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A review by bookshortie
A Book of Secrets by Kate Morrison
5.0
This is the story of Nsowah, born in Ghana during the Elizabethan period, taken from her home country as a baby along with her mother and brother by Portuguese Slavers who are unaware that Nsowah’s mother is a Princess and Royalty in her own country. When the ship that they are in is attacked by the English, Nsowah and her mother are taken and transported to England, separated from her brother. Nsowah and her mother are given to a family as servants, converted to Christianity by their new owners and their names are changed so Nsowah is given the name Susan. At the age of 3 Susan’s mother dies and she is raised by Kate the housekeeper as well as by her Master and Mistress who treat her like their own daughter. She is raised alongside their own daughter Anne and is raised as a secret Catholic as they too are hiding their true beliefs. They ensure that she is educated alongside their daughter Anne, becoming an accomplished young woman and is treated more like a member of the family than a servant. But the Mistress’ opinion towards her changes after Anne dies and when the Master’s secret is discovered he wants to ensure that Susan is safe, arranging her marriage to John Charlewood a London Printer who is much older than her to ensure her safety. Once married Susan becomes the Mistress of a household in her own right. So begins Susan’s journey as a wife, mother, Mistress of a household and partner in her husband’s printing business, bringing with it its own challenges which Susan faces with calm and grace. When Susan is arrested for treason and tortured her true strength of character shines through.
I immensely enjoyed this book and you could tell from the care that had been put into it that the author had done in depth research into the time period that the book is based. One of the reasons I asked to take part in this blog tour was because it looked and sounded different to anything I’d read before in the historical genre. The first factor that drew me to this book was that the main character was a person of colour in Tudor times. I have often wondered what roles people of black heritage would have played during Tudor times (and not just as servants) as there are very little books that I have seen that dealt with this subject so this gave me a brilliant insight. Although this is a work of fiction at times I forgot that Susan was not based on a real character and her story I can imagine is a true reflection of what a woman of black heritage may have gone through during these times. Religion and belief play a big part of the story as it would have done at this time when following your true beliefs could have led to you being arrested and punished for treason.
Another thing I liked about this book was that it wasn’t heavy to read like some historical fiction books can be so it was easy to imagine Susan’s life and everything that she went through. I also love the cover of this book which is utterly stunning.
If you enjoy historical fiction filled with secrets, mystery and intrigue this is the book you’ll want to read.
I received a gifted copy for an honest review.
I immensely enjoyed this book and you could tell from the care that had been put into it that the author had done in depth research into the time period that the book is based. One of the reasons I asked to take part in this blog tour was because it looked and sounded different to anything I’d read before in the historical genre. The first factor that drew me to this book was that the main character was a person of colour in Tudor times. I have often wondered what roles people of black heritage would have played during Tudor times (and not just as servants) as there are very little books that I have seen that dealt with this subject so this gave me a brilliant insight. Although this is a work of fiction at times I forgot that Susan was not based on a real character and her story I can imagine is a true reflection of what a woman of black heritage may have gone through during these times. Religion and belief play a big part of the story as it would have done at this time when following your true beliefs could have led to you being arrested and punished for treason.
Another thing I liked about this book was that it wasn’t heavy to read like some historical fiction books can be so it was easy to imagine Susan’s life and everything that she went through. I also love the cover of this book which is utterly stunning.
If you enjoy historical fiction filled with secrets, mystery and intrigue this is the book you’ll want to read.
I received a gifted copy for an honest review.