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We meet another character Cat, she has dreams and passions for the future but she is a young lady with intelligence and desire. But now she is in dire trouble and her life is in peril. She has no choice but to run. Even if you've read Pepys on the Great Fire you don't get as vivid a portrait as Taylor gives in this novel. The heat, the winds, the burning embers, the almost spontaneous flaming and the fact that it went on for months after the main fire was subdued are all vividly portrayed in this novel, which is apparently the first in a series. For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. If you’d like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. Ashes of London” is a very good read filled with “ashes and blood,” history, excellent characters, startling revelations and a twist one doesn’t see coming. Story Behind The Scent of Death". Upcoming4.me. 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013 . Retrieved 18 October 2013.
From the No.1 best-selling author of The American Boy and The Silent Boy comes a brand new historical thriller set during the time of the Great Fire of London. The first of an exciting new series of novels. Catherine’s story is told almost entirely in the third person, which I thought rather a shame. She is the stronger and more ambiguous character, surprisingly modern in both outlook and reaction to adversity. Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. This was an interesting historical mystery/thriller set during the Restoration Era or more specifically in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London. The setting was really good, and so was the description of the region and area. Taylor is very good at giving one the sense that much is going on behind the scenes that neither we, nor our protagonist, is aware. Although the fire is not a major focus of the story, the destruction of whole areas, and the impact on people’s lives, as well as the planning of rebuilding does play, in part, an important role. We are also reminded that some things haven’t really changed in 600 years; women are still held responsible for men’s indiscretions, and that environs of sanctuary are not a new concept.Set in the immediate aftermath of the Great Fire of London in 1666, the central characters are James Marwood and Cat Lovett. The monarchy has just been restored after Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth and Charles II is looking for revenge over the 'Regicides', the people who had executed his father Charles I in 1649. Lovett's father is Regicide, while Marwood's is an old Cromwell supporter but who has dementia.
Marwood is the better-drawn; everyman, trying to do right, trying to advance in the world while being unwillingly dragged into murder, plots and political secrets. He relates much of the always believable action in the first person and his gentle, sometimes frustrated, relationship with his dementia-affected father provides a touching counterpoint to the world of envy, self-seeking, debauchery, machinations and brutality in which he finds himself. With Charles I beheaded and Oliver Cromwell in his grave, King Charles II has claimed the throne. Now his reign is threatened by unrepentant republicans, the most radical being the Fifth Monarchists who want a Puritan theocracy with King Jesus as ruler. Trapped in these shenanigans are Catherine “Cat” Lovett, whose father fought against Charles I, and James Marwood, whose father, now pardoned, followed Cromwell. While seeking her father in the aftermath of the fire, Cat lives with her Alderley cousins, who resent and exploit her. Meantime Marwood has been extorted into working for Whitehall by a shadowy figure he knows as Williamson, a man who apparently has significant influence with the king, Privy Council, and Common Council. Williamson demands Marwood find Cat’s father, still a threat. Soon Cat and Marwood find themselves in danger. Taylor's ( The Silent Boy, 2015, etc.) characterizations are distinctive, with Marwood cautious, constantly worried his physically weak and senile father will be returned to prison; and Cat fascinated by architecture, pushing against social barriers to become assistant to Master Hakesby, an artist rendering Christopher Wren’s plans to rebuild St. Paul’s Cathedral. Taylor is marvelous at replicating a historical world that might otherwise be relegated to dusty history books, especially through his renditions of the era’s arch speech and his approach to class and status. Additionally, when a character remarks after an assault that “it was well known that young women were lascivious creatures,” Taylor again shows his talent for adding depth by weaving in examples of the historical subjugation and oppression of women. It’s worth noting that these fascinating minutiae interlaced into the narrative have no negative effect on focus or pace. My goodness I enjoyed The Ashes of London. It opens dramatically and continues with a fast, sometimes brutal, pace that makes the plot fly past right up to the exciting end. I was entirely entranced by Andrew Taylor’s writing. His style is accessible and yet authentic for the era with direct speech especially well attuned to convey class, social standing and gender. Enter the story’s two main protagonists. James Marwood is the son of a Republican, who lost everything when Charles II regained the throne. Catherine Lovett is daughter of a regicide – one of that small circle directly involved in the trail and execution of the king’s father. Both are affected and their actions shaped by forces beyond their control. She is a spirited teenager who dreams of becoming an architect and escaping an unsatisfactory marriage her aunt and uncle have arranged. Marwood, the son of another old puritan, is a minor civil servant whose only desire is to live down his notorious name and make his way in the world. When Cat is raped by her cousin, she tries to kill him and is forced into hiding.King Charles I, whose authoritarian rule and quarrels with Parliament provoked a civil war that led to his execution on January 30, 1649. What did Samuel Pepys bury in his garden as the Great Fire of London blazed towards his home? The answer, one that all self-respecting pub quiz bores know, is a wheel of parmesan cheese. Sam Pepys truly is this country’s first middle-class hero. There will be a new episode of the Test Match Special podcast every day throughout the summer while the Tailenders podcast with England bowler James Anderson and No Balls with England bowler Kate Cross and former England spinner Alex Hartley will also provide their unique take on the action. The fifth and final men's Test begins on 27 July, with Australia having retained the Ashes following a rain-affected draw at Old Trafford in the fourth Test. July: Third one-day international, The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton - England won by 69 runs
You may change or cancel your subscription or trial at any time online. Simply log into Settings & Account and select "Cancel" on the right-hand side. This story weaves the lives of these two people; the murders of three people; and the return of King Charles II. In this elegant, engrossing novel set during an extraordinary period, Taylor skilfully presents a London in which so many must still pay the price for the Civil War and the murder of King Charles I' Sunday ExpressAndrew Taylor grew up in East Anglia. He read English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and has an MA in Library, Archive and Information Science from University College London. A complex mix of intrigue, betrayal and mystery set in London during and after the Fire of London. Cat and James are both living with their fathers’ treason against the crown and the constant fear that the clemency shown to them could be snatched away. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month. Andrew Taylor provides a masterclass in how to weave a well-researched history into a complex plot.' The Times, Books of the Year The Great Fire is key to the latest work from Andrew Taylor. As crowds gather to watch St Pauls burning to the ground a young boy breaks through the crowd and wants to run into the burning cathedral as if he is being pulled into the flames but a young man manages to grab the boy at the last moment his name is James Marwood. The boy however is not a boy but a young girl. But before he can find out more she flees from Marwoods grasp and disappears into the crowd of people.
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