Tag: historical fiction

Blog Tour/Review: The Underground River by Martha Conway

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I’m delighted to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for The Underground River by Martha Conway.  Published in the UK under the title The Floating Theatre, I really enjoyed the book when I read it last year and I’m pleased to be able to share my review with readers who may have missed it first time around.

Visit the tour page here to see the other great book bloggers taking part in the tour and for links to other reviews, excerpts, guest posts and Q&As with the author.  On the tour page, US residents can also enter the giveaway for a chance to win one of five custom-made coffee mugs. Perfect for sipping a hot drink while you enjoy the book!

The Underground RiverAbout the Book

It’s 1838, and May Bedloe works as a seamstress for her cousin, the famous actress Comfort Vertue – until their steamboat sinks on the Ohio River. Though they both survive, both must find new employment. Comfort is hired to give lectures by noted abolitionist, Flora Howard, and May finds work on a small flatboat, Hugo and Helena’s Floating Theatre, as it cruises the border between the northern states and the southern slave-holding states.

May becomes indispensable to Hugo and his troupe, and all goes well until she sees her cousin again. Comfort and Mrs. Howard are also traveling down the Ohio River, speaking out against slavery at the many riverside towns. May owes Mrs. Howard a debt she cannot repay, and Mrs. Howard uses the opportunity to enlist May in her network of shadowy characters who ferry babies given up by their slave mothers across the river to freedom. Lying has never come easy to May, but now she is compelled to break the law, deceive all her new-found friends, and deflect the rising suspicions of Dr. Early who captures runaways and sells them back to their southern masters.

As May’s secrets become more tangled and harder to keep, the Floating Theatre readies for its biggest performance yet. May’s predicament could mean doom for all her friends on board, including her beloved Hugo, unless she can figure out a way to trap those who know her best.

Praise for The Underground River

“The Underground River is both a dear love story and a page-turning adventure about the Underground Railroad – and an unwilling participant. An extraordinary cast of memorable characters gives this book irresistible appeal while the setting on the watery boundary between North and South places them in dangerous and morally ambiguous territory. A captivating, thoughtful, and unforgettable read.” (Kathleen Grissom, author of The Kitchen House and Glory over Everything)

“It is part of Martha Conway’s gift as a writer to weave stories from the richest and most interesting periods of American history. Set on a nineteenth century floating theatre on the Ohio River, The Underground River is a riveting and atmospheric novel about slavery, betrayal and redemption, with a memorably forthright heroine, and a plot as fast flowing and twisty as the river itself.” (Louisa Treger, author of The Lodger)

“Warning: The Underground River is a page-turner. Be prepared to stay up late reading, because once you start you won’t want to put it down. From the first page to the last, Martha Conway’s novel is riveting, immersing the reader in the adventures of an unlikely heroine who finds courage, independence and love amid the social turmoil of the Underground Railroad. Vividly drawn settings, original characters, and perilous situations make this mesmerizing book one you will remember for years to come.” (Amy Belding Brown, author of Flight of the Sparrow)

“Well-researched and gripping to the end, The Underground River is a vivid look at a pivotal chapter in American history.” (The Mercury News)

“Readers will profit from narrator May’s attention to detail and will appreciate the richly drawn showboat and the North-South border setting.” (Booklist)

Format: Audiobook, hardcover, ebook   Publisher: Touchstone
Published: 20th June 2017                          Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase Links*
Barnes and Noble ǀ  Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find The Underground River on Goodreads

My Review

I was drawn to this book by the description and, I have to admit, the gorgeous cover.  What I enjoyed was the story of May and the colourful characters who make up the members of the floating theatre as they travel down river stopping at small towns to give performances to the local people.

The author has chosen to make her protagonist, May, rather naïve, uncomfortable in social situations and someone who takes everything very literally.   This does help explain why May responds as she does to certain events in the narrative.   So it’s lovely when May finally learns to suspend her disbelief and become immersed in what she is seeing on the stage in the way Hugo, the theatre owner, hoped she would.  ‘But then, rather quickly if the actors are any good, something happens and somehow you drop into the fiction of the Italian countryside, and there you are.  You forget all about the people around you because the only people that exist are the actors on stage, and the only world is the world they are playing out for you.  You’ve lost yourself in the fiction.’  Isn’t that what we all hope from a book as well?

Although the storyline does touch on the issue of slavery and its cruelty, The Underground River is not an in-depth analysis of the realities of slavery, the abolition movement and what became known as the ‘underground railroad’.  However, it does not set out to be.  Instead it’s a well-written, entertaining story, with a likeable heroine, full of engaging characters in an imaginative setting during a turbulent period of American history. It’s also a tender and touching love story.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of NetGalley and publishers, Bonnier Zaffre, in return for an honest review.  [Review relates to the UK edition published under the title The Floating Theatre.]

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In three words: Enjoyable, engaging, romantic

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MarthaConwayAbout the Author

Martha Conway grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, the sixth of seven daughters. Her first novel was nominated for an Edgar Award, and she has won several awards for her historical fiction, including an Independent Book Publishers Award and the North American Book Award for Historical Fiction. Her short fiction has been published in the Iowa Review, Massachusetts Review, Carolina Quarterly, Folio, Epoch, The Quarterly, and other journals. She has received a California Arts Council Fellowship for Creative Writing, and has reviewed books for the Iowa Review and the San Francisco Chronicle. She now lives in San Francisco, and is an instructor of creative writing for Stanford University’s Continuing Studies Program and UC Berkeley Extension. She is the author of The Underground River.

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Throwback Thursday: Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King

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ThrowbackThursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme created by Renee at It’s Book Talk.  It’s designed as an opportunity to share old favourites as well as books that we’ve finally got around to reading that were published over a year ago.

Today I’m revisiting a book I reviewed last year – Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King – which was published in hardback and as an ebook on 25th April 2017.   Set in Ancient Rome, Feast of Sorrow was recently published in paperback as well and is also available as an audiobook.  You can find purchase links below.

Crystal’s second historical novel The Chef’ Secret, set in Renaissance Rome, is a fictional retelling of the life of Bartolomeo Scappi, private chef to four Popes and the author of one of history’s best selling cookbooks.   It is due to be published by Touchstone Books in February 2019 and I, for one, will be looking forward to reading it.

FeastofSorrowAbout the Book

On a blistering day in the twenty-sixth year of Augustus Caesar’s reign, a young chef, Thrasius, is acquired for the exorbitant price of twenty thousand denarii. His purchaser is the infamous gourmet Marcus Gavius Apicius, wealthy beyond measure, obsessed with a taste for fine meals from exotic places, and a singular ambition: to serve as culinary advisor to Caesar, an honor that will cement his legacy as Rome’s leading epicure.

Apicius rightfully believes that Thrasius is the key to his culinary success, and with Thrasius’s help he soon becomes known for his lavish parties and fantastic meals. Thrasius finds a family in Apicius’s household, his daughter Apicata, his wife Aelia, and her handmaiden, Passia whom Thrasius quickly falls in love with. But as Apicius draws closer to his ultimate goal, his reckless disregard for any who might get in his way takes a dangerous turn that threatens his young family and places his entire household at the mercy of the most powerful forces in Rome.

Praise for Feast of Sorrow

“Crystal King’s debut is a feast for the senses, bringing ancient Rome to dark, vibrant life. Politics, intrigue, danger, and passion mix deliciously in this tale of a young slave vaulted into the corridors of power as personal chef to the ancient world’s greatest gourmet. Not to be missed!” (Kate Quinn, author of Mistress of Rome)

“An engaging foray into the treacherous world of Claudio-Julian Rome from a fresh perspective. Who knew that the gourmand Apicius was larger than life? King deftly serves up intrigue, scandal and heartbreak with lashings of exotic sauces, mouth-watering recipes and the occasional drop of poison. Highly recommended.” (Elisabeth Storrs, author of the series Tales of Ancient Rome)

“Through the lens of a slave in ancient Rome, Crystal King illuminates a realm of seemingly impossible gluttony and excess, along with every other deadly sin. In the household of outrageous gourmand Apicius, he of extraordinarily decadent mores, one man, a slave, Thrasius, provides the sole ethical center. Feast of Sorrow is impossible to put down.” (Randy Susan Meyers, bestselling author of Accidents of Marriage)

“Crystal King has clearly done her homework. The historical world of Feast of Sorrow lives and breathes, and it is a delight to follow its characters’ struggle for happiness and survival amidst the simmering peril of Rome’s great houses. Even if you’re not a foodie drawn to novels of ancient Rome, this immersive, sensorily rich page-turner will take you for a delicious and unforgettable ride.” (Tim Weed, author of Will Poole’s Island)

“Crystal King’s debut novel, Feast of Sorrow, tells the story of Apicius, the notorious gourmand of ancient Rome, from the viewpoint of his slave and cook Thrasius. It’s a dark and engrossing read, and provides an evocative new perspective on the rule of Tiberius.” (Emily Hauser, author of For the Most Beautiful)

“Crystal King has written a delicious feast of a book, one that allows us to not only see, but also taste ancient Rome in all its dark and varied appetites.” (Yael Goldstein Love, author of Overture)

Format: Hardcover, ebook, paperback (416 pp.)  Publisher: Touchstone
Published: 25th April 2017                                         Genre: Historical Fiction

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

Find Feast of Sorrow on Goodreads

My Review

I really enjoyed the author’s assured writing and the fascinating details of daily Roman life and customs that are woven into the plot – dining customs, religious rituals, rules of hospitality and so on.  The focus of the book is the life of Apicius so naturally there are gorgeous descriptions of actual Roman recipes, even if some of the ingredients themselves are not so gorgeous sounding to modern diners.  Each section of the book opens with an authentic recipe from the time.

Through the invented character of Thrasius, the cook, the author enables the reader to get up close and personal with the real-life Apicius.  He is vain and single-minded to the point of selfishness and, as Thrasius remarks, ‘apt to assume the world revolved around him’.  However, one cannot help admiring his passion for food and for seeking out new ingredients and taste experiences.  Unfortunately, along the way, he creates some powerful enemies although those closest to him show absolute loyalty to the end.    Apicius’ story is one of ambition bringing success but with tragic consequences for himself and those around him.

As well as Apicius, well-known figures from Roman history feature – Livia, Sejanus, Ovid and Tiberius Caesar – feature prominently in the plot.    Political rivalries and the jockeying for position, power and influence are played out through the medium of food at elaborate banquets featuring the choicest and most expensive ingredients.  It’s a game of gastronomic one-upmanship but one with dangerous consequences.

I really enjoyed Feast of Sorrow which should appeal to fans of historical fiction, cookery or Roman history.  I received an advance reader copy courtesy of NetGalley and publishers, Touchstone, in return for an honest review.

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In three words: Well-researched, engaging, fascinating

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CrystalKingAbout the Author

Crystal King is an author, culinary enthusiast and marketing expert. Her writing is fuelled by a love of history and a passion for the food, language and culture of Italy. She has taught classes in writing, creativity and social media at Harvard Extension School, Boston University, Mass College of Art, UMass Boston and Grub Street, one of the leading creative writing centres in the US. A Pushcart-nominated poet and former co-editor of the online literary arts journal Plum Ruby Review, Crystal received her M.A. in Critical and Creative Thinking from UMass Boston, where she developed a series of exercises and writing prompts to help fiction writers in medias res. She considers Italy her next great love, after her husband, Joe, and their two cats, Nero and Merlin.

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