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Grace Hammer : a Novel of the Victorian Underworld
An engrossing suspense novel set in Victorian London―about stolen fortunes, romance, murder, and revenge. Whitechapel, 1888. Grace Hammer and her children live comfortably in Bell Lane, their home a little oasis in the squalor of London’s East End. They make their living picking the pockets of wealthy strangers foolish enough to venture there. But Grace’s history is about to catch up with her. Out in the countryside Mr. Blunt rocks in his chair, vowing furious retribution. He has never forgotten his scarlet treasure, or the coquettish young woman who stole it from him.
Fast-paced, racy, and reminiscent of Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist , Grace Hammer depicts nineteenth-century London amid corruption and a plague of poverty, peopled by orphans, harlots, and petty thieves. Sara Stockbridge introduces an unlikely heroine in Grace Hammer, a captivating young matriarch in a complicated web of intrigue, deceit, loyalties, and betrayal.
Fast-paced, racy, and reminiscent of Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist , Grace Hammer depicts nineteenth-century London amid corruption and a plague of poverty, peopled by orphans, harlots, and petty thieves. Sara Stockbridge introduces an unlikely heroine in Grace Hammer, a captivating young matriarch in a complicated web of intrigue, deceit, loyalties, and betrayal.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published March 5, 2009
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717 people want to read
About the author
Sara Stockbridge
2 books25 followersSara first came to anyone's attention in the 1980's as the muse of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. She cut her modelling career short in 1992 to pursue her dream of being an actress. While her acting career hasn't exactly set the world alight she has been lucky enough to appear in some great things. You can currently catch her in Gaspar (Irreversible) Noe's ENTER THE VOID - generally behaving in an unsuitable manner for a middle-aged mother of two. GRACE HAMMER (HAMMER in the UK) is her first book. She's working right now on the edit of the second.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
May 2, 2011
I had the privilege of attending a reading with the lovely Sara Stockbridge of her new book, Grace Hammer, while in a London bar the summer of last year. It was only when I Googled her after returning to the States did I discover how famous she is. Turns out she was a famed actress and fashion model, as well as the muse of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, and now she has “acclaimed author” to add to her resume.
Personally, though, I found Grace Hammer to be an entertaining but less than substantial read. While the mystery and suspense keep the pages turning, it lacks meat on its bones, as well as depth and dimension.
Grace Hammer takes place in the cutthroat underground of Victorian England, populated by bandits, harlots and conspirators. The title character and her four children make a living as thieves, picking the pockets of rich strangers. Grace is a plucky woman who is likened to a magpie, a bird with a fancy for shiny items that it robs from humans to store in its nest. While we’re expected to believe she is a seasoned and cunning thief, she has an implausible weakness for worthless men (hence her four children of different fathers), and despite the fact that she has a vengeful thug on her tail, makes no effort to conceal her identity around town, thereby making herself vulnerable. After one too many less than sensible endeavors, I gave up believing she was the female Sherlock Holmes.
If there’s one thing Grace’s children inherited for her, it’s their lack of dimension. Charlie is the eldest brother who dotes on his younger siblings. Billy and Jake are street-smart looters who know their way around London’s underground. Daisy is the innocent little blonde, blue-eyed girl who loves stuffed animals and pretty dresses. Incredibly, despite being lower-class and lacking education, they are healthy, handsome and well-read; in short, they are ideal, thereby as bland and soulless as Twilight vampires.
One can easily tell from Stockbridge’s writing style that she is a Charles Dickens fan, and she has his strengths as well as his weaknesses. While Dickens is an eloquent writer who never fails to entertain, his books are populated by stock characters, such as Oliver Twist, the quintessential innocent child, not unlike Daisy Hammer; and Fagin, the villainous thief who embodies a child’s nightmare, not unlike Stockbridge’s villains, the greedy Mr. Blunt and the witchlike Emmeline Spragg, who, judging from the descriptions, seems to bear a striking resemblance to Snow White’s evil stepmother in disguise.
The most compelling thing about Grace Hammer is the writing style, which fluidly carries the web of deceit and betrayal woven around our vapid but nonetheless enjoyable heroine. The entertainment factor is not lacking, so I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a fun period piece, though ye be warned of an anticlimactic ending.
Personally, though, I found Grace Hammer to be an entertaining but less than substantial read. While the mystery and suspense keep the pages turning, it lacks meat on its bones, as well as depth and dimension.
Grace Hammer takes place in the cutthroat underground of Victorian England, populated by bandits, harlots and conspirators. The title character and her four children make a living as thieves, picking the pockets of rich strangers. Grace is a plucky woman who is likened to a magpie, a bird with a fancy for shiny items that it robs from humans to store in its nest. While we’re expected to believe she is a seasoned and cunning thief, she has an implausible weakness for worthless men (hence her four children of different fathers), and despite the fact that she has a vengeful thug on her tail, makes no effort to conceal her identity around town, thereby making herself vulnerable. After one too many less than sensible endeavors, I gave up believing she was the female Sherlock Holmes.
If there’s one thing Grace’s children inherited for her, it’s their lack of dimension. Charlie is the eldest brother who dotes on his younger siblings. Billy and Jake are street-smart looters who know their way around London’s underground. Daisy is the innocent little blonde, blue-eyed girl who loves stuffed animals and pretty dresses. Incredibly, despite being lower-class and lacking education, they are healthy, handsome and well-read; in short, they are ideal, thereby as bland and soulless as Twilight vampires.
One can easily tell from Stockbridge’s writing style that she is a Charles Dickens fan, and she has his strengths as well as his weaknesses. While Dickens is an eloquent writer who never fails to entertain, his books are populated by stock characters, such as Oliver Twist, the quintessential innocent child, not unlike Daisy Hammer; and Fagin, the villainous thief who embodies a child’s nightmare, not unlike Stockbridge’s villains, the greedy Mr. Blunt and the witchlike Emmeline Spragg, who, judging from the descriptions, seems to bear a striking resemblance to Snow White’s evil stepmother in disguise.
The most compelling thing about Grace Hammer is the writing style, which fluidly carries the web of deceit and betrayal woven around our vapid but nonetheless enjoyable heroine. The entertainment factor is not lacking, so I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a fun period piece, though ye be warned of an anticlimactic ending.
March 12, 2015
The subtitle of Sara Stockbridge's novel, Grace Hammer, is "A novel of the Victorian underworld," and so it is; set, in fact, in Whitechapel during Jack the Ripper's reign of terror there. Yet his depredations are mentioned only in passing in this book, which concerns Grace Hammer, a woman in her mid-30s who makes her way in the world by picking pockets and other forms of theft; she has four children, three boys who are also adept at the family trade, and a 5-year-old daughter whom she intends to shield from the family's life of crime. They are a close-knit family and do well together, but an unfortunate part of Grace's past is about to reappear and upset all their lives: some 15 years earlier, Grace had stolen a rare necklace from another thief, Mr. Blunt, and one of Mr. Blunt's associates has just seen Grace in her neighbourhood in London.... I really enjoyed this to-me new take on the Victorian underworld, particularly because the story is told with quite a bit of humour and also because Grace herself is such an engaging character. I don't know anything about the author, other than that the jacket bio says she was Vivienne Westwood's "muse" at one time, but I would be quite happy to read more from her, particularly more about Grace Hammer! There are some rather gruesome scenes here and there in the novel, which might be upsetting to the squeamish; otherwise, though, highly recommended!
November 11, 2009
This book is all about who you know, and being in the right place at the right time. Or, the wrong place, depending on your point of view. This was one of the most fun historical fiction novels that I have read to date, bringing to the table a wonderful combination of suspense and quirkiness. I highly recommend it.
May 14, 2014
This books tips over the edge of ridiculousness on multiple occasions but the action, the concept and the characters are top notch. The end felt a little abrupt and there were a few threads that didn't come together as satisfyingly as they should have, but overall this was good campy fun mixed with some surprisingly solid historical accuracy.
February 11, 2025
There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.
My Thoughts:
I grabbed this book from my local library after seeing the trailer for the film. I did enjoy the book but found I would have enjoyed it more had I have been a teenager. This is the market I think that the book is aimed at but if you like books such as ‘Twilight’ then you wouldn’t be disappointed.
I loved the story and all the supernatural elements to the book but found it was very teenage sugary and do like to read a book that may be abit more meatier. However I am looking forward to the film and if it sticks to the book then it will be a treat to watch.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.
My Thoughts:
I grabbed this book from my local library after seeing the trailer for the film. I did enjoy the book but found I would have enjoyed it more had I have been a teenager. This is the market I think that the book is aimed at but if you like books such as ‘Twilight’ then you wouldn’t be disappointed.
I loved the story and all the supernatural elements to the book but found it was very teenage sugary and do like to read a book that may be abit more meatier. However I am looking forward to the film and if it sticks to the book then it will be a treat to watch.
February 3, 2024
Pretty detailed descriptions of time and place and since I am a fan of stories set in Victorian London, this one caught my eye. I would love to have given it four stars, as it was not hard to root for the protagonist, but it was a little hard to follow at times and I had to go back and re-read sections to make sure I understood what was happening. Maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention, I don't know. Anyway, 3.49 stars. If you enjoy Victorian Literature and suspense, you will delight in the world of Grace Hammer.
Read
March 18, 2022Kind of an odd novel.....the actual storytelling was a bit flat, with plenty of detail in some areas but no details at all in others, so I couldn't really get to enjoying it, because I either wanted to know more than I was being told, or was being told things that made no sense to me. Possibly worth a borrow if you have interest in urban Victorian life.
January 31, 2018
not much 😔. Wordy and not a great read.
May 28, 2020
Entertaining but did not care for the ambiguous ending. I would've appreciated clear explanations at the end.
December 17, 2009
There are a few books which I can say that the negatives and the positives are in almost complete balance. Grace Hammer: A Novel of the Victorian Underworld is, for better or worse, one of those books.
Sara Stockbridge's writing reminds me, in some ways, of Victorian writers . . . full of complex sentences, an intimate narrator, and lengthy, blow-by-blow scenic descriptions. The problem is, however, that the complex sentences are often needlessly so and, although complex they are not always well-written; the intimate narrator is an interesting but not always welcome (or well-understood voice#, and the description, though accurate, is something Victorian writers employed because they knew they had captivated audiences. Stockbridge, with her lengthy descriptions beginning before even the plot has started, does not have that guarantee. Had I not been reading this to review it, I'm not sure if I would have kept reading past that first description because Stockbridge had not yet hooked me.
I am glad, however, that I did finish the book because there were some really unique aspects to Grace Hammer. Stockbridge writes from a completely fresh angle. This is not the typical Victorian story of a well-to-do aristocrat (or perhaps more hackneyed, the poor girl who doesn't know she's actually an aristocrat.) Grace Hammer is the meat and bones of Victorian society, part of a social class that though infrequently written about in fiction is just as fascinating as those most written about. Furthermore, Stockbridge's creation of characters who, though working class are well-read, fits in nicely with recent historical and literary studies into 19th century working-class scenes of reading. Stockbridge's facts are both accurate and insightful, offering a delightful way to learn for the first time #or to be reminded again# that much of the Victorian working class considered books to be treasures that shaped their very foundations. Stockbridge also manages to subtly weave other critical Victorian popular culture references into her work, including #but not limited to# Jack the Ripper. In that respect, this book is a gem to both those who know nothing about Victorian cultures and those who secretly wish they'd been born a few centuries earlier.
To conclude, Sara Stockbridge is not the best writer that I've ever encountered. Nor am I sure if I will ever read this book again. Yet with an avid interest in the historical and literary facets of Victorian culture, I am glad this book fell into my lap, for it is indeed well-researched. And for any who, like myself, remember history (and other random facts) better through the guise of fiction, Grace Hammer: A Novel of the Victorian Underworld is a delightful spoon full of sugar to help the medicine go down.
Sara Stockbridge's writing reminds me, in some ways, of Victorian writers . . . full of complex sentences, an intimate narrator, and lengthy, blow-by-blow scenic descriptions. The problem is, however, that the complex sentences are often needlessly so and, although complex they are not always well-written; the intimate narrator is an interesting but not always welcome (or well-understood voice#, and the description, though accurate, is something Victorian writers employed because they knew they had captivated audiences. Stockbridge, with her lengthy descriptions beginning before even the plot has started, does not have that guarantee. Had I not been reading this to review it, I'm not sure if I would have kept reading past that first description because Stockbridge had not yet hooked me.
I am glad, however, that I did finish the book because there were some really unique aspects to Grace Hammer. Stockbridge writes from a completely fresh angle. This is not the typical Victorian story of a well-to-do aristocrat (or perhaps more hackneyed, the poor girl who doesn't know she's actually an aristocrat.) Grace Hammer is the meat and bones of Victorian society, part of a social class that though infrequently written about in fiction is just as fascinating as those most written about. Furthermore, Stockbridge's creation of characters who, though working class are well-read, fits in nicely with recent historical and literary studies into 19th century working-class scenes of reading. Stockbridge's facts are both accurate and insightful, offering a delightful way to learn for the first time #or to be reminded again# that much of the Victorian working class considered books to be treasures that shaped their very foundations. Stockbridge also manages to subtly weave other critical Victorian popular culture references into her work, including #but not limited to# Jack the Ripper. In that respect, this book is a gem to both those who know nothing about Victorian cultures and those who secretly wish they'd been born a few centuries earlier.
To conclude, Sara Stockbridge is not the best writer that I've ever encountered. Nor am I sure if I will ever read this book again. Yet with an avid interest in the historical and literary facets of Victorian culture, I am glad this book fell into my lap, for it is indeed well-researched. And for any who, like myself, remember history (and other random facts) better through the guise of fiction, Grace Hammer: A Novel of the Victorian Underworld is a delightful spoon full of sugar to help the medicine go down.
May 11, 2012
The author
Sara Stockbridge (born Sarah Jane Stockbridge on 14 November 1965 in Woking, Surrey, England)is an English model, actress and author who achieved a certain level of high fashion notoriety in the mid to late 1980s as the muse of designer Vivenne Westwood. She has a son and a daughter from previous relationships. Currently she resides in London where she keeps busy with her band Rooster.
The synopsis
Whitechapel, 1888. Grace Hammer and her children live comfortably in Bell Lane, their home a little oasis in the squalor of London’s East End. They make their living picking the pockets of wealthy strangers foolish enough to venture there. But Grace’s history is about to catch up with her. Out in the countryside Mr. Blunt rocks in his chair, vowing furious retribution. He has never forgotten his scarlet treasure, or the coquettish young woman who stole it from him.
The review
I saw this book in the bookstore and read the synopsis. I was really enthusiastic, Oliver Twist and Jack the Ripper in one book and a female protagonist. As soon as I found an excuse to stuff it in a challenge I grabbed it.
So I will start with the characters. The author managed to clearly personalize the characters. Grace is a very strong willed woman. She is trying to survive with her children in a way that she thinks is acceptable. She did not learn her daughter to steal for example. She also spending the money for entertainment for her children and food and clothes for them all. The children all have clear characters too though one action of Jake kind of surprised me, I did not see that one coming.
Mr. Blunt stars out as a scary little man but grows out to be an evil spirit fed by hate for Grace, you really get shivers down your spine the way he is described. Same with some other characters.
The story is a different thing though. I had a struggle reading it. The one sentence is written from the POV from Grace and the next sentence is written about her. It jumps up and down like that and it really takes a bit to get into it. As soon as you pick up a pace it will get easier to go trough it but every time you have to get in it again. This was irritating me enough that I considered giving the book only two stars. Still the story itself was entertaining enough. The atmosphere was clear and the characters where good. So three stars. But be careful if you want to pick up this book, read the first pages in the bookstore and see if you can deal with that style cause if you can not it will disappoint you.
Sara Stockbridge (born Sarah Jane Stockbridge on 14 November 1965 in Woking, Surrey, England)is an English model, actress and author who achieved a certain level of high fashion notoriety in the mid to late 1980s as the muse of designer Vivenne Westwood. She has a son and a daughter from previous relationships. Currently she resides in London where she keeps busy with her band Rooster.
The synopsis
Whitechapel, 1888. Grace Hammer and her children live comfortably in Bell Lane, their home a little oasis in the squalor of London’s East End. They make their living picking the pockets of wealthy strangers foolish enough to venture there. But Grace’s history is about to catch up with her. Out in the countryside Mr. Blunt rocks in his chair, vowing furious retribution. He has never forgotten his scarlet treasure, or the coquettish young woman who stole it from him.
The review
I saw this book in the bookstore and read the synopsis. I was really enthusiastic, Oliver Twist and Jack the Ripper in one book and a female protagonist. As soon as I found an excuse to stuff it in a challenge I grabbed it.
So I will start with the characters. The author managed to clearly personalize the characters. Grace is a very strong willed woman. She is trying to survive with her children in a way that she thinks is acceptable. She did not learn her daughter to steal for example. She also spending the money for entertainment for her children and food and clothes for them all. The children all have clear characters too though one action of Jake kind of surprised me, I did not see that one coming.
Mr. Blunt stars out as a scary little man but grows out to be an evil spirit fed by hate for Grace, you really get shivers down your spine the way he is described. Same with some other characters.
The story is a different thing though. I had a struggle reading it. The one sentence is written from the POV from Grace and the next sentence is written about her. It jumps up and down like that and it really takes a bit to get into it. As soon as you pick up a pace it will get easier to go trough it but every time you have to get in it again. This was irritating me enough that I considered giving the book only two stars. Still the story itself was entertaining enough. The atmosphere was clear and the characters where good. So three stars. But be careful if you want to pick up this book, read the first pages in the bookstore and see if you can deal with that style cause if you can not it will disappoint you.
January 1, 2010
"Have you ever been completely ambivalent about a book, to the point where you are not certain what you want to write? That is rather how I feel about Grace Hammer. I did not hate it, but I did not absolutely love it either. There were definitely some charming points about the story, and I am glad that I read the novel, but I am struggling to find the words to describe this book and my feelings about it. [return]When Ms. Stockbridge uses the caption A Story of the Victorian Underground , she definitely means it. This book describes humanity at its lowest. The main character is a successful pickpocket living amongst thieves, murderers, prostitutes, and drunkards. No one has much money, and most of the characters spend their time earning enough to go get blitzed at the many pubs available to them on the East End. It is a bleak outlook on life, one that I know existed, but one that is not typically brought under the spotlight with such clarity. [return]Grace Hammer is a likeable character, if a reader can get over the fact that she is a pickpocket by trade and has taught her kids the same skills. She is an excellent mother and dotes on all of her children, and the children support and love their mother. This, to me, is the most touching part of the story. Their love is beautiful to behold, especially when compared to their surroundings, their neighbors, and friends. Ms. Stockbridge accentuates this point a bit too forcefully though, in my opinion, by continually pointing out how clean and spotless they are. However, it is this family dynamic that drives the storyline, for when Grace is in danger, the reader automatically sympathizes with her plight because of what it means for her family, and so I understand why Ms. Stockbridge makes such a point of this difference, even if I do believe it was a bit awkward and clich
November 10, 2012
I so wanted to love this book. Then, about half of the through, I would have been happy simply liking this book. The premise is fabulous: a loving mom and successful pickpocket in Victorian London finds her past, in the form of a thief she stole from, threatening her present. And the style of the writing, at least in the beginning, is a fun and meaty blend of Victorian narrative intrusion and contemporary economy. But then we get into lots of telling and very little showing. The tone wavers (and the tense as well, which made me wonder if it had been at all edited). Inconsistencies in characters abound (knowing that she and her family are in danger, would the loving and streetwise mom entrust her brood to a stranger she'd met only the day before?).
And then we get lines like "...Grace went back and robbed Landlord Nelson while Charlie watched the little ones..." I've never robbed a pub before, but I understand it's a bit tricky. How did Grace manage this feat? Well, you won't find out reading this book. We're meant to assume she's such a nimble little crook that she can just pick pockets and rob tills so effortlessly that it's not worth describing the hows.
All that sort of detail--any details, really, or sensory corroborations that would flesh out the outline of the tale--are missing. Someone like John MacLachlan Gray, author of a wonderful novel set in the same timeframe and setting, The Fiend in Human, could have made this outline a truly engrossing read, rather than a merely a way to wile away the time spent commuting to work.
And then we get lines like "...Grace went back and robbed Landlord Nelson while Charlie watched the little ones..." I've never robbed a pub before, but I understand it's a bit tricky. How did Grace manage this feat? Well, you won't find out reading this book. We're meant to assume she's such a nimble little crook that she can just pick pockets and rob tills so effortlessly that it's not worth describing the hows.
All that sort of detail--any details, really, or sensory corroborations that would flesh out the outline of the tale--are missing. Someone like John MacLachlan Gray, author of a wonderful novel set in the same timeframe and setting, The Fiend in Human, could have made this outline a truly engrossing read, rather than a merely a way to wile away the time spent commuting to work.
November 1, 2009
(This is one of those times that I wish I could hide portions of a review behind a spoiler cut.)
Set in the Whitechapel area of 1888**, Grace Hammer is a taut, fast paced novel filled with suspense and mystery.
I won't go into what the book is about, the synopsis at the top of the page does an excellent job of it. Instead I'll just jump right into my (rather muddled) thoughts about it.
I really liked this book. It's darkish, and had sort of a Gothic feel to it. And while the main character and her family are quite appealing, this book is also filled with some filled with some wonderfully nasty villains as well.
The author does an excellent job of setting the mood of the story--it's tense and fraught with suspense, so much so that I felt my heart rate quickening at times.
The writing style is quite charming in my opinion, and Grace and her family are likable, well rounded (and well-written) characters whom I thoroughly enjoyed learning about. They're basically good people, though far from perfect.
I also quite liked the roguish Jack Tallis, and while his storyline didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped, I found it to be very fitting for this particular novel.
I would definitely read another book by this author--especially if it's about Grace and her brood.
**While this book does feature some of Jack the Ripper's victims as minor characters and mentions their murders, this is not a Ripper book.
Set in the Whitechapel area of 1888**, Grace Hammer is a taut, fast paced novel filled with suspense and mystery.
I won't go into what the book is about, the synopsis at the top of the page does an excellent job of it. Instead I'll just jump right into my (rather muddled) thoughts about it.
I really liked this book. It's darkish, and had sort of a Gothic feel to it. And while the main character and her family are quite appealing, this book is also filled with some filled with some wonderfully nasty villains as well.
The author does an excellent job of setting the mood of the story--it's tense and fraught with suspense, so much so that I felt my heart rate quickening at times.
The writing style is quite charming in my opinion, and Grace and her family are likable, well rounded (and well-written) characters whom I thoroughly enjoyed learning about. They're basically good people, though far from perfect.
I also quite liked the roguish Jack Tallis, and while his storyline didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped, I found it to be very fitting for this particular novel.
I would definitely read another book by this author--especially if it's about Grace and her brood.
**While this book does feature some of Jack the Ripper's victims as minor characters and mentions their murders, this is not a Ripper book.
May 20, 2020
I got this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers. It took me a while to get around to reviewing it, however, because it took some time to read it... and even then, I ended up not finishing it. Whether it's a bad time for me to be reading this particular book, or whether it's because I'm on a paranormal kick (and this is not a paranormal), or whether it's because of the odd present/past tense style of writing, I just couldn't get into it.
The basic premise was good, or at least what I saw of it. (I'm not sure how much more depth is in the 2/3rds of the book I didn't read.) I like the way the Victorian era is portrayed. From the research I've done, it seems quite feasible. I also like the way the characters are written, mostly. They are believable and likeable. (I actually kept reading as long as I did because of the characters.)
My biggest problem was the way it was written. Some sentences are in present tense and others are in past tense and there seems to be no rhyme or reason for which is used. This drives me ABSOLUTELY CRAZY.
Someone who is less picky about tense and who prefers historical fiction to paranormals might enjoy this book much more than I did. However, I won't be returning to this book as it was not written for people with my personal preferences.
The basic premise was good, or at least what I saw of it. (I'm not sure how much more depth is in the 2/3rds of the book I didn't read.) I like the way the Victorian era is portrayed. From the research I've done, it seems quite feasible. I also like the way the characters are written, mostly. They are believable and likeable. (I actually kept reading as long as I did because of the characters.)
My biggest problem was the way it was written. Some sentences are in present tense and others are in past tense and there seems to be no rhyme or reason for which is used. This drives me ABSOLUTELY CRAZY.
Someone who is less picky about tense and who prefers historical fiction to paranormals might enjoy this book much more than I did. However, I won't be returning to this book as it was not written for people with my personal preferences.
October 2, 2011
Original review posted here
I was less than impressed with this book, which makes me very sad because it had the potential for great fun. A strong, female lead, the Victorian time-period and London as the perfect setting.. everything should have added up to a fantastic little story about pickpockets and knaves.
I think the combination of Stockbridge’s writing as well as the lack-luster character and world building really just turned me off on the story and I had to force myself to finish it. I kept hoping at 50, 75, 100 pages in that it’d pick up, that there would be a big climax that would make it all worth while, but instead the story just sort of limped along and felt so disjointed that I felt lost most of the time.
This is one I was sad I didn’t take off the TBR list without bothering to read it. I remember vaguely thinking about how much fun this would be – I’m glad I waited to read it rather than be even more disappointed then than I am today.
I was less than impressed with this book, which makes me very sad because it had the potential for great fun. A strong, female lead, the Victorian time-period and London as the perfect setting.. everything should have added up to a fantastic little story about pickpockets and knaves.
I think the combination of Stockbridge’s writing as well as the lack-luster character and world building really just turned me off on the story and I had to force myself to finish it. I kept hoping at 50, 75, 100 pages in that it’d pick up, that there would be a big climax that would make it all worth while, but instead the story just sort of limped along and felt so disjointed that I felt lost most of the time.
This is one I was sad I didn’t take off the TBR list without bothering to read it. I remember vaguely thinking about how much fun this would be – I’m glad I waited to read it rather than be even more disappointed then than I am today.
January 20, 2012
After perusing the reviews on this site, I'll have to add my voice to that of the 'ambivalent' crowd; the titular character is a fairly well drawn and compelling heroine, but the novel's plotting is sometimes farfetched and is almost cartoonish at times. Those hoping for more than a tiny cameo by Jack the Ripper -- the book is set in 1888, in East End London's demi-monde, for pete's sake -- will also be disappointed. Despite all this, I was carried along by the story easily enough, but ultimately was sorely disappointed by the book's abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion. It's a pity Stockbridge's editor or literary agent didn't send her back to the drawing board before publication; one senses that with work and dedication she might have the makings of a decent novelist, but that this is a first, amateurish stab at it.
August 23, 2010
I adored the heroine, Grace Hammer, for her intelligence and courage. Ms. Hammer, however, was the only thing I really enjoyed about this novel. The writing was clunky, inelegant, and overly complex. The writing was so poor I had to force myself through the first 50 pages to give myself time to commit to the plot. Speaking of the plot, it develops much too quickly. No sooner do you think “aha – an interesting plot development” and the drama has already played itself out within a paragraph or two. Also, while reading, I literally sigh aloud about the novel’s use of so many generic Victorian plot devices, which were unfortunately done in an unoriginal way. I love a good Victorian mystery, but this read was disappointing.
November 19, 2009
4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this vivid, bawdy and suspenseful romp, populated with colorful characters and scenes. There's a lot of dark subject matter here, it being the East End of London in 1888 and all--there's poverty, crime, general meanness, your requisite gin-swilling, toothless prostitutes getting their throats cut--but it's by no means a downer. It actually has a snappy, upbeat kind of energy. Although it doesn't have the same ultra-impressive, epic hugeness, this did remind me strongly--and happily, since this is one of my very favorites--of The Crimson Petal and the White, complete with direct addresses to the reader.
September 25, 2009
Sara Stockbridge writes in a definite style that took me a bit to get used to, but once I did, I didn't want to put Grace Hammer down. This is a story of a Victorian woman who learns how to steal to earn her way in the world. By taking great risks and then being careful, she manages to live in the squalor of London's Whitechapel in a comfortable house with her four children.
An old enemy resurfaces and hunts her down, a Mr. Blunt, from whom she stole a ruby necklace of great worth. The characters in London's seamy underground world of crime and the common folk in the countryside are vividly drawn by Sara Stockbridge. I would definitely read another book by her.
An old enemy resurfaces and hunts her down, a Mr. Blunt, from whom she stole a ruby necklace of great worth. The characters in London's seamy underground world of crime and the common folk in the countryside are vividly drawn by Sara Stockbridge. I would definitely read another book by her.
March 12, 2012
What can I say about a book that is seriously lacking? There was no character development, and the suspense that one expects to find is dull. Our heroine in this story, Grace Hammer, NEVER meets with ill fortune during the course of the actual story, save for a page or two that details ONE event that occurred. There is no true climax as Grace never faces the one person threatening her life the most. The climax that one expects to find after all the build-up never happens and we are just let down gently. The only reason I even finished this book is because it was so short and I wanted to give it a chance.
July 16, 2015
It went on a little too long and felt like the author had ends to tie but lost the steam to infuse the ends with the same energy as the rest of the book.
Nevertheless I enjoyed it. Grace was not who I expected her to be. She's probably too soft to have the life the author gave her but I was thankful for that. I loved how she took care of her children and made friends with the working girls. Yet she was independent and struggled to keep herself free of romantic notions. But her existence was charmed. Seeing her success her friends would have gone into the same racket and they didn't. It didn't add up.
Nevertheless I enjoyed it. Grace was not who I expected her to be. She's probably too soft to have the life the author gave her but I was thankful for that. I loved how she took care of her children and made friends with the working girls. Yet she was independent and struggled to keep herself free of romantic notions. But her existence was charmed. Seeing her success her friends would have gone into the same racket and they didn't. It didn't add up.
August 12, 2010
I enjoyed the descriptions of the Victorian underworld, but...it took a long time to get going, I didn't really care about any of the characters (just Grace and her kids), and there wasn't much in the way of plot. The most annoying thing was the author's constant shifting between present and past tense, sometimes within the same paragraph. I didn't think that this was very well written, or that the plot or characters were fully realized. It seemed like the novel was just an excuse for a tour of the East End in 1888, which I did enjoy.
April 20, 2010
This really felt flat to me. I wanted to like the main character but honestly it just didn't happen. There was a pretty good story buried in here somewhere but the author did not manage to make it happen. For a suspense to really be good it needs to build and keep you on the edge of the seat, again flat. The ending was flat as well, just blah, and it was too bad because with more work I think this could have been a good book. She has some nasty characters but she didn't develop them well or use them as well as she might have.
September 15, 2010
Grace Hammer lived in Whitechapel, London, during Jack the Ripper's era. This Dickensian style story features Grace and her four children, who are petty thieves and pickpockets, although living in relative comfort and security. One day Grace's past catches up with her, as an evil man seeking revenge for a wrong she did him years ago seeks her out in London. This is not a light, easy book to read...there's plenty of squalor, thievery, violence, and poverty. But I liked Stockbridge's writing and I had a hard time putting it down.
September 29, 2012
I was flailing about when I picked up this book. I had started and put down a couple others before, not being in the mood for them. I started this one reluctantly and kept at it, I think, out of distaste for the writing style. Perverse, huh? Throughout, the "oi, guv'nah" style bugged the heck out of me, but the story caught up with me. I enjoyed it. (Okay, just bumped up one more star.) It was escapist. I couldn't bring myself to sit down and read the book of an evening, but it worked for a long car trip. Hmmm.
September 28, 2009
Although it was a little hard to "get into" this book, I stayed with it and was glad I did. Set in Victorian England, in a very impoverished section of London, this is the story of a single mother who's past catches up to her. Grace is a kind hearted person who resorts to thievery to support her children. A victim from her past catches up to her and the suspense begins. It's a good book that leaves you wanting to hear more about Grace and her family.
November 15, 2009
This book had a lot of potential, but just didn't make it. The author is clearly influenced by Charles Dickens not only in content, but in the details of characters and their unique qualities. She is even able to make a really bad guy as bad as they come. However, the book fell totally short of giving the reader any feeling of sympathy for the characters, which I think Dickens does masterfully. Thought it was going to be a fun one, but it disappointed.
May 18, 2013
I enjoyed this book. Knowing it was a first-time author writing in a historical setting, I was prepared for a lot of cliches. I was instead treated to an enjoyable mystery tale - long enough to engage, but short enough to read on an overnight business trip. Stockbridge avoids over-specifying the characters, which leaves some depth and mystique to them. I was especially impressed by her ability to make several criminal characters seem likable and innocent.
July 10, 2013
First book I've read in a long time that, in the end, I wondered why I bothered. Not that there were no moments of pleasurable prose, or emotional involvement. However, other, more enjoyable novels [notably Anne Perry] exist to provide the picture of Victorian London and even its seemier East London environs. This book is not a mystery, although in places it seems to try to be. It was ok, but just ok.
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