This is a well plotted book. The characters are well rounded and interesting.
This book covers both The fire of London and the plague.
A great historical fiction book.

Fun, fascinating, unqiue- what an amazing entry by this author!! I would absolutely recommend, it's a perfect cozy seasonal read.

After abandoning this a few years back (probably because my tablet broke and I had an eBook ARC!), I started The Strange Adventures of H by Sarah Burton on a rainy day commute. I haven’t dipped into historical fiction in absolutely ages and it was once my favourite genre, so I was excited to delve into Burton’s debut.

TW: rape, suicide ideation and attempt.

Set in 17th century London, the novel captures our protagonist H as she navigates the plague, familial relationships and a journey of self-discovery amidst darker times. I genuinely loved this book and it made for a smooth, unputdownable read – I think it took me just five or six reading sessions? H is born one of six siblings, taunted for having ‘killed her mother’ – who died in childbirth – and sent to live with her aunt in London. Her life in London appears happy until a cousin takes her innocence and the bubonic plague takes hold of the city, and she is cast out into the semi-quarantined streets.

This reads like a diary or memoir and is totally gripping despite simply reeling off H’s everyday adventures. H is a wonderful main character, determined and wilfully strong beyond belief. I remember reaching the 40% mark (thanks Kindle and Goodreads!) and thinking: ‘My gosh, SO much has happened, what else can be in store for H?!’ It is heartrending to read about H’s years and her go-getter outlook in the face of, well, as many adversities as a woman could face in the 17th century.

It fast became a five-star read for me: the cast of characters is excellent and I adored them all so much. It covers a few historical events and, I think, in an accurate and meaningful way that added to the plot, rather than being shoehorned in. And! Burton’s way with words is incredible – while it took a few chapters to get to grips with, I quickly loved H’s voices and Burton’s choices of words that were nearly-archaic but, again, added to the narrative rather than taking away or detracting.

Loved, loved, loved! (And earmarked for a snug autumn reread…)

This book grew on me more and more. Initially it felt old fashioned and stereotypical and quite slow but as the story developed and I got to know the characters better and the writer began to indulge in lovely, little details, it began to come alive and by the end, I was quite invested in the characters.

H doesnt know her real name or why she is called H. She comes from a religious home and her mother has long passed. When her father also dies, she is sent to London to live with her aunt where she lives happily until the plague and the London fires turn the city upside down and result in a rapid change in fortune. Alone and destitute she is forced to fend for herself like many young girls - and turns to prostitution. Cast into this more dangerous world, she has only her wits and her will to turn things around again.

Lots of heartwarming characters, a plot with multiple twists, and a backdrop of historical London, this was an absorbing, fascinating read.

Sarah Burton does a brilliant job of immersing readers in London during the plague and the Great Fire. This book had me on edge, the fear palpable, and the characters were really well developed. A great historical read.

#The Strange Adventures of H by # Sarah Burton has a beautiful cover. This is a rag-to-riches story during the Great Plague of London. This novel is full of historical details. Forced to fend for herself H, is determined to gain back the life she lost.....
Thank you for the advance copy,
#Netgalley, # Sarah Burton, and # Legend Press

Overall a good piece of historical fiction that I found enjoyable.

Set in the 1600s, we follow the life of H and I found her life fascinating! I would finish a chapter and find myself wanting to constantly read on and find out what would happen next!

Lots of emotions in this book; happiness, sadness and anger. A perfect mix for this book!

3★
“ ‘I believe a clever woman will discover it a very difficult thing to find a husband who is not a fool,’ announced Sylvia, in a manner that ensured she received everyone’s – in especial, Roger’s – full attention. ‘For myself, I think it safer to conceal my intelligence.’

‘And, my dear girl, that you do most admirably!’ interjected Roger and everyone laughed but Sylvia gave me a look as would kill, seeing I laughed hardest of all. From that moment on, I believe she had me in her sights.”

Newly-orphaned H and her older sister Evelyn are living in London with their Aunt Madge, who has just announced to her dinner party that both girls are very clever. Sylvia is seeking to marry one of Aunt Madge’s handsome twin sons, the usually drunken Robert.

The story begins with H’s birth in 1650 and moves through The Plague, the Great Fire of London, the playhouses where Nell Gwyn (same age as H) rose to fame and became the young mistress of Charles II. The book is divided into three parts.

Part One is H’s childhood, Aunt Madge’s household, enjoying her late uncle’s library, teaching a pair of little step-cousins and servants to read, and then come the desperately sad Plague years. I use a capital letter, because it had such a devastating effect. Those Londoners who were able to moved to the country.

“ I also later discovered as true the rumour she related that some refugees from London were herded into barns in the counties surrounding the capital, outside which stood men with guns ready to shoot them if they stirred, so afraid were the country people of Londoners carrying death in their train.
. . .
That night I had realised the plague did far worse things than kill people. Those it did not kill it made merciless, cruel as dogs to one another. We were all its victims.”

Houses are boarded with sick and dying people still inside. H escapes but is alone, pregnant, starving and lives on the streets. Eventually, of course, she becomes Doll and lives a different life in a bawdy house and mixing with actors and actresses, who are held in even worse repute than prostitutes. Then the Great Fire of London sweeps through, razing much of the city even as it cleanses.

“Whether by the efforts of the militia and citizens, aided by the King and the Duke of York themselves, or by the east wind mercifully dropping, the great fire eventually ceased its relentless despoil of the city, leaving, so it has been calculated, only one in six buildings standing within London’s walls. I easily recall this figure, as it chimed in a kind of contrary tune with the plague toll, which had killed one sixth of Londoners.”

H gets a chance to work in a playhouse, which is where she befriends Nell Gwyn, who is also only sixteen. Young girls had to be resourceful.

“And it also made the playhouse perhaps the only place in the country where a King and any poor fellow who could raise the price of a bench in the pit, could sit in the same place, and look on each other, and enjoy the same entertainment.”

Nell is the most popular on stage, a cheeky, flirtatious performer who later becomes the mistress of King Charles II. H can pretty much pick and choose her clients.

There are many other characters of course, and some from her past pop up again, making her nervous. Her family assumes she died from the Plague, and she would rather they think that than know the truth.

In Part Three, she is more independent and the author shows us how hard it is for unattached women to survive in these times. The safest station for a woman is as a widow of a well-to-do gentleman (like Aunt Madge), but H is a long way from that.

There is nothing strange or adventurous about H’s story. I think she is fairly representative of many neglected children in those days. She herself is made of pretty tough stuff, and she is lucky to ingratiate herself with the right people. There are many coincidences, few surprises, and the last third is reasonably predictable with a tidy ending.

It kept feeling very long to me, which is never a good sign. (Like my reviews, I know, but they help me remember the stories!)

The language and dialogue sounds appropriate and is easy to understand. Some historical fiction uses so much dialect that it’s hard to follow, and some uses unrealistic modern language.

I think this would be an entertaining introduction to new readers of historical fiction who enjoy romance and would like to know something about 17th century England. I feel sure, they wouldn't have the been-there-done-that feeling that I had.

Thanks to NetGalley and Legend Press for the copy for review from which I’ve quoted.

Absolutely loved this book. One of the best historical fiction novels I've read in recent years. Would love to read more adventures of H.

The opening lines to this book are very compelling but I struggled to get into the story.
It seemed to take a while to get going but was diverting enough.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a historical fiction novel without it being romance or fantasy. I’ve forgotten how much I truly loved Historical Fiction.

Sarah Burton’s story is gut wrenching and yet the resilience portrayed is uplifting which is what keeps you going! Without it the reader would slip into despair and no one wants to do that.

Anyone who is a fan of Anya Seton or other authors of that ilk should definitely give this a go!

Not quite the book I was expecting and so took me a few attempts to get through. Not really my style and I found it difficult to connect with.

I loved this book! Set in London, we follow the life of H, her family, and motley crew of friends and acquaintances. Our glorious protagonist lives through the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London, doing everything (any anything) she can to survive. In the course of her life, H reinvents herself more times than Madonna! "The Strange Adventures of H" is perfect historical fiction, including themes of love, betrayal, friendship and family. It's an outstanding debut and I can't wait to read whatever Sarah Burton writes next.

The Strange Adventures of H by Sarah Burton is a fabulous story bringing life to plague ridden England. It is a story of determination, fortitude and the unwillingness to let societal expectations hold you back.

H, our protagonist is a young girl who has seen her fair share of bad times. After the death of her mother, the fall of her sister (quite the scandal) and then the subsequent death of her father H along with her sister are sent to live with their aunt however when the plague hits H's life is once again in the hands of the gods. As an unwed woman during this period H does what she can to survive but it comes at a cost.

The Strange Adventures of H was a great story. It put me in mind of a modern day Moll Flanders. H is a fantastic representation of feminism before it was even a thing. She is feisty, courageous and tenacious and I loved going on this romp of a journey with her.

The Strange Adventures of H by Sarah Burton is available now.

For more information regarding Sarah Burton (@AdveturesOfH1) please visit the Twitter page.

What a curious little jaunt through 17th century London this book proved to be! I admit that it was pure cover love that first drew me to the story, and I am so glad that I embarked on this journey. Covering historical events such as the plague, the Great Fire of London and the Shrove Tuesday Riots, this was not only an unusual but refreshingly honest (and sometimes funny) tale told through the eyes of an enigmatic, plucky young protagonist.

After having been orphaned as a young child, the girl “H” and her older sister are sent to live with an aunt in London, where they act as part surrogate daughters, part hired help in their relative’s large and comfortable house. Life is good until a series of disasters (being raped by an older cousin, falling pregnant and losing most of her remaining family to the plague), H finds herself on the streets, having to fend for herself to survive. But she is nothing but resourceful, and the following story tells of her adventures ...

If you think that having a character only referred to as “H” is strange, don’t let this put you off from reading this delightful book – you will find out the reason soon enough! H was a wonderful protagonist, representing the life of a young woman in the era, even if her journey was anything but ordinary. This is not the type of dry, tedious historical fiction often encountered when reading about the late middle ages, but a story full of family drama, intrigue and adventure. The setting in old London town is atmospheric and evokes the era perfectly, especially in the grip of the plague and with a fire destroying great parts of the city. I also fell in love with many of the other colourful characters starring in H’s life, which added interesting side elements to the story.

At times, I was divided between taking the book as an entertaining romp (it appears at times not to take itself too seriously, with H’s often quite humorous observations) and wanting a bit more emotional depth, for example the terrible stresses encountered during the plague, which sometimes felt rushed and a bit glossed over. Covering a large timespan, the story often jumped over details I really wanted to explore a bit deeper.

All in all, THE STRANGE ADVENTURES OF H was an atmospheric, entertaining romp through 17th century London, led by an enigmatic female lead. Exploring the darker elements of the time through a tongue-in-cheek lens, the book never became dark or confronting despite not shirking away from the hardships faced by women of the era. The book made a pleasant change from others in the genre, not overly romanticizing history but also managing to remain upbeat and often laugh-out-loud funny when seeing the world through H’s eyes. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from this author in future.

4.5 ✨

A young girl named H grows into a strong woman. We join H and her life journey as she navigates through 17th century England and all of the troubling times that it entails, including the Plague of London and the Great Fire of London, 1666.

Sarah Burton has done a fantastic job, and the more that I read, the more I needed to know what would happen next. The Strange Adventures of H are indeed quite strange, but more than anything, this book is humbling.

This book was atmospheric, full of surprises and plot twists, and the narrative was so descriptive that I felt like I was there. I could see the sights that H saw, I could feel her joys and her fears.

I enjoyed that Burton touched on a variety of themes as the book evolved, and appreciated the effort that was put into showcasing the delicate, yet brash relationship between money and people, whether it be greed that devours family and friends, or a staggering struggle to survive.

Although a lot of darkness crosses the pages of this book, I never found it to be depressing or grotesque. Burton's way with writing gave rise to questions that became answered, and twists and turns that kept me reading. However, I did dock half a star as certain sections of the novel felt disconnected and slow. Nevertheless, I was amazed with H and her ability to continue to press forward.

Overall, a very enjoyable historical fiction!

Content Warning ⚠️: Sexual content, depictions of rape and/or sexual assault, suicide-ideation, mention of parental death, hanging/execution, prostitution.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC. I am posting this review voluntarily.

CW (for the book): contains gruesome depictions of death due to the Black Plague, mentions prostitution (protagonist is a prostitute), rape (and incest), and suicide.

*This review contains very light spoilers.*

The Strange Adventures of H follows a young girl, H, as she grows up in 14th/15th century (I'm not sure which).

This novel is character driven and the plot is very questionable sometimes. Actually I wouldn't even say it's character driven; this book follows H and that's it. It's literally about her life and even H seemed to be very two-dimensional from time to time. Any plot "developments" that take place have been put in place purely to make it seem like time has passed or something is happening outside of H's life.

Even her entire stint in prostitution felt very disconnected from her storyline. Nothing that happened seemed to impact H in any way - or it's entirely possible that it did impact her but I just couldn't sense it.
This book is also very long - too long, I thought.

The one plus point of this book is the writing - the writing is really good; much better than I expected.

It's a very average novel and not something that you'll remember reading. There are definitely enjoyable parts to it but overall it's underwhelming.

A survival tale and historical coming of age story in which orphaned young H struggles to overcome the challenges life throws at her during the time of the plague in London. This was an immersive read with a host of memorable characters and H was a worthy heroine throughout the surprising turns her life took. I would definitely read more from this author; she evoked just the right amount of historical detail and wove a fascinating tale.

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Oh, Sarah Burton can do no wrong. I loved this. I was so, so engaged with the plot and the characters. It was a completely immersive novel that I just couldn't put down. The descriptions were so vivid and so believable. The cover is also absolutely beautiful!