Taking Liberties

Makepeace Hedley #2

by Diana Norman

From the author also known as Ariana Franklin-the thrilling sequel to A Catch of Consequence that moves at a cracking pace.( London Times)

Makepeace Hedley is frantic when she learns that her young daughter, sailing home to England from the rebelling American colonies, has been taken prisoner by the British. With her usual determination, Makepeace sets out for Plymouth to rescue her child.

And when Countess Diana Stacpoole is asked by an American friend to help his son, also a British prisoner, Diana responds quickly and leaves her genteel past behind.

In the chaos of wartime Plymouth the two women face social outrage, public scandal, and even arrest. Amidst docks and prisons, government bureaucracy and brothels, they forge an unlikely and unshakable friendship. And in freeing others, they discover their own splendid liberty.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, American Revolution, 18th Century, France, British Literature

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

British journalist Diana Norman also writes as Ariana Franklin.

Born Mary Diana Narracott, she grew up first in London and then in Devon, where her mother took her to escape the blitz. At the age of 15, she left school, but with journalism in her background (her father had been a Times correspondent)and her hardy intelligence, the lack of formal education proved no barrier and by 17 she was n London, working on a local newspaper in the East End.

Headhunted at 20 by the Daily Herald, Norman became the youngest reporter on Fleet Street, covering royal visits, donning camouflage to go on exercise with the Royal Marines, and missing her 21st birthday party because she was covering a murder on the south coast. When she protested about this to the news editor, she was told: "Many happy returns. Now get down to Southampton." Diana Norman became, at twenty years of age, the youngest reporter on what used to be Fleet Street.

She married the film critic Barry Norman in 1957, and they settled in Hertfordshire with their two daughters. She began writing fiction shortly after her second daughter was born. Her first book of fiction, Fitzempress's Law, was chosen by Frank Delaney of BBC Radio 4's Bookshelf as the best example of a historical novel of its year. She is now a freelance journalist, as well as a writer of biographies and historical novels.

She died at the age of 77 on January 27, 2011. She was best known for her historical crime series featuring the 12th-century medical examiner Adelia Aguilar, written under the pen name of Ariana Franklin. The first book in the series, Mistress of the Art of Death, was published to critical acclaim in 2007 and won the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award in the UK, as well as prizes in the US and Sweden.

Norman is survived by her husband, their daughters, Samantha and Emma, and three grandsons. Mr. Norman wrote a wonderful tribute to his wife.

• Diana Norman, writer, born 25 August 1933; died 27 January 2011

Reviews

[Jamie Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed the second novel in this historical fiction trilogy, set during the American Revolution.

Makepeace leaves her business in York for Plymouth, where she struggles to free an imprisoned American friend whose ship was captured by the British - who aren’t exchanging prisoners because to do so would acknowledge America’s sovereignty.

The book introduces a great new main character, a countess who has been freed from a virtual prison by the death of her miserable husband. Makepeace and the countess are equally appalled by the conditions of the military prison at Plymouth, and become unlikely allies.

This is a really great story about the friendship between two very different women, and generally about the women of Plymouth working together in the absence of their men. This has great action - smuggling, bold rescues and escapes - as well as romance, in a very fine historical setting.

[BookAddict · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this one, the 2nd in the Makepeace Burke series. I loved this tale of two women from completely different worlds, ultimately becoming friends through a shared humanitarian goal. I love how well Diana Norman weaves history lessons into all of her novels especially since I have a special fondness for smuggling stories!

This is the 2nd in the Makepeace Burke series, yet stands very well on its own. There are so many layers to this tale I don't think I have the writing ability to do them all justice. It is a story about freedom and independence. It is about socially imposed barriers and forging your own way. It is about faith and family and doing the right thing in spite of impossible odds.

Both Makepeace Burke Hedley and Diana, Dowager Countess Stacpole, converge upon Plymouth for completely different reasons and end up forging an unlikely alliance and ultimately, a friendship. France has entered the war on the side of the Americans and England's society, technology and economy are struggling between the past and future. While being overly simplistic; Makepeace is in search of her missing daughter, thought to be lost at sea, and Diana in search of the son of a childhood friend, an American POW in Cornwall. Prison conditions are appalling, the British government considers the colonials traitors rather than war prisoners, and England is also struggling with the question of slavery.

This is history, politics, romance and adventure all rolled into one. Enjoy!

[Jackie Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved loved loved, although I read it as a standalone. Other reviewers may want more from the first book? I haven't read that one. Characters, 11 out of 10. Plot, 11 out of 10. Writing, fabulous. Setting, so real. So original with two heroines and the ending was like Oceans eleven. Makes all the other historical fiction writers look like teeny boppers. Reminded me of My Name is Resolute but I think I liked the characters better here.

[Lia · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO. GREAT. Makepeace was a little too blunt, impatient, and rude even for herself at the start of this book. Even so, it was a great story and I loved the end! Can't wait to crack open the third novel.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific series. The second book takes place in England, where Makepeace Hedley has fled after her brother is tarred and feathered by the American Revolutionaries. This, by the way, is a horrible thing to do to a person. The tar burns the skin terribly. In this book, Makepeace marries the English lord she rescued from drowning the first book and so becomes Lady Dapifer, immensely wealthy but still a colonial, and not only a colonial but a working class woman who used to run a tavern. Makepeace is proud of her ability to earn her own living and her humble beginnings. While she is madly in love with Philip Dapifer, she finds most English people superficial and irritating. Makepeace is a terrible mother, leaving her daughter, Philippa, in the care of others while she attends to more important matters, including rescuing Americans taken prisoner by the British. Like the other books in the series, it's not only an engaging book but one that draws comparisons between the British and American characters and perspectives on life and politics.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited about reading this, the continuation of Makepeace Burke's story that started out in 'A Catch of Consequence' but I found myself a little disappointed.

Diana Norman left us hanging at the end of 'Consequence' with an unfinished story and I was hoping that this book would pick up closer to where we left off with the first one.

Instead we learn that the recently widowed Countess Diana Stacpoole finds herself doing a favor for a childhood friend and in the process she meets Makepeace (Burke) Hedley. Makepeace has been informed that her twelve year old daughter Philippa is missing. Philippa was on her way back to England from America when the ship she was traveling on was taken by the British Navy. Makepeace travels to London to find her and then to Plymouth where American soldiers are being kept prisoner. (The year is 1778.) The two women work together and develop an unlikely friendship.

I did like the development of Diana Stacpoole and what happens to her character. However, I felt like there was an inconsistency in character for Makepeace, or maybe I just didn't know her as well as I thought but she seemed to say things and behave in a way that wasn't always in keeping with her character.

Overall, I did like the story as a whole, but I think it would have been better with more editing. It was too drawn out and too linear to satisfy me. And the characters and their relationships could have been fleshed out a bit more. Though I did enjoy the ending, I thought it was very well done.

I liked the title, it's perfect for this story. I also liked the history woven into this novel, I enjoyed reading about the politics of the time, the press gangs, the prison conditions, smugglers and wreckers. I'm not sure if I will try the third one or not...I might.

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great, but not that bad either. This book continues the story of Makepeace Burke and her family as the Revolutionary War begins. Her daughter is missing off a ship headed back to England and her journey to find Phillippa ends up dragging her into treatment of the American prisoners and smuggling. I'm in agreement with another reviewer, it took at least 300 pages to get things cooking, and with a 450 page book that's way too long for me. I also felt there were too many secondary characters, I had a hard time keeping track of some of the villagers. And while I enjoyed the snappy dialogue between Makepeace and Diana, to me it felt that it sounded a bit more 20th century than 18th century.

I did finish it, but not one I'm likely to pick up again, nor search out other books by this author. If you are dead set on continuing Makepeace's story, get it from the library first. Then if you love it, buy it.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here Norman gives us another rollicking tale with the vivacious Boston innkeeper/now British coal baroness Makepeace Hedley at it's center. It's the American Revolution, France has just entered the war, and very precious persons have been captured at sea and are imprisoned in the notorious Millbay prison in Plymouth on the Devon/Cornwall coast. Enter Diana, the Dowager Countess of Stacpoole, with similar difficulties. Although the ladies work at cross purposes (detest each other) for awhile, they soon form an alliance with each other and the smuggling village of Pomeroy. This is a well-peopled romantic adventure at heart, but with gritty important themes. Among concerns: appalling prison conditions, women have no legal rights, colonials are considered traitors rather than war prisoners, black people are subjected to slavery, smugglers engage in "free trade" in order to survive. Completely enjoyed by me and looking forward to the last in the trilogy.

[Walford · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the first, a cracking good story that's very hard to put down, from beginning to end. There's some Dickensian suffering to be gotten through again, but the way the characters rise to each occasion endears them to us so much that it's well worth it. I admit I tend to want to remain in upper-class drawing rooms and overlook the exploitation that made them possible (not to mention the oppression of women), but can greatly appreciate the intensity added to the reading experience by the ordeals of Makepeace and her family.
I actually shelled out List Price for the third book (yes, I'm awfully stingy nowadays, spoiled by the library and KU) which tells you how anxious I am to complete the series.

[Sara G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book continues the story of Makepeace Burke (now Hedley), the fiery American self-made coal baroness. She crosses paths with the Diana, the Dowager Countess of Stacpoole, when they are both looking for missing people amidst captured American sailors. They're both strong ladies and don't exactly get along at first, but they end up with a common goal - liberty for themselves and for others. Makepeace puts Scarlett O'Hara to shame - she's equally as feisty, but smarter and with a kinder heart. Diana Norman's books are some of my favorites and I'm looking forward to the third book in this trilogy.

[Randy Ladenheim-Gil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tried to start the first book in this trilogy some years back and couldn't get into it. Then I found this one in my piles of books, began it, and found it more compelling. I didn't even realize the books were a trilogy until I got further into Taking Liberties. Makepeace isn't a very lovable character; perhaps that's why I had problems with the first book, though I'm going to have to find it and try again. On he other hand, the Dowager Countess of Stacpole is lovely; I suspect she won't reappear in the third book; too bad. An interesting look at upper and lower classes in England during the American Revolution.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this because I was confused by Diana's POV. I actually thought she was Makepeace's daughter except I didn't remember that being her name, and I didn't think that much time had passed. Then I thought maybe *she* was Makepeace and I was just super confused until I finally read someone else's review which explained the premise better. The story was a little slow to start, but eventually picked up and I ended up enjoying this one more than I liked A Catch of Consequence (which I found overlong).

[A J HOOPER · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cracking tale of smuggling near Plymouth at the time of the American War of Independence. A young Dowager Countess tries to reform the appalling hospital conditions at the nearby prisoner of war camp, meanwhile aiding and abetting the smugglers and falling in love with the chief of these. A good and dramatic story. Though I did get impatient with the hideously passive character displayed by the Countess. To be fair the story made it clear why she was so acquiescent.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 raised to 5 because I read this 20-year-old novel at exactly the right time. It provides a look at the coastal English experience during the American Revolutionary War--smugglers, prisons for captured American and French soldiers, and women's changing roles. Throughout all of the subterfuge and intrigue the story is grounded by the inequities of the societal divisions of class, race, and gender.

[Sharon A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, the second in the Makepeace Hedley series, took me a little longer to warm up to, it didn't quite have the starting hook the first one did. But once I got back in Makepeace's life it took off like a runaway carriage. I enjoyed getting to know Diana, and loved how her story wrapped up.

I can't wait to read #3.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Norman writes a well-plotted and word-crafted novel. This is No. 2 in a series of three books. It takes place during the American Revolution and I’ve learned much history that they just didn’t have time to teach us in school. The ending to this book was satisfying and funny. You don’t get many of those. I just bought novel No.3 and I will be sad to see the series end.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Diana Norman is such a treat!

In “Taking Liberties” the outspoken Makepeace Hedley is back to rescue American prisoners locked up in Plymouth and do a little smuggling on the side with an unlikely partner, the posh Countess Diana Stacpoole. The fast-paced story has lots of adventure, humour, intriguing historic details and a touch of romance that makes it an excellent read. I loved it!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been such a great series. The author is something of a phenomenon for me in that she rights with such precision of character. I love her characters, her style, and her ability to keep me hooked.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The middle book in an historical fiction trilogy set in the American Civil War.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another strong 4.5. This series is so well written! Particularly love the examination of female friendships, and the portrayal of women for whom motherhood isn't the be all and end all.

[Louise Borg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Diana Norman is definately my favourite author.

[Bonnie Caldwell]

I tried this book for the second time, and still couldn't get into it, so decided to put it on my DNF list.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a wonderful book. Fiercely independent female characters, a strong storyline, and excellent historical details.

[Lisa Frankfort]

Excellent historical fiction. Many strong, believable female characters from different walks of life. I read the first in this series A Catch of Consequence and this one did not disappoint.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in Diana Norman's "Makepeace Hedley" series. You may be familiar with Norman's alter ego, Ariana Franklin (Mistress of the Art of Death). In the first novel, A Catch of Consequence, we met Makepeace, a redheaded pubkeeper in colonial Boston. Her adventures took her to England, where she married first a nobleman and then a rugged miner. Near the end of the book, Makepeace sent her eldest daughter back to the colonies, accompanied by her friend Susan and Josh, the artistic son of a black woman who was more friend than slave or servant to Makepeace. Now we learn that the ship that carried them was attacked by either pirates or a British vessel (the American Revolution being in full swing), and Philippa, Susan, and Josh are missing. The main plot focuses on Makepeace's struggle to find Philippa (which doesn't take too long), to learn the fate Susan, and to free Josh from an English prison. In addition, a blockade against the French, who have been aiding the Americans, has trapped her husband on the Continent. How will Makepeace bring him home?

Makepeace's story is intertwined with that of Diana Stacpoole, a recently widowed aristocrat, the long-suffering victim of a sadistic husband. Diana has spent her life confined by the expectations of her class. She thought that her life would improve when he husband died, but her son, the new earl, while not cruel, is just as status-conscious and determined to keep her in check. Diana takes a huge step when she decides to fulfill a former servant/friend's request that she find her nephew, a French soldier who has apparently been captured by the British. The two women meet in the course of their searches and form an unique friendship that will change Diana's life forever.

I don't want to give away too much of the story, but suffice it to say that there is a lot of suspense and intrigue, peppered with smugglers, pirates, and an obsessed Revenue agent. I learned a good deal about the conditions in the prisons at the time, especially in prison hospitals, and there is a running commentary on slavery as well. Norman really did her research (as she always does), and the writing is very fine indeed. There is one more book in the series (but since it focuses on Philippa rather than Makepeace, I'm not quite as eager to read it). I recommend this series if you're a historical fiction plan and like a good, complex, rip roaring tale with strong female characters.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've read Norman's 'Catch of Consequence' then you have to read this as it continues the life and adventures of Makepeace Hedley (although it's no problem at all to read this as a stand-alone novel). Set in the late C18th during the American war of independance, it engages with serious ethical issues of liberty - both personal and political - prejudice, honour, obligation vs. duty, but has them underlie the novel and its characters rather than become a moralising sermon, bludgeoning the reader over the head with its 'message', and for that Norman should be applauded.

Sitting on top of this serious heart is a sparkling, vivid story of two women: one an American ex-inn-keeper and now a self-made business-woman, and one the product of the English class system at its worst. Brought together unwillingly because of their search for people lost during the sea battles across the Atlantic, they eventually forge an unlikely friendship and the Dowager Lady Stacpoole finds a wholly unexpected liberty for herself.

Norman creates marvellous, eccentric characters who have real conversations (some of them laugh-out-loud funny in a dry way) and pacy plots that keep the pages turning. This one involves smugglers, pirates, prison escapes and all kinds of tensions that you wouldn't normally expect to see in a 'woman's' novel: but she pulls it off brilliantly.

My only small quibble is that she slightly overdoes the nobility of her black characters, who have to carry an ideological weight beyond the other characters as the victims of slavery and prejudice but it's a small fault.

If you're expecting a full-blown 'romance' then Norman might disappoint, as though there is an element of romance it's understated and characters do fall passionately in love offstage as it were, so that we see the results rather than the process. But again, a small quibble and the love interest here is incredibly vivid and sexy, while also being hugely ugly which is a refreshing change in a novelist.

So this is an entertaining, well-written, atmospheric novel with great characters and real dialogue that both keeps the pages turning and makes you think (a little...) no small achievement. Oh, and it kept me up till 4am to finish it!

[Rosina Lippi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is a sequel to Norman’s A Catch of Consequence. We pick up the story of Makepeace Burke’s life, and find that she hasn’t got any more mellow with age; she’s driven, and she drives everyone around her, though with a basic goodness of heart and the best of intentions. In this novel she sets out to find her eleven year old daughter, who was on board an American ship sunk by the British (this is the War of 1812, and sea travel is dangerous). At the same time a new character — Lady Diana Stacpole, recently widowed and glad to be free of a cruel husband of twenty years — is looking for the son of an old friend, a sailor who was taken prisoner from the same ship that carried Makepeace’s daughter. These two women could hardly be more different, and in fact they rub each other the wrong way immediately. There’s considerable humor here, and a lot of insight about the way women get along, or fail to.

Beyond the wonderful character development, there’s a lot of plot: kidnappings, pirates, smugglers, chase scenes, prison breaks. I love complex plots, but here I had the sense that Norman was sometimes juggling too many eggs at once (and who am I to say something like this, given the multiple, interwoven plots of my own books? And yet, that’s how I see it.)

All in all this is an excellent novel with great characters who find their way through a thicket of challenges to come out changed to a lesser degree (Makepeace) or a greater one (Diana). It’s huge fun, and very engaging.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

“As the immediate family and the priest emerged from the crypt in which they had delivered the corpse of the Earl of Stacpoole to its last resting place, his Countess met the gaze of the rest of the mourners in the chapel and saw not one wet eye. Which made it unanimous.”
And that opening is the reason I picked this book up in the first place (and its prequel) For this is the sequel to A Catch of Consequences. In her second Makepeace novel, Norman crafts a narrative that brings together two women who on the surface are opposites (Makepeace and the Countess of Stacpoole) but circumstance bring them together as they face social outrage, scandal and arrest. Set during the early days of the American revolution in Plymouth (England), you once again get a great perspective of that period. It’s fascinating to get the English side of the story. Set amongst a backdrop of military prisons (with unspeakable conditions), a coastline teeming with smugglers and a corrupt and bureaucratic military, we are once again introduced to a host of great characters (and many familiar faces). However, for some reason I didn’t find this book quite as engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed it but I didn’t connect on quite the same nail-biting level. I’ve been holding off reading the third of this trilogy (set in the days before the French Revolution – The Sparks Fly Upward) as that seems to be where Makepeace story ends and I’m not quite ready to hear the last of her or that world.

[VMom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Torn between 4 & 5 stars. I really enjoyed this book; more than the preceding book A Catch of Consequence. For one thing, the main character, Diana, Dowager Countess of Stacpoole, is not subjected to as much real-time adversity as Makepeace was in the first book. There is still tragedy, but much of it either happens before the book starts, or to supporting characters. In this story, Diana newly widowed, emotionally frozen after years of surviving an abusive marriage. Society and family would keep her as stifled as ever, but she, to her own surprise, starts coming back to life.

Minor spoilage:
One minor complaint I have is the love interest story thread--- I am not a fan of love-at-first-sight and the love interest execution is too macguffiny.
Another complaint is that the author, imo, is too rah-rah about the American revolutionary ideal, but maybe that is just my current political disenchantment speaking. :)

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

#2 in the Makepeace Burke trilogy. The story continues with Makepeace (now married to her Northumberland coal mine manager) who has become one of the wealthiest women in England. She is soon to make the acquaintance of Diana, the Countess of Stacpoole. It's a clash of classes as the fiery, red-haired Makepeace clashes with the blonde and dignified blue blood. I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first because the plot ran "back/forth" too much. But I did appreciate the part where Makepeace (who hadn't formed an opinion for/against the struggle of the colonies against the efforts of England) finally climbs off the fence and makes a stand. The two women join together against discrimination and class snobbery to fight for the lives of those they love. And along the way, readers are shown how some women were considered partners and equals to their husbands, while others were treated as sexual property. And how, to whites, "all blacks look alike".