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#BlogTour #BookReview Entertaining Mr Pepys by Deborah Swift @swiftstory @AccentPress

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Headline Blog Tour final

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Entertaining Mr Pepys by Deborah Swift, published today in paperback by Headline Accent but also available as an ebook. Entertaining Mr Pepys is the third in the author’s trilogy bringing to life the women in Pepys’ diary. Each novel features a different character and can be read as a standalone book.

Entertaining Mr PepysAbout the Book

London, 1666. Elizabeth ‘Bird’ Carpenter has a wonderful singing voice, and music is her chief passion. When her father persuades her to marry horse-dealer Christopher Knepp, she suspects she is marrying beneath her station, but nothing prepares her for the reality of life with Knepp. Her father has betrayed her trust, for Knepp cares only for his horses; he is a tyrant and a bully, and will allow Bird no life of her own.

When Knepp goes away, she grasps her chance and, encouraged by her maidservant Livvy, makes a secret visit to the theatre. Entranced by the music, the glitter and glamour of the surroundings, and the free and outspoken manner of the women on the stage, she falls in love with the theatre and is determined to forge a path of her own as an actress.

But life in the theatre was never going to be straightforward – for a jealous rival wants to spoil her plans, and worse, Knepp forbids it, and Bird must use all her wit and intelligence to change his mind.

Based on events depicted in the famous Diary of Samuel Pepys, Entertaining Mr Pepys brings London in the 17th century to life. It includes the vibrant characters of the day such as the diarist himself and actress Nell Gwynne, and features a dazzling and gripping finale during the Great Fire Of London.

Format: Paperback, ebook (400 pages)    Publisher: Headline Accent
Publication date: 21st November 2019   Genre: Historical Fiction

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

Find Entertaining Mr Pepys (Women of Pepys’ Diary, #3) on Goodreads

My Review

In Entertaining Mr Pepys, the reader gets a portrait of (at least) two unhappy marriages: that of Bird and her uncouth husband, Christopher Knepps; and Elisabeth, long-suffering wife of diarist Samuel Pepys who possesses a roving eye when it comes to the ladies.

Despite what you might expect from the title, it’s quite a way into the book before Bird and Pepys encounter each other in any meaningful way. (In the author’s historical note she records there are 108 references to Elizabeth Knepp in Pepys’ diary.) Once they do meet their relationship develops through a shared love of music and the theatre. Up to that point, this is largely Bird’s story and it’s a powerful tale of a woman trying to rise above the confines of marriage, domestic drudgery and social convention to exert her own independence.

The author gives the reader some insight into the past of the detestable Knepp in an attempt to make him a less unsympathetic character. I have to say it didn’t completely succeed with me and both he and his arch-rival, Viner, seemed to deserve each other.

Set against the backdrop of Restoration England, it’s a time of political intrigue, spies and the threat of war. There are a few nods to issues that have contemporary relevance such as gender identity, religious and racial prejudice.

I loved the descriptions of the theatre that so dazzles Bird when she first experiences it and the details of everyday life help to immerse the reader in the atmosphere of the period. Later in the book there are some dramatic and vividly depicted scenes of key events in London’s history.

Entertaining Mr Pepys has an interesting cast of supporting characters (some invented, some based on real people as the author’s historical note reveals).  These include maidservant Livvy, watchmaker Robert Hubert and troubled actor Stefan. They add background colour to the main storyline and, in some cases, will turn out to play a pivotal role in events.

I received a review copy courtesy of the author and Headline Accent.

In three words: Well-researched, spirited, dramatic

Try something similar: The Illumination of Ursula Flight by Anne-Marie Crowhurst (read my review here)

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DeborahSwiftWEB-1001-e1471257229857About the Author

Deborah lives in North Lancashire on the edge of the Lake District, a beautiful area made famous by the Romantic Poets such as Wordsworth and Coleridge. In the past she used to work as a set and costume designer for theatre and TV, so she enjoys the research aspect of creating historical fiction, something she loved doing as a scenographer. Each book takes about six months of research before she is ready to begin writing. More details of her research and writing process can be found on her website. Deborah likes to write about extraordinary characters set against the background of real historical events. (Photo credit: author website)

Connect with Deborah
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

 

WWW Wednesdays – 20th November ‘19

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WWWWednesdays

Hosted by Taking on a World of Words, this meme is all about the three Ws:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Why not join in too?  Leave a comment with your link at Taking on a World of Words and then go blog hopping!

Currently reading

The Listening WallsThe Listening Walls by Margaret Millar (paperback, courtesy of Pushkin Press)

Amy Kellogg is not having a pleasant vacation in Mexico. She’s been arguing nonstop with her friend and traveling companion, Wilma, and she wants nothing more than to go home to California. But their holiday takes a nightmarish turn when Wilma is found dead on the street below their room-an apparent suicide.

Rupert Kellogg has just returned from seeing his wife Amy through the difficulties surrounding the apparent suicide of her friend in Mexico. But Rupert is returning alone-which worries Amy’s brother. Amy was traumatized by the suicide, Rupert explains, and has taken a holiday in New York City to settle her nerves. But as gone girl Amy’s absence drags on for weeks and then months, the sense of unease among her family changes to suspicion and eventual allegations.

The Honourable Life of Thomas ChayneThe Honourable Life of Thomas Chayne by Cynthia Jefferies (eARC, courtesy of Allison & Busby and NetGalley)

Thomas Chayne has never managed to impress his overbearing father, and when a small act of rebellion has lasting consequences, Thomas finds himself exiled in disgrace. But with England on the brink of civil war, a larger revolution is in the air and Thomas has an opportunity to prove his worth by rallying a troop of royalists to defend Oxford from the escalating violence. But he soon faces an impossible choice between honouring his family and his loyalty to the crown …

Recently finished

Wolf of WessexWolf of Wessex by Matthew Harffy (eARC, courtesy of Aria and NetGalley)

AD 838. Deep in the forests of Wessex, Dunston’s solitary existence is shattered when he stumbles on a mutilated corpse.

Accused of the murder, Dunston must clear his name and keep the dead man’s daughter alive in the face of savage pursuers desperate to prevent a terrible secret from being revealed.

Rushing headlong through Wessex, Dunston will need to use all the skills of survival garnered from a lifetime in the wilderness. And if he has any hope of victory against the implacable enemies on their trail, he must confront his long-buried past – becoming the man he once was and embracing traits he had promised he would never return to. The Wolf of Wessex must hunt again; honour and duty demand it.

the outrunThe Outrun by Amy Liptrot (audio book)

At the age of thirty, Amy Liptrot finds herself washed up back home on Orkney. Standing unstable on the island, she tries to come to terms with the addiction that has swallowed the last decade of her life.

As she spends her mornings swimming in the bracingly cold sea, her days tracking Orkney’s wildlife, and her nights searching the sky for the Merry Dancers, Amy discovers how the wild can restore life and renew hope. (Review to follow)

Entertaining Mr PepysEntertaining Mr Pepys (Women of Pepys’ Diary #3) by Deborah Swift (eARC, courtesy of Headline Accent)

London 1666. Elizabeth ‘Bird’ Carpenter has a wonderful singing voice, and music is her chief passion. When her father persuades her to marry horse-dealer Christopher Knepp, she suspects she is marrying beneath her station, but nothing prepares her for the reality of life with Knepp. Her father has betrayed her trust, for Knepp cares only for his horses; he is a tyrant and a bully, and will allow Bird no life of her own.

When Knepp goes away, she grasps her chance and, encouraged by her maidservant Livvy, makes a secret visit to the theatre. Entranced by the music, the glitter and glamour of the surroundings, and the free and outspoken manner of the women on the stage, she falls in love with the theatre and is determined to forge a path of her own as an actress.

But life in the theatre was never going to be straightforward – for a jealous rival wants to spoil her plans, and worse, Knepp forbids it, and Bird must use all her wit and intelligence to change his mind. (Review to follow as part of blog tour)

What Cathy (will) Read Next

AugustusBuchanAugustus by John Buchan (hardcover)

In 27 BC, out of the carnage of two civil wars, one man emerged to rule absolutely the Roman world. This man was Octavian, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, and he was perhaps the least likely candidate to return stability to the Republic.

But by AD 14 Octavian had established peace over an empire that stretched from the shores of Britain to Anatolia. Power, prosperity and propaganda had seen him renamed as Augustus, ‘The Divinely Favoured One.’ He had become a God, and had changed the face of the Republic forever.