A Respectable Trade by Philippa Gregory
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Book Reviews of A Respectable Trade
Book Review: Not the bst, but very enjoyable!
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a huge fan of Philippa Gregory. I happened to find this book a few years ago, before it got the revamped cover and such. Maybe it was because I read it soon after The Virgin's Lover, which bored me to tears, but I really enjoyed this one!
I applaud Gregory's effort in such a difficult topic. And yet I felt it was very real and accurate. I tend to stay away from the topic of slavery, but I usually never pass up books from Philippa. I'm glad I did! I happened to get through the book pretty fast, and the ending was not predictable. Gregory usually includes gobs of sex in her books, but this one was pretty much devoid of it for the most part. For this sotry, it wasn't necessary, and it worked. Once again, her attention to historical detail is more or less accurate, and I love her ability to just create expand from facts.
While I appreciate the fact that Mehuru is well respected, I don't think it is all that plausible. Was she trying to redeem him for being black in some way? If he hadn't been African nobility, would that have changed his character or how he was viewed?
Although I personally enjoyed the book, I can see where others wouldn't. I would suggest a reader new to Philippa Gregory read her more popular titles first.
Book Review: Fantastic read
Summary: 4 Stars
I wouldn't exactly call this a romance. More of a historical account of the horrors of slavery. Francis Scott marries a man that does not suit her at all. Considered old and impoverished, her new station in life is to teach the people her husband and his sister kidnap from Africa to sell as slaves - a fact Francis learns after she has married. Francis is quite caring and compassionate & soon falls for one of the slaves, Mehuru. Mehuru proves to be everything her own husband isn't - warm, caring, sensitive and attentive. The tale of this pair's faith and hope is downright heartbreaking. Knowing they can not live as a couple in England - especially with Francis' being married, Francis and Mehuru must hide their feelings for each other. Again, the horrors of slavery are shocking and disturbing . Pretty accurate in portrayal since slavery was one of the ugliest events in time. Philippa Gregory is often called a romance novelist. The title historical fiction writer would serve her better. This highly informed and talented writer's work is a pleasure to read! Although I enjoyed the novel, I found the ending to be a bit of a letdown. Too many loose-ends are left untied - rendering it only 4 stars.Book Review: Cleverly put together
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was written so well that it was possible to get inside the head of both the slaves, and the slave owners. The character of Frances was particularly interesting, as you were able to see how even a 'good' person found it difficult to know what was right and what was wrong. She had been told for so long that the slaves were lesser people that she was shocked when she came to realize that they weren't.
I have never read a romance story with such a difficult and unusual theme and I think Gregory did a marvellous job of portraying it.
Book Review: Riveting
Summary: 4 Stars
The beginning of the book was so vivid and real that it made me angry. In fact it made me so angry, because of the painful truth, that I ended up picking a fight with my boyfriend. Few books can make you that mad. The last quarter of the book was purely a fictional romance. At that point it lost its zeal from the first part of the book. Overall it was a good read.Book Review: A Respectable Trade
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a very well written novel on a little known topic: British slave trade. While it was very difficult to read about the devistatingly inhumane treatment of people who were lifted from their own homeland and sold into slavery, I could not put the book down. I highly recommend this novel.