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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
Tibb is entrancing, this protagonist has the most original and loveable voice. A Little Trickerie is set in the early 1500's and the language is not authentic because that would be unreadable for most of us but Tibb's style of speaking is olde worlde and has crack up turns of phrase and beautiful rhythms. Tibb is a young woman facing great heartache and is trying to find her place in the world whilst not getting found out as a vagabond. She meets friends, joins a performance group, falls in love and tries desperately to make a better world for herself and her found family.
Some historical fiction can feel bogged down in accuracy and historical moments and figures. Rosanna Pike seamlessly weaves detail and people into the story. Pike highlights themes of women's oppression, poverty and the harms of organised religion but she also explores lighter themes of found family, connection with nature, acceptance of difference, joy in sexuality and delight in simple pleasures. She writes lush passages about bathing in streams, fishing for crabs and moving through the countryside. She also writes with love and closeness about all sorts of bodies and bodily functions.
The pacing of the novel was slightly patchy. The beginning scenes as Tibb was alone and finding her place moved along quite quickly, a lot happens in the first half of the book and then the story lags slightly in the second half. This is interspersed with passages from the future that the plot eventually catches up with. The plotting may have worked better if it was just a straightforward story. The characters are what really carry the story though, Tibb, Ivo and their friends and lovers are so endearing. The villains are properly villainous and even Tibbs dead mother haunts the pages, slowly giving the reader clues to Tibb's childhood.
Scenes from this novel will stick with me; the tender tragedy of Henrietta (it was like I could feel her body), the Norfolk beaches, the forest streams and the strength of Maria, the table laden with baked goods, the roofs that Tibb longed for. A Little Trickerie is visceral and truly beautiful.
Check for triggers, life in the early 1500's was sometimes very brutal.
Some historical fiction can feel bogged down in accuracy and historical moments and figures. Rosanna Pike seamlessly weaves detail and people into the story. Pike highlights themes of women's oppression, poverty and the harms of organised religion but she also explores lighter themes of found family, connection with nature, acceptance of difference, joy in sexuality and delight in simple pleasures. She writes lush passages about bathing in streams, fishing for crabs and moving through the countryside. She also writes with love and closeness about all sorts of bodies and bodily functions.
The pacing of the novel was slightly patchy. The beginning scenes as Tibb was alone and finding her place moved along quite quickly, a lot happens in the first half of the book and then the story lags slightly in the second half. This is interspersed with passages from the future that the plot eventually catches up with. The plotting may have worked better if it was just a straightforward story. The characters are what really carry the story though, Tibb, Ivo and their friends and lovers are so endearing. The villains are properly villainous and even Tibbs dead mother haunts the pages, slowly giving the reader clues to Tibb's childhood.
Scenes from this novel will stick with me; the tender tragedy of Henrietta (it was like I could feel her body), the Norfolk beaches, the forest streams and the strength of Maria, the table laden with baked goods, the roofs that Tibb longed for. A Little Trickerie is visceral and truly beautiful.
Check for triggers, life in the early 1500's was sometimes very brutal.
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m surprised at how many people love this book and I was disappointed not to love it too. At first, I enjoyed Tib’s narrative voice - which is a distinctive style choice. It took me straight into the action and I felt a real affinity for her. But as the book went on, it really got on my nerves. Others have criticised the book for not being historically accurate. I think I could have coped with the 21st century values transposed onto Tudor England - but the ‘trickerie’ itself was just ludicrous! I was so annoyed at the whole plot, to the extent I almost DNF’d even with only about an hour left to go! With the exception of Tib, the characters are so uninteresting, they only exist in service to Tib.
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Unexpectedly different.
Tibb is a vagabond. She has no roof over her head and has to use all the tricks and advice her now dead mother has bestowed upon her. She’s left alone as a young girl and will do anything to survive. On her journey she meets various and diverse people who help her grow into the adult she will become. Her growth is endearing and despite her naive outlook on life, she’s a hopeful light for all the people in her life. She doesn’t understand societal pressures and actively seeks solutions to everyone’s problem. One last trick might be the one that solves all their problems.
The story was interesting and the characters felt raw. I expected it to be funnier due to the premise and title but it ended up being more serious and real. I wish it had been a bit shorter as the last trick came in quite late in the book but also lasted for a bit too long. The ending was beyond “too good to be true” which gave a positive tone to the hopeful message but also made it quite unbelievable after a very believable story…. Overall great read and would recommend for historical fic fans.
Tibb is a vagabond. She has no roof over her head and has to use all the tricks and advice her now dead mother has bestowed upon her. She’s left alone as a young girl and will do anything to survive. On her journey she meets various and diverse people who help her grow into the adult she will become. Her growth is endearing and despite her naive outlook on life, she’s a hopeful light for all the people in her life. She doesn’t understand societal pressures and actively seeks solutions to everyone’s problem. One last trick might be the one that solves all their problems.
The story was interesting and the characters felt raw. I expected it to be funnier due to the premise and title but it ended up being more serious and real. I wish it had been a bit shorter as the last trick came in quite late in the book but also lasted for a bit too long. The ending was beyond “too good to be true” which gave a positive tone to the hopeful message but also made it quite unbelievable after a very believable story…. Overall great read and would recommend for historical fic fans.
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this. Found it compelling. Wasn’t sure I could get on with the narrator’s distinctive voice but I soon warmed to it and it felt much more immediate and immersive.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
tense
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:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes