(4,5 stars)

“I don’t see any evidence of divine intervention in human affairs.”
“My beloved sister do not become one of those lost and desperate devoid of hope, devoid of morality. A person without faith is nothing more than an animal lacking a soul.”
“And yet animals cause less hurt in the world than humans do.”

Anna Abney’s debut novel -- a fictional story about her own ancestors -- was incredible. It’s a coming-of-age novel set in the 17th century when England, especially the crowded city of London, was ravaged by the plague. 20 year old Alethea starts out as naive and relatively sheltered from the world outside her Catholic upbringing. But she is such a well-rounded character with very realistic traits. She makes plenty of mistakes, as humans do, but she learns from them. All while coming to terms with religion, philosophy as well as faith, but most importantly what it means to be a strong-willed woman in a man’s world -- or perhaps even as a man trapped in a woman’s body (I hope this subject will be explored more in future books of the series!) -- during the Restoration period. I absolutely loved it.

Thank you Netgalley and Duckworth Books for this fantastic ARC. Make sure to pre-order it!

1665 England and the plague engulfs the entire land. Communities are suspicious of any newcomers especially those coming from London. Alethea though she would like to be at her own home, due to her stepmother and her father's inability to stand up for her is at her aunt's house quite safe from the illness.

Alethea is awaiting her brother's return after exile and when a message arrives that he is awaiting her, she goes to meet him, not knowing that her aunt in a way to get rid of her has arranged for her to disappear on the journey. Alethea then finds herself penniless, abandoned and needs to find her way back to her family.

The adventures of Alethea first with a man she meets at a pub (fortunately not someone who seduced her and then abandoned her) and then meeting up with a group of religious people who were led by Samuel and who went from place to place preaching placed her in care till she fell in love with Samuel and discovered she was expecting a baby.

Knowing that she would have to now fend for herself and her child, she and a companion return to her family home, and she now dons the guise of her brother William and does it so well that she hoodwinks practically everyone whom she comes in contact with.

The story continues how Alethea (now William) continue with the camoflauge despite William returning to the family home and the ramifications of maintaining this facade throughout. An interesting story dealing with religious divides, a family divided on religious grounds and the constant greed for property which threw families apart.

This was definitely a book that draws you in and keeps you peddling through the pages. I can’t put my finger on what was so drawing about this book but it certainly kept me gently entranced!

It’s one of those reads where you kind of have no idea where the story is headed or what’s about to happen, so it keeps you guessing with how the plot will play out and how things will turn as you go along. The things I thought were going to happen didn’t, and there were plenty of things I didn’t foresee happening that did! It was exciting to see which twist the story was going to take next.

I loved the setting and feel that the author described, and it was a greatly executed historical read in a time of the restoration and post civil war re cavaliers V Roundheads. Where religion was a central dogma and there were many lives walking the edge of a fine line.

I really enjoyed this book and it was a pleasant surprise at how much it enraptured me and kept me guessing!

The book started a little slow but picked up rather quickly. The main character Alethea finds herself duped and abandoned by the lady of the house she is temporarily staying with in London in the midst of the Great Plague of the mid 1600s. She meets up with Jack Fleet an unemployed apothecary's assistant and they set off together to Epping Forest to live amongst a group of religious dissenters who are despised by the nobility. It is a fairly peaceful communal co-existence until Alethea falls in love with the group's religious leader Samuel Byrd and becomes pregnant by him. Unfortunately his previous wife who he claims died of the plague along with all of his children arrives and this forces her and Jack to leave in separate directions. Alethea to Measham Hall, her beloved family estate and hopefully to somehow explain her predicament to her parents and discover news of her brother's whereabouts since his departure due to a duel. Unfortunately her family has succumbed to the plague and Alethea and her friend Ellen decide to stay on with Alethea taking on the identity of her long missing brother William and becoming the "master" of Measham Hall. She becomes a fantastic caretake and makes many improvements to the manor only to discover that her brother William has returned to England and knows all about the impersonation and approves since he has decided to join the priesthood. It was a definite coming of age novel and I enjoyed reading about the transformation of a naive young girl into a strong accomplished, independent woman. My thanks to Net Galley and Duckworth Books Ltd. for the opportunity of reading this fine first novel by an actual last descendant of Measham Hall, Anna Abney.

In the 17th century as the plague ravishes through London, Alethea Hawthorne is companion to Jane the daughter of Lord Calverton. Her brother is exiled following a duel and her father is looking after their ancestral home Measham Hall. When Alethea is cast out by Lady Calverton she make the decision to return to Derbyshire and Measham Hall.
An interesting novel, much is made of the time spent in Epping forest with friends she makes on her journey back home. Would be interesting to see if there is a sequel.
Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to NetGalley and Duckworth Books for the advanced reader copy of this book.

I felt this book had such great promise but feel short in some areas.

The main character of Alethea was well fleshed out and she stood as her own character, but I felt a lot of the other characters could have been a bit more well-rounded with their history delved into a bit more. It would have allowed me to feel slightly more compassion for the secondary characters.

I did think that the clever part of the book was as to the identify of “the master” of Measham hall. At the start, I assume we’re led to believe it is the Mr Calverton; we then realise that Alethea comes from Measham hall, so maybe the master is her father, or brother. But we soon start to learn that perhaps she is in fact the master of her childhood estate.

Abby does have a very good hand for description so you can place yourself in Alethea’s shoes, and you can feel the horror of the plague around them, not unlike the pandemic we’re experiencing now, although hopefully not to the same devastating extent.

I found the first half of the novel rather slow, which not much going on, but then come the second half, so much was going on that it felt a little rushed. I also felt it ended quite abruptly, which I’m hoping is because of a potential sequel as I think there’s a lot e stories that could be explored further.

Overall I don’t think it holds up to a lot of other historical fictions I have read, but as a debut novel, I think it has promise. One nice touch I liked was that instead of simply picking any old fictional house to write about, Abby wrote about her own ancestor (albeit in a fictionalised way - or so we assume). Having said all of that, I can really see it being picked up as a new BBC period costume drama.

I found this hard going to start with but once the story got going the book got better and better. I am looking forward to the next in the series. My advice stick with it and you will be rewarded.

1665.

It is five years since King Charles II returned from exile, the scars of the English Civil Wars are yet to heal and now the Great Plague engulfs the land. Alethea Hawthorne is safe inside the walls of the Calverton household as a companion to their daughter. She waits in anticipation of her brother William’s pardon for killing a man in a duel before they can both return to their ancestral home in Measham Hall.

But when Alethea suddenly finds herself cast out on the streets of London, a long road to Derbyshire lies ahead of her. Militias have closed their boroughs off to outsiders for fear of contamination. Fortune smiles on her when Jack appears, an unlikely travelling companion who helps this determined country girl to navigate a perilous new world of religious dissenters, charlatans and a pestilence that afflicts peasants and lords alike.
I enjoyed this story, it was well written, had good narrative and good pacing and the characters were well developed and relatable. I read this quickly and would definitely recommend it

The book follows the adventures of Alethea Hawthorne in 1665, beginning in London with the Plague. From there it follows an unusual path, as circumstances mean she has to fend for herself, as she tries to get back to her family home, Measham Hall, experiencing love and loss along the way.

I enjoyed this book - my only complaint with it was that I felt that some sections were rushed through. The section set in Epping Forest, for example, spanned a substantial part of the story, but subsequent, equally interesting parts of Alethea's story were rushed over very quickly, and that was disappointing. Ultimately, it ended quite abruptly and unsatisfyingly and I would just have liked either a bit more, or a bit less (for the story to have ended earlier, if there is to be a sequel perhaps?)

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free review copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Used to reading about royal court intrigues, I was pleasantly surprised by The Master of Measham Hall. Abney creates a complex story with rich historical details and characters, drawing on a lesser-known period of English history and a lesser-known group of English individuals. Alethea, the protagonist, feels keenly and humanly.

However, the pace is slow and I felt that there was little climax in the novel. Nevertheless, it was a solid debut showcasing an impressive breadth of historical knowledge.

Thank you to NetGalley and Duckworth Books for providing me with an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed "The Master of Measham Hall" by Anna Abney and am delighted to hear that there will be more in the series. Set at the time of the plague, it follows Alethea, time spent in Epping Forest and subsequent trip to her family home in Derbyshire. Don't want to give any spoilers but there is a nice family dynamic going on with friend Ellen and her son Robin.

The Plague is devastating England, religious strife likewise. Set in mid-17th century, this story follows a young Catholic woman from being a companion to the daughter of some Protestant relatives, her abandonment by them, a sojourn with Puritans, not always so pure, in Epping Forest to reaching her father's estate in Derbyshire where all is not well. The story covers a lot of social life at the time. The fear of the Plague and the various attempts to avoid it are well-written. The religious intolerance below, if not always on, the surface sadly feels so true. What then happens at Measham is stretching it rather for me but makes a good story - and that's what a novel is after all. The ending is disappointing and not sure whether the author just faded or is going to have another chapter in Alethea's life.. There are certainly quite a few loose ends. If the latter I hope it does not descend into a farce which is always possible given the set-up. Thanks to NetGalley and Duckworth Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book by Anna Abney. I found that the book started off slowly but as we got further into the story, I had a really hard time putting it down. I wanted to know how things turned out for Alethea and she was such an engaging character. The writing was also beautiful! Thank you Netgalley and Duckworth Books for the ARC but all thoughts are my own.

The Adventures and misadventures of Alethea Hawthorne, a 20 years old Catholic left on her own devices and forced to leave London, a city totally ravaged by the plague in the Master of Measham Hall, a rollicking and very entertaining Restoration romp brilliantly and elegantly written by first time novelist Ana Abney.
Determined to save her life and reach her father's estate in Derbyshire, a smart & plucky Alethea will soon embark on a perilous odyssey across an England devastated by a silent and merciless killer and where the embers of the bloody Civil War are still slowly smoldering and threatening to rekindle at any moment the deeply devisive religious passions still running deep within its society. Fiendishly plotted and blessed with a cast of unforgettable and very colorful characters, this action packed novel is a masterful tapestry of mid 17th century England and its glorious Restoration. A basketful of delicious surprises that the reader needs to enjoy without any moderation! Hopefully Ms. Hawthorne will be back very very soon.....👍

Many thanks to Netgalley and Duckworth for this terrific ARC.

Thank you very much to the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book and to Netgalley for the chance to post a review.

The Master of Measham Hall is a beautifully written and immersive tale that took me straight into the 17th century world from the very first page. It is vividly detailed, the sort of historical novel where you feel as though you have stepped into and are inhabiting the world it creates.. I found myself completely wrapped up in the intricate story and It was an absolutely pleasure to read this book. Bravo Anna Abney on a fast-paced and engrossing debut!

I received The Master of Measham Hall as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

Shortly after the English Restoration, Alethea Hawthorne is serving as a companion to a young woman of standing as plague ravages London. When a stroke of cruelty leaves her homeless and friendless, she embarks on a journey into the English countryside, camping and living with religious separatists while beginning to question her royalist Catholic upbringing. Circumstances soon force her out of this situation as well and she begins to make her way towards her ancestral home to seek aid from her father and unfriendly stepmother. Still more heartache awaits, however, and Alethea finds herself forced to undertake a ruse that will lead her to challenge her question her worth and place in society.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, even as I was reading it, but on the whole I found it very worthwhile. It effectively paints a portrait of the deeply contentious nature of religious divisions and the more unsavory aspects of both sides of the debate. In some ways the ending feels a bit unsatisfying (the book seems to be begging for a sequel) but I also appreciated it because our lives don't always come in easily digestible chapters; there's always uncertainty, bittersweetness, and shades of gray. I felt her disguise and everyone's wholehearted acceptance of it was a bit suspect, as I'm not sure a woman of that time period could successfully pull such a thing off without some word slipping out. But generally, I found it an engrossing, unique read that kept my attention through many twists and turns, and an effective look at the religious and political turmoil of the era.

A great read, which demonstrates a young woman who gradually finds maturity and grows out of being an innocent girl. Every step of her journey is detailed in this extraordinary novel, and I would recommend it. Alathea is perfectly portrayed in this novel, and her character evolves with each new twist of the story. She is sent on an errand by a member of her family, and is possibly not expected to return, yet when she does return she finds that her family, the London branch of it, have packed up and left her. When she tries to make the journey to her family in Derbyshire she is sidetracked by a trip to Epping Forest, where she lives in a community of Puritans until she can make the journey home to Measham Hall. She is accompanied byJack, who she recognises as being the apothecaries assistant who she was sent to on an errand, again by her family. I will not say any more about the plot, or it would spoil things, but the novel moves on at a good pace, and keeps the reader turning the page. Impressive period detail, the research is evident all the way through t he book.

A tad predictable in parts,this was never the less an entertaining look at the different religions and how they viewed each other during the times of the plague.
A good central character,who has a lot thrown at her,yet learns to stand on her own two feet,and go after what she wants.
Enjoyable.