‘An original, gripping mystery with a heroine you are unlikely to forget’
This is an engaging historical thriller written by acclaimed author Jennifer Donnelly, which I enjoyed even more than her previous novels, A Gathering Light and Revolution. Set in 1890s New York, it is obviously very well researched and is brilliantly evocative of the time period. It tells the story of 17-year-old Josephine Montfort who is rich, beautiful and waiting to be married off to a wealthy man. She dreams of being a reporter, a career deemed extremely unsuitable for a young lady of her class but apart from that her life is easy and comfortable until her father is found dead. The police say it was an accident and her uncle suspects suicide but could it be that her father was murdered? Jo is determined to discover the truth at all costs.
The historical detail in this book is incredibly vivid. Being able to picture myself in 1890s New York, a time in history I barely knew anything about, was one of the amazing things about reading this book. From the grimy streets of Mulberry Bend to the austere Darkbriar asylum for the insane to the brightly lit Young Patron’s ball at the museum, Donnelly depicts a range of historical scenes in beautiful prose. Though not actually real people, the characters are also very realistic and at home in the setting.
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