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emily_bg's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
sezzysoo91's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jcaesara's review against another edition
4.0
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Even though I really liked this book I kept reading some other books in between. I think that all the things H went through seemed a bit too much as she faced desaster after desaster. Also there were some pages where all seemed a little dragged and it was difficult to focus, and so I wanted to relax my mind a bit. That's why it took me so long to finnish it.
The story is about H. A sweet girl who cares so much about her older sister, who was like a mother to her. After their father died they were sent to their aunt. There H meets her cousins, two hansome twins but very opposed to each other. From this point her life takes on a bad turn.
She is raped by one of the twins, the plague comes to London and takes her sister with it, she discovers that she's pregnant, she's thrown out in the street, survives the plague on her own mostly by stealing, she survives the fire, she becomes Doll - a prostitute, she loses both her baby twins at birth, etc.
After the death of Mother Cresswell and the fire that destroyed the bawdy house she becomes mistress Halcyon and fells in love with a beautiful boy, but still she has more obstacles to overcome.
In conclusion, I liked the book and the writing but it was way too long and everything that H went through was too much. At some point it annoyed me and I was constantly thinking what will be next, what is she going to face now.
And also keep in mind that she was 15-17 years old during these events!
Yes, those were terrible time to live in, but come on, too much is too much.
This felt like 3 books and not one book in 3 parts :)))
Also, if not for the ending with her marrying Jasper and her confession of starting to love him (what!?? when did that happen???) I would have given 5 stars.
*** Book received from Netgalley
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.
.
Even though I really liked this book I kept reading some other books in between. I think that all the things H went through seemed a bit too much as she faced desaster after desaster. Also there were some pages where all seemed a little dragged and it was difficult to focus, and so I wanted to relax my mind a bit. That's why it took me so long to finnish it.
The story is about H. A sweet girl who cares so much about her older sister, who was like a mother to her. After their father died they were sent to their aunt. There H meets her cousins, two hansome twins but very opposed to each other. From this point her life takes on a bad turn.
She is raped by one of the twins, the plague comes to London and takes her sister with it, she discovers that she's pregnant, she's thrown out in the street, survives the plague on her own mostly by stealing, she survives the fire, she becomes Doll - a prostitute, she loses both her baby twins at birth, etc.
After the death of Mother Cresswell and the fire that destroyed the bawdy house she becomes mistress Halcyon and fells in love with a beautiful boy, but still she has more obstacles to overcome.
In conclusion, I liked the book and the writing but it was way too long and everything that H went through was too much. At some point it annoyed me and I was constantly thinking what will be next, what is she going to face now.
And also keep in mind that she was 15-17 years old during these events!
Yes, those were terrible time to live in, but come on, too much is too much.
This felt like 3 books and not one book in 3 parts :)))
Also, if not for the ending with her marrying Jasper and her confession of starting to love him (what!?? when did that happen???) I would have given 5 stars.
*** Book received from Netgalley
eshalliday's review against another edition
3.0
Super novel, but unfortunately for Sarah Burton, Sally Gardner already wrote it ('An Almond for a Parrot' as Wray Delaney).
ridiculusreads's review against another edition
5.0
The Strange Adventures of H, quite honestly, had me drawn in from the second I saw it’s ambiguous title and gothic style cover.
To put it simply, The Strange Adventures of H, is exactly that. From childhood to womanhood we follow our protagonist H, as she reflects over the happenings in her life that brought her to present day. Told in first person by H herself, she talks us through her life, occasionally addressing the reader. It felt very classical and fit perfectly with the timeframe the book supposedly takes place.
We’re taken through the plague and the Great Fires of London via what felt like an astonishingly real perspective, which in itself was harrowing.
H suffers a great deal of trauma and turmoil and I think the thing I enjoyed the most about this book is watching her strength prevail time after time. In many ways, this is a feminist novel of sorts. H deals with a number of things that could set her back as a woman, due to the horror of them as well as the timeframe being the 17th century. By the end of the book, H is a powerful woman. A woman with money, with friends, with found family. A woman who needed nothing but herself to get to the point she reaches. She is turfed from her home during the plague, whilst carrying twins and still finds a means of helping herself. During the Great Fire when she hears her aunt will not leave despite her house being set to burn down, H devises a plan to get her to safety all whilst making sure H’s aunt doesn’t realise that she is in fact, H.
H is ASTONISHINGLY strong and powerful. A complete force to be reckoned with and I thoroughly enjoyed reading her strange adventures.
I finished it this morning, and many hours after I just can’t stop thinking about this book.
To put it simply, The Strange Adventures of H, is exactly that. From childhood to womanhood we follow our protagonist H, as she reflects over the happenings in her life that brought her to present day. Told in first person by H herself, she talks us through her life, occasionally addressing the reader. It felt very classical and fit perfectly with the timeframe the book supposedly takes place.
We’re taken through the plague and the Great Fires of London via what felt like an astonishingly real perspective, which in itself was harrowing.
H suffers a great deal of trauma and turmoil and I think the thing I enjoyed the most about this book is watching her strength prevail time after time. In many ways, this is a feminist novel of sorts. H deals with a number of things that could set her back as a woman, due to the horror of them as well as the timeframe being the 17th century. By the end of the book, H is a powerful woman. A woman with money, with friends, with found family. A woman who needed nothing but herself to get to the point she reaches. She is turfed from her home during the plague, whilst carrying twins and still finds a means of helping herself. During the Great Fire when she hears her aunt will not leave despite her house being set to burn down, H devises a plan to get her to safety all whilst making sure H’s aunt doesn’t realise that she is in fact, H.
H is ASTONISHINGLY strong and powerful. A complete force to be reckoned with and I thoroughly enjoyed reading her strange adventures.
I finished it this morning, and many hours after I just can’t stop thinking about this book.
catharsis's review against another edition
4.0
The Strange Adventures of H is a roller-coaster of emotions.
Dealing with themes of isolation during and after the great plague makes this a particularity poignant read at date of release (May 2020).
The book isn't out to be grotesque, which it could easily have been dealing with such dark themes.
It was not at all what I expected in the best way. Especially when things are difficult in our real lives it can be a pleasure to be surprised with something you wouldn't necessarily seek out.
I adore H, and the narration was wonderful after my initial stumbling over the language used. Until about the 20% mark I was reading a little slower, but after that the story and dialect smoothed out and sped up and became very satisfying.
One of the major plot points is disclosed in the summary of the book - which I am pleased I had not seen! Without the knowledge of this I had quite a heartfelt build up to it.
A menagerie of dark themes are broached which I could list as warnings (which would be spoilery of course). However the tact and tone used here is such that it should not be overwhelming for the reader to encounter them. One of these themes is one which is particularly unsettling and often a deal-breaker for me in a novel, but that was not the case here.
This isn't a literary masterpiece, but it's enjoyable to read and genuinely touched my heart. I'll be looking forward to more adult fiction by Sarah Burton.
[This eARC was generously given to me via NetGalley & Legends Press in exchange for an honest review.]
Dealing with themes of isolation during and after the great plague makes this a particularity poignant read at date of release (May 2020).
The book isn't out to be grotesque, which it could easily have been dealing with such dark themes.
It was not at all what I expected in the best way. Especially when things are difficult in our real lives it can be a pleasure to be surprised with something you wouldn't necessarily seek out.
I adore H, and the narration was wonderful after my initial stumbling over the language used. Until about the 20% mark I was reading a little slower, but after that the story and dialect smoothed out and sped up and became very satisfying.
One of the major plot points is disclosed in the summary of the book - which I am pleased I had not seen! Without the knowledge of this I had quite a heartfelt build up to it.
A menagerie of dark themes are broached which I could list as warnings (which would be spoilery of course). However the tact and tone used here is such that it should not be overwhelming for the reader to encounter them. One of these themes is one which is particularly unsettling and often a deal-breaker for me in a novel, but that was not the case here.
This isn't a literary masterpiece, but it's enjoyable to read and genuinely touched my heart. I'll be looking forward to more adult fiction by Sarah Burton.
[This eARC was generously given to me via NetGalley & Legends Press in exchange for an honest review.]
bevpages's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I had no idea what I was expecting going into this but this was absolutely incredible?! I enjoyed the setting and the characters in this, H has been through a lot but she got the happy ending she deserved. This was fast paced for a historical fiction, keeping me well engaged throughout, the different plot points were just as interesting, I don't believe there was one dull moment in this book.
I really do recommend it if you're a historical fiction reader, I don't understand why this is flying so under the radar?!
I had no idea what I was expecting going into this but this was absolutely incredible?! I enjoyed the setting and the characters in this, H has been through a lot but she got the happy ending she deserved. This was fast paced for a historical fiction, keeping me well engaged throughout, the different plot points were just as interesting, I don't believe there was one dull moment in this book.
I really do recommend it if you're a historical fiction reader, I don't understand why this is flying so under the radar?!
laurajh77's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this a lot more than I expected. From the blurb it’s not entirely clear what is going to be so strange about these adventures, and actually they aren’t that strange. Instead this is a sweet tale set amongst the prostitutes of London during the plague and great fire, where a decent girl carries on being decent despite finding herself in a bad situation. I loved the ending too. Just a very sweet story showing the worst and best of people.
fernforest's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 ✨
A young girl named H grows into a strong woman. We join H and her life journey as she navigates through 17th century England and all of the troubling times that it entails, including the Plague of London and the Great Fire of London, 1666.
Sarah Burton has done a fantastic job, and the more that I read, the more I needed to know what would happen next. The Strange Adventures of H are indeed quite strange, but more than anything, this book is humbling.
This book was atmospheric, full of surprises and plot twists, and the narrative was so descriptive that I felt like I was there. I could see the sights that H saw, I could feel her joys and her fears.
I enjoyed that Burton touched on a variety of themes as the book evolved, and appreciated the effort that was put into showcasing the delicate, yet brash relationship between money and people, whether it be greed that devours family and friends, or a staggering struggle to survive.
Although a lot of darkness crosses the pages of this book, I never found it to be depressing or grotesque. Burton's way with writing gave rise to questions that became answered, and twists and turns that kept me reading. However, I did dock half a star as certain sections of the novel felt disconnected and slow. Nevertheless, I was amazed with H and her ability to continue to press forward.
Overall, a very enjoyable historical fiction!
Content Warning ⚠️: Sexual content, depictions of rape and/or sexual assault, suicide-ideation, mention of parental death, hanging/execution, prostitution.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC. I am posting this review voluntarily.
A young girl named H grows into a strong woman. We join H and her life journey as she navigates through 17th century England and all of the troubling times that it entails, including the Plague of London and the Great Fire of London, 1666.
Sarah Burton has done a fantastic job, and the more that I read, the more I needed to know what would happen next. The Strange Adventures of H are indeed quite strange, but more than anything, this book is humbling.
This book was atmospheric, full of surprises and plot twists, and the narrative was so descriptive that I felt like I was there. I could see the sights that H saw, I could feel her joys and her fears.
I enjoyed that Burton touched on a variety of themes as the book evolved, and appreciated the effort that was put into showcasing the delicate, yet brash relationship between money and people, whether it be greed that devours family and friends, or a staggering struggle to survive.
Although a lot of darkness crosses the pages of this book, I never found it to be depressing or grotesque. Burton's way with writing gave rise to questions that became answered, and twists and turns that kept me reading. However, I did dock half a star as certain sections of the novel felt disconnected and slow. Nevertheless, I was amazed with H and her ability to continue to press forward.
Overall, a very enjoyable historical fiction!
Content Warning ⚠️: Sexual content, depictions of rape and/or sexual assault, suicide-ideation, mention of parental death, hanging/execution, prostitution.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC. I am posting this review voluntarily.