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A review by jeannine
Theft of Life by Imogen Robertson
5.0
I had to sleep on this one before writing about it. I’m a little unsatisfied by a couple things (see below), but they aren’t enough to take this down from a five-star read. As always with Imogen Robertson, this book is beautifully written with complex storylines starting separately and slowly weaving together until they are in a tight braid.
The way Robertson conveyed the varied attitudes towards slavery in England was interesting and, at times, eye-opening as an American reader. The notes at the end talk about reparations being made by the government to the enslavers (of course, ugh), but there is some somewhat satisfying attempts at reparations in the story once some of the main characters learn of how they benefitted financially from slavery. The children play a bigger role than usual and their commitment to seeing enslavers punished (one of them pushes for reparations) is heartwarming, even if it’s a little horrifying that they were reading stories about rape and murder.
The mystery is complicated, as always. There are a lot of characters to keep track of. In fact, I think the number of people this story involved might have lead to a) the somewhat abrupt ending (like a tv show cancelled at the last minute, the final chapter is just a run down on what happens in the near future for each character), b) fewer Harriet and Crowther scenes, and c) fewer scenes with Crowther and the kids (there’s one sweet moment I can think of). The “homey” scenes were always a palette cleanser after the gruesome ones. I relished those little sweet moments when they did happen (Harriet kissing Gabriel on the forehead).
I’m not an expert on the 1700s, but is it realistic for a widow under 30 not to remarry? Harriet’s single status is part of this book and it seems so natural to let her relationship with Gabriel evolve to the next level. They love each other. It’s the 1700s. She’s young. She’d /probably/ remarry and if she’s afraid of losing independence, her dear friend who loves her is the obvious choice. A choice that would have ended this somber story on a positive note and be satisfying to the readers.
Still, this is an amazingly woven tale. I love this series so much that I tracked down copies, even ordering this last one from the UK. I don’t buy most of my books, so that’s saying something!
The way Robertson conveyed the varied attitudes towards slavery in England was interesting and, at times, eye-opening as an American reader. The notes at the end talk about reparations being made by the government to the enslavers (of course, ugh), but there is some somewhat satisfying attempts at reparations in the story once some of the main characters learn of how they benefitted financially from slavery. The children play a bigger role than usual and their commitment to seeing enslavers punished (one of them pushes for reparations) is heartwarming, even if it’s a little horrifying that they were reading stories about rape and murder.
The mystery is complicated, as always. There are a lot of characters to keep track of. In fact, I think the number of people this story involved might have lead to a) the somewhat abrupt ending (like a tv show cancelled at the last minute, the final chapter is just a run down on what happens in the near future for each character), b) fewer Harriet and Crowther scenes, and c) fewer scenes with Crowther and the kids (there’s one sweet moment I can think of). The “homey” scenes were always a palette cleanser after the gruesome ones. I relished those little sweet moments when they did happen (Harriet kissing Gabriel on the forehead).
I’m not an expert on the 1700s, but is it realistic for a widow under 30 not to remarry? Harriet’s single status is part of this book and it seems so natural to let her relationship with Gabriel evolve to the next level. They love each other. It’s the 1700s. She’s young. She’d /probably/ remarry and if she’s afraid of losing independence, her dear friend who loves her is the obvious choice. A choice that would have ended this somber story on a positive note and be satisfying to the readers.
Still, this is an amazingly woven tale. I love this series so much that I tracked down copies, even ordering this last one from the UK. I don’t buy most of my books, so that’s saying something!