NOVEMBER 2018 - AudioFile
Juliet Stevenson is the ideal narrator for this audiobook. After all, who better to use her immense skills with vocal characterizations and richly nuanced accents? Who else could take a sizable cast, developed with nearly Dickensian detail, and make each voice distinct? Indeed, there are moments when the voices reach near-caricature, but the intensity is not entirely out of place. Stevenson's performance is well paced as the story moves between Mr. Hancock, a lonely merchant whose fortunes shift when he comes into possession of the titular sea creature, and Angelica, a high-class prostitute seeking both freedom and security. The listener follows these parallel tales easily, having been drawn into eighteenth-century London and larger-than-life characters who are trying to keep their heads above water. L.B.F. 2019 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
The New York Times Book Review - John Vernon
One of the delights of this knowingly preposterous story is the dialectic it constructs between the real and the fantastic. Its period details—de rigueur in historical novels—dutifully create the ambience of a different time and place for tourist readers, and do so beautifully…The effect is that each quality, the real and the fantastic, infects the other: The real world of 18th-century London seems both lavish and perishable, and the fantastic world of mermaids feels deadly real, especially when the live mermaid pollutes everyone in her vicinity with anxiety and melancholy…[A] splendid novel…
Publishers Weekly
★ 07/02/2018
When a sedate, middle-aged London merchant falls in love with a beautiful prostitute, anything can happen—and does—in Gowar’s delightful debut set in the late 18th century. The mermaid of the title is a dubious specimen delivered to Jonah Hancock by the master of one of his ships that ply the high seas. After the creature causes a sensation in London, Angelica Neal, a gorgeous, narcissistic courtesan, is enlisted by her former mentor, Mrs. Chapell, the proprietress of a high-class brothel, to “entertain” Hancock so he’ll agree to bring his exhibit to Mrs. Chapell’s celebrated institution. Smitten and lovelorn, Hancock is rebuffed by Angelica, who is in the midst of another love affair and jokingly dares Hancock to bring her another mermaid. It’s only after she’s abandoned and left destitute by her feckless love that Angelica realizes there might be something to Hancock after all, especially since he does deliver the required second mermaid. That purported sea creature brings an element of mystery to a novel alive with wit and humor. Gowar has a marvelous gift for the felicitous phrase and for Dickensian characters (Mrs. Chappell “is built like an armchair, more upholstered than clothed”) and excels in astute social commentary, especially in descriptions of the lavish household goods, clothing, and food that money can buy—in contrast with the mean lives of the poor in Deptford, where Hancock’s shipping office is located. Angelica’s gradual perception of the shallowness of her hermetic world is counterpointed by the blossoming of Hancock’s niece, a shy 14-year-old, who comes into her own as his housekeeper. This is, indeed, a kind of fairy tale, one whose splendid combination of myth and reality testifies to Gowar’s imagination and talent. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Wonderful… completely transporting.” — Madeline Miller, author of Circe and The Song of Achilles
“Set in 18th-century England, with characters you might meet in a Jane Austen novel…. Gowar writes rounded, believable personalities. Her language crackles with ingenuity and grace, and she has an eye for the everyday particulars.” — Chicago Tribune
“This glittering debut novel examines every rung of 18th-century London’s social ladder with keen wit and in delicious detail.” — People
“Gowar’s debut delivers… anchored by Angelica, who contains an incredible complexity to her identity as a sex worker, as a wife and as a woman just trying to survive…. Gowar brings her story to life with lush, immersive descriptions.” — USA Today
“It’s hard to believe that this brilliant and sure-footed work is a debut novel. Gowar’s feel for the spirit of the period is spot on… with an unsentimental acknowledgment of the harsh entrapments occasioned by gender, class and race; her prose sparkles with sly wit, inviting inevitable comparisons to Jane Austen.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Splendid…. One of the delights of this knowingly preposterous story is the dialectic it constructs between the real and the fantastic…. Each quality… infects the other: The real world of 18th-century London seems both lavish and perishable, and the fantastic world of mermaids feels deadly real.” — John Vernon, New York Times Book Review
“It’s hard to believe that this brilliant and sure-footed work is a debut novel. Gowar’s feel for the spirit of the period is spot on… with an unsentimental acknowledgment of the harsh entrapments occasioned by gender, class and race; her prose sparkles with sly wit, inviting inevitable comparisons to Jane Austen.” — Entertainment Weekly
“A fascinating, beautifully written, semi-historical take on mermaid mania, with two complicated human beings at the center of it.” — Bustle
“Imogen Hermes Gowar explores eighteenth-century class, race and human curiosity in this brilliantly written novel. The characters are so powerful that overwhelm the story plot. This fairy-tale novel is full of imagination. This debut novel with a lot of romance makes Imogen Hermes Gowar a welcome voice in fiction.” — Washington Book Review
“This is, indeed, a kind of fairy tale, one whose splendid combination of myth and reality testifies to Gowar’s imagination and talent.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Concerned with the issue of women’s freedom, Gowar offers a panoramic view of Georgian society, from its coffeehouses and street life to class distinctions and multicultural populace.... A sumptuous historical feast.” — Booklist, starred review
“A historical fantasy in the vein of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.” — BookPage
“Fascinating and funny, this is undoubtedly the start of a major career for this young writer.” — Vogue (London)
“There is much to chew on here, and much to savour, presented with wit and showmanship…. The elan of this book is female, from the madams running their girls, to the book’s most obvious literary forebear, Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus. Imogen Hermes Gowar is the real deal.” — Guardian (London)
“The richness and rhythm of the writing is irresistible.” — Emma Healey, author of Elizabeth is Missing and Whistle in the Dark
“A swift, rollicking read…. Richly descriptive…. Like the recent historical-fiction hits Francis Spufford’s Golden Hill, Sarah Perry’s The Essex Serpent, and Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist, this is a novel pungent in historical detail.” — Sunday Times (London)
“A gripping… study of the intertwined lives of sex workers and high society in Georgian London…. Themes… — of independence, love, class, death and gender stereotypes — are skilfully explored here through a late 18th-century lens.” — Financial Times (London)
“Absolutely delightful... I read it greedily, savoring the characters’ adventures and their wit, resilience and humanity as they contend with the glittering, filthy, dangerous city that was Georgian London. The novel is a well-researched, charming, immensely entertaining read.” — Maria McCann, author of As Meat Loves Salt
“A story of obsession and curiosity, this book is all the better for its rich detail, thanks to Hermes Gowar’s impeccable research.” — Stylist (London)
“From the first page of this dazzling debut novel, you are pitched into a sumptuously detailed adventure set in the bustle and swagger of 18th century London.… The result is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel, its brilliantly drawn characters driven by heady and dangerous desires.” — Sunday Express (London), 5/5 stars
“A lush Georgian yarn to sink into like a warm bath…. The themes are chewy… never heavy. What this escapade delivers above all is pure storytelling pleasure.” — Metro (London), 4/5 stars
Minneapolis Star Tribune
It’s hard to believe that this brilliant and sure-footed work is a debut novel. Gowar’s feel for the spirit of the period is spot on… with an unsentimental acknowledgment of the harsh entrapments occasioned by gender, class and race; her prose sparkles with sly wit, inviting inevitable comparisons to Jane Austen.
USA Today
Gowar’s debut delivers… anchored by Angelica, who contains an incredible complexity to her identity as a sex worker, as a wife and as a woman just trying to survive…. Gowar brings her story to life with lush, immersive descriptions.
John Vernon
Splendid…. One of the delights of this knowingly preposterous story is the dialectic it constructs between the real and the fantastic…. Each quality… infects the other: The real world of 18th-century London seems both lavish and perishable, and the fantastic world of mermaids feels deadly real.
People
This glittering debut novel examines every rung of 18th-century London’s social ladder with keen wit and in delicious detail.
Entertainment Weekly
It’s hard to believe that this brilliant and sure-footed work is a debut novel. Gowar’s feel for the spirit of the period is spot on… with an unsentimental acknowledgment of the harsh entrapments occasioned by gender, class and race; her prose sparkles with sly wit, inviting inevitable comparisons to Jane Austen.
Washington Book Review
Imogen Hermes Gowar explores eighteenth-century class, race and human curiosity in this brilliantly written novel. The characters are so powerful that overwhelm the story plot. This fairy-tale novel is full of imagination. This debut novel with a lot of romance makes Imogen Hermes Gowar a welcome voice in fiction.
Chicago Tribune
Set in 18th-century England, with characters you might meet in a Jane Austen novel…. Gowar writes rounded, believable personalities. Her language crackles with ingenuity and grace, and she has an eye for the everyday particulars.
Bustle
A fascinating, beautifully written, semi-historical take on mermaid mania, with two complicated human beings at the center of it.
Madeline Miller
Wonderful… completely transporting.”
USA Today
Gowar’s debut delivers… anchored by Angelica, who contains an incredible complexity to her identity as a sex worker, as a wife and as a woman just trying to survive…. Gowar brings her story to life with lush, immersive descriptions.
Chicago Tribune
Set in 18th-century England, with characters you might meet in a Jane Austen novel…. Gowar writes rounded, believable personalities. Her language crackles with ingenuity and grace, and she has an eye for the everyday particulars.
Sunday Times (London)
A swift, rollicking read…. Richly descriptive…. Like the recent historical-fiction hits Francis Spufford’s Golden Hill, Sarah Perry’s The Essex Serpent, and Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist, this is a novel pungent in historical detail.
starred review Booklist
Concerned with the issue of women’s freedom, Gowar offers a panoramic view of Georgian society, from its coffeehouses and street life to class distinctions and multicultural populace.... A sumptuous historical feast.
Sunday Express (London)
From the first page of this dazzling debut novel, you are pitched into a sumptuously detailed adventure set in the bustle and swagger of 18th century London.… The result is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel, its brilliantly drawn characters driven by heady and dangerous desires.
Financial Times (London)
A gripping… study of the intertwined lives of sex workers and high society in Georgian London…. Themes… — of independence, love, class, death and gender stereotypes — are skilfully explored here through a late 18th-century lens.
Stylist (London)
A story of obsession and curiosity, this book is all the better for its rich detail, thanks to Hermes Gowar’s impeccable research.
Vogue (London)
Fascinating and funny, this is undoubtedly the start of a major career for this young writer.
BookPage
A historical fantasy in the vein of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
Maria McCann
Absolutely delightful... I read it greedily, savoring the characters’ adventures and their wit, resilience and humanity as they contend with the glittering, filthy, dangerous city that was Georgian London. The novel is a well-researched, charming, immensely entertaining read.
Guardian (London)
There is much to chew on here, and much to savour, presented with wit and showmanship…. The elan of this book is female, from the madams running their girls, to the book’s most obvious literary forebear, Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus. Imogen Hermes Gowar is the real deal.
4/5 stars Metro (London)
A lush Georgian yarn to sink into like a warm bath…. The themes are chewy… never heavy. What this escapade delivers above all is pure storytelling pleasure.
Emma Healey
The richness and rhythm of the writing is irresistible.
Irish Times
Historical fiction at its finest, combining myth and legend with the brutal realities of the past, chief among them the mistreatment of women and black people and the inequality that existed among the classes. Comparisons will be drawn to the works of contemporary authors Sarah Waters and Michael Faber… but The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock has more in common with the novels of Dickens and Austen.
Times (London)
Superb…. A cracking historical novel… by turns intriguing, touching, funny, sad and heartwarming…. The cast of endlessly engaging characters will keep you turning the pages until you get to the wholly satisfying ending…. The novel immerses you in a world in a way that reminds me of Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
four out of five stars (London) Metro
A lush Georgian yarn to sink into like a warm bath…. The themes are chewy… never heavy. What this escapade delivers above all is pure storytelling pleasure.
NOVEMBER 2018 - AudioFile
Juliet Stevenson is the ideal narrator for this audiobook. After all, who better to use her immense skills with vocal characterizations and richly nuanced accents? Who else could take a sizable cast, developed with nearly Dickensian detail, and make each voice distinct? Indeed, there are moments when the voices reach near-caricature, but the intensity is not entirely out of place. Stevenson's performance is well paced as the story moves between Mr. Hancock, a lonely merchant whose fortunes shift when he comes into possession of the titular sea creature, and Angelica, a high-class prostitute seeking both freedom and security. The listener follows these parallel tales easily, having been drawn into eighteenth-century London and larger-than-life characters who are trying to keep their heads above water. L.B.F. 2019 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2018-06-18
In this rollicking Georgian romp, a courtesan and a merchant make an unlikely pair as they navigate the grand palaces and back alleys of London society.Jonah Hancock, the "merchant son of a merchant's son," has made his fortune by being sensible. But when the captain of one of his vessels trades everything for a mermaid specimen, "brown and wizened like an apple forgotten at the bottom of the barrel," Hancock fears his fortune is lost forever. His luck changes when the mermaid piques the interest of Mrs. Chappell, the elderly madam of London's "celebrated Temple of Venus." Well-versed in the appetites of rich men, Mrs. Chappell debuts the mermaid in a pornographic burlesque show that would make HBO executives blush. There, Hancock is brought into the orbit of Angelica Neal, a beautiful but capricious courtesan teetering on the edge of financial ruin. The two make an unlikely couple, but Angelica's debts require payment, so a marriage is at last proposed. Gowar's debut is rich in detail, with a plot that unfolds like a luxurious carriage ride through the country. Though the story is set in the 1780s, during the reign of King George III, the novel calls to mind 19th-century masters like Dickens and Eliot, who relished the way character can drive and reverse plot. And there are so many characters to follow: Mrs. Chappell's simpering brood of high-society prostitutes; Simeon Stanley, a footman and former slave from the American Colonies; George Rockingham, a rakish law student and dandy; Eliza Frost, a spinster who serves as Angelica's controlling friend and manager; Sukie, Hancock's young and impressionable niece; and, through it all, the ghostly mermaid, whose grief, anger, and playfulness serve as a backdrop to the social drama unfolding around her. Behind the window trimmings of Gowar's epic romance lies an astute novel about class, race, and fate that will delight fans of Sarah Perry's The Essex Serpent and Sarah Hall's The Electric Michelangelo.An ambitious debut with enough romance, intrigue, and social climbing to fill a mermaid's grotto to the brim.
