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Winchelsea
The year is 1742. Goody Brown, saved from drowning and adopted when just a babe, has grown up happily in the smuggling town of Winchelsea. Then, when Goody turns sixteen, her father is murdered in the night by men he thought were friends.
To find justice in a lawless land, Goody must enter the cut-throat world of her father's killers. With her beloved brother Francis, she joins a rival gang of smugglers. Facing high seas and desperate villains, she also discovers something else: an existence without constraints or expectations, a taste for danger that makes her blood run fast.
Goody was never born to be a gentlewoman. But what will she become instead?
Winchelsea is an electrifying story of vengeance and transformation; a rare, lyrical and transporting work of historical imagination that makes the past so real we can touch it.
To find justice in a lawless land, Goody must enter the cut-throat world of her father's killers. With her beloved brother Francis, she joins a rival gang of smugglers. Facing high seas and desperate villains, she also discovers something else: an existence without constraints or expectations, a taste for danger that makes her blood run fast.
Goody was never born to be a gentlewoman. But what will she become instead?
Winchelsea is an electrifying story of vengeance and transformation; a rare, lyrical and transporting work of historical imagination that makes the past so real we can touch it.
352 pages, Paperback
First published February 3, 2022
84 people are currently reading
1422 people want to read
About the author
Alex Preston
22 books39 followersAlex Preston was born in 1979. He is an award-winning author and journalist who appears regularly on BBC television and radio. He writes for GQ, Harper's Bazaar and Town & Country Magazine as well as for the Observer's New Review. He teaches Creative Writing at the University of Kent and regular Guardian Masterclasses.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
January 7, 2022
This book is a bit of a mess.
It starts off being told from Goody's perspective and I will say the first 30% is fairly gripping. You are right into the action for sure but once 'revenge' for the Father's murder has been delivered the next middle section of the book feels overly long and winding. I really struggled to get through it because there didn't feel like anything much to keep me reading but eventually it livens up again only to then experience reading whiplash when suddenly at 75% of the way through book it is suddenly being told from another characters point of view and worst of all a character we have never encountered before. Goody's experiences, thoughts, etc are gone. We have no idea what she is thinking any more and I found myself not caring
Then we switch to another narrator for the ending portion.. At least this was a character we are familiar with from fairly early on in the book but suddenly it feels like now the book is about him and no longer really about Goody at all.
There is a wrapping up at the end were Goody is allowed a final say in her story but by now we don't really know who she is any more or how she feels about anything that has happened to her.
I saw someone mention Daphne Du Maurier in reference to this book but that is nonsense. This book has nothing of the style or grit that Du Maurier does. yes there is smuggling and pirates but that is the only connection you make between this book and Daphne's work.
The only thing this book really does well is write about Winchelsea, Rye and Romney Marsh. It really does capture the landscape of that beautiful part of the UK coastline well and if you are familiar with it, as I am which is why I picked this book, you will enjoy that aspect of the book as it transports to their landscape and the rich history of those places. It is for this that I have given it 3 stars otherwise I would have only given it 2.
It starts off being told from Goody's perspective and I will say the first 30% is fairly gripping. You are right into the action for sure but once 'revenge' for the Father's murder has been delivered the next middle section of the book feels overly long and winding. I really struggled to get through it because there didn't feel like anything much to keep me reading but eventually it livens up again only to then experience reading whiplash when suddenly at 75% of the way through book it is suddenly being told from another characters point of view and worst of all a character we have never encountered before. Goody's experiences, thoughts, etc are gone. We have no idea what she is thinking any more and I found myself not caring
Then we switch to another narrator for the ending portion.. At least this was a character we are familiar with from fairly early on in the book but suddenly it feels like now the book is about him and no longer really about Goody at all.
There is a wrapping up at the end were Goody is allowed a final say in her story but by now we don't really know who she is any more or how she feels about anything that has happened to her.
I saw someone mention Daphne Du Maurier in reference to this book but that is nonsense. This book has nothing of the style or grit that Du Maurier does. yes there is smuggling and pirates but that is the only connection you make between this book and Daphne's work.
The only thing this book really does well is write about Winchelsea, Rye and Romney Marsh. It really does capture the landscape of that beautiful part of the UK coastline well and if you are familiar with it, as I am which is why I picked this book, you will enjoy that aspect of the book as it transports to their landscape and the rich history of those places. It is for this that I have given it 3 stars otherwise I would have only given it 2.
March 1, 2022
I listened to a review and discussion of this on Front Row (Radio 4, BBC), and had read a couple of pieces about it also. It did sound good.
But I find the language the author uses almost childlike. It could be that it’s a trait I’ve developed from reading a lot of darker stuff. After just a few chapters I thought that maybe it was written for young adults, by which I mean 12-15 year olds, but there seems no sign of that.
It’s getting a lot of plaudits also, so I’m in the minority with a critical review.
I get a concocted impression from it also, in that it’s gone out of its way to be politically correct. Better writing doesn’t appear so false.
I've said before, using a child narrator requires two things, on the one hand an authenticity in the voice of the child, and on the other the adult world around being as convincing as it would otherwise. This fails on both counts.
Sort all the above, and cut it down by a third, and there might be something interesting here.
But I find the language the author uses almost childlike. It could be that it’s a trait I’ve developed from reading a lot of darker stuff. After just a few chapters I thought that maybe it was written for young adults, by which I mean 12-15 year olds, but there seems no sign of that.
It’s getting a lot of plaudits also, so I’m in the minority with a critical review.
I get a concocted impression from it also, in that it’s gone out of its way to be politically correct. Better writing doesn’t appear so false.
I've said before, using a child narrator requires two things, on the one hand an authenticity in the voice of the child, and on the other the adult world around being as convincing as it would otherwise. This fails on both counts.
Sort all the above, and cut it down by a third, and there might be something interesting here.
February 18, 2023
3.5 ⭐️Pr Product as part of Canongate’s February readalong
This started out with a really good premise, being a historical thriller about smugglers with a strong yet flawed female lead, however it didn’t grip me as much as I wanted it to.
Somethings were drawn out too long, I didn’t really feel connected to any of the characters or their reasonings. The ending definitely picked up but it wasn’t enough to give it a huge boost in my rating.
I originally had an issue with the opening letter statement about the fact that the author was a man writing a woman’s story as it ended up tainting parts of the storytelling for me, but the ending cleared that up a bit. I do think it was unnecessary and a bit forced.
This started out with a really good premise, being a historical thriller about smugglers with a strong yet flawed female lead, however it didn’t grip me as much as I wanted it to.
Somethings were drawn out too long, I didn’t really feel connected to any of the characters or their reasonings. The ending definitely picked up but it wasn’t enough to give it a huge boost in my rating.
I originally had an issue with the opening letter statement about the fact that the author was a man writing a woman’s story as it ended up tainting parts of the storytelling for me, but the ending cleared that up a bit. I do think it was unnecessary and a bit forced.
July 25, 2022
I was excited to read Winchelsea, as the town has a fascinating history and I found the synopsis of a smuggling story very appealing and had read some very positive reviews. The first thing that struck me about the book is the cover. It’s very pretty but the pinks and purples, the gold-embossed title and the swirly font (especially the ‘W’) make it look like a Wonka Bar.
The book takes the form of a series of texts that have been compiled by Goody, the principal narrator of the book and presented as one piece. The first is a letter from her to the reader, the second a prologue narrated by no-one in particular, the main bulk comes from Goody telling her story to someone else who’s writing it down, the fourth a recount by another character, the fifth a recount by a different character and the last a final word to the reader by Goody. In some ways this reflects the found/curated textual frame used in books like Henry Mackenzie’s ‘The Man of Feeling’ but it all comes out as a bit of a mess.
The letter from Goody at the beginning says that her true narrative, through the different lenses of the text has turned into something of a novel. I found this destabilising to the text immediately as she talks about ‘the novel’ with the certainties of a modern writer, where the term was still a disputed and nebulous term in 1779 when she is writing. She also makes the point that most of the narrative was told by her to a man and so warns the reader that the book may sound like a man writing as a woman more than the real lived experience of a woman. This caveat seems to have no meaning or purpose within the world of the book but instead refers to the fact the (twenty-first century) novel is in fact written by a man and making excuses for the fact it sounds like a man writing a woman. This is still further complicated by the fact that Goody does in fact live as a man for a large section of the book which sort of makes her a pseudo-male narrator anyway.
This gets to the the heart of the book’s central problem, despite being set in, and (in the world of the book) written in, the eighteenth century, its assumptions, concerns and techniques are so rooted in the twenty-first that it scrunches itself up into a little ball. Eighteenth-Century novels, especially the sentimental and gothic, did use elaborate frame-stories to tell their narrative. They did this to enhance the verisimilitude in a text before the novel was comfortable enough to rely on the background narrator of a realist novel, or to create immediacy in a time before the development of stream-of-consciousness and other techniques. Here, the use of different narrators merely emphasise the distance and artificiality of the text, not bring us close to it.
The attempts to create an eighteenth-century atmosphere in the novel feel false and a little ‘theme-parky’. Characters, when drinking beer, only drink porter, presumably because that’s a more ‘old-fashioned’ sounding beer; they wear, doff and remove tricorns with great regularity (not the hat’s name at the time when people actually wore them), they ‘go marketing’ rather than to the market. Strange word choices are frequently used as a way of making the book seem olde-timey, a number of characters ‘festivate’ in this book, a word that seems to have been used be nobody at no-time. Most egregious is the name of the main character, Goody. The word is short for ‘Goodwife’ and was used in Puritan areas particularly as interchangeable with the word ‘Mrs’. Even the most famous Goody, Goody Two-shoes, was really called Margery.
Another element of this eighteenth-century story which is twisted into weird shapes by its twenty-first century sensibilities is the trans narrative. There are a surprising amount of stories of gender crossing in eighteenth-century fiction and reality, from the female alter-egos of Molly House attendees to the stories of female husbands and people like Charlotte Charke living as a male but when Goody does this, it’s treated from a twenty-first century perspective. Goody lives for a while as a man called William and finds themself comfortable as a non-binary person at the end of the novel. All the other characters seem aware of the notions of sex and gender being separate and of gender performativity and the notion of a gender spectrum. When one character has met Goody as William, even when he finds out that William is not a born-man, keeps using male pronouns - a polite and social thing to do nowadays but not really within the scope of an eighteenth century understanding of sex and gender where they still believed a big jump could un-invert a women’s genitals and make them male. I’m not saying that eighteenth-century people would have been necessarily cruel or barbaric towards a male-presenting person but they simply would have not conceived it the way we do, and nor would the trans person themselves.
All these peculiarities and inconsistencies could have been more easily borne if the plot and characters themselves been stronger. The plot is really ropey. It starts off with a revenge narrative, that is solved about twenty pages after it has started. There’s an even stranger part where one of the characters Goody wants revenge upon turns up and is killed again within five pages.. and narrated as an aside. Then it becomes a smuggling story but the smugglers inevitably double-cross our protagonist, then it takes a jump to being a story about the ’45 Jacobite rebellion, then a Magnificent 7, save-the-village narrative. These chunks are pretty self contained and strung loosely along, not even maintaining the same protagonist all the time. The book also leaves no cliché unused, even the classic ‘bad guy is going to shot the narrator, a gun shot sounds and it is revealed to be someone behind the bad guy, shooting them’ cliché.
The novel started off with the suggestion of, ‘what if Moonfleet was written as an adult book?’ However, its relation to Moonfleet is like the first series of Torchwood to Doctor Who, it’s ‘adult’ in a rather adolescent and immature way. I think this is why some think it’s a YA book, it simply isn’t adult, certainly not as adult as Moonfleet, which succeeds far better in its ‘book for all the family’ intention. Winchelsea has done very well, there’s a sequel on the way and I hear there are talks with Netflix but I have to admit to being very disappointed with it.
The book takes the form of a series of texts that have been compiled by Goody, the principal narrator of the book and presented as one piece. The first is a letter from her to the reader, the second a prologue narrated by no-one in particular, the main bulk comes from Goody telling her story to someone else who’s writing it down, the fourth a recount by another character, the fifth a recount by a different character and the last a final word to the reader by Goody. In some ways this reflects the found/curated textual frame used in books like Henry Mackenzie’s ‘The Man of Feeling’ but it all comes out as a bit of a mess.
The letter from Goody at the beginning says that her true narrative, through the different lenses of the text has turned into something of a novel. I found this destabilising to the text immediately as she talks about ‘the novel’ with the certainties of a modern writer, where the term was still a disputed and nebulous term in 1779 when she is writing. She also makes the point that most of the narrative was told by her to a man and so warns the reader that the book may sound like a man writing as a woman more than the real lived experience of a woman. This caveat seems to have no meaning or purpose within the world of the book but instead refers to the fact the (twenty-first century) novel is in fact written by a man and making excuses for the fact it sounds like a man writing a woman. This is still further complicated by the fact that Goody does in fact live as a man for a large section of the book which sort of makes her a pseudo-male narrator anyway.
This gets to the the heart of the book’s central problem, despite being set in, and (in the world of the book) written in, the eighteenth century, its assumptions, concerns and techniques are so rooted in the twenty-first that it scrunches itself up into a little ball. Eighteenth-Century novels, especially the sentimental and gothic, did use elaborate frame-stories to tell their narrative. They did this to enhance the verisimilitude in a text before the novel was comfortable enough to rely on the background narrator of a realist novel, or to create immediacy in a time before the development of stream-of-consciousness and other techniques. Here, the use of different narrators merely emphasise the distance and artificiality of the text, not bring us close to it.
The attempts to create an eighteenth-century atmosphere in the novel feel false and a little ‘theme-parky’. Characters, when drinking beer, only drink porter, presumably because that’s a more ‘old-fashioned’ sounding beer; they wear, doff and remove tricorns with great regularity (not the hat’s name at the time when people actually wore them), they ‘go marketing’ rather than to the market. Strange word choices are frequently used as a way of making the book seem olde-timey, a number of characters ‘festivate’ in this book, a word that seems to have been used be nobody at no-time. Most egregious is the name of the main character, Goody. The word is short for ‘Goodwife’ and was used in Puritan areas particularly as interchangeable with the word ‘Mrs’. Even the most famous Goody, Goody Two-shoes, was really called Margery.
Another element of this eighteenth-century story which is twisted into weird shapes by its twenty-first century sensibilities is the trans narrative. There are a surprising amount of stories of gender crossing in eighteenth-century fiction and reality, from the female alter-egos of Molly House attendees to the stories of female husbands and people like Charlotte Charke living as a male but when Goody does this, it’s treated from a twenty-first century perspective. Goody lives for a while as a man called William and finds themself comfortable as a non-binary person at the end of the novel. All the other characters seem aware of the notions of sex and gender being separate and of gender performativity and the notion of a gender spectrum. When one character has met Goody as William, even when he finds out that William is not a born-man, keeps using male pronouns - a polite and social thing to do nowadays but not really within the scope of an eighteenth century understanding of sex and gender where they still believed a big jump could un-invert a women’s genitals and make them male. I’m not saying that eighteenth-century people would have been necessarily cruel or barbaric towards a male-presenting person but they simply would have not conceived it the way we do, and nor would the trans person themselves.
All these peculiarities and inconsistencies could have been more easily borne if the plot and characters themselves been stronger. The plot is really ropey. It starts off with a revenge narrative, that is solved about twenty pages after it has started. There’s an even stranger part where one of the characters Goody wants revenge upon turns up and is killed again within five pages.. and narrated as an aside. Then it becomes a smuggling story but the smugglers inevitably double-cross our protagonist, then it takes a jump to being a story about the ’45 Jacobite rebellion, then a Magnificent 7, save-the-village narrative. These chunks are pretty self contained and strung loosely along, not even maintaining the same protagonist all the time. The book also leaves no cliché unused, even the classic ‘bad guy is going to shot the narrator, a gun shot sounds and it is revealed to be someone behind the bad guy, shooting them’ cliché.
The novel started off with the suggestion of, ‘what if Moonfleet was written as an adult book?’ However, its relation to Moonfleet is like the first series of Torchwood to Doctor Who, it’s ‘adult’ in a rather adolescent and immature way. I think this is why some think it’s a YA book, it simply isn’t adult, certainly not as adult as Moonfleet, which succeeds far better in its ‘book for all the family’ intention. Winchelsea has done very well, there’s a sequel on the way and I hear there are talks with Netflix but I have to admit to being very disappointed with it.
June 2, 2022
I've read most of the Poldark books and many stories by Daphne Du Maurier based in Cornwall. A good story of smugglers, family, love and murder generally based in Winchelsea in Cornwall in the 1700's. The book begins with our 16 year old protagonist, Goody Brown, who witnesses her adoptive father's murder by a local smuggler gang and the maiming of her adoptive mother and the story goes from there and focusses on Goody and her brother's plot for revenge. Overall an enjoyable tale of a woman in a man's world loosely based on historical events. It was somewhat slow to start but the pace definitely picked up in the 2nd and 3rd part of the book. Recommend for readers of historical fiction surrounding smugglers and British history in the mid 1700's. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book.
May 7, 2022
Although there were parts of this book that I enjoyed - namely the beginning and some of the end - I found it a bit of a mess. Some aspects felt unresolved and some were wrapped up far too conveniently to be realistic. I had been looking forward to reading this a lot, so it may be that my disappointment has coloured my view on it.
May 19, 2022
I love a good historical fiction, but I did not enjoy this book. I found it hard to follow, a little strange, and just not enjoyable. I think that this story had the potential to be good, but I just wasn’t impressed by the way it was written.
This was hard to get through because of its confusing timeline and unclear descriptions. Definitely read the trigger warnings for this one, as some aspects of the story were quite unsettling. I thought that some of the plot twists, such as the semi incestuous plot line (this will make sense if you read the book) didn't actually add to the plot, and seemed to be purely for shock value, which I didn't enjoy.
However, the story had good historical accuracy from what I know. As well as this, the writing was sophisticated at times and reflected the era well. You can probably guess that I don't recommend this book, although 16+ readers that enjoy a more challenging historical read may like this one. I gave it 2/5 stars.
This was hard to get through because of its confusing timeline and unclear descriptions. Definitely read the trigger warnings for this one, as some aspects of the story were quite unsettling. I thought that some of the plot twists, such as the semi incestuous plot line (this will make sense if you read the book) didn't actually add to the plot, and seemed to be purely for shock value, which I didn't enjoy.
However, the story had good historical accuracy from what I know. As well as this, the writing was sophisticated at times and reflected the era well. You can probably guess that I don't recommend this book, although 16+ readers that enjoy a more challenging historical read may like this one. I gave it 2/5 stars.
March 8, 2023
dnf at 59%
at first this was really intriguing but soon after i got really lost in the story and also a bit bored. then when the main character, goody gets molested by her true father, and sleeps with her adoptive brother i completely lost interest.
at first this was really intriguing but soon after i got really lost in the story and also a bit bored. then when the main character, goody gets molested by her true father, and sleeps with her adoptive brother i completely lost interest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2024
3.75
Historical fiction, grounded in fact? Smuggling in the 18th century based in Kent and Sussex. Forget the romanticised smuggler of Meade Falkner’s Moonfleet. Many of these were nasty, godless bastards. The nicer ones supported the King over the water, the rest the Hanoverians, whilst content to murder the King’s redcoats. Quite a ride! Now exhausted!!
Historical fiction, grounded in fact? Smuggling in the 18th century based in Kent and Sussex. Forget the romanticised smuggler of Meade Falkner’s Moonfleet. Many of these were nasty, godless bastards. The nicer ones supported the King over the water, the rest the Hanoverians, whilst content to murder the King’s redcoats. Quite a ride! Now exhausted!!
March 9, 2023
I absolutely love reading books based around smugglers, it gives me those Jamaica Inn/Frenchman’s Creek vibes from the fabulous du Maurier books. This is just as atmospheric as her books but a lot more grittier and raw.
Winchelsea is set in the 1740’s and it centres around the Hawkhurst gang who were actually a true group of notorious smugglers at that time who wrecked havoc on the local communities. They were ferocious and barbaric and the author manages to show this in the story. It is obvious he carried out a lot of research about this gang and the surrounding area to bring these true events into a fictional book.
The writing is lyrical and rich in historical detail with a lot of thrills and also heartbreaking scenes. So much happens that you will want to keep turning the pages. There is piracy, murder, smuggling, politics, love, brutal gangs and bloody scenes.
The main character of Goody was enthralling to read about through her character journey and transformations. She is quite flawed and rebellious and takes part in many questionable deeds and adventures but you cannot help but love her.
Winchelsea is a swashbuckling tale of revenge that makes the past come alive so vividly that you feel you have been transported there.
Winchelsea is set in the 1740’s and it centres around the Hawkhurst gang who were actually a true group of notorious smugglers at that time who wrecked havoc on the local communities. They were ferocious and barbaric and the author manages to show this in the story. It is obvious he carried out a lot of research about this gang and the surrounding area to bring these true events into a fictional book.
The writing is lyrical and rich in historical detail with a lot of thrills and also heartbreaking scenes. So much happens that you will want to keep turning the pages. There is piracy, murder, smuggling, politics, love, brutal gangs and bloody scenes.
The main character of Goody was enthralling to read about through her character journey and transformations. She is quite flawed and rebellious and takes part in many questionable deeds and adventures but you cannot help but love her.
Winchelsea is a swashbuckling tale of revenge that makes the past come alive so vividly that you feel you have been transported there.
November 11, 2025
Two books really and the first one’s better
February 10, 2023
There was so much going on in this book! Read as part of a readalong for Canongate, I couldn't stick to the schedule and finished it within a week.
So difficult to summarise the plot as it just has so many threads and directions, and characters! Goody and Francis were adopted by Ezekial and his wife. Ezekial is murdered by the townsmen who were his friends. Goody wants retribution.
There is murder, smuggling, piracy, torture, incest, rape, same-sex relationships, wars, gangs, family, illness, death, royalty.....
I don't think I've ever read anything like this before, and it isn't my usual kind of book. I would never have picked it up myself, but so glad I was part of the readalong, so thank you to the publishers for my gifted copy.
Cannot recommend it enough, go see for yourself.
Www.thebeautifulbookbreak.com
So difficult to summarise the plot as it just has so many threads and directions, and characters! Goody and Francis were adopted by Ezekial and his wife. Ezekial is murdered by the townsmen who were his friends. Goody wants retribution.
There is murder, smuggling, piracy, torture, incest, rape, same-sex relationships, wars, gangs, family, illness, death, royalty.....
I don't think I've ever read anything like this before, and it isn't my usual kind of book. I would never have picked it up myself, but so glad I was part of the readalong, so thank you to the publishers for my gifted copy.
Cannot recommend it enough, go see for yourself.
Www.thebeautifulbookbreak.com
May 31, 2022
Warning, spoiler alert with this one.
I was so excited to read this. At last, a book set in my favourite place, that would bring to life the true tales I’ve grown up with, and the places that are in my blood. It promised so much from the way it’s described, and the reviews on the cover… including a comparison to the wonderful du maurier….sadly, it did not deliver. Occasionally offering an adventurous tale of smugglers and secrets, it just didn’t stand up to scrutiny and wasn’t sure what sort of book it wanted to be. It jumps about sometimes with long passages leading nowhere, then other times things happening so fast they are unbelievable.
It started off with intrigue, a tale retold from another who heard it first hand, of a girl, rescued at birth, raised with intention, but destined to become her own person, strong brave and independent. But just when you are getting into her story, a child she still is at this point, it goes off on such a tangent I was confused what the author was even thinking. It goes from a smugglers tale, based on real people, places, and events, a tale of a girl facing the loss of the only father she ever knew just as she learns he is not all she thought, to being about a child, for she is still a child of 16, exploring her burgeoning love for another woman, and her lust for her adopted brother…oh, and nearly being raped by her true father, and that’s where I lost interest.
I didn’t find the writing particularly engaging, the author throws in long antiquated words every so often as if to show off their intelligence, but it isn’t in keeping with the characters portrayed and just seemed pompous. It goes off on tangents about the Jacobite’s and the king over the water, that felt like they belonged to another book he wants to write, not part of this one, in fact he hints at further stories at one point, sigh. The original focus of the book is lost, and rushed at the end. In fact throughout its all over the place, unfinished threads, stories that start then go nowhere. Characters changing their character without explanation, I could go on. Did not satisfy this reader in any way, in fact I think I’d do a better job myself!
If you aren’t familiar with Winchelsea and it’s smugglers you probably won’t mind this so much. If you like a bawdy tale with sex, booze, sailing and bloodshed then give it a go. Just be prepared for abrupt story changes, unfinished threads, and a feeling that there was so much more to be explored.
Decide what your book is going to be about and stick with it! Are you writing an historical novel based on true characters, and events, or trying too hard to be both historical and modern but in a way that just seems predictable and dull. I honestly sighed out loud at one scene it was so unnecessarily obvious and designed to tick a box.
I hoped for more and how anyone could say it was like du maurier I can’t even begin to fathom, not even a tiny patch as good as her novels. Go there for real smugglers and pirates and a tale to keep you hooked, not here.
I was so excited to read this. At last, a book set in my favourite place, that would bring to life the true tales I’ve grown up with, and the places that are in my blood. It promised so much from the way it’s described, and the reviews on the cover… including a comparison to the wonderful du maurier….sadly, it did not deliver. Occasionally offering an adventurous tale of smugglers and secrets, it just didn’t stand up to scrutiny and wasn’t sure what sort of book it wanted to be. It jumps about sometimes with long passages leading nowhere, then other times things happening so fast they are unbelievable.
It started off with intrigue, a tale retold from another who heard it first hand, of a girl, rescued at birth, raised with intention, but destined to become her own person, strong brave and independent. But just when you are getting into her story, a child she still is at this point, it goes off on such a tangent I was confused what the author was even thinking. It goes from a smugglers tale, based on real people, places, and events, a tale of a girl facing the loss of the only father she ever knew just as she learns he is not all she thought, to being about a child, for she is still a child of 16, exploring her burgeoning love for another woman, and her lust for her adopted brother…oh, and nearly being raped by her true father, and that’s where I lost interest.
I didn’t find the writing particularly engaging, the author throws in long antiquated words every so often as if to show off their intelligence, but it isn’t in keeping with the characters portrayed and just seemed pompous. It goes off on tangents about the Jacobite’s and the king over the water, that felt like they belonged to another book he wants to write, not part of this one, in fact he hints at further stories at one point, sigh. The original focus of the book is lost, and rushed at the end. In fact throughout its all over the place, unfinished threads, stories that start then go nowhere. Characters changing their character without explanation, I could go on. Did not satisfy this reader in any way, in fact I think I’d do a better job myself!
If you aren’t familiar with Winchelsea and it’s smugglers you probably won’t mind this so much. If you like a bawdy tale with sex, booze, sailing and bloodshed then give it a go. Just be prepared for abrupt story changes, unfinished threads, and a feeling that there was so much more to be explored.
Decide what your book is going to be about and stick with it! Are you writing an historical novel based on true characters, and events, or trying too hard to be both historical and modern but in a way that just seems predictable and dull. I honestly sighed out loud at one scene it was so unnecessarily obvious and designed to tick a box.
I hoped for more and how anyone could say it was like du maurier I can’t even begin to fathom, not even a tiny patch as good as her novels. Go there for real smugglers and pirates and a tale to keep you hooked, not here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2022
Many thanks to Netgalley and Canongate for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In Winchelsea, we are transported to the mid 1700s. Goody Brown, rescued from drowning as a baby and swiftly adopted by her rescuers, grows up in the small smuggling town of Winchelsea. At sixteen, she witnesses the murder of her father and is given little choice but to fill her father's shoes for the very same gang that brought him to his untimely demise. With help from her brother, Goody joins a rival gang and plots her revenge.
TW to bear in mind; sexual assault, sort-of-incest (idk how else to phrase this but you'll understand if you read), murder, gore.
Okay. I have thoughts.
What I liked:
- I REALLY enjoyed this for the first three quarters; I felt like I was on my own smuggling adventure.
- Goody was a reasonably consistent character and we had a couple of well thought out supporting cast members.
- The LGBTQ rep here was complex, thought provoking, well presented and felt authentic in terms of the restrictions of the time period/societal pressures.
- The action and battle scenes were very descriptive; I could picture everything so vividly.
- The relationship between Goody and her adoptive parents.
Things I didn't like:
- What I found most jarring was the abrupt end of Part 1, followed by Parts 2 and 3 - the pacing up to the end of Part 1 and after was just off for me and felt like an afterthought. I truly felt like the ending of Part 1 could have been the end of the novel. Parts 2 and 3 felt a little rushed, condensed and like there could have been enough material for at least one more book if explored in greater detail.
- Personally, I really feel like the sort-of incestuous connotations in this novel were unnecessary and didn't actually add anything other than some shock value.
Would I reread? Maybe Part 1.
In Winchelsea, we are transported to the mid 1700s. Goody Brown, rescued from drowning as a baby and swiftly adopted by her rescuers, grows up in the small smuggling town of Winchelsea. At sixteen, she witnesses the murder of her father and is given little choice but to fill her father's shoes for the very same gang that brought him to his untimely demise. With help from her brother, Goody joins a rival gang and plots her revenge.
TW to bear in mind; sexual assault, sort-of-incest (idk how else to phrase this but you'll understand if you read), murder, gore.
Okay. I have thoughts.
What I liked:
- I REALLY enjoyed this for the first three quarters; I felt like I was on my own smuggling adventure.
- Goody was a reasonably consistent character and we had a couple of well thought out supporting cast members.
- The LGBTQ rep here was complex, thought provoking, well presented and felt authentic in terms of the restrictions of the time period/societal pressures.
- The action and battle scenes were very descriptive; I could picture everything so vividly.
- The relationship between Goody and her adoptive parents.
Things I didn't like:
- What I found most jarring was the abrupt end of Part 1, followed by Parts 2 and 3 - the pacing up to the end of Part 1 and after was just off for me and felt like an afterthought. I truly felt like the ending of Part 1 could have been the end of the novel. Parts 2 and 3 felt a little rushed, condensed and like there could have been enough material for at least one more book if explored in greater detail.
- Personally, I really feel like the sort-of incestuous connotations in this novel were unnecessary and didn't actually add anything other than some shock value.
Would I reread? Maybe Part 1.
August 26, 2022
I read Winchelsea with a bit of trepidation. I like historical fiction but often find some times or places a bit more difficult to read. I don’t know why this is but its my thing, okay? I am glad that I read Winchelsea though because it is damn good.
It is the story of Goody Brown and the corrupt world that she lives in. Throughout the story you are presented with trials and tribulations far beyond your ken that you really do feel like you have been invited into another world.
There were elements that I loved about Winchelsea. It would probably have been a five star read if it wasn’t for the change in voice. The story is told in 3(ish) parts. The first and longest from Goody Brown’s perspective. This I found to be the most engaging. The second voice didn’t engage me as much but it was necessary for the next part of the story and to develop the character of Goody Brown further and to reveal the desperate measures that she had to go to.
Winchelsea is really evocative of time, place and situation and Alex Preston has done an amazing job of transporting the reader with this story.
Winchelsea by Alex Preston is available now.
It is the story of Goody Brown and the corrupt world that she lives in. Throughout the story you are presented with trials and tribulations far beyond your ken that you really do feel like you have been invited into another world.
There were elements that I loved about Winchelsea. It would probably have been a five star read if it wasn’t for the change in voice. The story is told in 3(ish) parts. The first and longest from Goody Brown’s perspective. This I found to be the most engaging. The second voice didn’t engage me as much but it was necessary for the next part of the story and to develop the character of Goody Brown further and to reveal the desperate measures that she had to go to.
Winchelsea is really evocative of time, place and situation and Alex Preston has done an amazing job of transporting the reader with this story.
Winchelsea by Alex Preston is available now.
January 24, 2022
Smugglers, corruption, a sexually ambiguous, cross dressing heroine and swashbuckling adventures abound in this story set on the Sussex coast during the turbulent eighteenth century. This sounded right up my street, and certainly the plot itself is fast paced and exciting. However, I didn't ever feel any attachment to any of the characters. Goody herself is woefully under-developed; not even when she discovers who her father is, did I ever feel as though I knew her, or understood her motives or life choices. This is heightened by two new narrative voices being introduced towards the end of the book, which additionally felt incredibly rushed. Peripheral characters were only used to propel the plot forward, and I felt that this was a lost opportunity, I would have liked to learn more about some of them, or even understand how they felt towards Goody.
It's an ok read, but unfortunately didn't resonate with me as much as I had anticipated.
I would like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.
It's an ok read, but unfortunately didn't resonate with me as much as I had anticipated.
I would like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.
December 20, 2021
I've read most of the Poldark books and many stories by Daphne Du Maurier based in Cornwall. A good story of smugglers, family, love and murder generally based in Winchelsea in Cornwall in the 1700's. The book begins with our 16 year old protagonist, Goody Brown, who witnesses her adoptive father's murder by a local smuggler gang and the maiming of her adoptive mother and the story goes from there and focusses on Goody and her brother's plot for revenge. Overall an enjoyable tale of a woman in a man's world loosely based on historical events. It was somewhat slow to start but the pace definitely picked up in the 2nd and 3rd part of the book. Recommend for readers of historical fiction surrounding smugglers and British history in the mid 1700's. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book.
April 6, 2022
Started well but then lost its purpose as it progressed. I found my mind wandering and I would not compare this to Rebecca as some have in their reviews
November 21, 2022
The first part of the book was the most exciting and enjoyable part. I enjoyed Goody’s swashbuckling, murderous adventures and thought it was all very cool and fun. (Jk—this book doesn’t bother to hide its undertones of violence, death and sexual violence at all. An example: Moll, the prostitute onboard the Gang’s ship. Another: the entirety of chapter 5—the first chapter 5. However, I found that it never really bothers to showcase the effects of gratuitous violence enough, or at least through Goody’s eyes it is… normalised, almost. The female characters who suffer this way are sometimes, quite literally, unable to speak and therefore it’s not really discussed.) despite all that, though, the first part/‘book’ had excitement and deadliness in spades.
After that, it all went sour. My mom already knows this (since I complained to her about it while reading this) but I hated the ‘historical’ detail—first of all, why are they celebrating Christmas in Britain in Oliver Cromwell’s reign? And secondly how come Ezekiel Brown [spoiler] (apparently a major Charles II ally) is living as cellarman in this tiny town and apparently fought in major wars and [end spoiler] —you know, just forget it. I’m not gonna waste my breath nitpicking every individual historical inaccuracy, since that’s just annoying, but it was painful for me to read. Also, [spoiler] the incest and point-of-view switch just felt weird and unnecessary. Bonus for great LGBTQ representation, sure, but—did the main LGBTQ character HAVE to fuck [their] brother?? Really??? [end spoiler] The second part also committed (in my opinion) the most cardinal sin a book can commit: it was boring. I simply never managed to summon up any attachment to the random new narrators, and I felt that neither of them had personality. There was clearly an attempt to evoke the same excitement of the earlier deadly-seas smuggling half of the book, but I couldn’t feel the same enthusiasm. Finally: I found the entire foreword and end note sort of ridiculous.
After that, it all went sour. My mom already knows this (since I complained to her about it while reading this) but I hated the ‘historical’ detail—first of all, why are they celebrating Christmas in Britain in Oliver Cromwell’s reign? And secondly how come Ezekiel Brown [spoiler] (apparently a major Charles II ally) is living as cellarman in this tiny town and apparently fought in major wars and [end spoiler] —you know, just forget it. I’m not gonna waste my breath nitpicking every individual historical inaccuracy, since that’s just annoying, but it was painful for me to read. Also, [spoiler] the incest and point-of-view switch just felt weird and unnecessary. Bonus for great LGBTQ representation, sure, but—did the main LGBTQ character HAVE to fuck [their] brother?? Really??? [end spoiler] The second part also committed (in my opinion) the most cardinal sin a book can commit: it was boring. I simply never managed to summon up any attachment to the random new narrators, and I felt that neither of them had personality. There was clearly an attempt to evoke the same excitement of the earlier deadly-seas smuggling half of the book, but I couldn’t feel the same enthusiasm. Finally: I found the entire foreword and end note sort of ridiculous.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2023
Wow, this book went down plot caverns and hidden treasure troves that surprised and sometimes horrified me. But let me say I was never bored!!
It has come to my attention that “presentism” has begun to be used regularly in cultural, historical analysis of writing, theater, movies, etc. While I can see some reviewers leaning into a “form” of implications of present day mores infiltrating this book, I am inclined to believe that is not a major issue.
In regards to censoring this book, which has been suggested (for adults only) I am adamantly opposed. I find this especially abhorrent for the reasons given of same sex coupling and incest. Was it really incest then or now…there is no easy answer to this, which was surely excellent plotting and writing by this articulate and clever author. It made be think, which is a gift from any story.
For my own sensibilities, I cringed and was disquieted by the violence. However, I would not suggest that as reason to read or not to read for others. It is graphically murderous and filled with the baser actions of humankind to destroy lives for profit, power and whim. That, unfortunately is true today and since the earliest times on earth.
I greatly appreciated the unfolding of this book, the plot, the characters, the voices, the mysterious and unforgiving sea, the deeply complicated town & the secrets it guards.
While I was prepared at first to judge the author for being a male using a woman’s voice and experience in the narrative I found that hurdle acknowledged within the book itself, which took some of the wind from my sails.
Perhaps this book is for the vagabond reader who picks up books like pretty rocks and small treasures along the seashore. Seeing each for its own unique value not needing it to conform to any set expectation. That would be my wandering style, and with that habit I find much to admire and like.
It has come to my attention that “presentism” has begun to be used regularly in cultural, historical analysis of writing, theater, movies, etc. While I can see some reviewers leaning into a “form” of implications of present day mores infiltrating this book, I am inclined to believe that is not a major issue.
In regards to censoring this book, which has been suggested (for adults only) I am adamantly opposed. I find this especially abhorrent for the reasons given of same sex coupling and incest. Was it really incest then or now…there is no easy answer to this, which was surely excellent plotting and writing by this articulate and clever author. It made be think, which is a gift from any story.
For my own sensibilities, I cringed and was disquieted by the violence. However, I would not suggest that as reason to read or not to read for others. It is graphically murderous and filled with the baser actions of humankind to destroy lives for profit, power and whim. That, unfortunately is true today and since the earliest times on earth.
I greatly appreciated the unfolding of this book, the plot, the characters, the voices, the mysterious and unforgiving sea, the deeply complicated town & the secrets it guards.
While I was prepared at first to judge the author for being a male using a woman’s voice and experience in the narrative I found that hurdle acknowledged within the book itself, which took some of the wind from my sails.
Perhaps this book is for the vagabond reader who picks up books like pretty rocks and small treasures along the seashore. Seeing each for its own unique value not needing it to conform to any set expectation. That would be my wandering style, and with that habit I find much to admire and like.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2023
I love the little Sussex town of Winchelsea and its surroundings, and passed some very happy moments there, and hoped to retrieve some of that in this book. And at first it delivered what was promised, I really liked the first part, but then the story digressed and it is as if the writer did not know what to do after he let one of the main characters die. Especially when the whole story moves to Scotland and Culloden you have the feeling that the author tries to get away with the problem he created himself and the book becomes a bit too unrealistic.
It is not a bad read and I finished it, but I felt a bit let down. More could have been done with this story. The LGBTQ+ theme felt wrong, almost as if the author added it to score with today’s young readers,against the will of some of the characters, and something felt awkward and wrong there, especailly in the last chapters. A bit disappointing.
It is not a bad read and I finished it, but I felt a bit let down. More could have been done with this story. The LGBTQ+ theme felt wrong, almost as if the author added it to score with today’s young readers,against the will of some of the characters, and something felt awkward and wrong there, especailly in the last chapters. A bit disappointing.
October 14, 2023
Decided to go for half marks on this one - I find the narration from Goody Brown very interesting, which is why when we get the change of narrator, it changes the pace for me which through off the balance. This is not to say I didn't like hearing about Goody from a different perspective, but I don't think this was fully achieved in the way the writer wanted it to be.
Interesting story and I liked seeing a supposed feminine figure in an inherently male role; I liked the development of character and the changing of their outward presentation to fit the world they were trying to decieve and be apart of. It clearly demonstrated how the environment and change of circumstance can have such a drastic impact on an individual.
It was just such a shame that the writing was dry in parts.
Interesting story and I liked seeing a supposed feminine figure in an inherently male role; I liked the development of character and the changing of their outward presentation to fit the world they were trying to decieve and be apart of. It clearly demonstrated how the environment and change of circumstance can have such a drastic impact on an individual.
It was just such a shame that the writing was dry in parts.
June 2, 2024
This book is riddled with narrative flaws and delivery problems. In short, it feels like the author had 2 different ideas for a book, mashed them into one because he didn't have enough ideas to flesh either out to a full-length book, and published the first draft.
The saddest thing about the narrative is that a story about a band of smugglers and a story about the Jacobite cause could potentially work well together. However, because of the way Preston decides to structure his story, it does not work at all. A story usually has an exposition, a rising action, a climax, and a denouement - in the case of Winchelsea, there is an exposition followed by about 200 pages of narrative that is too monotonous to be considered rising action, or any kind of development. The only real climax to speak of takes place in the last 30 pages of the novel, which is quite well written. This means that, for example, the journey of Goody throughout the novel feels sporadic and unexplainable from her point of view, especially in the latter half of the novel.
However, easily the biggest weakness of the novel is the delivery. Preston clearly has a wide vocabulary, and he is not afraid to use it. This would not be a problem, except for the fact that it is used ineffectively. Regardless of their upbringing, origin, age, environment, class, occupation, or current situation, every single major speaking character and narrator speaks with exactly the same cadence as any other, needlessly abusing unusual grammatical structures, antiquated vocabulary (with noticeable spelling errors too), and run-on-sentences, all without any sense of taste or purpose. This becomes a massive problem throughout the book; oftentimes it becomes increasingly difficult to tell who is speaking, because everyone sounds exactly the same. This becomes doubly frustrating when the narrator changes about three quarters of the way into the novel, and again 40 pages before the end of the novel. I did not have any issue with this on its own as much as other readers; the change is quite reasonable considering the context - it just does not work because neither of the narrators sound distinct from Goody in the slightest.
Additionally, it is almost impossible to feel at all attached to any of the characters in the novel, bar one - the only real observable character development is with Arnold Nesbitt, a character who shows up at the start for a few pages, gets hit on the head by Goody, disappears for the majority of the story, and then narrates the last 40 pages of the story. Unfortunately, he is the only character in the story who seems to not be one-dimensional. Otherwise, Goody, the main character of the novel, is a completely static character that for the most part lacks agency or purpose, and the few instances that she makes decisions of her own (e.g. deciding to live as a man or fighting for the Jacobite cause after the death of her brother) are few and far between, and usually come out of nowhere only to be justified many pages later.
All of this to say, the book is not without redeeming qualities. The action scenes are well-written and full of tension, and they feel like oases of actually engaging writing amid the dreary and dull desert expanses of Goody's aimless and impersonal monologuing. The last 40-50 pages, as narrated by Arnold Nesbitt, are interesting as well.
I can definitely see Alex Preston's intentions with Winchelsea - it was meant to be a swashbuckling adventure spanning the entirety of Europe, as told from the perspective of a smuggler not quite comfortable in her own body. The skeleton of a good story is still present in this novel, but it is needlessly padded out by the blubber of an unengaging and underdeveloped narrative.
PS. The weird justification by the author at the beginning, where he justifies writing the story from a female character's perspective, is nothing short of unnecessary.
The saddest thing about the narrative is that a story about a band of smugglers and a story about the Jacobite cause could potentially work well together. However, because of the way Preston decides to structure his story, it does not work at all. A story usually has an exposition, a rising action, a climax, and a denouement - in the case of Winchelsea, there is an exposition followed by about 200 pages of narrative that is too monotonous to be considered rising action, or any kind of development. The only real climax to speak of takes place in the last 30 pages of the novel, which is quite well written. This means that, for example, the journey of Goody throughout the novel feels sporadic and unexplainable from her point of view, especially in the latter half of the novel.
However, easily the biggest weakness of the novel is the delivery. Preston clearly has a wide vocabulary, and he is not afraid to use it. This would not be a problem, except for the fact that it is used ineffectively. Regardless of their upbringing, origin, age, environment, class, occupation, or current situation, every single major speaking character and narrator speaks with exactly the same cadence as any other, needlessly abusing unusual grammatical structures, antiquated vocabulary (with noticeable spelling errors too), and run-on-sentences, all without any sense of taste or purpose. This becomes a massive problem throughout the book; oftentimes it becomes increasingly difficult to tell who is speaking, because everyone sounds exactly the same. This becomes doubly frustrating when the narrator changes about three quarters of the way into the novel, and again 40 pages before the end of the novel. I did not have any issue with this on its own as much as other readers; the change is quite reasonable considering the context - it just does not work because neither of the narrators sound distinct from Goody in the slightest.
Additionally, it is almost impossible to feel at all attached to any of the characters in the novel, bar one - the only real observable character development is with Arnold Nesbitt, a character who shows up at the start for a few pages, gets hit on the head by Goody, disappears for the majority of the story, and then narrates the last 40 pages of the story. Unfortunately, he is the only character in the story who seems to not be one-dimensional. Otherwise, Goody, the main character of the novel, is a completely static character that for the most part lacks agency or purpose, and the few instances that she makes decisions of her own (e.g. deciding to live as a man or fighting for the Jacobite cause after the death of her brother) are few and far between, and usually come out of nowhere only to be justified many pages later.
All of this to say, the book is not without redeeming qualities. The action scenes are well-written and full of tension, and they feel like oases of actually engaging writing amid the dreary and dull desert expanses of Goody's aimless and impersonal monologuing. The last 40-50 pages, as narrated by Arnold Nesbitt, are interesting as well.
I can definitely see Alex Preston's intentions with Winchelsea - it was meant to be a swashbuckling adventure spanning the entirety of Europe, as told from the perspective of a smuggler not quite comfortable in her own body. The skeleton of a good story is still present in this novel, but it is needlessly padded out by the blubber of an unengaging and underdeveloped narrative.
PS. The weird justification by the author at the beginning, where he justifies writing the story from a female character's perspective, is nothing short of unnecessary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2024
At last!!!! Taken 2weeks to read this book which was very hard going and disappointing. Would not recommend it.
January 23, 2024
3.5 stars! I enjoyed the geographical references and the detail given to the smuggling trade and methods but the weightings given to different viewpoints was sometimes confusing and the depth of character within this wasn’t enough to contribute to the overall plot.
April 14, 2024
I liked the first part of this book, where Goody seeks vengeance. I enjoyed seeing her relationships with Francis, Lily, and her mother grow and develop, and I felt that her character was mostly well rounded.
However, the second part was where it got worse for me. It took a seriously incestuous turn, with Goody almost being molested by her biological father and then developing sexual feelings for her adoptive brother.
After this point, Goody's character felt so much reduced to her sexual feelings. Her relationship with Francis changed to more sexual than familial with no warning, and on several occasions she weighed up characters she'd just met based on her sexual attraction to them, such as Moll. Even her relationship with Lily was limited to Goody's wish to have sex with her. It felt like the author completely forgot that Goody was 16. Furthermore, the extreme sexualisation was not what I wanted to see from a male author writing a lesbian storyline.
This book, while it had some good elements to it, was, in my opinion, executed poorly. This was one of the few books I considered dnfing but wanted to see how her story ends.
The last part felt decidedly rushed, not well thought through at all and unconnected from the rest of the story.
However, the second part was where it got worse for me. It took a seriously incestuous turn, with Goody almost being molested by her biological father and then developing sexual feelings for her adoptive brother.
After this point, Goody's character felt so much reduced to her sexual feelings. Her relationship with Francis changed to more sexual than familial with no warning, and on several occasions she weighed up characters she'd just met based on her sexual attraction to them, such as Moll. Even her relationship with Lily was limited to Goody's wish to have sex with her. It felt like the author completely forgot that Goody was 16. Furthermore, the extreme sexualisation was not what I wanted to see from a male author writing a lesbian storyline.
This book, while it had some good elements to it, was, in my opinion, executed poorly. This was one of the few books I considered dnfing but wanted to see how her story ends.
The last part felt decidedly rushed, not well thought through at all and unconnected from the rest of the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a review copy.
I really enjoyed this complex swashbuckling tale.
I loved hearing from Goody’s perspective and her awareness of the unreliability of how her story is being told.
I less enjoyed the perspective of the guy in the army as it felt abrupt to break from a narrator we’ve been with for her whole life.
Overall some great writing, fascinating characters and an enjoyable adventure and revenge story.
I really enjoyed this complex swashbuckling tale.
I loved hearing from Goody’s perspective and her awareness of the unreliability of how her story is being told.
I less enjoyed the perspective of the guy in the army as it felt abrupt to break from a narrator we’ve been with for her whole life.
Overall some great writing, fascinating characters and an enjoyable adventure and revenge story.
February 22, 2022
~Thanks to NetGalley for my eARC~
3.5 stars
This book was so slow-burner that for the first ⅓ of it I thought I might not finish it at all. But in the end I’m very happy I didn’t leave it. After recounting those first and, frankly, quite uninteresting years of Goody’s life a grand adventure of a book has started to emerge in front of me. And I have to say that it was very much to my liking and gave me a real pleasure to read it.
Goody was a very interesting and often surprising character. Her dramatic beginning in some way or other shaped her for her whole life. Despite being raised as a lady with as much comfort and education as her foster family could muster, she never was one. Always wild, she didn’t care very much about the pressure of social life and it’s rules. She was never certain as to whether she was man or woman, she lived her life as both and neither. I think that was one of the things I liked the most about her: she was living her life the way she wanted it to be. And at the same time, she went through so much at such a young age. The way she was portrayed gave me an inside as to what emotions she felt and through this she felt much more close to me.
“Winchelsea” is as much a book about the characters in it, as about the land they were living on. I very much liked that the author has put so much effort into painting not just where this book was placed, but also its history. And have done so without ever abandoning Goody or any other characters that were telling her story. It was rather done THROUGH her and what she’s done.
As mentioned before, the beginning didn’t really catch me as very interesting. I might have as well dnf’d this book. But all in all, I do recommend reading it. If you can get through this first, quite boring, part.
3.5 stars
This book was so slow-burner that for the first ⅓ of it I thought I might not finish it at all. But in the end I’m very happy I didn’t leave it. After recounting those first and, frankly, quite uninteresting years of Goody’s life a grand adventure of a book has started to emerge in front of me. And I have to say that it was very much to my liking and gave me a real pleasure to read it.
Goody was a very interesting and often surprising character. Her dramatic beginning in some way or other shaped her for her whole life. Despite being raised as a lady with as much comfort and education as her foster family could muster, she never was one. Always wild, she didn’t care very much about the pressure of social life and it’s rules. She was never certain as to whether she was man or woman, she lived her life as both and neither. I think that was one of the things I liked the most about her: she was living her life the way she wanted it to be. And at the same time, she went through so much at such a young age. The way she was portrayed gave me an inside as to what emotions she felt and through this she felt much more close to me.
“Winchelsea” is as much a book about the characters in it, as about the land they were living on. I very much liked that the author has put so much effort into painting not just where this book was placed, but also its history. And have done so without ever abandoning Goody or any other characters that were telling her story. It was rather done THROUGH her and what she’s done.
As mentioned before, the beginning didn’t really catch me as very interesting. I might have as well dnf’d this book. But all in all, I do recommend reading it. If you can get through this first, quite boring, part.
November 28, 2021
I so wanted to love this but the pace was too slow for me to get fully immersed. Part 1 was so descriptive with not enough action, loved part 2 but then it tailed off again. Found the form unusual, so much retelling with very little dialogue made it feel quite static. Added then the book 1, book 2 etc it felt a bit too rigid. Some interesting parts, and I know it will appeal to some.
August 10, 2022
Audio book on BBC Sounds.
I had a personal interest in reading this, having visited many of the areas in which it's set.
I was so interested to read about the world of smuggling, but I didn't follow all of the wider historical references, not knowing the history of the time in which the story was set.
I enjoyed following Goody's story and it went in directions I didn't expect.
I had a personal interest in reading this, having visited many of the areas in which it's set.
I was so interested to read about the world of smuggling, but I didn't follow all of the wider historical references, not knowing the history of the time in which the story was set.
I enjoyed following Goody's story and it went in directions I didn't expect.
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