Dolly Pleasance by C.W. Lovatt

Set mostly in London, during the 19^th century, the focus of the story is the trials and tribulations of Dolly as she rises to stardom as an actress on the stage. Her father abandons her at the age of ten into the care of the manager of the Haymarket Theatre. She earns her keep by scrubbing floors and other menial work, but in such an environment her passion to become an actress grows. At 15, she is selling her body for money and favours but gives that up that when she gets her first break. From such beginnings, she ascends the ladder of success until she has her own troupe and a host of prominent theatre friends.

Dolly falls head over heels in love with Charlie Smithers, who is the protagonist of the author’s series of the same name. While obsessing about Smithers, she has an affair with another actress, who supplies much-needed comfort and support during Dolly’s failures and sorrows.

Suspense is added by an evil fellow who is determined to end Dolly’s life in a gruesome way.

We have an intimate look at life on the stage, as well as a wider look at what was going on in the London theatre world at the time. Written in the first person, Dolly seldom steps outside that context. All very interesting and authentic. Some of the secondary characters were real people.

The story is slow-moving, but larger-than-life characters kept my interest, and Dolly herself shines – passionate and sometimes temperamental, kind, funny, generous, and determined not to let anything stand in the way of achieving her ambition. She and the proper, duty-bound Smithers make an fascinating couple.

Interesting and informative – what more can you ask of a historical novel? I enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

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CW Lovatt is the award-winning author of the best-selling Charlie Smithers collection, as well as the critically acclaimed Josiah Stubb trilogy. Dolly Pleasance is his most recent novel.

The Conversos by V.E.H. Masters

This is the second book in a series. There are a few references to what happened in the first, but this one works well by itself.

Bethia is escaping danger in Scotland to start a new life with her new husband, Mainard, who is Dutch and lives with his parents in cosmopolitan Antwerp, an important commercial hub. Her brother Will is a galley slave along with John Knox. These are the twin storylines of this book set in the religious turmoil of the 16^th century. This timeframe allows for the development of suspense and the looming prospect of disaster

A new life means a new family, a new city and new challenges. Bethia is able to communicate only with Mainard and his two sisters because they all speak French, which leaves her feeling isolated. Her husband does little to help her integrate into her new family as he is often busy helping his father in business. There is an atmosphere of something not revealed. She becomes pregnant but miscarries, which drives her into depression. When she recovers, she decides she needs something to do. Mainard’s sister works as a bookseller. Today, we would think of this as a benign trade, but in Antwerp, it is a risky business.

Will’s challenge is easily defined. He wants his freedom. He does escape once, only to be caught and chained again. One of his ship-mates is John Knox who becomes an important influence. What is most interesting about Will’s story is the description of life as a galley slave, which the author relates in authentic but excruciating detail. Did you ever wonder how they manage their bodily functions? How they sleep?

I found Bethia to be a bit rash, ignoring warnings from those who knew better and getting herself into dangerous situations. She is also very curious – not really a bad thing – but Mainard is secretive. These two traits tend to bump up against each other.

A few niggles. When Bethia meets her older sister-in-law, she quickly determines that she does not like her. Later they become very friendly, but that initial animosity is never fully explained. Also, Will’s escape was one of the more exciting parts of the book, but it didn’t move the plot forward at all. Will ended right back where he started from. There were no repercussions even, which I find hard to believe.

It is a well-written book with the ‘reveals’ nicely paced and brings the two storylines together at the conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned something new.

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VEH Masters was born and grew up on a farm just outside of St. Andrews in Scotland. She’s been fascinated by the siege of St Andrews Castle ever since her history teacher took the class on a visit, which included going down the siege tunnel dug out of rock and peering into the bottle dungeon where Cardinal Beaton’s body is said to have been kept, pickled in salt, for over a year.

When she learned that the group who took the castle and held it for over 14 months, resisting the many attempts to re-take it, called themselves the Castilians, she knew even then it was the perfect title for the story.

The sequel, The Conversos, which picks up to the hour where The Castilians left off, continues the dramatic adventures of Bethia and Will. To find out more please go to her website https://vehmasters.com/ and she would be honoured if you signed up for the newsletter.