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The Finery
Tyranny is in the air in the city of Finer Bay, and Professor Wendowleen Cripcot would like to be left alone, thank you very much. The memories of the last one hundred years are quite enough to be getting on with, if only these young upstarts from the government body, The Finery, would stop trying to control her every move. With the eyes of a dictator upon her, there are not many places to hide...but Wendowleen has never been one to back down from a fight (just ask her pet wolf), and insurrection is brewing underground.
" With wry humour and vicious imagination, Grosvenor's debut compels us not to allow her nightmarish fantasy of a totalitarian police state to become reality ." - Joe Bedford, Author of 'A Bad Decade for Good People', Parthian Books
This debut from an experienced writing coach and mentor is reminiscent of Terry Pratchett and is sure to be a hit with fans of fantasy and political and feminist fiction.
" With wry humour and vicious imagination, Grosvenor's debut compels us not to allow her nightmarish fantasy of a totalitarian police state to become reality ." - Joe Bedford, Author of 'A Bad Decade for Good People', Parthian Books
This debut from an experienced writing coach and mentor is reminiscent of Terry Pratchett and is sure to be a hit with fans of fantasy and political and feminist fiction.
- GenresFantasy
298 pages, Paperback
Published August 25, 2023
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111 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 28, 2023
Quirky but so enjoyable. The Finery is a quick and easy read with some great characters and a lot of dark humour.
I loved Professor Cripcot - feisty, brave and witty, she wasn’t prepared to take any nonsense from anybody, and had seen it all in her 100plus years.
I thought the idea of the totalitarian police state in The Finery was really interesting and the portrayal of the Director intriguing - political unrest and the strength of the people is covered well in this clever mix of fantasy and dystopia from Rachel Grosvenor.
I loved Professor Cripcot - feisty, brave and witty, she wasn’t prepared to take any nonsense from anybody, and had seen it all in her 100plus years.
I thought the idea of the totalitarian police state in The Finery was really interesting and the portrayal of the Director intriguing - political unrest and the strength of the people is covered well in this clever mix of fantasy and dystopia from Rachel Grosvenor.
March 20, 2024
Really enjoyed. Especially the 100year old female protagonist.
September 1, 2023
If Orwell, Pratchett and Tolkien met up for a pint then I think they'd come up with The Finery as a concept. I thoroughly enjoyed Grosvenor's unusual and quirky novel, written with a deceptively light touch with strong echoes of the Terry Pratchett books I've always loved. There's a political sub-text which weaves in themes and topics that mirror contemporary concerns, and warns us that complacency can so easily lead to tyranny. The story moves at a great pace and I was cheering for Professor Wendowleen Cripcott and her carer wolf all the way.
November 14, 2023
On the face of it, this is a quirky fantasy novel with moments of humour and warmth, but under the surface the political ideas are there for all to see. I found this book to be an enjoyable read that got me thinking afterwards. Grosvenor is an excellent writer and I expect more from her in the future.
March 10, 2025
I wasn’t sure what to expect, as fantasy/dystopia is not the genre I would typically pick up. I am so pleased I got to read this book, though, as I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I love that the heroine is a centenarian; having a feisty, brave, quirky female lead in a book is refreshing. She can look after herself! And her pet wolf is very endearing.
I liked how the author tackled the grave subject of totalitarianism while keeping a sense of humour. And it is quite clear her sense of humour is very dry! Which is great with me!
Her descriptions of the dwellings, underground world, and transport system were a joy for the imagination.
The characters’ psychology and backstories were fascinating, and seeing how a dictatorship can develop was interesting and disturbing.
I do love a morally grey character, and this book does not disappoint on this front.
This book serves as a warning to how quickly an oppressive regime can form and the corruption that leeches into all aspects of living. But, it holds a message of hope that unity and strength can overcome it.
The Finery was a quick, easy and entertaining read that packed a hard punch with its message. It goes to show that it is good to step outside your genre preference as whole new worlds can open up.
I love that the heroine is a centenarian; having a feisty, brave, quirky female lead in a book is refreshing. She can look after herself! And her pet wolf is very endearing.
I liked how the author tackled the grave subject of totalitarianism while keeping a sense of humour. And it is quite clear her sense of humour is very dry! Which is great with me!
Her descriptions of the dwellings, underground world, and transport system were a joy for the imagination.
The characters’ psychology and backstories were fascinating, and seeing how a dictatorship can develop was interesting and disturbing.
I do love a morally grey character, and this book does not disappoint on this front.
This book serves as a warning to how quickly an oppressive regime can form and the corruption that leeches into all aspects of living. But, it holds a message of hope that unity and strength can overcome it.
The Finery was a quick, easy and entertaining read that packed a hard punch with its message. It goes to show that it is good to step outside your genre preference as whole new worlds can open up.
September 19, 2025
Quite a good read - funny and quirky.
August 25, 2023
Review incoming…
September 8, 2023
I absolutely loved this wonderful work of dystopian fiction. ‘The Finery’ never fails to be engaging, I found myself gripped to the book and flying through the pages, eagerly anticipating what was to happen next. Rachel Grosvenor effectively uses humour and whimsicalness throughout that works well as a contrast to the heaviness of the themes, which are frighteningly relevant to the UK’s political landscape.
Filled to the brim with memorable characters, ‘The Finery’ is a book to absolutely sink your teeth into.
Filled to the brim with memorable characters, ‘The Finery’ is a book to absolutely sink your teeth into.
September 25, 2023
This book was very kindly sent to me by the publisher, and was a detour for me from traditional fantasy to something a bit more dystopian and urban.
The book follows 100 year old Wendowleen and her pet Wolf as they are forced from their home by the totalitarian government body, the Finery. Wendowleen is linked to the dictator at the head of the Finery in a twist I did not see coming, and therefore becomes undesirable no. 1 as she joins the underground resistance and plots to overthrow the government.
This book had an air of Neil Gaiman to it in style and tone, and was full of humour, great characters, twists and turns and excellently paced, short chapters which kept my attention throughout.
The book follows 100 year old Wendowleen and her pet Wolf as they are forced from their home by the totalitarian government body, the Finery. Wendowleen is linked to the dictator at the head of the Finery in a twist I did not see coming, and therefore becomes undesirable no. 1 as she joins the underground resistance and plots to overthrow the government.
This book had an air of Neil Gaiman to it in style and tone, and was full of humour, great characters, twists and turns and excellently paced, short chapters which kept my attention throughout.
September 27, 2023
I had such a fun time reading this book! Once I picked it up I struggled to put it down again, and loved being lost in the narrative and having no idea what was going on with all the twists and turns - but in the best way! Wendowleen was such a fun protagonist to follow in how she was so feisty and no-nonsense, and I loved watching her progress and develop throughout the book. The magical realism/fantasy element was also so enjoyable and I would love to delve into this world a bit more!
November 2, 2023
Utterly delightful!
October 27, 2023
Thanks to Fly On The Wall Press for my gifted proof of this title in return for an honest review.
The publisher very kindly gifted me a copy of this book a while back but for some reason I never got around to reading it. But I started it yesterday (26/10/23) and finished it in the same day. It's absolutely fabulous. And for a debut it's very accomplished.
I haven't read a good fantasy for a while. Lots of thrillers and mysteries and whatnot, but a good old fantasy has been missing. And I thought I would get it from this book. From the off, when Wendowleen wakes up with a wolf asleep on her bed, you know the direction it's going in. However, having finished it, I'm not sure I would call it 100% a fantasy. Yes there are fantasy elements, but sadly it feels more like our reality, things are becoming just a bit too familiar. There are too many worrying signs that our reality may become like the reality in the book: dictators monitoring every corner, controlling our every move, protests, uprisings etc. We're already seeing it but I dearly hope it doesn't get to this level. So I would call it a frighteningly familiar fantasy.
Professor Wendowleen Cripcot is a fabulous character. Right from the off she is just a fantastic old woman, nearing her 101st birthday, who has her own rules and beliefs and she's not about to bow down for anyone. She's strong and fierce but equally loveable and I wanted to protect her and follow her in equal measures. Obviously there are a lot of other characters, which I won't go into too much detail here, but there wasn't a lost one, they all earned their place in the story and helped to move Wendowleen's along. For me, this whole story is sort of a tête-à-tête between Wendowleen and the so-called "Director".
It was really quite funny at times too. I wasn't expecting it to be so. But it has this wry, dark humour under the surface that helps bring character to the story. If it had been all doom and gloom, I'm not sure it would have been nearly as enjoyable. You need a bit of light. By having this depth to it, it makes for a much more exciting and relatable story that I wanted to carry on reading.
I often find that, because I'm lucky enough to have so many books to read, including ARCs, unless a book really grabs me, I find myself getting distracted by other, possibly better books, and I was worried I would be here as I know I've got some cracking 2024 books waiting. But I didn't at all. Once I was in, I was hooked, and I just wanted to keep reading, wanting to find out how it ended.
Okay, I'm not going to spoil it because obviously, why would I? But I was plodding along, thoroughly enjoying it, and then about 3/4 of the way through - bombshell. It's a quiet bombshell. It doesn't shout and yell, it's just slipped in. It was a literal jaw open on chest kind of moment - bravo Rachel.
It's a mixture of, yes fantasy, but also adventure, action, thriller, horror, comedy, dystopia, contemporary - and somehow Rachel has found a way to balance them all. I think it would make an utterly brilliant TV series.
The publisher very kindly gifted me a copy of this book a while back but for some reason I never got around to reading it. But I started it yesterday (26/10/23) and finished it in the same day. It's absolutely fabulous. And for a debut it's very accomplished.
I haven't read a good fantasy for a while. Lots of thrillers and mysteries and whatnot, but a good old fantasy has been missing. And I thought I would get it from this book. From the off, when Wendowleen wakes up with a wolf asleep on her bed, you know the direction it's going in. However, having finished it, I'm not sure I would call it 100% a fantasy. Yes there are fantasy elements, but sadly it feels more like our reality, things are becoming just a bit too familiar. There are too many worrying signs that our reality may become like the reality in the book: dictators monitoring every corner, controlling our every move, protests, uprisings etc. We're already seeing it but I dearly hope it doesn't get to this level. So I would call it a frighteningly familiar fantasy.
Professor Wendowleen Cripcot is a fabulous character. Right from the off she is just a fantastic old woman, nearing her 101st birthday, who has her own rules and beliefs and she's not about to bow down for anyone. She's strong and fierce but equally loveable and I wanted to protect her and follow her in equal measures. Obviously there are a lot of other characters, which I won't go into too much detail here, but there wasn't a lost one, they all earned their place in the story and helped to move Wendowleen's along. For me, this whole story is sort of a tête-à-tête between Wendowleen and the so-called "Director".
It was really quite funny at times too. I wasn't expecting it to be so. But it has this wry, dark humour under the surface that helps bring character to the story. If it had been all doom and gloom, I'm not sure it would have been nearly as enjoyable. You need a bit of light. By having this depth to it, it makes for a much more exciting and relatable story that I wanted to carry on reading.
I often find that, because I'm lucky enough to have so many books to read, including ARCs, unless a book really grabs me, I find myself getting distracted by other, possibly better books, and I was worried I would be here as I know I've got some cracking 2024 books waiting. But I didn't at all. Once I was in, I was hooked, and I just wanted to keep reading, wanting to find out how it ended.
Okay, I'm not going to spoil it because obviously, why would I? But I was plodding along, thoroughly enjoying it, and then about 3/4 of the way through - bombshell. It's a quiet bombshell. It doesn't shout and yell, it's just slipped in. It was a literal jaw open on chest kind of moment - bravo Rachel.
It's a mixture of, yes fantasy, but also adventure, action, thriller, horror, comedy, dystopia, contemporary - and somehow Rachel has found a way to balance them all. I think it would make an utterly brilliant TV series.
September 18, 2023
Rachel Grosvenor pulls off an incredible act of literary daring in The Finery by telling the story of an authoritarian police state without descending into cliche. The joyously rendered main character, Prof. Wendowleen Cripcot and her amusing wolf companion make our time spent in the world of Rytter well worth it. The author's world building is a perfect mix of the familiar and the strange, enhanced by her ability to capture the smallest detail in crystal clear clarity. She also manages to keep us engrossed in the characters and the story while hiding the story's aha moment till just the right moment. I've never had so much fun immersed in such a bleak world.
July 22, 2024
I don't usually read fantasy or sci-fi, but the cover of this book first attracted me, and then I saw it had had an excellent review in the Guardian so I decided to give it a go. From the very first page I could not put it down. A great heroine, an intriguing sidekick, and a thought provoking message put over in a fast paced, entertaining read. I can't wait for Rachel Grosvenor's next book! A definite 5 stars from me.
April 26, 2025
Really interesting and engaging fantasy/mystery novel.
Wendowleen is a 100 year old Professor who isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes in. When she seems to become a thorn in the side of the Finery, her life takes a dramatic turn, introducing her to a technical, underground group, fighting the good fight.
Proving that life doesn't end after 90, this is a moving and entertaining read.
Wendowleen is a 100 year old Professor who isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes in. When she seems to become a thorn in the side of the Finery, her life takes a dramatic turn, introducing her to a technical, underground group, fighting the good fight.
Proving that life doesn't end after 90, this is a moving and entertaining read.
May 27, 2025
My first novel by Rachel Grosvenor, and it didn't disappoint! The mystical world of Wendowleen Cripcot drew me in. A thought-provoking first read from Rachel, and I can't wait for what is to come!
January 29, 2025
If you love whimsical fantasy with a political bent, then The Finery is for you! Grosvenor's novel is somehow both cosy and dark, humorous and shocking. It champions women of all ages - which I LOVE - and by God, do I want my own care wolf once I reach one hundred!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews