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The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho
It’s finally time for Charles Ignatius Sancho to tell his story, one that begins on a slave ship in the Atlantic and ends at the very center of London life. . . . A lush and immersive tale of adventure, artistry, romance, and freedom set in eighteenth-century England and based on a true story
It’s 1746 and Georgian London is not a safe place for a young Black man. Charles Ignatius Sancho must dodge slave catchers and worse, and his main ally―a kindly duke who taught him to write―is dying. Sancho is desperate and utterly alone. So how does the same Charles Ignatius Sancho meet the king, write and play highly acclaimed music, become the first Black person to vote in Britain, and lead the fight to end slavery? Through every moment of this rich, exuberant tale, Sancho forges ahead to see how much he can achieve in one short life: “I had little right to live, born on a slave ship where my parents both died. But I survived, and indeed, you might say I did more.”
It’s 1746 and Georgian London is not a safe place for a young Black man. Charles Ignatius Sancho must dodge slave catchers and worse, and his main ally―a kindly duke who taught him to write―is dying. Sancho is desperate and utterly alone. So how does the same Charles Ignatius Sancho meet the king, write and play highly acclaimed music, become the first Black person to vote in Britain, and lead the fight to end slavery? Through every moment of this rich, exuberant tale, Sancho forges ahead to see how much he can achieve in one short life: “I had little right to live, born on a slave ship where my parents both died. But I survived, and indeed, you might say I did more.”
418 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 431 reviews
October 13, 2022
A fictionalized account of fortunes and misfortunes of Sancho, born a slave, whose ups and downs are presented by himself in a form of a diary designed to be read by his little son.
Beautifully written novel, in the best literary tradition of the 17th and 18th centuries, with emphasis on syntax and glossary telling a tale of a man who in the middle of the 18th century manages to achieve what seemed unattainable then by an African man. He considers himself to be lucky as his destiny is to meet good people of great importance who treat him as a human being and provide Sancho with an array of opportunitites. His stamina and the urge to stand up after each stumble is admirable.
Sancho was a real person, who is famous for being the first Black man ever to vote in Great Britain.
I loved the style of the novel, and the descriptions of Black Georgian world and the awakening of the abolitionism.
*A big thank-you to Paterson Joseph, Little, Brown Book, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Beautifully written novel, in the best literary tradition of the 17th and 18th centuries, with emphasis on syntax and glossary telling a tale of a man who in the middle of the 18th century manages to achieve what seemed unattainable then by an African man. He considers himself to be lucky as his destiny is to meet good people of great importance who treat him as a human being and provide Sancho with an array of opportunitites. His stamina and the urge to stand up after each stumble is admirable.
Sancho was a real person, who is famous for being the first Black man ever to vote in Great Britain.
I loved the style of the novel, and the descriptions of Black Georgian world and the awakening of the abolitionism.
*A big thank-you to Paterson Joseph, Little, Brown Book, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
May 25, 2023
I think there are a good number of people who could like this book, but for me, it was just okay, thus the two stars. I don't want to rag on the book, first, because from all indications, it was and has been quite a passion project for its author, second, because it's a fiction novel based on a real-life former enslaved person in 18th c. London, and I'm a huge believer in #RepresentationMatters, and lastly, as a history major and a huge history nerd, as well as a person of color, UN-erasing people like Charles Ignatius Sancho and all the many other unknown and forgotten people of color is very much to be admired and commended and respected.
Having said all that, almost from the very beginning of this book, I felt very separate from the main character. I should have cared about him, and I wanted to, but I honestly couldn't. It doesn't help that the author often made it unclear when things were happening. In his twentieth year, Sancho escapes from "the Greenwich Coven," three sisters in whose house he was raised, but the author kept bringing us to a time somewhere in that same timeframe in which Sancho was imprisoned in their cellar. Other things I found confusing was his relationship with "Duke John" and his family, and how much, and how, he would be able to interact with them.
All of this can be said to be my "fault" in not being able to keep up, and I will readily admit that by the time the above was unfolding, about 100 pages in, I had been disengaged for a very long time... basically, since almost the first few pages. But I'm not sure that it can all be laid to that lack of involvement and investment. All I can say is that I had been looking forward to this book, it should have hit SOOOO many notes for me, filled me up in so many ways, and it never did. This book will have many fans, and in fact, I hope and think it so, as it tell us about a forgotten but crucial person in history, but me, I am happy to move on to the next book.
Having said all that, almost from the very beginning of this book, I felt very separate from the main character. I should have cared about him, and I wanted to, but I honestly couldn't. It doesn't help that the author often made it unclear when things were happening. In his twentieth year, Sancho escapes from "the Greenwich Coven," three sisters in whose house he was raised, but the author kept bringing us to a time somewhere in that same timeframe in which Sancho was imprisoned in their cellar. Other things I found confusing was his relationship with "Duke John" and his family, and how much, and how, he would be able to interact with them.
All of this can be said to be my "fault" in not being able to keep up, and I will readily admit that by the time the above was unfolding, about 100 pages in, I had been disengaged for a very long time... basically, since almost the first few pages. But I'm not sure that it can all be laid to that lack of involvement and investment. All I can say is that I had been looking forward to this book, it should have hit SOOOO many notes for me, filled me up in so many ways, and it never did. This book will have many fans, and in fact, I hope and think it so, as it tell us about a forgotten but crucial person in history, but me, I am happy to move on to the next book.
July 5, 2023
Update 7/4/23: just read an article in NYT today about Sancho. Made me appreciate this story all the more.
Sancho was born a slave on a ship heading for America. His mother died during childbirth.
He ended up growing up under the thumb of 3 spinster sisters in England who used him as a showpiece. He was not treated well, but he is clear on the fact he understands how “lucky” he was to be there instead of in a plantation.
The book is told as Sancho’s diary entries along with some commentary directly to his youngest son.
I know this probably won’t come as much from of a surprise to you but we are still dealing with the same equal rights battles today as we were in the 18th century. Yes, we have made some progress but we still have far to do.
A well written, interesting and compelling book.
I received this book from Henry Holt & Co. as an advanced reader’s copy but all thoughts are my own.
Sancho was born a slave on a ship heading for America. His mother died during childbirth.
He ended up growing up under the thumb of 3 spinster sisters in England who used him as a showpiece. He was not treated well, but he is clear on the fact he understands how “lucky” he was to be there instead of in a plantation.
The book is told as Sancho’s diary entries along with some commentary directly to his youngest son.
I know this probably won’t come as much from of a surprise to you but we are still dealing with the same equal rights battles today as we were in the 18th century. Yes, we have made some progress but we still have far to do.
A well written, interesting and compelling book.
I received this book from Henry Holt & Co. as an advanced reader’s copy but all thoughts are my own.
April 16, 2023
A really great read - rich and enjoyable, looking at the fascinating life of a real historical figure.
September 19, 2022
The secret diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Patterson Joseph is a fictional story based on a real person. Sancho was a black Composer and a writer and was believed to be the first black person to vote in Britain. This is an account of his life. Call it a memoir is you will. I have not heard of Sancho and had to goggle his name to find out more.
He was born on black slave ship in 1729 but then lost his parents. In 1749 He was brought to London where he was then sold to three sisters who treated him like a pet. He managed to escape them but first became destitute until he met the Duke of Montagu who taught him to read and write.
Parts of the story tells us of his courtship and marriage to Anne and the horrors that go on with the black slavers. And Sancho using his higher status joins the British Abolitionist movement to fight against the slave trade.
Thank you, Little Brown, and NetGalley for a copy of this book. This an entertaining read of not only the life of Charles Ignatius Sancho but also an insight into the Black slavery in Britain. I know it existed but for me I did not know much about it until I read this. After reading I had to find out more about him. 4 stars from me.
He was born on black slave ship in 1729 but then lost his parents. In 1749 He was brought to London where he was then sold to three sisters who treated him like a pet. He managed to escape them but first became destitute until he met the Duke of Montagu who taught him to read and write.
Parts of the story tells us of his courtship and marriage to Anne and the horrors that go on with the black slavers. And Sancho using his higher status joins the British Abolitionist movement to fight against the slave trade.
Thank you, Little Brown, and NetGalley for a copy of this book. This an entertaining read of not only the life of Charles Ignatius Sancho but also an insight into the Black slavery in Britain. I know it existed but for me I did not know much about it until I read this. After reading I had to find out more about him. 4 stars from me.
October 10, 2022
This historical novel, based on the real life of Charles Ignatius Sancho, is a noble attempt to fill out the life of a black British Georgian man attempting to reduce the incongruity of lives like his in an era of British history that has been painted almost exclusively white.
The regency London life is evocative and rich in detail. The struggle Sancho had in finding his place in society fitting in neither with the upper class or lower class drew empathy within the reader effectively.
But I found this book was underedited. The prose was trying too hard with rarely used words being dropped in heavily and unnecessarily. There was repetition in the language (so many references to characters being angels!) which became jarring. I think this was an important story to tell, but for a debut I felt it needed more shaping to grow into the compelling, moving story it was trying to be.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.
The regency London life is evocative and rich in detail. The struggle Sancho had in finding his place in society fitting in neither with the upper class or lower class drew empathy within the reader effectively.
But I found this book was underedited. The prose was trying too hard with rarely used words being dropped in heavily and unnecessarily. There was repetition in the language (so many references to characters being angels!) which became jarring. I think this was an important story to tell, but for a debut I felt it needed more shaping to grow into the compelling, moving story it was trying to be.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.
October 31, 2022
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho is very much a labour of love, the fruits of the author’s 20-year obsession with Sancho’s story. First brought to life in a one-man show performed in New York, and now in this novel, Paterson Joseph has taken a real person and, in his own words, ‘performed an action of fiction on him’.
The book takes the form of extracts from Sancho’s diaries interspersed with letters to his son, Billy. The diaries document Sancho’s colourful and eventful life, from his birth aboard a slave ship to becoming a successful business man (ironically trading in sugar, cocoa and tobacco, the products of slavery), being the first Black Briton to have the vote and becoming a leading light in the early abolitionist movement. But the diaries also reveal Sancho’s regrets about things he has done or failed to do. He wonders, ‘Why burden a child with his father’s sins? Perhaps these papers are best hidden – discarded?’
Sancho is a delightfully eccentric character and the author has created a distinctive voice for him so you feel he is speaking directly to you. One newspaper review has described it as an act of ‘literary ventriloquism’. I was fortunate enough to hear Paterson reading – or I should say, performing – two excerpts from the book at Henley Literary Festival in October. It was wonderful to hear Sancho brought to life, complete with lisp and rather affected manner of speech. True, Sancho can be a little pompous at times but he is also amusingly self-deprecating about his mistakes. And in the periods when he’s in the very depths of despair your heart bleeds for him. (I guarantee you will feel the same about Tilly, the young woman who assists Sancho at a particularly perilous moment in his life.) Although Sancho experiences periods of terrible hardship and cruelty, he also rubs shoulders with luminaries of Georgian society such as William Hogarth, Samuel Johnson, David Garrick and Thomas Gainsborough, entertaining at musical soirées and even taking to the stage.
However, Sancho is a man stuck in the middle. He’s Black but his life has been spent apart from others like him. He’s experienced a lavish lifestyle but as the child of slaves has no legal status. He’s African by birth but has lived the life of an Englishman, thanks to a wealthy patron, feeling at times that being smartly turned out and slightly portly he does not correspond to the stereotype of a Black person. As he says, ‘I did not present a figure of destitution, but one of gross indulgence.’ At one point he wonders if he will always be ‘the outside man, looking in’.
This changes, in more ways than one, when Sancho meets John Clarke-Osborne. He issues Sancho an invitation: ‘Come with me one day soon, friend. Let me show you how the African entertains himself in London’. In one of the book’s memorable scenes, Sancho is taken to the Black Tar Tavern where he witnesses, pretty much for the first time, those he calls ‘my people’. It’s a lively affair with music and dancing.
In his Author’s Note, Paterson Joseph writes that ‘the reader who awaits a tale filled with whips and curses and rapes and murders of Black People by White People in every chapter […] will not find much to please you’. However we do get an insight into the evils of the slave trade in the section of the book made up of letters between Sancho and his future wife, Anne. These are full of their affection for each other and their hopes for the future. However, Anne’s letters also describe some of the horrific treatment experienced by slaves working on the plantations of Barbados and Antigua.
Charles Ignatius Sancho would be a remarkable character if he was the product of an author’s imagination. That he was a real person makes him even more remarkable. In the words of the author, Charles Ignatius Sancho is “A hero. A man. An African. An Artist. Erudite. Wise. Grand. Flawed”. The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho is a thoroughly entertaining historical novel and an impressive debut.
The book takes the form of extracts from Sancho’s diaries interspersed with letters to his son, Billy. The diaries document Sancho’s colourful and eventful life, from his birth aboard a slave ship to becoming a successful business man (ironically trading in sugar, cocoa and tobacco, the products of slavery), being the first Black Briton to have the vote and becoming a leading light in the early abolitionist movement. But the diaries also reveal Sancho’s regrets about things he has done or failed to do. He wonders, ‘Why burden a child with his father’s sins? Perhaps these papers are best hidden – discarded?’
Sancho is a delightfully eccentric character and the author has created a distinctive voice for him so you feel he is speaking directly to you. One newspaper review has described it as an act of ‘literary ventriloquism’. I was fortunate enough to hear Paterson reading – or I should say, performing – two excerpts from the book at Henley Literary Festival in October. It was wonderful to hear Sancho brought to life, complete with lisp and rather affected manner of speech. True, Sancho can be a little pompous at times but he is also amusingly self-deprecating about his mistakes. And in the periods when he’s in the very depths of despair your heart bleeds for him. (I guarantee you will feel the same about Tilly, the young woman who assists Sancho at a particularly perilous moment in his life.) Although Sancho experiences periods of terrible hardship and cruelty, he also rubs shoulders with luminaries of Georgian society such as William Hogarth, Samuel Johnson, David Garrick and Thomas Gainsborough, entertaining at musical soirées and even taking to the stage.
However, Sancho is a man stuck in the middle. He’s Black but his life has been spent apart from others like him. He’s experienced a lavish lifestyle but as the child of slaves has no legal status. He’s African by birth but has lived the life of an Englishman, thanks to a wealthy patron, feeling at times that being smartly turned out and slightly portly he does not correspond to the stereotype of a Black person. As he says, ‘I did not present a figure of destitution, but one of gross indulgence.’ At one point he wonders if he will always be ‘the outside man, looking in’.
This changes, in more ways than one, when Sancho meets John Clarke-Osborne. He issues Sancho an invitation: ‘Come with me one day soon, friend. Let me show you how the African entertains himself in London’. In one of the book’s memorable scenes, Sancho is taken to the Black Tar Tavern where he witnesses, pretty much for the first time, those he calls ‘my people’. It’s a lively affair with music and dancing.
In his Author’s Note, Paterson Joseph writes that ‘the reader who awaits a tale filled with whips and curses and rapes and murders of Black People by White People in every chapter […] will not find much to please you’. However we do get an insight into the evils of the slave trade in the section of the book made up of letters between Sancho and his future wife, Anne. These are full of their affection for each other and their hopes for the future. However, Anne’s letters also describe some of the horrific treatment experienced by slaves working on the plantations of Barbados and Antigua.
Charles Ignatius Sancho would be a remarkable character if he was the product of an author’s imagination. That he was a real person makes him even more remarkable. In the words of the author, Charles Ignatius Sancho is “A hero. A man. An African. An Artist. Erudite. Wise. Grand. Flawed”. The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho is a thoroughly entertaining historical novel and an impressive debut.
April 26, 2023
The author has taken a real person of history and imagined his life. Charles Ignatius was born in 1729 on a slave ship crossing the Atlantic. His African parents had been abducted by slavers. He was sent to live with three sisters in England, who called him Sancho after the character in Don Quixote and treat him as a “pet.” Sancho learns to read and pays for it dearly.
This is a picaresque tale full of unusual adventures. Sancho’s fortunes change drastically over the course of the narrative. He is always trying to elude Sills, a slave catcher. His journey takes him into many of the era’s notable people, including Handel, Samuel Johnson, Lawrence Sterne, and Thomas Gainsborough.
The beginning third is told by Sancho in first person. It contains the perspective of a lifetime, which he is sharing with his youngest son. The second third of the novel shifts to a series of letters between Sancho and his beloved, Anne. During this time, Anne traveled to Barbados to care for her aunt, who has fallen ill. These letters allow the author to include the sufferings of slaves to the colonial British on the Caribbean plantations, which Anne observes first-hand and relates to Sancho in her letters. Sancho’s first-person narration returns in the last third and follows his life after his marriage.
The novel is written in the style of an eighteenth-century work, though the language is not antiquated or stilted. The author has obviously done his research, as the period is realistically and beautifully depicted. It is nice to find a novel that touches on slavery without being a litany of horrors, though the horrors are not ignored. Sancho is a wonderful character, and I could easily envision this book adapted to the stage or film or mini-series. It is top rate historical fiction, and I enjoyed it immensely.
This is a picaresque tale full of unusual adventures. Sancho’s fortunes change drastically over the course of the narrative. He is always trying to elude Sills, a slave catcher. His journey takes him into many of the era’s notable people, including Handel, Samuel Johnson, Lawrence Sterne, and Thomas Gainsborough.
The beginning third is told by Sancho in first person. It contains the perspective of a lifetime, which he is sharing with his youngest son. The second third of the novel shifts to a series of letters between Sancho and his beloved, Anne. During this time, Anne traveled to Barbados to care for her aunt, who has fallen ill. These letters allow the author to include the sufferings of slaves to the colonial British on the Caribbean plantations, which Anne observes first-hand and relates to Sancho in her letters. Sancho’s first-person narration returns in the last third and follows his life after his marriage.
The novel is written in the style of an eighteenth-century work, though the language is not antiquated or stilted. The author has obviously done his research, as the period is realistically and beautifully depicted. It is nice to find a novel that touches on slavery without being a litany of horrors, though the horrors are not ignored. Sancho is a wonderful character, and I could easily envision this book adapted to the stage or film or mini-series. It is top rate historical fiction, and I enjoyed it immensely.
April 22, 2023
3.25*
thank you to netgalley for this publishing arc!
i will say i was, unfortunately, hoping to like this more than i did. the premise was really interesting and i was looking forward to learning more about a historical figure i'd never heard of before. but overall i felt like this book was hurt by a lack of cutting. pretty writing and important and interesting scenes were often overshadowed by huge lulls in the plot and frequent and dense monologues. the beginning parts of charles' story lasted way too long and the parts about his actual role in england about being the first black man to vote were so rushed that by the time i got there, i was already exhausted by the marathon i felt like i'd just run.
what i'm saying sounds very negative but i, by no means had an unpleasurable reading experience. i'm glad i picked this up and like i said this book presented a lot of nice writing with important subject matters.
thank you to netgalley for this publishing arc!
i will say i was, unfortunately, hoping to like this more than i did. the premise was really interesting and i was looking forward to learning more about a historical figure i'd never heard of before. but overall i felt like this book was hurt by a lack of cutting. pretty writing and important and interesting scenes were often overshadowed by huge lulls in the plot and frequent and dense monologues. the beginning parts of charles' story lasted way too long and the parts about his actual role in england about being the first black man to vote were so rushed that by the time i got there, i was already exhausted by the marathon i felt like i'd just run.
what i'm saying sounds very negative but i, by no means had an unpleasurable reading experience. i'm glad i picked this up and like i said this book presented a lot of nice writing with important subject matters.
June 22, 2022
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho
by Paterson Joseph is a great historical fiction that is based on a true story that kept me engaged from beginning to end. I really enjoyed it!
I have actually read several nonfiction articles regarding Charles Ignatius Sancho in the past, but never anything from a fictional standpoint. I really enjoyed all of the passion, research, and talent the author exhibits with this excellent historical fiction.
With this book, we really are immersed into Georgian England (1740s), and in this case, we get to see so much more. There are so many emotions and feelings that this novel really brought to the forefront and several times, it was truly heartbreaking and difficult to read, but definitely needed. Being able to see how the character, as a Black man, trying to survive, overcome obstacles and difficulties, and how he succeeded, was such a treasure to read.
I highly recommend this one.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Dialogue Books/ Little, Brown Book Group UK for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 10/6/22.
by Paterson Joseph is a great historical fiction that is based on a true story that kept me engaged from beginning to end. I really enjoyed it!
I have actually read several nonfiction articles regarding Charles Ignatius Sancho in the past, but never anything from a fictional standpoint. I really enjoyed all of the passion, research, and talent the author exhibits with this excellent historical fiction.
With this book, we really are immersed into Georgian England (1740s), and in this case, we get to see so much more. There are so many emotions and feelings that this novel really brought to the forefront and several times, it was truly heartbreaking and difficult to read, but definitely needed. Being able to see how the character, as a Black man, trying to survive, overcome obstacles and difficulties, and how he succeeded, was such a treasure to read.
I highly recommend this one.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Dialogue Books/ Little, Brown Book Group UK for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 10/6/22.
November 5, 2025
"This isn't slavery porn - the insidious desire for violence to suffuse all stories involving Black protagonists ...
This is the tale of a lucky African orphan, who despite being born in abject slavery, rose to become a leading light of the early abolitionist movement."
Black Historical Fiction.
I admit, perusing the shelves at Shakespeare & Co. this was a cover buy which is rare for me. I never heard of the author Paterson Joseph, nor of the historical figure Charles Ignatius Sancho of the 18th century. The topic of this novel is one that should exist and be read way more frequently, bringing Black historical people into focus that should not be unknown and forgotten.
Sancho, aged 46, addresses his son to tell him about his life via his diary entries from his childhood and early twenties on up to his current age. It's supposed to be his original entries from the respective age he was at the time with small commentary of him as a 46 year old. I think diary style written books are just not for me. It never truly reads like something someone would actually write down in their diary. There are details that no one would bother to note down, conversation, descriptions etc. A diary is not written in a style that intends other readers than the author yet this feels like it, even from the beginning where Sancho clearly did not have that intention. So many points that are plain boring and far too detailed to be interesting while other times or topics are brushed over.
The book started off really slow for me. His childhood, the people he meets, though they aren't particularly fleshed out and that he fell into gambling and drinking due to the circumstances of the time which led to his life being void of purpose. The Duke of Montagu is a pivotal figure in his life. As a black man Sancho isn't allowed to work, so him finding work isn't easy. Still I didn't really understand how he sustained himself after he ran from the place he grew up. Most of the book is spent on him learning how the world works which he only really starts at about age 20 due to the circumstances of his upbringing, his "pampered cage-bird life". This is important for him to fight for the Cause later on.
To me it felt like the pacing is off, a slow start filled with unnecessary details, while the end was rushed and the abolitionist topic at the end came way too short. The Cause to Sancho only starts at page 369/411. Representation, public spokespeople, the law, justice and the vote are all important steps in the abolitionist movement. Deliberations on what products to use based on their production circumstances on the plantations is as much part of the Cause as most of the population stays willfully ignorant.
While the topic is great and important up to this day, the execution in this book was not for me most of the time.
"He wished, clearly, to paint a fearful picture of black people running amok in a Kingdom made for the freedom of whites, only. [...] I gazed at my belovéd capital and saw her with new - and not loving - eyes. This idea that blacks were free was merely notional, it seemed, for the laws of England said nothing about my people."
"Do not waste your efforts winning over those who would discount your worth before they ever see the product of your genius."
"What was this circus? The Vote. Did it alter anything? Did it change one mind or realign one heart? It was nothing then, but an act of faith. It was a message of hope for change that this act represented, not the assurance that it would change the world by the end of next week. A gesture of hope."
This is the tale of a lucky African orphan, who despite being born in abject slavery, rose to become a leading light of the early abolitionist movement."
Black Historical Fiction.
I admit, perusing the shelves at Shakespeare & Co. this was a cover buy which is rare for me. I never heard of the author Paterson Joseph, nor of the historical figure Charles Ignatius Sancho of the 18th century. The topic of this novel is one that should exist and be read way more frequently, bringing Black historical people into focus that should not be unknown and forgotten.
Sancho, aged 46, addresses his son to tell him about his life via his diary entries from his childhood and early twenties on up to his current age. It's supposed to be his original entries from the respective age he was at the time with small commentary of him as a 46 year old. I think diary style written books are just not for me. It never truly reads like something someone would actually write down in their diary. There are details that no one would bother to note down, conversation, descriptions etc. A diary is not written in a style that intends other readers than the author yet this feels like it, even from the beginning where Sancho clearly did not have that intention. So many points that are plain boring and far too detailed to be interesting while other times or topics are brushed over.
The book started off really slow for me. His childhood, the people he meets, though they aren't particularly fleshed out and that he fell into gambling and drinking due to the circumstances of the time which led to his life being void of purpose. The Duke of Montagu is a pivotal figure in his life. As a black man Sancho isn't allowed to work, so him finding work isn't easy. Still I didn't really understand how he sustained himself after he ran from the place he grew up. Most of the book is spent on him learning how the world works which he only really starts at about age 20 due to the circumstances of his upbringing, his "pampered cage-bird life". This is important for him to fight for the Cause later on.
To me it felt like the pacing is off, a slow start filled with unnecessary details, while the end was rushed and the abolitionist topic at the end came way too short. The Cause to Sancho only starts at page 369/411. Representation, public spokespeople, the law, justice and the vote are all important steps in the abolitionist movement. Deliberations on what products to use based on their production circumstances on the plantations is as much part of the Cause as most of the population stays willfully ignorant.
While the topic is great and important up to this day, the execution in this book was not for me most of the time.
"He wished, clearly, to paint a fearful picture of black people running amok in a Kingdom made for the freedom of whites, only. [...] I gazed at my belovéd capital and saw her with new - and not loving - eyes. This idea that blacks were free was merely notional, it seemed, for the laws of England said nothing about my people."
"Do not waste your efforts winning over those who would discount your worth before they ever see the product of your genius."
"What was this circus? The Vote. Did it alter anything? Did it change one mind or realign one heart? It was nothing then, but an act of faith. It was a message of hope for change that this act represented, not the assurance that it would change the world by the end of next week. A gesture of hope."
March 30, 2023
The fact that Paterson Joseph wanted to tell a historical fiction story about a real Black man, one that didn’t experience the cruelty and back-breaking suffering of traditional slavery is great. These stories need to be out there, but they are the large majority of what is out there, and something unconventional can be a fresh change of pace. Make no mistake, Sancho’s life isn’t all rainbows and sunshine. During his childhood and adolescence he lives with three sisters who don’t treat him much differently than a house slave privy to their whims. He spends much of his life fearing a slave catcher. And his eventual significant other sees the cruelty of slavery and white privilege directly. The book itself was a struggle for me; I didn’t like the writing style at all. It felt like it took my utmost attention to mostly follow what was going on. And even then there were times where I felt like I had whiplash. The story format has Sancho recounting his life to his son Billy, but some of it is in the past, some of it is current and some of it speaks directly to Billy. The middle chunk is Sancho and his future wife Anne writing back and forth to each other while they are separated. Then when they are reunited it goes back to the previous format. The length of chapters is incredibly inconsistent. There were events that took place that seemed like they were imagined, and for most of the last part of the book after Sancho leaves the three sisters it was hard to figure out what he was doing to have an income. I think the premise was a good one, but I was so lost and confused while reading this book. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
October 28, 2024
The "Secret Diaries" is a fictional tale based on what is known of the true life of Charles Ignatius Sancho, a Black man who lived in Britain during Georgian times. I found the audiobook edition narrated by the author and actor Paterson Joseph an enjoyable listen, presenting the good and bad that happened around Sancho and taking in much of what we know of the Black presence and lives of Black people in Britain during the period.
The author has done an excellent job of raising the visibility of Ignatius Sancho, considered a Great Black Briton as well as being a writer, composer, actor, an advocate for the cause of anti-slavery and abolition, a shop owner in Westminster, and reputed to be the first Black Briton to vote in an English election.
Recommended reading.
The author has done an excellent job of raising the visibility of Ignatius Sancho, considered a Great Black Briton as well as being a writer, composer, actor, an advocate for the cause of anti-slavery and abolition, a shop owner in Westminster, and reputed to be the first Black Briton to vote in an English election.
Recommended reading.
January 21, 2023
I was so enjoying spending time with Sancho, I didn't want this to end. The love story between Sancho and Anne conducted entirely by letter over a long enforced separation is hugely affecting. I also fell in love with Anne!
This novel is the story of one man - a real historical figure - but it also shines a light on so many more untold stories of black Britain. I'm now eager to read some of the histories by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina that inspired Paterson Joseph to write this, his first novel and I hope he'll write more.
This novel is the story of one man - a real historical figure - but it also shines a light on so many more untold stories of black Britain. I'm now eager to read some of the histories by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina that inspired Paterson Joseph to write this, his first novel and I hope he'll write more.
March 21, 2023
Paterson Joseph's The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho began with an intriguing historical datum. Yes, there was a Charles Ignatius Sancho (1729-1780), but little is known about his life aside from a handful of facts: he arrived in England as a slave, became literate, met a number of notables of his day, married, ultimately became a store-owner, and worked throughout his life to end slavery.
Joseph doesn't go into details, but he acknowledges that the bulk of the novel is his imagining of Sancho's life. There are surviving letters by Sancho and the novel includes letters, but it's not clear if the letters in the novel were Sancho's or were Joseph's version of Sancho.
Structurally, the book is a bit unusual. Ostensibly, Sancho is writing it as a legacy for his sole surviving son. It opens with extensive first-person narrative in Sancho's voice, switches to a long middle section of correspondence, and then closes with a briefer first-person section. The first-person to correspondence to first-person switches left me feeling a bit distanced from Sancho because the voice I became familiar with at the novel's beginning disappeared for such a long period.
One of the benefits of Joseph having to imagine so much of Sancho's story is that it lets readers do their own imagining, too. The lack of historical data means readers must walk alongside Sancho and create parts of the story for themselves, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.
Joseph doesn't go into details, but he acknowledges that the bulk of the novel is his imagining of Sancho's life. There are surviving letters by Sancho and the novel includes letters, but it's not clear if the letters in the novel were Sancho's or were Joseph's version of Sancho.
Structurally, the book is a bit unusual. Ostensibly, Sancho is writing it as a legacy for his sole surviving son. It opens with extensive first-person narrative in Sancho's voice, switches to a long middle section of correspondence, and then closes with a briefer first-person section. The first-person to correspondence to first-person switches left me feeling a bit distanced from Sancho because the voice I became familiar with at the novel's beginning disappeared for such a long period.
One of the benefits of Joseph having to imagine so much of Sancho's story is that it lets readers do their own imagining, too. The lack of historical data means readers must walk alongside Sancho and create parts of the story for themselves, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.
July 1, 2023
Charles Ignatius Sancho, who lived in 16th-century Britain but who began his life in slavery, is remembered for, among other accomplishments for the time, being a composer, as well as the first British African to vote in a general election. In this work of historical fiction, Paterson Joseph fleshes out and enhances what little factual information we know about Sancho: his early life, tutelage under the Duke of Montagu, challenges and obstacles, and relationships with family and friends.
I had never heard of Sancho prior to receiving this book, but historical fiction based on little-known or oft-ignored figures sounded right up my alley. Sancho's story and Joseph's writing were both compelling, and I would absolutely recommend the book to others also drawn to the genre or time period. It was interesting to compare Sancho's apparent regard in British society with how he most likely would have bee perceived had he lived as a free man in the United States. There were a few details in my advance copy that I hope were corrected in the final version. For example, in a letter Anne sends from Barbados she mentions that there are storms afflicting "the islands that lie to our south and east" (there are no islands east of Barbados, and none directly south either).
I received this ARC via LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
I had never heard of Sancho prior to receiving this book, but historical fiction based on little-known or oft-ignored figures sounded right up my alley. Sancho's story and Joseph's writing were both compelling, and I would absolutely recommend the book to others also drawn to the genre or time period. It was interesting to compare Sancho's apparent regard in British society with how he most likely would have bee perceived had he lived as a free man in the United States. There were a few details in my advance copy that I hope were corrected in the final version. For example, in a letter Anne sends from Barbados she mentions that there are storms afflicting "the islands that lie to our south and east" (there are no islands east of Barbados, and none directly south either).
I received this ARC via LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
February 1, 2024
I suspect this was a simple case of wrong book, wrong time but I found this rather heavy going. Which is a shame, as I was looking forward to it. I think it was the style which caused me issues: the diaries are quite formally written, which is probably apt for the time period intended, but I found it rather detached and with many characters, names were hard to keep track of. I didn’t find myself warming to Sancho or really coming away with a strong feeling of the story arc: but as I say, I suspect some of that is me, rather than the book
October 23, 2022
If you hadn’t heard of Charles Ignatius Sancho before, then you’re not alone, and already this book has achieved something by bringing him to our attention. For this is a fictional look at the life of an incredible man who started life as a slave and went on to become an Abolitionist. I want to make it clear before I review that I’m obviously not the main target audience and that my opinion is going to be one of the least relevant so do check out other reviews ❤️
It was hard to know what to expect with this novel - the cover was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen and of course the author is well known for many other things, so I was very excited to read this. I’ll admit it didn’t get off to the best start for me - I started it three weeks ago but just didn’t get hooked instantly as I found the writing style quite difficult to get into (it’s quite flowery?!), but luckily when I picked it up again this week I was far more invested and found the latter half far more compelling as I finally got used to the rhythm of it.
This is a strange one - there’s the potential for heartache and misery given the focus on slavery and certainly during the letters between Sancho and his wife Anne, I felt myself getting angry and sad at the depravity of it all. But the author has specifically said at the beginning that he didn’t want this to be slavery porn and the truth is that much of this story is in fact light, joyful and entertaining - Sancho is quite the character, into his fashion, food and often quite pompous, so this might not be what you’re expecting! It’s broken down into letters to his son and then the account of his life in London, and it certainly makes for an interesting and insightful read, with a real theatricality to it which could be expected from an author who’s also an actor. Definitely not what I expected but refreshing to read a story of Black slavery which isn’t completely one dimensional, and great to have more Black historical fiction which makes me want to go learn more.
It was hard to know what to expect with this novel - the cover was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen and of course the author is well known for many other things, so I was very excited to read this. I’ll admit it didn’t get off to the best start for me - I started it three weeks ago but just didn’t get hooked instantly as I found the writing style quite difficult to get into (it’s quite flowery?!), but luckily when I picked it up again this week I was far more invested and found the latter half far more compelling as I finally got used to the rhythm of it.
This is a strange one - there’s the potential for heartache and misery given the focus on slavery and certainly during the letters between Sancho and his wife Anne, I felt myself getting angry and sad at the depravity of it all. But the author has specifically said at the beginning that he didn’t want this to be slavery porn and the truth is that much of this story is in fact light, joyful and entertaining - Sancho is quite the character, into his fashion, food and often quite pompous, so this might not be what you’re expecting! It’s broken down into letters to his son and then the account of his life in London, and it certainly makes for an interesting and insightful read, with a real theatricality to it which could be expected from an author who’s also an actor. Definitely not what I expected but refreshing to read a story of Black slavery which isn’t completely one dimensional, and great to have more Black historical fiction which makes me want to go learn more.
July 10, 2023
I admit I knew very little about Charles Ignatius Sancho and was thrilled at the opportunity to learn more about him, so I was happy to receive an ARC via NetGalley. After closing the novel, I’d indeed learned a great deal about the man, but I found myself wanting to know more about the author who penned such an in depth, imaginative, immersive tale!
This format (inspired epistolary) worked for me at the visceral level. It opens with an older Charles presenting his personal collections (diaries) in chronological order to his son; however, the beauty is the inserted notations and supplemental remembrances from older, wiser Charles commenting on his friendships, his choices/missteps, and proffering sage wisdom to his son.
The diction/language and place setting teleports the reader back to an era that is familiar – many a movie and novel features the burgeoning Georgian London (think of works by Jane Austen, Lord Byron, John Keats, and Jonathan Swift). The beauty of this novel is the shift in the point of view – It is told from the perspective of an enslaved child who through fate evolves into a free, educated/literate, multi-talented Black man. While liberties were taken to fill in the gaps of his life, the novel is inspired by the life and adventures of an actual (property-owning) man - the first on record to vote in the United Kingdom. His journey is remarkable and I was glued to the pages to see how things were going to play out for him. Joseph’s rendering of his complete life was a marvel to read – from his imagined birth aboard a slave ship to the people he encountered, his compositions, his social and political activities (including his support for the abolitionist movement).
This story is wonderfully conjured and richly told. Highly recommended for those interested in this historical figure.
Thanks to the publisher, Henry Holt & Company, and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.
This format (inspired epistolary) worked for me at the visceral level. It opens with an older Charles presenting his personal collections (diaries) in chronological order to his son; however, the beauty is the inserted notations and supplemental remembrances from older, wiser Charles commenting on his friendships, his choices/missteps, and proffering sage wisdom to his son.
The diction/language and place setting teleports the reader back to an era that is familiar – many a movie and novel features the burgeoning Georgian London (think of works by Jane Austen, Lord Byron, John Keats, and Jonathan Swift). The beauty of this novel is the shift in the point of view – It is told from the perspective of an enslaved child who through fate evolves into a free, educated/literate, multi-talented Black man. While liberties were taken to fill in the gaps of his life, the novel is inspired by the life and adventures of an actual (property-owning) man - the first on record to vote in the United Kingdom. His journey is remarkable and I was glued to the pages to see how things were going to play out for him. Joseph’s rendering of his complete life was a marvel to read – from his imagined birth aboard a slave ship to the people he encountered, his compositions, his social and political activities (including his support for the abolitionist movement).
This story is wonderfully conjured and richly told. Highly recommended for those interested in this historical figure.
Thanks to the publisher, Henry Holt & Company, and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.
May 18, 2024
Bumped this up from 4.5 to 5 stars. I think for me the book was made so much better through listening to the audiobook performed by the author, Paterson Joseph. The audiobook also gives a fantastic, contextual introduction to what the author wanted to achieve, and then a great interview by Malorie Blackman at the end. Paterson Joseph’s 20+ years of research on Charles Ignatius Sancho shines through this book. The protagonist is flawed, irritating, vain, brave, but three-dimensional.
Stylistically, interesting to consider this book alongside Demon Copperhead. Both written in a Dickensian style, but this book is set pre-Dickens and Copperhead in modern times. I felt this book was much better than Demon Copperhead. This book was slightly hampered by being a fiction based on a real life character as it had to be constrained by his actual life. But what a life he had.
I think my appreciation of this book is enhanced through reading David Olusoga’s Black & British last month. It set so much of the Black British history context, expanded on in this historic fiction. Similarly I appreciated The Fraud by Zadie Smith as a work of historic fiction even more through having read Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera the month before. Really trying to fill in the huge gaps in my knowledge of colonial history, history of empire and enslavement, and I find blending fiction and non-fiction writing on this is helping with that.
Finally (and I know this is Paterson Joseph’s aspiration) I would love to see a TV or film adaptation of this. As Paterson Joseph says in his interview at the end, Bridgerton is fun but it’s cartoonish. I’d love to see this true life story told and shared more widely.
Stylistically, interesting to consider this book alongside Demon Copperhead. Both written in a Dickensian style, but this book is set pre-Dickens and Copperhead in modern times. I felt this book was much better than Demon Copperhead. This book was slightly hampered by being a fiction based on a real life character as it had to be constrained by his actual life. But what a life he had.
I think my appreciation of this book is enhanced through reading David Olusoga’s Black & British last month. It set so much of the Black British history context, expanded on in this historic fiction. Similarly I appreciated The Fraud by Zadie Smith as a work of historic fiction even more through having read Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera the month before. Really trying to fill in the huge gaps in my knowledge of colonial history, history of empire and enslavement, and I find blending fiction and non-fiction writing on this is helping with that.
Finally (and I know this is Paterson Joseph’s aspiration) I would love to see a TV or film adaptation of this. As Paterson Joseph says in his interview at the end, Bridgerton is fun but it’s cartoonish. I’d love to see this true life story told and shared more widely.
August 16, 2022
Set in a fascinating time period, from a perspective rarely talked about in British culture. The author, Paterson Joseph, writes in his forward that he hopes that while reading this book that we smile, laugh, rage and cry. He continues to say that those sentiments assure ourselves that whatever our origin, we can all agree that no one should be denied their freedom to belong where they are raised.
Now although I agree wholeheartedly that no soul on this planet should be denied their freedom to belong, I can’t say I felt much rage or joy in reading. There was no laughter or tears.
It is readable for sure but I found the constant flipping between extracts of a young man’s diary, letter to Charles Ignatius’s son and further letters between him and his wife to be difficult. I did not enjoy the transitions and though the subject matter was interesting I found it lost power in the manner of telling.
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Now although I agree wholeheartedly that no soul on this planet should be denied their freedom to belong, I can’t say I felt much rage or joy in reading. There was no laughter or tears.
It is readable for sure but I found the constant flipping between extracts of a young man’s diary, letter to Charles Ignatius’s son and further letters between him and his wife to be difficult. I did not enjoy the transitions and though the subject matter was interesting I found it lost power in the manner of telling.
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February 14, 2024
I read ‘The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho’ as it was selected for our book club at work. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into the book at all and it felt like a real effort to get through it.
The book is historical fiction and based on the real life of the first Black man to vote in Britain. Sancho was born into slavery, sold into the slave trade, orphaned and taken into care. The book details the cruel experiences he faced, the chance encounter that gave him access to education, his love story and involvement in the movement to abolish slavery.
The topics covered in the book are hard hitting and some of the language used uncomfortable. While I recognise the importance of books like this, this book wasn’t for me. At times the writing style was really difficult to get on board with and I didn’t get pulled into the story. Given that I wasn’t enjoying the book I don’t think the stop/starts of reading helped me become invested in the characters or the story.
The book is historical fiction and based on the real life of the first Black man to vote in Britain. Sancho was born into slavery, sold into the slave trade, orphaned and taken into care. The book details the cruel experiences he faced, the chance encounter that gave him access to education, his love story and involvement in the movement to abolish slavery.
The topics covered in the book are hard hitting and some of the language used uncomfortable. While I recognise the importance of books like this, this book wasn’t for me. At times the writing style was really difficult to get on board with and I didn’t get pulled into the story. Given that I wasn’t enjoying the book I don’t think the stop/starts of reading helped me become invested in the characters or the story.
June 21, 2023
*I received a copy of this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.*
This book had moments when I absolutely loved it and others when I wanted to give Charles Ignatius Sancho a piece of my mind. Overall, I appreciated the mix of fact and fiction about a little-known historical figure in 18th-century London. Sancho is born on a slave ship, but is transported to England as a young child and eventually escapes from the sisters who enslaved him. He benefits from the support of a kind duke, but still must dodge slave catchers and others in London as Sancho navigates a fascinating world. He is a valet, an actor, a shopkeeper, and ultimately, the first Black man to vote in a British election.
This book had moments when I absolutely loved it and others when I wanted to give Charles Ignatius Sancho a piece of my mind. Overall, I appreciated the mix of fact and fiction about a little-known historical figure in 18th-century London. Sancho is born on a slave ship, but is transported to England as a young child and eventually escapes from the sisters who enslaved him. He benefits from the support of a kind duke, but still must dodge slave catchers and others in London as Sancho navigates a fascinating world. He is a valet, an actor, a shopkeeper, and ultimately, the first Black man to vote in a British election.
December 19, 2022
Really interesting but just too long and meandering … has some great elements of the story but just takes too long to come to fruition. Some chapters immensely long and others a couple of pages. But an eye opening tale of how people were treated in a so-called enlightened country!!!
On balance if the anti-slavery element had been an earlier feature it could have been much more impactful, but sadly although I finished it, I got a bit bored along the way.
3*
On balance if the anti-slavery element had been an earlier feature it could have been much more impactful, but sadly although I finished it, I got a bit bored along the way.
3*
September 14, 2022
A really interesting (and educational) book, but didn't quite manage to keep me gripped throughout, and at times I felt like I was having to force myself to plough on with it. Glad I persevered, though.
May 22, 2024
More like 3.5 stars. Enjoyable read 📚
October 15, 2022
“This is an imaginative telling of the life of a Black man who breathed London’s air two hundred years before I walked its streets. …This is the tale of a lucky African orphan, who despite being born in abject slavery, rose to become a leading light of the early abolitionist movement.” - from opening Authors Note.
My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group U.K. Dialogue Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho’ by Paterson Joseph.
For over twenty years British actor Paterson Joseph has been researching the life of Charles Ignatius Sancho, an 18th Century Black Briton, who was involved in the abolitionist movement. In 2015 he wrote and starred in a solo play ‘Sancho: An Act of Remembrance’.
This is Joseph’s debut novel and as stated in the quote above is a fictional account of Sancho’s life. It is told in the form of a diary and letters that Sancho is revisiting and revising in 1775 following the birth of his son, Billy, with the intention of his receiving them when he has grown to manhood.
Sancho writes: “Much of the following comes from my diary entries over the years – I will record my retrospective interjections – these may be useful in aiding my Billy to navigate the story of your father’s life thus far.”
I found it an amazing work of literary historical fiction. I will admit that I had not heard of Charles Ignatius Sancho before this novel. I also felt that Paterson Joseph did well in portraying Georgian London in a manner that felt very authentic. Such attention to period detail, including the formality of society and language, is something that I look for in historical fiction as it allows for a greater sense of engagement.
I complemented my reading of an advance review copy with its unabridged audiobook edition narrated by the author. I found his reading very powerful.
Highly recommended.
My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group U.K. Dialogue Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho’ by Paterson Joseph.
For over twenty years British actor Paterson Joseph has been researching the life of Charles Ignatius Sancho, an 18th Century Black Briton, who was involved in the abolitionist movement. In 2015 he wrote and starred in a solo play ‘Sancho: An Act of Remembrance’.
This is Joseph’s debut novel and as stated in the quote above is a fictional account of Sancho’s life. It is told in the form of a diary and letters that Sancho is revisiting and revising in 1775 following the birth of his son, Billy, with the intention of his receiving them when he has grown to manhood.
Sancho writes: “Much of the following comes from my diary entries over the years – I will record my retrospective interjections – these may be useful in aiding my Billy to navigate the story of your father’s life thus far.”
I found it an amazing work of literary historical fiction. I will admit that I had not heard of Charles Ignatius Sancho before this novel. I also felt that Paterson Joseph did well in portraying Georgian London in a manner that felt very authentic. Such attention to period detail, including the formality of society and language, is something that I look for in historical fiction as it allows for a greater sense of engagement.
I complemented my reading of an advance review copy with its unabridged audiobook edition narrated by the author. I found his reading very powerful.
Highly recommended.
December 2, 2024
Paterson Joseph's narration of the audiobook definitely bumped this up another star for me. I love how he didn't shy away from portraying Sancho in a real light, showing the good and bad sides of him. I do feel it took a bit of time for me to get into it, but I was truly hooked when he started talking about Sancho's wife, and the ending is powerful too. Lovely read
April 15, 2025
I really enjoyed this work of historical fiction set in 18th century Britain. Charles shows us through his writings that he is truly a man in full. 3.75 stars
February 17, 2024
Logging this late but this was the latest book club read at work. An enjoyable book! Not sure I would’ve initially picked it up of my own accord, so a book club success in itself. Very Dickensian in nature, but felt much more accessible and representative.
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