful

Try something similar: A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier (read my review here)

Author Lorna GrayAbout the Author

Lorna Gray was born in 1980 in Bedfordshire. Her relationship with the glorious countryside of the Cotswolds began many years ago when she first moved to Cirencester. She has been exploring the area through her love of history, adventure and romance ever since.

This is Lorna’s fourth post-WWII mystery. Her three previous novels are In the Shadow of Winter (2015), The War Widow (2018) and The Antique Dealer’s Daughter (2018). She lives in the Cotswolds with her husband.

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