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A Book of Secrets
A Book of Secrets tells the story of a West African girl hunting for her lost brother through an Elizabethan underworld of spies, plots and secret Catholic printing presses. Susan Charlewood is taken from Ghana (then known as Guinea) as a baby. Brought to England, she grows up as maidservant in a wealthy Catholic household. Living under a Protestant Queen in late 16th Century England, the family risk imprisonment or death unless they keep their faith hidden.
When her mistress dies Susan is married off to a London printer who is deeply involved in the Catholic resistance. She finds herself embroiled in political and religious intrigue, all while trying to find her lost brother and discover the truth about her origins.
When her mistress dies Susan is married off to a London printer who is deeply involved in the Catholic resistance. She finds herself embroiled in political and religious intrigue, all while trying to find her lost brother and discover the truth about her origins.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published June 30, 2019
5 people are currently reading
461 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 26, 2021
3.5 stars
Susan as a baby was torn with her family from their country of Guinea and brought to England. With her mother, they became a fulfillment of one family for “one Blackamoor lady and a child for the little one.” Susan’s childhood was happy. She “was brought up as an English lady’s maid, learning the ways of a great household.”
England, 1563. Susan is of marriageable age and needs to make a decision between two men. When Catholic faith is turned into a crime in the realm, there is still some hope with a secret printing press, and Catholics spreading forbidden manuscripts in secret from household to household. With her marriage to a printer, she puts her “great skill with secret inks and other devices for passing messages” into use. The idea of serving her faith and the country appeals to her.
The premise of the story is interesting, shedding light on Africans living and working in Tudor England. They married English people and owned property.
I was engaged with the protagonist at first, but then the writing becomes more descriptive and I struggled to stay engaged.
The methodical writing brings the story of a black woman who searches for her identity and her brother and as her story unravels it brings the historical events of the time. I like stories rich in historical background, but what could stand out as something original gets lost with all events that were told in other stories. At times, it felt like historical background was brought only because it fitted the time frame with the heroine, but it didn’t have a natural flow. It felt forced. Also, the historical background is there, but it doesn’t capture the language or the behavior of the people of the time.
Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Susan as a baby was torn with her family from their country of Guinea and brought to England. With her mother, they became a fulfillment of one family for “one Blackamoor lady and a child for the little one.” Susan’s childhood was happy. She “was brought up as an English lady’s maid, learning the ways of a great household.”
England, 1563. Susan is of marriageable age and needs to make a decision between two men. When Catholic faith is turned into a crime in the realm, there is still some hope with a secret printing press, and Catholics spreading forbidden manuscripts in secret from household to household. With her marriage to a printer, she puts her “great skill with secret inks and other devices for passing messages” into use. The idea of serving her faith and the country appeals to her.
The premise of the story is interesting, shedding light on Africans living and working in Tudor England. They married English people and owned property.
I was engaged with the protagonist at first, but then the writing becomes more descriptive and I struggled to stay engaged.
The methodical writing brings the story of a black woman who searches for her identity and her brother and as her story unravels it brings the historical events of the time. I like stories rich in historical background, but what could stand out as something original gets lost with all events that were told in other stories. At times, it felt like historical background was brought only because it fitted the time frame with the heroine, but it didn’t have a natural flow. It felt forced. Also, the historical background is there, but it doesn’t capture the language or the behavior of the people of the time.
Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 1, 2020
Dr. Miranda Kauffman, author of Black Tudors: The Untold Story recommended this lush historical fiction novel and that was good enough for me.
Black history did not begin with slavery, yet there are authors who insist upon writing what I call trauma porn. These Daughters of the Confederacy types write for the white gaze by centering some virtuous white damsel who suddenly realizes slavery is wrong and that those Black folks are human. They minimize the brutality of American chattel slavery, not because it's horrific, but to sell the notion that "not all slave owners were bad". Newsflash honey: YES. THEY. WERE. Owning another human being is still a bad thing, no matter how kind one thinks they're being.
As someone who's been an Elizabethan re-enactor for years, every so often I have to come out of my persona and teach patrons that yes, there were Black people in Tudor England, and not slaves. Still, some people - especially in the historical fiction/romance genre - who can't or won't wrap their brains around a Europe that was nothing but white people. These folks are probably not going to like this book though, lol.
***
Our heroine Susan (Nsowah) was born in Ghana, taken from Ghana along with her mother and brother. Raised with a well-to-do Elizabethan family (who are secret catholics in this most turbulent era), she becomes the wife of a printer with dangerous divided allegiances. Yes, here is a story of a Black African woman married to a white Englishman. Susan is no simpering miss or victim. She has agency, intelligence, wit and passion. She solves cyphers, creates invisible ink and has a passion for learning. Her England isn't some whitewashed fantasy, but one filled with Jewish conversos, Moors and Blackamoors, Spanish moorish women who serve as ladies in waiting. How refreshing it is to read a historical that in some ways feels like now?
I'm hoping there will be MORE novels like this because there are so many interesting stories to be told.
Black history did not begin with slavery, yet there are authors who insist upon writing what I call trauma porn. These Daughters of the Confederacy types write for the white gaze by centering some virtuous white damsel who suddenly realizes slavery is wrong and that those Black folks are human. They minimize the brutality of American chattel slavery, not because it's horrific, but to sell the notion that "not all slave owners were bad". Newsflash honey: YES. THEY. WERE. Owning another human being is still a bad thing, no matter how kind one thinks they're being.
As someone who's been an Elizabethan re-enactor for years, every so often I have to come out of my persona and teach patrons that yes, there were Black people in Tudor England, and not slaves. Still, some people - especially in the historical fiction/romance genre - who can't or won't wrap their brains around a Europe that was nothing but white people. These folks are probably not going to like this book though, lol.
***
Our heroine Susan (Nsowah) was born in Ghana, taken from Ghana along with her mother and brother. Raised with a well-to-do Elizabethan family (who are secret catholics in this most turbulent era), she becomes the wife of a printer with dangerous divided allegiances. Yes, here is a story of a Black African woman married to a white Englishman. Susan is no simpering miss or victim. She has agency, intelligence, wit and passion. She solves cyphers, creates invisible ink and has a passion for learning. Her England isn't some whitewashed fantasy, but one filled with Jewish conversos, Moors and Blackamoors, Spanish moorish women who serve as ladies in waiting. How refreshing it is to read a historical that in some ways feels like now?
I'm hoping there will be MORE novels like this because there are so many interesting stories to be told.
August 25, 2019
Written in a lush language that somehow does not get in the way of a perfectly paced thrilling plot. I enjoyed spending time with these fascinating and well-written characters in early modern London, a world which I research academically but seldom get to experience so vividly.
August 18, 2025
This was a book that I have had on my shelf for years - I originally got it because it was written by the good friend of a good friend and someone who I had occasionally met at university and then I…never read it.
But it survived book culls, and sat on my shelves and I am certain that there are books for seasons and so I picked it up this week.
It’s a magical read, about a time and a part of history I knew little about. Rich, vibrant and masterful storytelling. Well worth reading.
But it survived book culls, and sat on my shelves and I am certain that there are books for seasons and so I picked it up this week.
It’s a magical read, about a time and a part of history I knew little about. Rich, vibrant and masterful storytelling. Well worth reading.
January 31, 2023
The book explores in numerous ways issues of race and identity. Looking back on her life, Susan observes, ‘Since I was born, other people have given me names and told me who and what I am . A stranger, a Blackamoor, a little labour-in-vain, a good wife, a whore.’ It starts when she and her mother are captured by Portuguese slavers and brought to England where she is given a new name and a new religion. Indeed, for a long time Susan has no idea of her own or her mother’s birth-name.
When Susan falls pregnant with John Charlewood’s child, I’m sure I’m not the only reader to make a connection with recent events when Susan becomes dismayed at ‘folk speculating on what the child would look like, as if we were trying out some new recipe for syllabub rather than making a living person.’
The mystery of Susan’s cultural identity is exemplified by two treasured items given to her by her mother, the meaning of which she does not understand. As she observes, ‘Every message that came to me from my birth country was incomprehensible to me – a funeral service for a stranger sung in a foreign tongue‘. It’s no wonder then that Susan finds herself drawn to the mysterious Domingo who shares her African heritage.
The objects bequeathed by her mother are just another cipher to be unravelled and there are certainly plenty of those in the book. Having recently read The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, I was struck by the parallels between the women codebreakers of Bletchley Park during World War 2 and Susan’s fervent efforts to secretly decode the illicit messages received by her husband which she fears may threaten the safety of them all. Soon Susan finds herself trapped in a dilemma from which there appears no escape or right path, every choice seemingly involving a betrayal of someone she cares for or feels a loyalty toward.
No historical novel set in the Elizabethan era would be complete without spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham turning up at some point and A Book of Secrets does not disappoint in this respect. (For fans of Rory Clements’ John Shakespeare series, there’s even a – thankfully brief – appearance by his arch-enemy, Richard Topcliffe, the Queen’s torture-master.)
In the final part of the book, the author cleverly brings things full circle with Susan able to confidently state, ‘I am sure of myself and my place in the world’. As she reflects, ‘When I left I was a girl; a lover of stories, unworldly and green… I have done things my young self could never have imagined. I am a story myself’. And what a story she is! Plus, who can fail to fall in love with a character who is a frequent visitor to the booksellers of Paternoster Row and observes, ‘This was the London I wanted to live in, one where the walls and streets and the roofs were all built out of books and the roads paved with paper.’
The publishers describe A Book of Secrets as giving ‘a striking, compelling new perspective on the era, allowing one of the thousands of lost Elizabethan voices to speak out loud.’ Indeed, in her Author’s Note, Kate Morrison explains that one of her motivations for writing the novel was to challenge those who seek to perpetuate the myth of a ‘fantasy all-white English past’ when in fact there is plenty of historical evidence that many Africans lived and worked in Tudor England, married English people, and owned property. In creating the wonderful character of Susan Charlewood and telling her story so beautifully, I believe the author has certainly succeeded in this objective.
A Book of Secrets is a thrilling story of secrets and intrigue but also a revealing portrait of 16th century England that certainly made me reconsider some of my preconceptions about Elizabethan London and the people who inhabited it.
When Susan falls pregnant with John Charlewood’s child, I’m sure I’m not the only reader to make a connection with recent events when Susan becomes dismayed at ‘folk speculating on what the child would look like, as if we were trying out some new recipe for syllabub rather than making a living person.’
The mystery of Susan’s cultural identity is exemplified by two treasured items given to her by her mother, the meaning of which she does not understand. As she observes, ‘Every message that came to me from my birth country was incomprehensible to me – a funeral service for a stranger sung in a foreign tongue‘. It’s no wonder then that Susan finds herself drawn to the mysterious Domingo who shares her African heritage.
The objects bequeathed by her mother are just another cipher to be unravelled and there are certainly plenty of those in the book. Having recently read The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, I was struck by the parallels between the women codebreakers of Bletchley Park during World War 2 and Susan’s fervent efforts to secretly decode the illicit messages received by her husband which she fears may threaten the safety of them all. Soon Susan finds herself trapped in a dilemma from which there appears no escape or right path, every choice seemingly involving a betrayal of someone she cares for or feels a loyalty toward.
No historical novel set in the Elizabethan era would be complete without spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham turning up at some point and A Book of Secrets does not disappoint in this respect. (For fans of Rory Clements’ John Shakespeare series, there’s even a – thankfully brief – appearance by his arch-enemy, Richard Topcliffe, the Queen’s torture-master.)
In the final part of the book, the author cleverly brings things full circle with Susan able to confidently state, ‘I am sure of myself and my place in the world’. As she reflects, ‘When I left I was a girl; a lover of stories, unworldly and green… I have done things my young self could never have imagined. I am a story myself’. And what a story she is! Plus, who can fail to fall in love with a character who is a frequent visitor to the booksellers of Paternoster Row and observes, ‘This was the London I wanted to live in, one where the walls and streets and the roofs were all built out of books and the roads paved with paper.’
The publishers describe A Book of Secrets as giving ‘a striking, compelling new perspective on the era, allowing one of the thousands of lost Elizabethan voices to speak out loud.’ Indeed, in her Author’s Note, Kate Morrison explains that one of her motivations for writing the novel was to challenge those who seek to perpetuate the myth of a ‘fantasy all-white English past’ when in fact there is plenty of historical evidence that many Africans lived and worked in Tudor England, married English people, and owned property. In creating the wonderful character of Susan Charlewood and telling her story so beautifully, I believe the author has certainly succeeded in this objective.
A Book of Secrets is a thrilling story of secrets and intrigue but also a revealing portrait of 16th century England that certainly made me reconsider some of my preconceptions about Elizabethan London and the people who inhabited it.
July 19, 2021
Found this book difficult to rate, very good for a debut novel and the writing style is also very good. I have a lot of respect for author, spending 15 years writing this novel & it was also interesting to hear about how the slave trade in Guinea & Spain differed from the transatlantic slave trade, this version of it seemed much less horrific.
It would be good if the author also included some further historical information in the author's notes because I am sure people will have an ignorant view & think the transatlantic slave trade was as rosy as this. My other thought when reading this book was, were black people really treated as well as this in the UK in those days? I was thinking surely there would have been a lot more social stigma which did not come across in the book. But it seems like the author has done a lot of research herself and probably knows more than me.
I would say the writing style is 4.5 out of 5 but I am giving it a 3 because a black person's experience would not be as rosy as this in those days, I don't think.
It would be good if the author also included some further historical information in the author's notes because I am sure people will have an ignorant view & think the transatlantic slave trade was as rosy as this. My other thought when reading this book was, were black people really treated as well as this in the UK in those days? I was thinking surely there would have been a lot more social stigma which did not come across in the book. But it seems like the author has done a lot of research herself and probably knows more than me.
I would say the writing style is 4.5 out of 5 but I am giving it a 3 because a black person's experience would not be as rosy as this in those days, I don't think.
March 13, 2022
I am not a big reader of historical fiction, but something about this drew me in, it’s set in Elizabethan England, where Susan who was taken from Ghana as a child navigates a world of tension and division, religion being one of the largest causes of this, Susan is a servant in a Catholic household so we have priest holes, invisible ink and underground press, it was an interesting story. However I do have a few issues with this, given it’s a white author writing about a black character during a period of slavery, I’m not saying white authors can’t or shouldn’t be writing about black characters or history, (I am saying this as a white reader) I just think with the emphasis on own voices and the struggles black authors have in getting published whether writing about their own history or not, it just seems uncomfortable to me to have a white author telling you about black experiences. I like Kate Morrison as an author and this was a good book, I just don’t necessarily feel it was her story to tell, no amount of research can give you the experience of living a black life in white supremacy , wether present or history.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
April 20, 2021
Gobbled the first half of this in the sun today! It's set in Elizabethan England, where Susan navigates a fast moving world of religious tension and division. Susan is brilliant, brave and intelligent. There are priest holes, invisible ink and underground printing presses! I've been a sucker for anything Tudor my whole life and it's lush to read something with a bold and passionate woman at the centre...and not a historical figure who we are already familiar with. It's also powerful to finally see more stories that talk about the rich history of Black people in the UK. The research into things like the bronze items Susan inherits, and the printing presses her husband uses, is amazing. It's so compulsive - you want to read chapter after chapter!
August 5, 2020
4.5 stars
I can’t speak to representation in this book & I would love to see reviews from Ghanaian reviewers. It does appear as though Kate Morrison has done a lot of research, spoken to Black experts on this period and talks of taking her responsibility seriously to represent what we know about the experiences of Black Tudors and that her intention is to give lie to the racist myth of an all-white British history in this period. I can’t speak as to whether she succeeded.
I would love to read historical fiction set in this period about Black Tudors by a Black author - I couldn’t find any in my rudimentary research but I will definitely keep looking as I believe reading own voices work is incredibly important.
In terms of my personal enjoyment of story, plot & writing I found this book very enjoyable. The plot was fast-paced and engaging, even gripping at points. It feels in the vein of Philippa Gregory type historical fiction with a female protagonist who fights the barriers she faces with her wits and endures through adversity.
CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THIS BOOK (in case anyone needs them - this may not be exhaustive as I’m just doing this from memory so apologies if I miss anything): miscarriage, infant death, threat of group sexual assault (no assault takes place), murder, stabbing, graphic descriptions of a man being hung, drawn & quartered, sickness, family member death, slavery, racial microaggressions, racial slurs (historical ones), misogynistic slurs & graphic insults
I can’t speak to representation in this book & I would love to see reviews from Ghanaian reviewers. It does appear as though Kate Morrison has done a lot of research, spoken to Black experts on this period and talks of taking her responsibility seriously to represent what we know about the experiences of Black Tudors and that her intention is to give lie to the racist myth of an all-white British history in this period. I can’t speak as to whether she succeeded.
I would love to read historical fiction set in this period about Black Tudors by a Black author - I couldn’t find any in my rudimentary research but I will definitely keep looking as I believe reading own voices work is incredibly important.
In terms of my personal enjoyment of story, plot & writing I found this book very enjoyable. The plot was fast-paced and engaging, even gripping at points. It feels in the vein of Philippa Gregory type historical fiction with a female protagonist who fights the barriers she faces with her wits and endures through adversity.
CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THIS BOOK (in case anyone needs them - this may not be exhaustive as I’m just doing this from memory so apologies if I miss anything): miscarriage, infant death, threat of group sexual assault (no assault takes place), murder, stabbing, graphic descriptions of a man being hung, drawn & quartered, sickness, family member death, slavery, racial microaggressions, racial slurs (historical ones), misogynistic slurs & graphic insults
April 1, 2021
This is the story of Nsowah, born in Ghana during the Elizabethan period, taken from her home country as a baby along with her mother and brother by Portuguese Slavers who are unaware that Nsowah’s mother is a Princess and Royalty in her own country. When the ship that they are in is attacked by the English, Nsowah and her mother are taken and transported to England, separated from her brother. Nsowah and her mother are given to a family as servants, converted to Christianity by their new owners and their names are changed so Nsowah is given the name Susan. At the age of 3 Susan’s mother dies and she is raised by Kate the housekeeper as well as by her Master and Mistress who treat her like their own daughter. She is raised alongside their own daughter Anne and is raised as a secret Catholic as they too are hiding their true beliefs. They ensure that she is educated alongside their daughter Anne, becoming an accomplished young woman and is treated more like a member of the family than a servant. But the Mistress’ opinion towards her changes after Anne dies and when the Master’s secret is discovered he wants to ensure that Susan is safe, arranging her marriage to John Charlewood a London Printer who is much older than her to ensure her safety. Once married Susan becomes the Mistress of a household in her own right. So begins Susan’s journey as a wife, mother, Mistress of a household and partner in her husband’s printing business, bringing with it its own challenges which Susan faces with calm and grace. When Susan is arrested for treason and tortured her true strength of character shines through.
I immensely enjoyed this book and you could tell from the care that had been put into it that the author had done in depth research into the time period that the book is based. One of the reasons I asked to take part in this blog tour was because it looked and sounded different to anything I’d read before in the historical genre. The first factor that drew me to this book was that the main character was a person of colour in Tudor times. I have often wondered what roles people of black heritage would have played during Tudor times (and not just as servants) as there are very little books that I have seen that dealt with this subject so this gave me a brilliant insight. Although this is a work of fiction at times I forgot that Susan was not based on a real character and her story I can imagine is a true reflection of what a woman of black heritage may have gone through during these times. Religion and belief play a big part of the story as it would have done at this time when following your true beliefs could have led to you being arrested and punished for treason.
Another thing I liked about this book was that it wasn’t heavy to read like some historical fiction books can be so it was easy to imagine Susan’s life and everything that she went through. I also love the cover of this book which is utterly stunning.
If you enjoy historical fiction filled with secrets, mystery and intrigue this is the book you’ll want to read.
I received a gifted copy for an honest review.
I immensely enjoyed this book and you could tell from the care that had been put into it that the author had done in depth research into the time period that the book is based. One of the reasons I asked to take part in this blog tour was because it looked and sounded different to anything I’d read before in the historical genre. The first factor that drew me to this book was that the main character was a person of colour in Tudor times. I have often wondered what roles people of black heritage would have played during Tudor times (and not just as servants) as there are very little books that I have seen that dealt with this subject so this gave me a brilliant insight. Although this is a work of fiction at times I forgot that Susan was not based on a real character and her story I can imagine is a true reflection of what a woman of black heritage may have gone through during these times. Religion and belief play a big part of the story as it would have done at this time when following your true beliefs could have led to you being arrested and punished for treason.
Another thing I liked about this book was that it wasn’t heavy to read like some historical fiction books can be so it was easy to imagine Susan’s life and everything that she went through. I also love the cover of this book which is utterly stunning.
If you enjoy historical fiction filled with secrets, mystery and intrigue this is the book you’ll want to read.
I received a gifted copy for an honest review.
November 28, 2021
his is such a brilliant historical novel that I just couldn’t put it down from the very first page! When she was just a baby Nsowah, her mother and her older brother are taken from their home in Ghana, known then as Guinea, and sold to families in Europe. Separated from her brother, Nsowah and her mother end up in England where they are sold to a Catholic family who raise Nsowah, or Susan as she becomes known, well alongside their own child. But the family’s Catholic background is at odds with the world of Elizabethan Protestant England and when tragedy strikes the household, Susan has little choice than to leave the home she grew up in and marry a Catholic man in London.
This is such a wonderful and detailed story which was so compelling from the start. In the prologue we get a glimpse of Susan/Nsowah’s life before her family was taken from their home in Africa. After that the story follows Susan’s life as she first grows up in a Catholic household, before moving on to her life being married in Tudor London and the difficulties that come from living as a Catholic in the relatively new protestant England, as well as the difficulties faced with living life as a blackamoor (black) woman. I loved this story of Susan’s life and how we learn what it could have been like for some black people to live in the sixteenth century.
The story has a lot happening, too much to fit into this review but it’s when she moves to London and marries John Charlewood, a printer, that the real story begins. The life of a printer’s wife isn’t easy, it’s below the rank that Susan used to have and she has to get used to not only the everyday working of the printing business, but also the difficulties that come from being a blackamoor and the sometimes rude or racist remarks and behaviours that others have towards her. The Charlewood’s are secretly Catholic and John’s business has a hidden press in the home that prints out illegal Catholic literature in the hopes of converting the country and Queen. But the work is difficult and there are lots of secrets and codes and the household faces the constant danger of being discovered.
I loved Susan’s character and the way she handled everything that happened to her. There are lots of exciting and interesting moments and also difficult ones too. There are some tragedies that happen, including one to do with a child, which leave you feeling so emotional, the descriptions really driving you into the grief and despair that Susan had at certain moments of her life. As I said a lot happens in the story, it spans quite a few years, but despite all the difficult things that happen throughout her life, Susan is a strong character and one that I really enjoyed reading. She doesn’t let what happens beat her and is resilient despite so much hardship.
I loved how the relationships developed between the different characters especially Susan’s relationships with Domingo and Rob. There are some interesting revelations and although I did sort of guess one thing that would happen with one character, given a line at the start of the book, I didn’t know how this story would actually play out and in the end end I’m pleased with all that happened and how it finished.
The book has some lovely descriptions and is just so compelling to read. I constantly felt like I was in Tudor England and feeling Susan’s emotions along with her as she narrated her story. The tale goes from the start of her life, briefly as a baby, to a time when things are settling down and she has been married for some time. I like how everything worked out and the way the story ends hinting at what will happen in the future for her and her family. I love how Tudor England was shown, in all its wonder and unpleasantness including the descriptions of some of smells, not all nice! I also loved the story that developed around Susan seeking out her family and her origins back in Guinea, and how she fought to know and keep the knowledge of her roots going.
The book has a few distressing moments. There are mentions of death including infant death which is described in some detail that is meant to make you feel emotional though I know it may be tough for some people to read. There is also some violence although this was less the gory sort and more shocking given we are reading from Susan’s point of view. There is, as mentioned before, some racism and the story does focus sometimes on the slave trade of the sixteenth century. There is also some swearing in the book, though not very frequent, with some uses of the f and even c word.
At the back of the book there are author notes which are important to read as you learn just how much this story is based in reality versus fiction. I like how Susan is a fictional charcter but could so easily be real and I enjoyed how real events and people were weaved into the story. I also felt I recognised the Charlewood name (I’m a bit of a Tudor history fan) and it was fun to find out he was a real person! The story was sensitively written and I love how it shows such a different side to life in the sixteenth century, where our history wasn’t just all white and despite the obvious horrible slave trade, some black people were able, to an extent, to thrive.
Overall this is such an amazing novel and one that I would recommend to anyone especially if you enjoy Tudor history! It’s such a wonderful story and so well written that I felt I was really living in Tudor England and feeling all that Susan felt. The descriptions are so wonderful and detailed, giving you a real impression of the sights, sounds and smells of the place, and I love how this book just sucked me into the story so well and wouldn’t let me pause for breath. After finishing the book I just want to read it again, and I’m going to say it’s one of my favourites from this year! It’s a great book to show what life was really like in Tudor England and with a great and strong female character.
-Thanks to Jacaranda Books for a free copy for review.
This is such a wonderful and detailed story which was so compelling from the start. In the prologue we get a glimpse of Susan/Nsowah’s life before her family was taken from their home in Africa. After that the story follows Susan’s life as she first grows up in a Catholic household, before moving on to her life being married in Tudor London and the difficulties that come from living as a Catholic in the relatively new protestant England, as well as the difficulties faced with living life as a blackamoor (black) woman. I loved this story of Susan’s life and how we learn what it could have been like for some black people to live in the sixteenth century.
The story has a lot happening, too much to fit into this review but it’s when she moves to London and marries John Charlewood, a printer, that the real story begins. The life of a printer’s wife isn’t easy, it’s below the rank that Susan used to have and she has to get used to not only the everyday working of the printing business, but also the difficulties that come from being a blackamoor and the sometimes rude or racist remarks and behaviours that others have towards her. The Charlewood’s are secretly Catholic and John’s business has a hidden press in the home that prints out illegal Catholic literature in the hopes of converting the country and Queen. But the work is difficult and there are lots of secrets and codes and the household faces the constant danger of being discovered.
I loved Susan’s character and the way she handled everything that happened to her. There are lots of exciting and interesting moments and also difficult ones too. There are some tragedies that happen, including one to do with a child, which leave you feeling so emotional, the descriptions really driving you into the grief and despair that Susan had at certain moments of her life. As I said a lot happens in the story, it spans quite a few years, but despite all the difficult things that happen throughout her life, Susan is a strong character and one that I really enjoyed reading. She doesn’t let what happens beat her and is resilient despite so much hardship.
I loved how the relationships developed between the different characters especially Susan’s relationships with Domingo and Rob. There are some interesting revelations and although I did sort of guess one thing that would happen with one character, given a line at the start of the book, I didn’t know how this story would actually play out and in the end end I’m pleased with all that happened and how it finished.
The book has some lovely descriptions and is just so compelling to read. I constantly felt like I was in Tudor England and feeling Susan’s emotions along with her as she narrated her story. The tale goes from the start of her life, briefly as a baby, to a time when things are settling down and she has been married for some time. I like how everything worked out and the way the story ends hinting at what will happen in the future for her and her family. I love how Tudor England was shown, in all its wonder and unpleasantness including the descriptions of some of smells, not all nice! I also loved the story that developed around Susan seeking out her family and her origins back in Guinea, and how she fought to know and keep the knowledge of her roots going.
The book has a few distressing moments. There are mentions of death including infant death which is described in some detail that is meant to make you feel emotional though I know it may be tough for some people to read. There is also some violence although this was less the gory sort and more shocking given we are reading from Susan’s point of view. There is, as mentioned before, some racism and the story does focus sometimes on the slave trade of the sixteenth century. There is also some swearing in the book, though not very frequent, with some uses of the f and even c word.
At the back of the book there are author notes which are important to read as you learn just how much this story is based in reality versus fiction. I like how Susan is a fictional charcter but could so easily be real and I enjoyed how real events and people were weaved into the story. I also felt I recognised the Charlewood name (I’m a bit of a Tudor history fan) and it was fun to find out he was a real person! The story was sensitively written and I love how it shows such a different side to life in the sixteenth century, where our history wasn’t just all white and despite the obvious horrible slave trade, some black people were able, to an extent, to thrive.
Overall this is such an amazing novel and one that I would recommend to anyone especially if you enjoy Tudor history! It’s such a wonderful story and so well written that I felt I was really living in Tudor England and feeling all that Susan felt. The descriptions are so wonderful and detailed, giving you a real impression of the sights, sounds and smells of the place, and I love how this book just sucked me into the story so well and wouldn’t let me pause for breath. After finishing the book I just want to read it again, and I’m going to say it’s one of my favourites from this year! It’s a great book to show what life was really like in Tudor England and with a great and strong female character.
-Thanks to Jacaranda Books for a free copy for review.
March 27, 2021
The beginning of the novel quickly establishes the fact that this book is about search for identity, and a journey of self discovery. I was pulled in straight away and completely sympathised with, and felt invested in the character of Susan. She is a brave, resilient character who faces a number of challenges throughout the book.
“Loyalty, love, silence and secrets were all sewn up in the secrets of my heart, and so it has been all my life.”
I love this quote as it highlighted to me the commentary that the book provides on religion during a time of great religious tension in England. Susan is a black Catholic at a time when both are a massive disadvantage and her position became quite a dangerous position to be in in England, which definitely added to the overall tension and gripping nature of this book.
“Women are always less likely to be suspected of plots, intelligencing and secret work, and that is a great advantage.”
This quote highlights the theme of treatment and perception of women, which is explored in quite a lot of detail in the book. I particularly found it interesting how Susan is reminded on a number of occasions of the idea that a woman should or must change themselves in order to avoid danger, gossip or harm, and this really resonated with me due to the current media attention of this issue following the Sarah Everard case.
“This was the London I wanted to live in, one where the walls and the streets and the roofs were all built out of books, and the roads paved with paper”
The book also warns against the dangers of a colonial ideology and rhetoric. The author gives Susan a voice in this story, and in many ways places her at the centre of it. Therefore, the author is giving her the loudest voice in the book, and from that we are able to see things from her perspective with such clarity, that we become quite angered and insulted by her treatment on account of her race and skin colour, as well as her gender.
I have to say that during reading this, I sometimes forgot this was a fiction book. It resonated so deeply within me, and Susan’s voice became so real to me, whilst the overall writing felt so honest and authentic, that I sometimes believed myself to be reading a memoir. This is definitely testament to the writer’s skill of providing a character driven story that still has so many overarching themes that hold a mirror up to the conditions of our past and present society.
Overall, this has been an all-consuming and thought provoking story, that I have found heartbreaking at times. I think this book has so many outstanding elements relating to contemporary fiction, historical fiction, and domestic drama, that it is difficult to put, as I usually would, a straight forward recommendation. Instead, I am putting forward the view that this is such an important and informative book, that it should be on everyone’s shelf.
“Loyalty, love, silence and secrets were all sewn up in the secrets of my heart, and so it has been all my life.”
I love this quote as it highlighted to me the commentary that the book provides on religion during a time of great religious tension in England. Susan is a black Catholic at a time when both are a massive disadvantage and her position became quite a dangerous position to be in in England, which definitely added to the overall tension and gripping nature of this book.
“Women are always less likely to be suspected of plots, intelligencing and secret work, and that is a great advantage.”
This quote highlights the theme of treatment and perception of women, which is explored in quite a lot of detail in the book. I particularly found it interesting how Susan is reminded on a number of occasions of the idea that a woman should or must change themselves in order to avoid danger, gossip or harm, and this really resonated with me due to the current media attention of this issue following the Sarah Everard case.
“This was the London I wanted to live in, one where the walls and the streets and the roofs were all built out of books, and the roads paved with paper”
The book also warns against the dangers of a colonial ideology and rhetoric. The author gives Susan a voice in this story, and in many ways places her at the centre of it. Therefore, the author is giving her the loudest voice in the book, and from that we are able to see things from her perspective with such clarity, that we become quite angered and insulted by her treatment on account of her race and skin colour, as well as her gender.
I have to say that during reading this, I sometimes forgot this was a fiction book. It resonated so deeply within me, and Susan’s voice became so real to me, whilst the overall writing felt so honest and authentic, that I sometimes believed myself to be reading a memoir. This is definitely testament to the writer’s skill of providing a character driven story that still has so many overarching themes that hold a mirror up to the conditions of our past and present society.
Overall, this has been an all-consuming and thought provoking story, that I have found heartbreaking at times. I think this book has so many outstanding elements relating to contemporary fiction, historical fiction, and domestic drama, that it is difficult to put, as I usually would, a straight forward recommendation. Instead, I am putting forward the view that this is such an important and informative book, that it should be on everyone’s shelf.
March 31, 2021
I read A Book of Secrets as part of a blog tour, organised by Random Things. I received a free copy of the hardcover.
This isn’t my usual reading matter. I think it’s interesting, but tales involving slavery tend to make me feel bad more often than they offer the escapism I’m after in a novel. But this… Wow.
This is a fascinating tale.
I understand and agree with concerns about cultural appropriation, but this work is so seriously and methodically detailed – it’s obvious the author has done copious research and presents as factual a tale as possible. Merging fiction with recorded history, A Book of Secrets is a tale of a life transplanted more than a treatise on abhorrent historical events. Ms Morrison doesn’t shy away, but it’s not a focus of the book.
Susan is the focus. And she’s fascinating.
Narrated by Susan, A Book of Secrets takes us into her world, her brain and heart, as one of the few black women in Elizabethan England. The constant stares, the unwelcome touching to see if she’s real, the misunderstandings and gossip continually flowing around her; Ms Morrison takes us straight there.
Arriving in England as a baby stolen from her native land, rechristened Susan and living as companion to a rich man’s child, Susan’s life is one of wealth and privilege. Until religious politics bring down her home and an arranged marriage begins her new life – one of subterfuge, lies, and punishment.
Ms Morrison’s Susan is stronger than she knows, yet at the same time, innocent and naïve. We see the world through her eyes; experiencing her present and imagining her past, we feel her joy and pain. A Book of Secrets is beautifully written.
“The Book of Secrets is a masterful piece of storytelling that draws you into a Tudor London you won’t have visited before. Susan’s quest to find security, happiness, and discover her true identity intrigues the reader from the start, has us rooting for her through her gripping adventures and leaves us wanting more.”
— Miranda Kaufmann, author of Black Tudors
Evocative, turbulent, and inspirational, A Book of Secrets will stay with you a long time.
This isn’t my usual reading matter. I think it’s interesting, but tales involving slavery tend to make me feel bad more often than they offer the escapism I’m after in a novel. But this… Wow.
This is a fascinating tale.
I understand and agree with concerns about cultural appropriation, but this work is so seriously and methodically detailed – it’s obvious the author has done copious research and presents as factual a tale as possible. Merging fiction with recorded history, A Book of Secrets is a tale of a life transplanted more than a treatise on abhorrent historical events. Ms Morrison doesn’t shy away, but it’s not a focus of the book.
Susan is the focus. And she’s fascinating.
Narrated by Susan, A Book of Secrets takes us into her world, her brain and heart, as one of the few black women in Elizabethan England. The constant stares, the unwelcome touching to see if she’s real, the misunderstandings and gossip continually flowing around her; Ms Morrison takes us straight there.
Arriving in England as a baby stolen from her native land, rechristened Susan and living as companion to a rich man’s child, Susan’s life is one of wealth and privilege. Until religious politics bring down her home and an arranged marriage begins her new life – one of subterfuge, lies, and punishment.
Ms Morrison’s Susan is stronger than she knows, yet at the same time, innocent and naïve. We see the world through her eyes; experiencing her present and imagining her past, we feel her joy and pain. A Book of Secrets is beautifully written.
“The Book of Secrets is a masterful piece of storytelling that draws you into a Tudor London you won’t have visited before. Susan’s quest to find security, happiness, and discover her true identity intrigues the reader from the start, has us rooting for her through her gripping adventures and leaves us wanting more.”
— Miranda Kaufmann, author of Black Tudors
Evocative, turbulent, and inspirational, A Book of Secrets will stay with you a long time.
April 1, 2021
This book educated me in such an enchanting way.
I will admit to having not read a large volume of literature about the Tudor era. However, this book cut through society's assumptions of the era completely. There tends to be this idea that black history began when slavery in the United States and Europe took place. A Book of Secrets served as a striking reminder that this simply is not the case.
Built upon factual information and events, the story provided a (shamefully) new perspective on the Tudor era we are taught in schools in Britain and I appreciated having a front row seat to an alternative, more realistic version of history. Morrison has made the case for the history taught in our schools to be more holistic much stronger with this debut.
The language and writing style used are stunning and the plot was borderline thriller-like with some heart-thumping moments and clever twists. I loved the entire underground Catholic letters storyline and the whole process was unique, fascinating and surprisingly easy to understand given my extensive lack of knowledge on the subject.
There were also some truly heartbreaking moments throughout, made all the more so by the instant and strong connection made between the reader and Susan. The most gut-wrenching yet beautiful element of the story for me was the theme of belonging. Taken from her homeland of Guinea (as it would have been then) as a baby, Susan's constant struggle with her identity through her love for her master, his family, and later her own family contrasted with the desperation to find her birth-brother was beautifully and realistically portrayed. So much so that I felt it mirrored modern-day literature written by those in a similar position, serving as a reminder to us all to be welcoming and kind to those who have chosen to make our country their home.
A beautiful story full of both life and historical lessons that a great number of British readers would be much richer in knowledge for delving into.
I will admit to having not read a large volume of literature about the Tudor era. However, this book cut through society's assumptions of the era completely. There tends to be this idea that black history began when slavery in the United States and Europe took place. A Book of Secrets served as a striking reminder that this simply is not the case.
Built upon factual information and events, the story provided a (shamefully) new perspective on the Tudor era we are taught in schools in Britain and I appreciated having a front row seat to an alternative, more realistic version of history. Morrison has made the case for the history taught in our schools to be more holistic much stronger with this debut.
The language and writing style used are stunning and the plot was borderline thriller-like with some heart-thumping moments and clever twists. I loved the entire underground Catholic letters storyline and the whole process was unique, fascinating and surprisingly easy to understand given my extensive lack of knowledge on the subject.
There were also some truly heartbreaking moments throughout, made all the more so by the instant and strong connection made between the reader and Susan. The most gut-wrenching yet beautiful element of the story for me was the theme of belonging. Taken from her homeland of Guinea (as it would have been then) as a baby, Susan's constant struggle with her identity through her love for her master, his family, and later her own family contrasted with the desperation to find her birth-brother was beautifully and realistically portrayed. So much so that I felt it mirrored modern-day literature written by those in a similar position, serving as a reminder to us all to be welcoming and kind to those who have chosen to make our country their home.
A beautiful story full of both life and historical lessons that a great number of British readers would be much richer in knowledge for delving into.
April 3, 2021
In 1580 Susan Charlewood left her home in the Sussex countryside, where she had been a maid and companion to the daughter of Sir Thomas Framfield, to make a Catholic marriage with, John Charlewood, a man she had little knowledge of, but who promised her a decent life. However, this was not the first significant change in Susan’s life as she had arrived in England in 1562 as a babe in her mother’s arms, forcibly taken by Portuguese slavers from her home in Guinea, West Africa, and taken to this cold English place where both her birth name and cultural history were taken from her.
Intricately written, and well researched, A Book of Secrets is an interesting look at what it was like to be different in Elizabethan England when political turmoil was rife and religious persecution against Catholics was a significant threat. There’s a definite air of menace which runs throughout the story and which highlights just how dangerous a time it was to have strong beliefs which put you at the mercy of unscrupulous men. Susan and John Charlewood carried their own hidden secrets but as their troubled stories emerge so the cracks both in their relationship and individual lives brings them to the attention of the Queen’s intelligencers. To be different, and a Catholic, in Elizabethan England was to walk along a dangerous path, especially if, like John and Susan Charlewood, you owned a printing press, had strong views and weren't afraid to get involved in religious politics.
A Book of Secrets has a strong historical authenticity which makes time and places scarily realistic. However, make no mistake this is definitely Susan's story and as we sympathise with her emotional struggles, desperately yearning, as she does, to find details of her proud West African heritage, so we also come to hope that her complicated story would finally reach the resolution she deserved.
Intricately written, and well researched, A Book of Secrets is an interesting look at what it was like to be different in Elizabethan England when political turmoil was rife and religious persecution against Catholics was a significant threat. There’s a definite air of menace which runs throughout the story and which highlights just how dangerous a time it was to have strong beliefs which put you at the mercy of unscrupulous men. Susan and John Charlewood carried their own hidden secrets but as their troubled stories emerge so the cracks both in their relationship and individual lives brings them to the attention of the Queen’s intelligencers. To be different, and a Catholic, in Elizabethan England was to walk along a dangerous path, especially if, like John and Susan Charlewood, you owned a printing press, had strong views and weren't afraid to get involved in religious politics.
A Book of Secrets has a strong historical authenticity which makes time and places scarily realistic. However, make no mistake this is definitely Susan's story and as we sympathise with her emotional struggles, desperately yearning, as she does, to find details of her proud West African heritage, so we also come to hope that her complicated story would finally reach the resolution she deserved.
July 19, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this historical novel set in 1590s London which follows the fortunes of Susan, a young woman kidnapped by early slavers from her home in Guinea, West Africa. Susan is marginalised in a number of ways: she's a woman, she's black, and she's a Catholic at a time when England's Protestant state had outlawed the faith. She also has an uncertain social status, having been a lady's maid but also treated like a daughter by the family she was 'gifted' to, and then married to a prosperous printer, in charge of her household. She is a compelling character conveyed with great depth, bravely printing banned works and risking her life in the process. The plot deftly weaves a mystery about Susan's family, Spanish plots to topple Elizabeth I, intrigue and spies. It's a gripping story and also extremely moving. I found the prose sumptuous and the period powerfully evoked. Very much looking forward to the author's next book!
April 15, 2022
This is a neat, fast paced historical fiction book that has many things going, but unfortunatelly I must admit that at all times I just felt something vital was missing. It was only after I had finished I realized that all of the themes, relationships and situations deserved a more thorough exploration, because they are genuinely interesting and cleverly put together. Readers coming to this book should also note that even though the main protagonist is a black woman, the colour of her skin and the question of race is not the main point of the whole thing - which is completely OK, especially since the book is told from her own point of view and I somehow got a feeling that even though the discrimnation was present, she was simply focused on other, more pressing issues (cause boy, she did have some, mostly religious and with men). Just so you know what to expect.
April 7, 2021
This stunning historical fiction novel features a strong young woman. Taken from her birth country as a baby, Susan initially grows up as the companion for a young lady before tragic events change the course of her life again. Having been secretly brought up in the Catholic faith, she finds herself in London, helping a printer produce illegal documents supporting the Catholic faith, whilst searching for the brother she thought had died years earlier.
This book is beautifully written, bringing to life an era where secrets were kept to protect lives and religious beliefs. Quickly I was hooked into the story, as Susan dealt with the many challenges in her life. Having grown up in a manor house in the country, we find out how different living in London is for her.
Susan has to keep adapting to her different roles and to deal with her losses. Having the house searched for ‘illegal’ printing, the threat of torture and public execution and having to pretend to follow a different religion were a daily occurrence for Susan.
This is a no spoiler review, so I’m going to avoid discussing any more of the story. However, this is a book I’m happy to recommend to readers who enjoy historical fiction (although you may prefer to skip a couple of pages about the public executions if you are squeamish). This is a cracking debut novel, full of detail and emotion and I look forward to reading more from Kate Morrison in the future.
This book is beautifully written, bringing to life an era where secrets were kept to protect lives and religious beliefs. Quickly I was hooked into the story, as Susan dealt with the many challenges in her life. Having grown up in a manor house in the country, we find out how different living in London is for her.
Susan has to keep adapting to her different roles and to deal with her losses. Having the house searched for ‘illegal’ printing, the threat of torture and public execution and having to pretend to follow a different religion were a daily occurrence for Susan.
This is a no spoiler review, so I’m going to avoid discussing any more of the story. However, this is a book I’m happy to recommend to readers who enjoy historical fiction (although you may prefer to skip a couple of pages about the public executions if you are squeamish). This is a cracking debut novel, full of detail and emotion and I look forward to reading more from Kate Morrison in the future.
March 30, 2021
Firstly how absolutely stunning is the cover of this book. It's beautiful!
Gripping me from the first few pages. This was an intriguing, complex and well researched storyline. Although a book of fiction - there is a story to be told through it's pages - on being a black Catholic in 15th Century. History portrays an almost 'white' population in England and this certainly wasn't the case. It was easy to forget that I was reading a fictional story.
The character of Susan drew me in instantly and I was completely enthralled by her. I found this a fascinating and educational read. A must for lovers historical fiction. A fabulous debut.
Gripping me from the first few pages. This was an intriguing, complex and well researched storyline. Although a book of fiction - there is a story to be told through it's pages - on being a black Catholic in 15th Century. History portrays an almost 'white' population in England and this certainly wasn't the case. It was easy to forget that I was reading a fictional story.
The character of Susan drew me in instantly and I was completely enthralled by her. I found this a fascinating and educational read. A must for lovers historical fiction. A fabulous debut.
February 18, 2022
I think it's an incredible story about the life of an Ghanaian woman in England facing lost of challenges. One of which includes being told your baby was a miss carry because you are black and the man is white while grieving the death of a baby. I most certainly recommend this book because the imagery and connotations used throughout the book to make you feel like you're there. As well as, the compelling storyline which will make you cry.
December 28, 2023
Was excited about this book that took me about a year to track down. It started strong, but ended on a fairly absurd note. The main character being Black in Elizabethan England could have been a fascinating bit of history, but was shallow and almost incidental to the story. Don’t recommend.
March 25, 2021
This is a phenomenal read, my review is on my blog, https://thefallenlibrarian.wordpress....
July 18, 2021
A pleasure to read this original and thought-provoking novel about a lesser-known piece of social history.
September 15, 2025
What an amazing book. Such a fresh subject matter and so beautifully written. Definitely recommend.
October 9, 2023
Full points to Kate Morrison for an imaginative story in an unlikely time and setting as a freed slave girl comes of age.
Throw into Tudor England a few spies trying to eek out secret Catholics and clandestine printing press in a hidden basement cranking out pro Catholic material and there's a great outline for a gripping story.. oh, plus there's even space for a nod to marriage, Angst and love.
Throw into Tudor England a few spies trying to eek out secret Catholics and clandestine printing press in a hidden basement cranking out pro Catholic material and there's a great outline for a gripping story.. oh, plus there's even space for a nod to marriage, Angst and love.
December 30, 2024
Fabulous. I loved this book. I'm not really a fan of historical novels, but this kept me turning the pages.
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