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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
If you are a fan of Carnivale or the more recent show Carnival Row, and you love Sarah Waters or Catriona Ward, you will adore this Victorian set novel by Fox. She obviously did her research on vice and the seedy underbelly of the London elite.
TW for child abuse, threatened CSA, threatened rape, and medical/disfigurement gore
TW for child abuse, threatened CSA, threatened rape, and medical/disfigurement gore
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wasn't invested in the story...found it pretty boring
Gothic fiction is not my usual genre, but this book, set in late-Victorian England, kept me entertained.
Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical twins, except that Tilly has not grown since the age of 5. The girls’ father, a charlatan, sells his 15-year-old daughters to a man known as Captain who accepts them into his “family” of outcasts. Meanwhile, Theo, grandson of Lord Seabrook, a man who has an obsession with “freaks,” is evicted from his childhood home when Lord Seabrook remarries. His hopes of becoming a doctor are thereby ended, but he finds employment in Dr. Summerwell’s Museum of Anatomy in London. When Theo meets Captain and the twins, their lives become entwined in surprising ways, but also in ways that put them all in danger.
Chapters alternate between Keziah and Theo’s perspectives. As a result, the reader comes to know them the best because their thoughts are given. There is a diverse cast of other characters, several of whom are considered freaks because they are little people, have a cleft palate, or are excessively hirsute. Their backstories are gradually revealed, and each emerges as a sympathetic character. It is the characters who are “normal” in appearance who prove to be the real monsters; some of them are personifications of pure evil. The morally depraved behaviour of some of these latter characters is almost unbelievable.
The theme examines what it means to be different, other than what is considered “normal.” In Victorian England, physical differences marked a person as a curiousity which made him/her both grotesque and fascinating. Differences also made a person vulnerable to exploitation. All the characters in the novel who are considered oddities face prejudice and injustice.
The novel shows the darker underworld of Victorian entertainment, exposing the grim realities beneath the glamour; one character describes a fair: “’that fair looks very tawdry in the cold ‘ard light of day . . . Like some old whore, all painted up, she shines as bright as Christmas glitter in the hours of the night, but come the dawn she drops her drawers and what is lying underneath is not the most alluring sight.’” In this world, full of deception and squalor, “freaks” are used to titillate the audience.
The contrast to this world is the community which Captain has established. In this chosen family, people receive understanding and support and friendship and love. Members have a sense of trust, belonging and security. Obviously this community is intended to illustrate what happens when people are accepted.
Though the novel is set in a different time period, its theme is relevant to our time. There seems to be an increasing tendency for people to judge and exclude those who are different in some way. It is a good time to be reminded that, despite superficial differences, we are all humans who long to be accepted.
Lovers of gothic fiction will find the typical characteristics of the genre: an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, omens and visions, events that suggest a supernatural connection, and women in distress. The number of coincidences, unexpected connections between a small number of people, bothered me, but the prominence of coincidence in Victorian novels (including those of Charles Dickens, Miss Miller’s hero) influences me to be more accepting of them in this novel set in the Victorian era.
One element that surprised me is the big reveal on the last page. Was this really supposed to be a shock to the reader? I suspected this from the fourth page, and there are many hints throughout so there seems undue emphasis on this revelation. Perhaps it’s just a narrative device to emphasize the blindness of shallow people?
The book is well-researched so has a great sense of time and place. Though it includes some difficult topics like emotional and physical abuse, drug dependency, dark secrets and deceptions, moral corruption, sexual perversion, and violence, the novel suggests a better world is possible.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical twins, except that Tilly has not grown since the age of 5. The girls’ father, a charlatan, sells his 15-year-old daughters to a man known as Captain who accepts them into his “family” of outcasts. Meanwhile, Theo, grandson of Lord Seabrook, a man who has an obsession with “freaks,” is evicted from his childhood home when Lord Seabrook remarries. His hopes of becoming a doctor are thereby ended, but he finds employment in Dr. Summerwell’s Museum of Anatomy in London. When Theo meets Captain and the twins, their lives become entwined in surprising ways, but also in ways that put them all in danger.
Chapters alternate between Keziah and Theo’s perspectives. As a result, the reader comes to know them the best because their thoughts are given. There is a diverse cast of other characters, several of whom are considered freaks because they are little people, have a cleft palate, or are excessively hirsute. Their backstories are gradually revealed, and each emerges as a sympathetic character. It is the characters who are “normal” in appearance who prove to be the real monsters; some of them are personifications of pure evil. The morally depraved behaviour of some of these latter characters is almost unbelievable.
The theme examines what it means to be different, other than what is considered “normal.” In Victorian England, physical differences marked a person as a curiousity which made him/her both grotesque and fascinating. Differences also made a person vulnerable to exploitation. All the characters in the novel who are considered oddities face prejudice and injustice.
The novel shows the darker underworld of Victorian entertainment, exposing the grim realities beneath the glamour; one character describes a fair: “’that fair looks very tawdry in the cold ‘ard light of day . . . Like some old whore, all painted up, she shines as bright as Christmas glitter in the hours of the night, but come the dawn she drops her drawers and what is lying underneath is not the most alluring sight.’” In this world, full of deception and squalor, “freaks” are used to titillate the audience.
The contrast to this world is the community which Captain has established. In this chosen family, people receive understanding and support and friendship and love. Members have a sense of trust, belonging and security. Obviously this community is intended to illustrate what happens when people are accepted.
Though the novel is set in a different time period, its theme is relevant to our time. There seems to be an increasing tendency for people to judge and exclude those who are different in some way. It is a good time to be reminded that, despite superficial differences, we are all humans who long to be accepted.
Lovers of gothic fiction will find the typical characteristics of the genre: an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, omens and visions, events that suggest a supernatural connection, and women in distress. The number of coincidences, unexpected connections between a small number of people, bothered me, but the prominence of coincidence in Victorian novels (including those of Charles Dickens, Miss Miller’s hero) influences me to be more accepting of them in this novel set in the Victorian era.
One element that surprised me is the big reveal on the last page. Was this really supposed to be a shock to the reader? I suspected this from the fourth page, and there are many hints throughout so there seems undue emphasis on this revelation. Perhaps it’s just a narrative device to emphasize the blindness of shallow people?
The book is well-researched so has a great sense of time and place. Though it includes some difficult topics like emotional and physical abuse, drug dependency, dark secrets and deceptions, moral corruption, sexual perversion, and violence, the novel suggests a better world is possible.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Victorian England. A world of rural fairgrounds and glamorous London theatres. A world of dark secrets and deadly obsessions…'
I loved The Somnambulist by Essie Fox so I was so excited to be sent a proof copy of this book!
This was a meticulously researched novel delving into the depths of Victorian England with an enthralling host of characters and some unbelievable freak shows, museums and gruelling events.
The story is narrated by Keziah Lovell who is forced to tour fairs with her father to promote his elixir potion. She has an identical twin sister Tilly except that her sister hasn't grown since she was five. When the girls reach fifteen they are sold to an Italian known as 'Captain' and Tilly joins the London theatre.
In alternating chapters of the story we meet Theo who is being raised by his grandfather, Lord Seabrook, a cruel man who has a dark interest in strange human curiosities. Seabrook remarries and Theo is disinherited and forced to find employment in London.
In London Theo crosses paths with the twins and becomes fascinated with Tilly. How are their lives connected? What dark secrets and lies will be unravelled?
I loved the atmosphere and images that this book conjured up whilst reading. It really portrays some of the shocking realities of Victorian England. If you had a physical deformity you were considered a 'freak' and these people were often exploited for the entertainment of others. There were some really great villans within these pages and the mysterious element kept me turning the pages.
Despite some of the dark undertones this is also a very uplifting story with some very loveable characters. I loved the ultimate message of acceptance and love that came across in abundance with the main characters.
This is a fantastic original, atmospheric, gothic novel which is so rich in detail you feel like you’ve actually visited the theatres, fairs and mansions and seen some of the morbid curiosities first hand!
I loved The Somnambulist by Essie Fox so I was so excited to be sent a proof copy of this book!
This was a meticulously researched novel delving into the depths of Victorian England with an enthralling host of characters and some unbelievable freak shows, museums and gruelling events.
The story is narrated by Keziah Lovell who is forced to tour fairs with her father to promote his elixir potion. She has an identical twin sister Tilly except that her sister hasn't grown since she was five. When the girls reach fifteen they are sold to an Italian known as 'Captain' and Tilly joins the London theatre.
In alternating chapters of the story we meet Theo who is being raised by his grandfather, Lord Seabrook, a cruel man who has a dark interest in strange human curiosities. Seabrook remarries and Theo is disinherited and forced to find employment in London.
In London Theo crosses paths with the twins and becomes fascinated with Tilly. How are their lives connected? What dark secrets and lies will be unravelled?
I loved the atmosphere and images that this book conjured up whilst reading. It really portrays some of the shocking realities of Victorian England. If you had a physical deformity you were considered a 'freak' and these people were often exploited for the entertainment of others. There were some really great villans within these pages and the mysterious element kept me turning the pages.
Despite some of the dark undertones this is also a very uplifting story with some very loveable characters. I loved the ultimate message of acceptance and love that came across in abundance with the main characters.
This is a fantastic original, atmospheric, gothic novel which is so rich in detail you feel like you’ve actually visited the theatres, fairs and mansions and seen some of the morbid curiosities first hand!