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Wild
Jonathan Wild knows power like no one else in London. He arrived as a wide-eyed young man in 1703, dazzled by a metropolis brimming with trade, immigration and crime. With a combination of greed, arrogance and ambition, Wild stopped at nothing to secure his place in this great and monstrous London and within a few years, he became the city’s Thief-Taker General, one of the most feared and wealthy officials in town, charged with the capture and arrest of felons for reward. But his power is matched only by the number of enemies he’s made along the way, and his star is burning rather too brightly for the likings of some.
Daniel Defoe is in trouble. Following a series of failed business ventures, the renowned pamphleteer, fiction writer and political operative is dead broke. With his creditors at his heels, and facing debtors’ prison, Defoe is too crippled with anxiety to write. That is, until he visits Newgate Prison with the intention of chronicling the stories of its inmates, and meets a young man with a deep hatred for Jonathan Wild and a story to tell.
WILD is a delightfully outrageous period drama that charts the rise and fall and rise again of two men whose lives become intertwined in the most surprising of ways.
Daniel Defoe is in trouble. Following a series of failed business ventures, the renowned pamphleteer, fiction writer and political operative is dead broke. With his creditors at his heels, and facing debtors’ prison, Defoe is too crippled with anxiety to write. That is, until he visits Newgate Prison with the intention of chronicling the stories of its inmates, and meets a young man with a deep hatred for Jonathan Wild and a story to tell.
WILD is a delightfully outrageous period drama that charts the rise and fall and rise again of two men whose lives become intertwined in the most surprising of ways.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 3, 2019
2 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 28, 2021
A fantastic romp. Brilliantly written with clever dialogue. Highly recommended.
October 8, 2019
Had me laughing out loud and squirming at the grotesquely vivid descriptions of London in the 1700s. Found it hard to put down, especially in the second part.
October 26, 2019
A massive thank you to Penguin Random House for sending me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!
Initial Thoughts Upon Finishing
Honestly, this was freaking fabulous. I am SO pleased that I decided to read it. Besser has had a wild time (pun intended) putting together this faux memoir and it's a good laugh. It's also a fascinating look into 18th century London, right on the turn of the century and all the grossness that that includes. I shall begin my crusade of recommending this to absolutely everyone.
Wild
This book is so different from anything else I've read. The author came across the historical figure of Jonathan Wild whilst researching something else entirely. He was a footnote in this other narrative, but a footnote that drew Besser's attention and resulted in Wild.
Wild is a fascinating character whose lack of love in his childhood seemed to propel him towards a selfish life. From a young age, he learns how to get what he wants and how to step on others to make sure he gets there. He's an incredibly ambitious and cunning character who is both destable and desperately interesting.
We follow Wild's life as he changes jobs, falls in love and becomes the Thief-Taker General in London. This is accompanied by not only Wild's narrative, but that of another character who adds a bit more depth to the story called Daniel DeFoe. It's a very dreary and depressing picture painted of 18th century London but one that is made even more fascinating by the unexpected ways these desperate men will find ways to survive life.
Why I Liked It
The thing that really got me with this book was how fun it was to read. I wasn't sure what I was expecting - in some ways I had, for no good reason, painted a picture of this being a Robin Hood story in my mind. I can assure you that it is not. Despite all the Robin Hood gifs I'm using.
This is a well-written tale of two men down on their luck whose stories intertwine and all the exciting misadventures they get up to. We meet infamous villains, inspiring prostitutes, unctious lords and povertised civilians. Between DeFoe and Wild, the stage is set for drama as the reader is equally thrilled and horrified at how low Wild will stoop for a coin and at how the hopeless ideas DeFoe conjures to earn money are.
There is so much thieving, conniving and evil plotting in these pages to keep anyone entertained. It's a story about a bad person parading as a good one and getting away with it, and whenever is that not thrilling?
Summary
I would recommend this book to a wide sweep of people. If you like historical fiction, then you'll enjoy the grimy setting of 18th century London. If you enjoy a mystery, you'll delight at the unexpected twists and turns Wild takes to achieve his selfish goals. If you enjoy a contemporary, you'll love the relationships that haphazardly present themselves in these pages. In short, this is a damn good book and wholly unexpected.
Happy reading!
Initial Thoughts Upon Finishing
Honestly, this was freaking fabulous. I am SO pleased that I decided to read it. Besser has had a wild time (pun intended) putting together this faux memoir and it's a good laugh. It's also a fascinating look into 18th century London, right on the turn of the century and all the grossness that that includes. I shall begin my crusade of recommending this to absolutely everyone.
Wild
This book is so different from anything else I've read. The author came across the historical figure of Jonathan Wild whilst researching something else entirely. He was a footnote in this other narrative, but a footnote that drew Besser's attention and resulted in Wild.
Wild is a fascinating character whose lack of love in his childhood seemed to propel him towards a selfish life. From a young age, he learns how to get what he wants and how to step on others to make sure he gets there. He's an incredibly ambitious and cunning character who is both destable and desperately interesting.
We follow Wild's life as he changes jobs, falls in love and becomes the Thief-Taker General in London. This is accompanied by not only Wild's narrative, but that of another character who adds a bit more depth to the story called Daniel DeFoe. It's a very dreary and depressing picture painted of 18th century London but one that is made even more fascinating by the unexpected ways these desperate men will find ways to survive life.
Why I Liked It
The thing that really got me with this book was how fun it was to read. I wasn't sure what I was expecting - in some ways I had, for no good reason, painted a picture of this being a Robin Hood story in my mind. I can assure you that it is not. Despite all the Robin Hood gifs I'm using.
This is a well-written tale of two men down on their luck whose stories intertwine and all the exciting misadventures they get up to. We meet infamous villains, inspiring prostitutes, unctious lords and povertised civilians. Between DeFoe and Wild, the stage is set for drama as the reader is equally thrilled and horrified at how low Wild will stoop for a coin and at how the hopeless ideas DeFoe conjures to earn money are.
There is so much thieving, conniving and evil plotting in these pages to keep anyone entertained. It's a story about a bad person parading as a good one and getting away with it, and whenever is that not thrilling?
Summary
I would recommend this book to a wide sweep of people. If you like historical fiction, then you'll enjoy the grimy setting of 18th century London. If you enjoy a mystery, you'll delight at the unexpected twists and turns Wild takes to achieve his selfish goals. If you enjoy a contemporary, you'll love the relationships that haphazardly present themselves in these pages. In short, this is a damn good book and wholly unexpected.
Happy reading!
September 23, 2019
In 2019 the gap between rich and poor is wider than ever, whistle blowers are punished for telling the truth and we are still being governed by thief takers and blaggards who turn up drunk to a sitting of parliament. This evocative novel, though set in 18th century London, is also a chronicle of the present day mess we find ourselves in during the death throes of the patriarchy. Highly recommended
September 25, 2019
I'm so glad I picked up and read this book (and they tell me never to judge a book by its cover)! I expected it to be good, having read Man in the Corner, but this was wildly different.
It was just not at all what I was expecting and everything that I didn't know I was looking for.
The story was intricate, interesting, complicated and fast paced and kind of reminded me of a Guy Ritchie movie (a la Snatch, not Aladdin, but set in 17th century London).
The characters, loosely based on historical figures were hilarious and well-defined and I just couldn't get enough.
I just loved it and couldn't recommend it highly enough.
It was just not at all what I was expecting and everything that I didn't know I was looking for.
The story was intricate, interesting, complicated and fast paced and kind of reminded me of a Guy Ritchie movie (a la Snatch, not Aladdin, but set in 17th century London).
The characters, loosely based on historical figures were hilarious and well-defined and I just couldn't get enough.
I just loved it and couldn't recommend it highly enough.
February 22, 2024
‘Wild’ is a drama-comedy fiction set in London in the 1700's. However, two of the characters Jonathan Wild and Daniel Defoe existed in real life and are famous historical figures.
And there lies a problem. I suspect many readers will be preoccupied in trying to evaluate how much of Besser's Defoe and Wild could plausibly exist.
Subsequently, I suspect it would be easier if you knew nothing at all about Defoe or Wild. I also found the quick shifts of point of view from one character to another distracting.
However, ‘Wild’ is a wonderful work of imagination capturing the filth, drama, deprivation and class wars that raged in England at that time.
Besser spares us nothing and the pre planned cruelty of a powerful central character is quite disturbing, even though he’s depicted as a pantomime villain.
Several scenes are disturbingly cruel or nasty and I found myself skipping a few pages. But other readers will be less squeamish!
Beautifully written, with well-rounded characters behaving badly it's hard to look away. After all, many of the disturbing events depicted would have been considered to be no more than a part of daily life.
And there lies a problem. I suspect many readers will be preoccupied in trying to evaluate how much of Besser's Defoe and Wild could plausibly exist.
Subsequently, I suspect it would be easier if you knew nothing at all about Defoe or Wild. I also found the quick shifts of point of view from one character to another distracting.
However, ‘Wild’ is a wonderful work of imagination capturing the filth, drama, deprivation and class wars that raged in England at that time.
Besser spares us nothing and the pre planned cruelty of a powerful central character is quite disturbing, even though he’s depicted as a pantomime villain.
Several scenes are disturbingly cruel or nasty and I found myself skipping a few pages. But other readers will be less squeamish!
Beautifully written, with well-rounded characters behaving badly it's hard to look away. After all, many of the disturbing events depicted would have been considered to be no more than a part of daily life.
June 21, 2020
No truer word said than that the writer has the telling of history ... interestingly, this audacious historical novel is told from two perspectives but the curiosity is that Defoe has a narrative 3rd person, while Wild has a pompous first person, justifying and celebrating his nefarious deeds. Defoe is kindly and hopeless, utterly failing to make a living, but Wild is cunning and manipulative and possessed of delusions of grandeur, aiming to become a Lord on the strength of his achievements as Thief taker general. As his empire all comes tumbling down, Wild takes a final revenge against one of his smart and exploited operatives, whilst Defoe is enlisted to tell the story for eternity. And it is not Wild who emerges as the hero.
A vibrant, grubby, sometimes hilarious sometimes piteous tale told with piquancy and ingenuity. Enjoyable read. A reminder that power is rarely cleanly achieved - and it was ever thus.
A vibrant, grubby, sometimes hilarious sometimes piteous tale told with piquancy and ingenuity. Enjoyable read. A reminder that power is rarely cleanly achieved - and it was ever thus.
March 14, 2020
Entertaining enough
June 24, 2020
Slow beginning but an amazing story
December 29, 2020
A rollicking good time!
December 30, 2019
with a 1/2. A bawdy frolicking read that provided escapism at best. Good writing.
October 22, 2019
This had an impertinent freshness that I associate with ‘The Favourite’ or ‘Harlots’, although some have said it’s Guy Ritchie-esque and I wouldn’t disagree with that either.
Jonathan Wild was a real and legendary London crook who hit upon the perfect racket in the early 18th century: employ thieves to rob people and then accept payment to ‘find’ the lost items. Here he springs to life as a ruthless and ambitious young man who does whatever’s needed to get ahead, from pimping out his own mum to taking beatings from highwaymen, being humiliated by bawds and pawnbrokers, sucking off depraved lords and sucking up to Lord Mayors.
Intertwined with Wild’s story are those of Daniel Defoe, freelance scrivener and extremely inept entrepreneur, who finds himself further and further in the financial hole; and Jack ‘The Lad’ Sheppard, boyish master thief and jailbreaker extraordinaire, who falls in love with Wild’s accomplice, sex worker Elizabeth ‘Edgeworth Bess’ Lyon, and falls out with Wild.
This book is wonderfully funny and picaresque, and it’s also a sly commentary on the unreliability of autobiography, as it becomes increasingly clear that Defoe’s biased pen, telling Jack’s story about Wild, has been writing these very words we’ve been reading and has exaggerated some things and downplayed others. It’s all a yarn.
This book set off a jag of London reading for me, which is how I came to binge the entire Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch. His ‘The Hanging Tree’ mentions Wild, Sheppard and their carnivalesque executions at Tyburn.
Jonathan Wild was a real and legendary London crook who hit upon the perfect racket in the early 18th century: employ thieves to rob people and then accept payment to ‘find’ the lost items. Here he springs to life as a ruthless and ambitious young man who does whatever’s needed to get ahead, from pimping out his own mum to taking beatings from highwaymen, being humiliated by bawds and pawnbrokers, sucking off depraved lords and sucking up to Lord Mayors.
Intertwined with Wild’s story are those of Daniel Defoe, freelance scrivener and extremely inept entrepreneur, who finds himself further and further in the financial hole; and Jack ‘The Lad’ Sheppard, boyish master thief and jailbreaker extraordinaire, who falls in love with Wild’s accomplice, sex worker Elizabeth ‘Edgeworth Bess’ Lyon, and falls out with Wild.
This book is wonderfully funny and picaresque, and it’s also a sly commentary on the unreliability of autobiography, as it becomes increasingly clear that Defoe’s biased pen, telling Jack’s story about Wild, has been writing these very words we’ve been reading and has exaggerated some things and downplayed others. It’s all a yarn.
This book set off a jag of London reading for me, which is how I came to binge the entire Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch. His ‘The Hanging Tree’ mentions Wild, Sheppard and their carnivalesque executions at Tyburn.
September 21, 2019
Fast-paced and completely WILD, Besser’s command of language and riotous sense of humour makes this exploration of life in the underbelly of 18th Century London a rollicking good read. It takes us into the life of England’s most ruthless criminals, and follows the journeys of Jonathan Wild, England’s Thief Taker General, and Daniel Defoe, who chronicled his story. Nathan Besser plays with language in a delightful way, pushing the boundaries of historical fiction. It is hilarious, absurdist, full of wit and insight. I couldn’t put it down. A must read.
September 23, 2019
Fabulous! A wild romp through 18th c London. Loved it.
December 3, 2019
An absolute hoot - very entertaining romp through Defoe's England. For people who enjoyed Barry Lyndon and the recent film, The Favourite. There should be more chamber pot jokes in literature.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews