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A review by sherwoodreads
The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman
A pair of middle-aged sisters solve crimes, mostly against women.
The research is solid--only one thing pinged me (unfortunately, given the violence in the novel, it cropped up often) which was the use of the word "gun" for pistol, in a time when guns were specifically artillery pieces, that is, cannon. Other than that, wow, a deep dive into the underbelly of Regency-era life and crimes.
My problem with it lies not at all with the book, or the story Goodman wanted to tell. She did an admirable job not only with the research, but in crafting Gus, our narrator, in particular, who reminds me a great deal of Mary Wollstonecraft. My problem is that the covert art, and the title, as well as the ad language, caused me to expect a comedy of manners.
Nope. Murder, breast cancer, slavery, human trafficking, etc etc are vital subjects, but not ones I want to read fiction about. I read enough real history about the dark side of human nature, and of course there is the news and daily life to provide plenty of misery and anxiety, which is why I want my fiction to make me smile. I lauded the sisters' good work, but I didn't smile much while reading this, which is a fault with me as a reader, and not with the writer.
The research is solid--only one thing pinged me (unfortunately, given the violence in the novel, it cropped up often) which was the use of the word "gun" for pistol, in a time when guns were specifically artillery pieces, that is, cannon. Other than that, wow, a deep dive into the underbelly of Regency-era life and crimes.
My problem with it lies not at all with the book, or the story Goodman wanted to tell. She did an admirable job not only with the research, but in crafting Gus, our narrator, in particular, who reminds me a great deal of Mary Wollstonecraft. My problem is that the covert art, and the title, as well as the ad language, caused me to expect a comedy of manners.
Nope. Murder, breast cancer, slavery, human trafficking, etc etc are vital subjects, but not ones I want to read fiction about. I read enough real history about the dark side of human nature, and of course there is the news and daily life to provide plenty of misery and anxiety, which is why I want my fiction to make me smile. I lauded the sisters' good work, but I didn't smile much while reading this, which is a fault with me as a reader, and not with the writer.