Scan barcode
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
I can't say I like this period in English history (it's great to read about though), but I kept thinking how I would NOT like to live then. Civil war. You are in, you are out. Death, despair, down with rich people! Ugh Cromwell, I do not like him. All that religious strife too.
Anyway. Abigail lost her hearing when young, and has a hard time finding a job. And of course there is the whole civil war going on too. She gets work at a nearby manor. 3 servants and a young noble woman. Yes things are not good in England. Katherine, the young noblewoman was headstrong, a bit too headstrong, but I got that she wanted to be more free. They become friends, stuff is happening, there is a pinch of romance and mentions of highway robbery. I mean hey, more highway robbery please, I was promised it, but it was just mentioned and never really shown.
It was short, interesting, and more seems to be coming. Of course I already wikied her so I know what will happen.
Anyway. Abigail lost her hearing when young, and has a hard time finding a job. And of course there is the whole civil war going on too. She gets work at a nearby manor. 3 servants and a young noble woman. Yes things are not good in England. Katherine, the young noblewoman was headstrong, a bit too headstrong, but I got that she wanted to be more free. They become friends, stuff is happening, there is a pinch of romance and mentions of highway robbery. I mean hey, more highway robbery please, I was promised it, but it was just mentioned and never really shown.
It was short, interesting, and more seems to be coming. Of course I already wikied her so I know what will happen.
100pagesaday's review against another edition
4.0
Abigail Chaplin was deafened at the age of nine by the measles. Now, at fourteen Abigail must make her own way in the world. She has found a placement at Markyate Manor as maid to the young Lady Katherine Fanshawe. Abi can read lips and speak clearly enough, but she still feels disadvantaged, especially around the harsh master, Mr. Grice. Abi and Katherine form a bond. Katherine has talked Abi into letting her dress up in maid's clothing and accompany Abi to her brother Ralph's Digger meetings. Katherine and Ralph begin to fall for one another and tension's rise as Mr. Grice leads the Fanshawe household in one direction for the War and Ralph leads the Digger community in the other. Also, as Mr. Grice begins to sell items off in the Fanshawe household, some of the items begin to reappear after Abi notices that Lady Katherine disappears in the middle of the night.
Set during the turbulent English Civil War, the legend of the 'Wicked Lady' or the 'Highwaywoman' Katherine Ferrers is brought to light. I didn't know a lot about this time period and I knew nothing of the legends of the HIghwaywoman. I was glad to learn that Katherine Fanshawe and Ralph Chaplin were both real people that the legend bloomed from. Told through the eyes of Ralph's fictional sister, Abigail, a different picture was painted of the young woman who would be later known as the 'Wicked Lady.' Abigail's character was wonderful, given her disability she was still a strong character, although not without faults. I could feel her pain when she misunderstood directions. Through Abi, Lady Katherine is not always seen as the best or brightest person, but as their relationship grows, Katherine's true spirit shows. Towards the end, the action picks up and a lot of events happen. It is very exciting, but I felt like some continuity details were missing in regards to bigger events, such as how the events at Markyate fit in the Civil War? and what ended up happening to the Diggers? As the first book in the trilogy, these questions might be answered later.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Set during the turbulent English Civil War, the legend of the 'Wicked Lady' or the 'Highwaywoman' Katherine Ferrers is brought to light. I didn't know a lot about this time period and I knew nothing of the legends of the HIghwaywoman. I was glad to learn that Katherine Fanshawe and Ralph Chaplin were both real people that the legend bloomed from. Told through the eyes of Ralph's fictional sister, Abigail, a different picture was painted of the young woman who would be later known as the 'Wicked Lady.' Abigail's character was wonderful, given her disability she was still a strong character, although not without faults. I could feel her pain when she misunderstood directions. Through Abi, Lady Katherine is not always seen as the best or brightest person, but as their relationship grows, Katherine's true spirit shows. Towards the end, the action picks up and a lot of events happen. It is very exciting, but I felt like some continuity details were missing in regards to bigger events, such as how the events at Markyate fit in the Civil War? and what ended up happening to the Diggers? As the first book in the trilogy, these questions might be answered later.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
unabridgedchick's review against another edition
4.0
This intriguing YA historical novel has Swift's usual deft use of historical background and unusual but strongly defined characters. (My reviews for Swift's The Gilded Lily and A Divided Inheritance.) Set in the 17th century in the midst of the English Civil War, the novel is the first in a trilogy, each book following one of the three leads.
Abigail "Abi" Chaplin is a cheap maid after she lost her hearing to childhood illness, and she's sent to Markyate Manor to work as a maid. Shocked to find the grand estate virtually abandoned save for a cranky cook and a vile overseer, she's even more shocked to find her mistress, Lady Katherine Fanshawe, is a girl her same age.
While cold and imperious at first, Abi and Katherine become unlikely allies when Katherine decides to pass herself off as "Kate", another maid. To Abi's horror, her brother Ralph is taken with Kate, and invites them to join in his Digger community -- a commune-like movement of tenants and farmers who organize to live on public land rather than as paid tenants for the local manors.
Against this social drama -- one that was totally new to me, and deeply fascinating! -- is the backdrop of war, and in particular, the way it impacted the local folks as the armies mustered and marched through town. Katherine's fortune and inheritance is stolen from her by her milquetoast husband and her brutal father-in-law, and she has to protect herself as best as she can.
At 200 pages, this is a quick read, but one that is rich with characterization and wonderful historical details. Although I wasn't a fan of Katherine -- I couldn't fathom why Abi liked her or what Ralph found appealing about her other than her beauty -- I appreciated the complicated relationship she and Abi had (and how it changed as time went on), and the rich mix of real life details with fictional ones. I also loved that there was a deaf main character; it's rare to see in fiction, especially historical fiction, and made for an even more interesting story.
As with Swift's other novels, there's a delightfully detailed historical note that more than satisfies. This is the first in a trilogy, but has a solid conclusion that doesn't require one to pick up the other two -- but as the following novels follow Katherine and Ralph from their viewpoints, I can't help but want to get them, despite my exhaustion with trilogies.
Fans of English historical fiction, especially the Civil War era, will like this book. Although there's some romantic elements, this is really a novel about friendship, class, and identity (as well as forgiveness and patience).
Abigail "Abi" Chaplin is a cheap maid after she lost her hearing to childhood illness, and she's sent to Markyate Manor to work as a maid. Shocked to find the grand estate virtually abandoned save for a cranky cook and a vile overseer, she's even more shocked to find her mistress, Lady Katherine Fanshawe, is a girl her same age.
While cold and imperious at first, Abi and Katherine become unlikely allies when Katherine decides to pass herself off as "Kate", another maid. To Abi's horror, her brother Ralph is taken with Kate, and invites them to join in his Digger community -- a commune-like movement of tenants and farmers who organize to live on public land rather than as paid tenants for the local manors.
Against this social drama -- one that was totally new to me, and deeply fascinating! -- is the backdrop of war, and in particular, the way it impacted the local folks as the armies mustered and marched through town. Katherine's fortune and inheritance is stolen from her by her milquetoast husband and her brutal father-in-law, and she has to protect herself as best as she can.
At 200 pages, this is a quick read, but one that is rich with characterization and wonderful historical details. Although I wasn't a fan of Katherine -- I couldn't fathom why Abi liked her or what Ralph found appealing about her other than her beauty -- I appreciated the complicated relationship she and Abi had (and how it changed as time went on), and the rich mix of real life details with fictional ones. I also loved that there was a deaf main character; it's rare to see in fiction, especially historical fiction, and made for an even more interesting story.
As with Swift's other novels, there's a delightfully detailed historical note that more than satisfies. This is the first in a trilogy, but has a solid conclusion that doesn't require one to pick up the other two -- but as the following novels follow Katherine and Ralph from their viewpoints, I can't help but want to get them, despite my exhaustion with trilogies.
Fans of English historical fiction, especially the Civil War era, will like this book. Although there's some romantic elements, this is really a novel about friendship, class, and identity (as well as forgiveness and patience).
colleenlovestoread's review against another edition
4.0
Shadow on the Highway is an exciting peek into the English Civil War from both sides of the fighting as well as from the viewpoint of those left at home to fend for themselves. I was impressed with how the author was able to highlight the greed and corruption on both sides of this coin and how this English war ripped apart families and communities. No one seems better equipped to represent this dividing of loyalties and the chaos that swirled through England during this time than young Abigail, a girl caught between the parliamentarian leanings of her family and the royalist household she finds herself ensconced in.
Abigail was by far my favorite character. You can't help but feel terrible for all she has had to go through: the guilt she feels over causing the fire that destroyed her family's home and the belief that the illness that caused her deafness was retribution for her actions; the sadness over losing her father and the hard life this left her mother and siblings in; the feeling that she has to stick it out and take whatever abuse she receives at the Fanshawe household because she has very few choices in life and needs to do what she can to help her family. With all of this she is stuck in the middle of all the varying beliefs and dangers around her, made to keep secrets from everyone and forced to find a way to survive, and all without being able to hear a thing! It was remarkable seeing her use her other senses to navigate the world around her and I got a great delight when she would let her anger and jealousies surface and act out in what little ways she could safely do.
My least favorite character would have to be Lady Katherine Fanshawe. She was bossy, stubborn and used poor Abi to get her way without taking into consideration what problems her demands might cause. Even when we see her in a more sympathetic light - seeing her being used by first her step-father and then the manor's overseer, the physical abuse she is made to suffer through for not doing what she is told, etc. - Katherine would turn around and threaten or cajole Abi into doing something or helping her to do something that could get them both into a lot of trouble. By the end she does show herself to be a better, more humble person that initially expected but I would have preferred that to happen a lot sooner. Being that this is the first in a trilogy and the final book is slated to be from Katherine's perspective I am hoping she will redeem herself in full when she gets to tell her own story.
Possibly the most fascinating aspect of Shadow on the Highway for me was the introduction of aspects of the English Civil War I had never heard of before. For example, The Diggers were a group of Englishman during this time who tried to live in what we would now call communes, living off the land in a state of equality for all and the sharing of all goods and properties. By having Abi's brother Ralph (who will be the centerpiece of the second book in this trilogy) advocating for a Digger's community on their village's common land we the reader are able to walk into this fascinating segment of history and see how these radical thinkers of the time tried desperately to make a place for themselves in a country placing so many restrictions and demands on their freedom.
One of the aspects of historical novels I cherish the most are the historical notes many authors put at the back of the book, letting the reader know where they have stuck to the true events discussed and where they have embellished to advance the story in some way. Deborah Swift's historical notes are delightful and prompted me to want to learn more about the English Civil War, the real life Lady Katherine Fanshawe, the 17th century advancements in helping non-hearing children communicate and so much more. This rounding up of the themes and characters discussed in the story really solidified the story for me and has me excited to read the next two books in the trilogy.
Being that this is categorized as a YA novel I think it will appear to young readers just learning about the English Civil War as well as readers well versed in this era. I have enjoyed Deborah Swift's writing before and this was no exception. I very much look forward to the next two books in this trilogy!
Abigail was by far my favorite character. You can't help but feel terrible for all she has had to go through: the guilt she feels over causing the fire that destroyed her family's home and the belief that the illness that caused her deafness was retribution for her actions; the sadness over losing her father and the hard life this left her mother and siblings in; the feeling that she has to stick it out and take whatever abuse she receives at the Fanshawe household because she has very few choices in life and needs to do what she can to help her family. With all of this she is stuck in the middle of all the varying beliefs and dangers around her, made to keep secrets from everyone and forced to find a way to survive, and all without being able to hear a thing! It was remarkable seeing her use her other senses to navigate the world around her and I got a great delight when she would let her anger and jealousies surface and act out in what little ways she could safely do.
My least favorite character would have to be Lady Katherine Fanshawe. She was bossy, stubborn and used poor Abi to get her way without taking into consideration what problems her demands might cause. Even when we see her in a more sympathetic light - seeing her being used by first her step-father and then the manor's overseer, the physical abuse she is made to suffer through for not doing what she is told, etc. - Katherine would turn around and threaten or cajole Abi into doing something or helping her to do something that could get them both into a lot of trouble. By the end she does show herself to be a better, more humble person that initially expected but I would have preferred that to happen a lot sooner. Being that this is the first in a trilogy and the final book is slated to be from Katherine's perspective I am hoping she will redeem herself in full when she gets to tell her own story.
Possibly the most fascinating aspect of Shadow on the Highway for me was the introduction of aspects of the English Civil War I had never heard of before. For example, The Diggers were a group of Englishman during this time who tried to live in what we would now call communes, living off the land in a state of equality for all and the sharing of all goods and properties. By having Abi's brother Ralph (who will be the centerpiece of the second book in this trilogy) advocating for a Digger's community on their village's common land we the reader are able to walk into this fascinating segment of history and see how these radical thinkers of the time tried desperately to make a place for themselves in a country placing so many restrictions and demands on their freedom.
One of the aspects of historical novels I cherish the most are the historical notes many authors put at the back of the book, letting the reader know where they have stuck to the true events discussed and where they have embellished to advance the story in some way. Deborah Swift's historical notes are delightful and prompted me to want to learn more about the English Civil War, the real life Lady Katherine Fanshawe, the 17th century advancements in helping non-hearing children communicate and so much more. This rounding up of the themes and characters discussed in the story really solidified the story for me and has me excited to read the next two books in the trilogy.
Being that this is categorized as a YA novel I think it will appear to young readers just learning about the English Civil War as well as readers well versed in this era. I have enjoyed Deborah Swift's writing before and this was no exception. I very much look forward to the next two books in this trilogy!
abookishaffair's review
4.0
In "Shadow on the Highway," poor Abi just wants a steady job. Being deaf in the time of the English Civil War is not really that easy. Most people are not willing to give her the time of day. When she gets a job at a fine house run by Lady Katherine, Abi is very excited but she soon realizes that there is much more to Lady Katherine than she realizes! Take a great main character and a fantastically mysterious historical figure and you have a lot of action waiting for you in this book. If you like your historical fiction off the beaten path, this will be a great book for you!
I really liked Abi. She has a ton of gumption and curiosity and while sometimes it gets her into trouble, for the most part it serves her very well. One thing that I have liked about some of the previous works that I have read by Swift is that her heroes and heroines are definitely not the typical ones you find in historical fiction. All of her characters are very much everyday people for the most part that she is able to put into extraordinary circumstances. This is exactly what she does with Abi and I loved it. I also really liked the detail of Abi being deaf. It was interesting to see how she was able to both overcome this difference and use it to her advantage throughout the book.
Before reading this book, I did not really know anything about Lady Katherine Fanshawe. She was so interesting to me! This is the first book in a planned series about Lady Katherine and I am anxious to see what Swift comes up with next for Abi and Katherine!
I really liked Abi. She has a ton of gumption and curiosity and while sometimes it gets her into trouble, for the most part it serves her very well. One thing that I have liked about some of the previous works that I have read by Swift is that her heroes and heroines are definitely not the typical ones you find in historical fiction. All of her characters are very much everyday people for the most part that she is able to put into extraordinary circumstances. This is exactly what she does with Abi and I loved it. I also really liked the detail of Abi being deaf. It was interesting to see how she was able to both overcome this difference and use it to her advantage throughout the book.
Before reading this book, I did not really know anything about Lady Katherine Fanshawe. She was so interesting to me! This is the first book in a planned series about Lady Katherine and I am anxious to see what Swift comes up with next for Abi and Katherine!
elysianfield's review
4.0
Abigail "Abi" Chaplin lost her hearing after childhood illness and has had trouble finding job because of that. When she manages to get a job as a maid in Markyate Manor, she’s shocked to find in what state the Manor is. Only 3 servants and the mistress, Lady Katherine Fanshawe, is as young as she is.
Abi is not happy when Katherine decides to pose as another maid called Kate. She is horrified when her brother Ralph falls for Kate and wants Kate to join their Digger movement. It’s a commune type of thing where they think the earth will provide for all.
I’m not that familiar with this era so it was interesting to read about the common people of this time. This was short and quick read but very enjoyable.
I liked Abi but I couldn’t understand why she wanted to help Katherine or what Ralph saw in her. I didn’t like Kate at first but she did grow towards the end and I liked seeing how the relationship between Abi and Kate changed as they get to know each other better.
This was my first Swift book but if her YA book is this good I’m looking forward reading her adult books.
Abi is not happy when Katherine decides to pose as another maid called Kate. She is horrified when her brother Ralph falls for Kate and wants Kate to join their Digger movement. It’s a commune type of thing where they think the earth will provide for all.
I’m not that familiar with this era so it was interesting to read about the common people of this time. This was short and quick read but very enjoyable.
I liked Abi but I couldn’t understand why she wanted to help Katherine or what Ralph saw in her. I didn’t like Kate at first but she did grow towards the end and I liked seeing how the relationship between Abi and Kate changed as they get to know each other better.
This was my first Swift book but if her YA book is this good I’m looking forward reading her adult books.
kristin's review
I liked the idea behind this; a female highwayman and an MC that is deaf. But I found the writing to be too young for me.
More...