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A review by 100pagesaday
Pleasing Mr Pepys by Deborah Swift
4.0
Deb Willet's aunt has found employment for Deb as a companion to Mrs. Pepys. As the companion to the wife of Samuel Pepys, administrator to the navy of England and Member of Parliament, Deb is placed among society's finest. However, Deb quickly learns that Mrs. Pepys is insecure in her placement and Mr. Pepys has roaming hands. One of the Pepys' favored pastimes is going to the theatre. Through their theatre outings, Deb is introduced to Abigail Williams, the mistress of Lord Bruncker, President of the Royal Society. Needing a friend, Deb takes up Abigail's invitation. However, being a friend to Abigail is much more complicated than simple outing. Soon, Abigail is having Deb bring her things from Mr. Pepys office and having Deb copy letters of Lord Bruncker. Before she knows it, Deb has become a spy for the Dutch, just like Abigail.
Intricate and historically detailed, Pleasing Mr. Pepys brought me into the spy world of the 17th Century. I really didn't know much about Samuel Pepys or what was happening around London in the late 1600's except for some notorious doings of Charles II and his mistresses. I felt for Deb's character while at the same time being intrigued. I felt like she continually received the short end of the stick throughout her life; her mother left, she was thrust into the care of an aunt who saw her and her sister as a nuisance, was then sold off as a companion to Mrs. Pepys only to be taken advantage of by Mr. Pepys and cajoled into being a spy for Abigail Williams. Throughout all of this however, Deb manages to find strength and carry on. At one point she states "Very well, if she was a whore and a traitor, she would be one that survived." I found myself continually pulled into the writing by different elements, the mystery of Deb's mother, the blossoming romance between Deb and Jem and the continual danger of the spy games. Through Deb and Abagail, I was pulled into the world of a spymistress and given a different look into a woman's life in 1600's London.
I was pleased to find out that Deb Willet was a real character in the life of Samuel Pepys and written about in his diary. While Deb's true role in his life might not be fully known, Deborah Swift's creation is an exciting possibility.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Intricate and historically detailed, Pleasing Mr. Pepys brought me into the spy world of the 17th Century. I really didn't know much about Samuel Pepys or what was happening around London in the late 1600's except for some notorious doings of Charles II and his mistresses. I felt for Deb's character while at the same time being intrigued. I felt like she continually received the short end of the stick throughout her life; her mother left, she was thrust into the care of an aunt who saw her and her sister as a nuisance, was then sold off as a companion to Mrs. Pepys only to be taken advantage of by Mr. Pepys and cajoled into being a spy for Abigail Williams. Throughout all of this however, Deb manages to find strength and carry on. At one point she states "Very well, if she was a whore and a traitor, she would be one that survived." I found myself continually pulled into the writing by different elements, the mystery of Deb's mother, the blossoming romance between Deb and Jem and the continual danger of the spy games. Through Deb and Abagail, I was pulled into the world of a spymistress and given a different look into a woman's life in 1600's London.
I was pleased to find out that Deb Willet was a real character in the life of Samuel Pepys and written about in his diary. While Deb's true role in his life might not be fully known, Deborah Swift's creation is an exciting possibility.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.