Well-written, historically accurate, and richly detailed. This was a compelling story about a young woman struggling beneath the weight of 17th century English society's expectations of women and how she ultimately was able to choose her own way in the world, using her wits and a bit of entertaining deception. I would like to read more books from this author in the future.

Alethea a rich young lady is in London with local friends when the plague wipes out many people. Charles the second is on the throne and many events are unfolding. Alethea wants to go home to Measham Hall but cannot. Strange events leave Alethea running for her life away from London and untrustworthy friends. Her brother is abroad and she only has her wits to rely on. Falling in with a religious group she briefly finds love and happiness.
Pregnant and abandoned she and her only friend Ellen make their way back to Measham Hall. She pretends to be her missing brother William and it seems to have all worked out until William returns. Who will be the Master is an ethical and practical choice.
This is a brilliant read written with great historical accuracy. The adventures that Alethea has and the betrayals she has to endure make her a likeable and resourceful woman. Religion plays a part as does the Fire of London and the great plague. So much happens in this story you may want to read it more than once to take it all in.

Really enjoyed this novel a real well written book of historical fiction.The lead character was a strong feminist who showed strength no matter what was done to her.Looking forward to the next in the series.Will be recommending.#netgalley#duckworthbooks

Interesting background of the politics and culture following the restoration of the monarchy after the death of Cromwell. The story centres on a naive young woman of a good family abandoned in London trying to find her way home to her family. It follows her transition from being seduced and betrayed into becoming the conniving manipulative master of Measham Hall.

I love novels set in this period, which is often overlooked in favour of the Tudors. So this was a rare treat and thoroughly enjoyable.

The fear, hate and general suspicion generated by the Civil War are palpable, fuelled of course by the plague, where every stranger is a potentially lethal pestilence bringer. The mid-17th century, with its sights, sounds and smells, is vividly brought to life.

Having studied the many dissenting groups, such as the Levellers, that mushroomed in these uncertain times, it was fascinating to read about the community of Believers that Alethea joins and the rhythm of their life in Epping Forest.

Sometimes in historical novels, modern sensibilities intrude, but here we get a real sense of the natural friendships between Alethea and, in turn, Jane and Ellen, the debauchery of the aristocracy, the brutality that could be meted out to Catholic priests, the way religion was interwoven into every aspect of life, not just on Sundays, and the day-to-day struggle for survival.

The author cannily overcomes any disbelief about the heroine’s gender-bending success, showing how the clothes of the time assist her in stepping into her brother William’s shoes – and who can blame her for wanting to throw off the trappings of womanhood, when we see how middle-class women, like her friend Jane, are treated as a mere piece of property, and a man like Samuel the preacher, who at first seems genuine enough, can upend Alethea’s life.

I will happily post this review on Amazon, once I am able to.

London has fallen victim to the plague. Everywhere Althea looks there are signs of pestilence. Luckily, she’s a welcome guest at the prestigious Calverton home, but when Althea suddenly finds herself turned out with no where to go she’s forced to rely on the kindness of strangers. Unable to return to her family home because of the plague, she lives among a democratic society of Puritans in the forests of Epping, an existence strikingly different than that of her privileged upbringing. Here Althea explores the boundaries of her faith and principles. And when she finally returns to her family home, Measham Hall, she finds that all but her long-lost brother, William, have died of the plague. With William no where to be found, a new master of Measham must be found, and Althea is faced with situations and decisions she never dreamed possible. What will the new master be like? And what will become of the girl she once was? ⁠
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I’m so torn about this one. I LOVE historical fiction, so it’s no surprise there are many things I enjoyed about this book. The author, Anna Abney, has a special tie to the tale, being a descendant of the family who once inhabited the real Measham Hall. There’s no doubt her relationship with the estate colored her imagination when crafting the story of Althea. Her character development was good, but the pace was a bit sluggish at times, particularly in the middle (forest life). I found myself trudging on waiting for her to make it to Measham Hall. The religiosity of the book was also a bit off-putting, at least for me. I get that it was a complex time in English history, but I felt the spiritual aspects of the story overwhelmed the plot at times. I would have much preferred hearing more about the internal struggle Alethea experienced upon returning home.

The Master of Measham Hall by Anna Abney

As the plague kills one person after another in restoration England, Alethea Hawthorne finds herself in London, fending for herself, and in need of getting to her family home – Measham Hall. This story deals with how she ended up in the streets without protection, who steps in to offer support, time spent on the road and then with a spiritual community living in the forest before she heads on to her ancestral estates and what happens when she arrives. This is one that I believe young adults and it might also be used as a book for integrated learning with the right group of high school students.

What I liked:
* The history
* The insight into the religious divide in England at that time
* The superstitions mentioned related to the plague
* Seeing that some human behaviors remain the same through the centuries
* The growth Alethea showed as the story progressed
* The way the division between the social classes was presented
* The reference to punishment for various crimes during that era
* Finding out what happened to Jack
* It made me think
* Finding out who the master of Measham Hall was meant to be

Some comments:
* I had trouble with believability – could a woman “pass” as a man in that time period and successfully carry off the charade over an extended period of time especially in the condition she found herself in? Would a brother truly behave as Alethea’s brother did? Would it all work out as simply as it did by the end of this book?
* Alethea seemed very gullible at many points in the story. She seemed to made silly decisions, was unwilling to listen to wise counsel, was easily brainwashed, and then later managed to step into “power” that I found it difficult to see her easily wearing. Again, perhaps a believability issue as Alethea would have been in her early twenties in this story.
* I would have liked to find out what happened later and whether what was projected by Alethea came to fruition or fell apart.
* I felt there were a number of loose ends that perhaps will be dealt with if this is to be a series but they did leave me wondering.
* There was a LOT of religion in the book and it could, perhaps, be difficult to read and understand by some readers.
* I had trouble relating to the main character in the story – I couldn’t really relate to her or sympathize with her and wanted “more” from her…though perhaps she wasn’t able to give or be more.
* The author has potential – would like to see more interaction and dialogue and less “telling” of the story.

Did I like this book? Yes and No
Would I read more by this author? I might

Thank you to NetGalley and Duckworth Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Duckworth Books for access to this arc.

I found the historical details to be amazing and convincing. The opening of the book was the strongest part for me. But after a while, I began to feel that Alethea was a bit thick. Then she was abandoned and had to make her way and lucky for her a savior appeared right when she needed one. Once the story moved to the Forest, things slowed down to a crawl and I began to lose interest. Oh, and Alethea was still thick. Frankly, when she turned down the offer of help from a friend to account for her predicament, I lost all interest in how she was going to proceed from there and flipped to the end. Reading the last few pages confirmed that I now didn't like Alethea and wasn't interested in going back to read any more. DNF

This is an enjoyable read, and I had great empathy for the main character, a wonderful feminist who never swayed despite all that was done to her!

A great read.

My thanks to Netgalley and Duckworth Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to the publisher & author for giving me e-ARC in exchange of honest reviews.

3.75 stars

I decided to read and do the review as one of my friend read this as well.

At the beginning, I was amazed that this story is inspired from the author's ancestors life. The recall from her ancestors was really solid and probably her ancestors might left a diary to record past life. Apart from that, at the beginning the story has the slow pace and I feel a bit of suffocated.

Then, things change when Alethea, the MC started to going through hardships after she and Jack followed a religious group. I am mad on how manipulative Samuel was and even in the present day, we still encounter this kind of problem where religious people is being manipulative by using in the name of religion. Even in the past, this kind of problem already exist and still being a problem till today. The plague that hits London truly reminds me of the situation in Covid-19 in present days. Seems relatable.

Tbh, I am quite bored when Alethea started to be religious but in the wrong side. She was manipulated obviously. But if we think throughly, this is what a character should be , imperfect as the reality should be. She acknowledge her mistakes, embrace and learn from it. She also not giving up on her life after the mistake has done. Hence, this is what author trying to implicate. In life, humans will always messed up but it's up to us whether to fight again for better days or give up entirely.

Overall, it is a nice story. It is rare to me to hear stories where a house was inherited by a woman. I wanted to believe that the house actually for real inherited by a woman and she become the master of the house.

This was a somewhat difficult book to rate. I think for serious readers of Historical Fiction, this will be a 4 Star.

This was a very richly detailed coming-of-age story set in 17th century England during the plague and Restoration after civil war. Alethea is a naïve girl who is tossed from trusted friends and left to survive (or die) on her own in a very perilous time. She fall in, pretty conveniently, with different people who all want to help her and through these connections she makes her way back to her home, Measham Hall.

The story really fleshes out the tensions between the Catholics and Protestants with the added fears of pestilence. Lots of familiar themes, sadly. The story being a fictionalized account of the authors ancestors is a fun thought to me, and many details and likely scenarios seemed well done. There did seem to be a rather unlikely lack of trauma for a solitary girl at this age in this time, but she did not go completely unscathed. I really liked the end and felt it a fascinating and satisfying final chapter, though not the fairy tale ending often thought of in this period.

I was reminded of Anya Seton's "Katherine" which I really loved.

For readers not as inclined to Historical Fiction, there may seem to be too much detail and overdevelopment of certain sections, likely the Epping Forrest setting. It may read slow and lack a suspenseful plot, but for the character driven story fan and those who don't mind the careful pacing of that development, it should be an enjoyable read.

I would recommend this books to fans of Historical Fiction and character driven stories.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, and my opinions are given honestly in return.

A truly wonderful historical novel. Set in 1600s England, it takes our naïve heroine, Alethea on a journey from plague riddled London back to her country estate. We see her grow out of her girlish assumptions into an aware woman with her own ambitions and desires.
There are many little things that make us sad for her, many things of life which we know will hurt her into which she steps unaware. It is part of the journey of growing up, gaining and losing friendships, learning of your mistakes and also gaining certainly in your own feelings. I had no idea what to expect, it is quite an odd little novel to come out now, but it spoke to me. I very much wanted to know what life would give Alethea and how she would extract herself from all her predicaments.
It reminds me of one of my favourite classics, Consuelo by George Sand, a very open minded historical novel at the time too, set in the 1600s, about a girl with no family or friends singing her way across Europe and encountering amazing adventures. I highly recommend both.

I enjoyed this book on many levels: reading about London pandemic while in another London pandemic was what got me interested at first, then it's a fascinating work of historical fiction with a feminist vibe, followed by a gender-bending plotline that calls to mind Orlando without the headache.

A mysterious family scandal has resulted in 20-yr old Alethea Hawthorne having left her family manor in Derbyshire; she blames her stepmother Frances, but rumors of duel-induced manslaughter swirl around her beloved brother William, purported to have left the country. Alethea works for Lord and Lady Calverton in plague plagued London, as companion to their daughter Jane. The cast of characters is vast and yet memorable. Some of the plot twists were a bit too transparent or incredible
but Abney does an incredible job having her characters support warring sides, be they royalist, Jesuit, Catholic, Protestant; and quite realistically demonstrating convincing arguments for each.

This was a really tricky review to write because the novel is well-written and very authentic. The author is clearly an expert on the time period and is a strong writer.

Unfortunately, I felt like this story wasn't sure what it wanted to be. Was it literary fiction? Historical fiction? A romance? All of the above? It was very hard for me to get into the storyline since the ideas just weren't coming together for me. This could definitely be personal preference and other readers might not have this issue.

One super small technical detail that bothered me was that the dialogue was kind of "monologuing," with characters speaking in full paragraphs. This just feels inaccurate to how people actually speak and pulled me out of the story a few times.

There were lots of things i enjoyed about this book - its well written, clearly well researched and gives a glimpse into the past and tackles some of the big social, political and religious issues of the time. The lead character is Alethea and her journey takes her from high society London to Epping Forest and then to Derbyshire. Alethea finds herself in a difficult situation and trying to make her way home during the plague leads her to Epping Forest to wait out the worst.

I was really drawn in at the beginning of the book but started losing interest during the time in the forest. I forgot, I think, we were waiting on the plague to pass while not being very convinced by the forest storyline and not particularly liking Alethea very much at this point. The way she treats a very good friend of hers wasn't nice and I think once you lose your alliance to the main character, its difficult to stay invested. As the story progressed there was an interesting twist or two to the events at Measham Hall.

This is one of those books where you know the end is getting close but it seems like a lot has to happen... but the ending came a bit suddenly for me. I felt a bit dissatisfied but, on reflection, I don't know what else I'd have liked to happen. I felt that the book being set in the time of the plague helped the story along but we don't really hear much about it so don't really get the full impact of this. However, this story is cleverly woven through different geographical areas and social classes to give a very authentic feel of the time.

Overall, I enjoyed the historical element of this book but invested less and less in Alethea as time went on. By the end, I didn't like her all which I think left me feeling a bit disappointed overall.

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a big fan of historical fiction and this book really appealed to me.
There were some elements that I enjoyed, but I preferred the first half of the book to the second.
I found the storyline to be a little far fetched and the ending seemed very abrupt with loose ends not “tied up”. I can only conclude that perhaps a sequel is planned for this.
I also found that the dialogue between some characters using words like “Ye” and “thou” slightly unnecessary and irritating as it was not consistent throughout the book.
I enjoyed the factual backdrop of the plague of 1665 and the great fire of London bit overall I did not enjoy the book as much as I had hoped.

I much enjoyed the first part of this story up until the characters entered the forest.From then on I just wasn’t convinced.The characters didn’t feel as developed as I wanted them to be at this stage of the story and I felt the storyline didn’t move fast enough.

Set during the Restoration period and during plague ravaging England.

London, 1665. Alethea is a companion to a young lady. Lord Claverton promised Alethea’s father to treat Alethea as his own daughter. But Lady Claverton uses a cruel trick on Alethea leaving her behind while they flee London because of the plague.

Alethea is forced to make her way on foot to Derbyshire where her family estate is located. While in need of rescue from a pestering man, she meets a young man who becomes her travelling companion. As they near their destination, they experience road blocks pushing them away from their purpose. This further leads them to encounter a kind family, who they join and continue travel with.

While living in a forest, she observes other people’s way of living. She starts questioning what she was told while growing up.

The book explores social and religious divides and that’s what attracted me to this story. However, I wished for a stronger lead character. Alethea meets a man and she sees having his children, which is perfectly fine. She is a woman and she wants to have a family, it’s her natural instinct, but I didn’t find her character compelling. The story of her past comes through telling, which I wished was done through showing.

The beginning of the story is slow. It picks up when Alethea is left on her own. The trick that Lady Claverton used on her was very clever and engaging. And I was glad when Alethea decided to leave the forest and continue her journey home, even becoming adventurous. Overall, I’d say for the most part the story is slow.

This a very interesting historical fiction novel. Anna does a good job keeping the readers to stay off track with the plot. The plague of 1665 in London is something I hear about in the history books. This book excited me to learn more about the history of London and all things British. I wanted to live and fight for the characters but I couldn't. It reminded me of a Thomas Hardy novel modernization. I am an Hardy admirer but the main character Althea didn't make me want to be friends with her or Ellen. Where's Jack Fleet when you need him? He was my favorite part of the story.

Set in Restoration England, in 1665, King Charles the second is on the throne, and the plague is sweeping across the country.
Alethea Hawthorne resides in London in the Calverton household, where she is a companion to Lady Jane, both their fathers were friends and fought together at the battle of Marston Moor. Alethea is from Meacham in Derbyshire, and is a Catholic, a religion that is treated with great suspicion in these times. Her brother, William killed a man in a duel, and was banished from the country, he is seeking a pardon from the Pope to be allowed to return home.
When Alethea is tricked away from Calverton Hall, she determines to make the long and dangerous journey back to Meacham alone. She is very innocent and naive when she starts out, life experiences means that journeys end finds a more wiser and pragmatic woman has emerged. She takes with her friends and acquaintances she has met along the way, and they help her in her unusual ruse to keep her home safe for both herself and her absent brother.
I loved the character of Althea, she cares deeply about the Hall, the tenants and the welfare of her animals and crops. Crewe, employed by William to look after the estate is a surprising person, who knows more than he lets on about. There was quite a good discussion about what it meant to be a female in these times, no voice, no independence, unable to make decisions about her marriage, dowry, children or their education. The working class females had a greater voice and independence, they certainly had to work hard and experienced great hardship and violence, but seemed to be more fulfilled.
This is the first in a series of books about Meacham Hall and it’s inhabitants over the centuries. It is one of the lost houses of Derbyshire, it certainly looked so imposing , pictures are on the internet. Anna Abney, the author, has plenty of personal experience to continue writing!!
I gave this a five star review. Thanks toNetgalley and Duckworth books for my ARC, in exchange for my honest review.
I will post to Goodreads and others later.