pick#NetGalley
This is a multi-layered story set in 1802 London with 3 main protagonists - Tuah, Anne and Thomas. The novel is conveyed in POV chapters which I like. The story involves prostitution, slavery and opium - all the components of the seedy London underbelly of that time. But it also involves deeply realized characters that you come to empathize with even at their worst. Despite a few loose ends, I really enjoyed this one. 4⭐️s
pickI got this on #netgalley in exchange for my review. This presents a fictionalization of the life of Thomas De Quincey, who wrote the first book about drug addiction. Based on his travels to London and time spent with a young prostitute, the book imagines the time before they meet, their meeting and drug use, and their eventual separation. There is a third voice of a young man captured by Dutch slavers, but I found that more of a distraction. 3.5⭐️
so-soIs similar in many way to The Wicked Cometh (time period, location, Anne's circumstances) & thus suffers in comparison - that one scraped a Pick. This doesn't. Not that I didn't enjoy it, I'm just harder to please these days. Pace & plot development are slow, the coming together of the 3 story strands came far too late in the day for my liking - for a long time it was like reading 3 separate books! ...more in comments... 👇👇👇
Don't get me wrong, I love my Kindle. It has revolutionised my reading habits. It has saved my small house from collapsing under the weight of pulped trees and ink. I can buy books from my bed and start reading them STRAIGHT AWAY!!!
But .... I have always been a sucker for a pretty cover. This one is particularly effective in real life. It loses something in the translation to black & white.
Ah well, you can't have everything! 😉
1. Black and pink
2. Summer
3. Fantasy
4. Constantly tidying up after my 3 year old 🤔🤔😭
5. Crisps - any type, I'm easy, but the more unhealthy the better!
6. Lager! Currently partial to a nice IPA.
7. Mavis von Drakenberg, my faithful Kindle.
pickThe heroine was the girl who saved Thomas de Quincey from starvation. Even though that it was a fictional story of a real person, the author had made her seem like a person worth knowing. My only gripe is that the story is written with a modern voice despite the era.
What to do when the entire network is super super slow and you can't get any work done??! Catch up on this one from net galley!
Alphabet of Heart's Desire | 
