I was very impressed by Sara Sheridan’s previous novel, The Fair Botanists, so was keen to read this new one. Set mostly in Glasgow in 1846, The Secrets of Blythswood Square tells the stories of Ellory Mann, a female photographer forging a career in a male-dominated profession, and Charlotte Nicholl, a young woman left alone and isolated after the unexpected death of her wealthy and respected father. The lives of both of these female characters are linked by solicitor Murray Urquhart: he is hired by her benefactor to assist Ellory when she first arrives in Glasgow, and is an old family friend of the Nicholl family. It is through him that their paths first cross and they go on to become good friends.
Sara Sheridan cleverly weaves together real and fictional characters, and paints a fascinating portrait of life in Victorian Glasgow. Being very familiar with the city, I could easily envisage the streets these characters walked down. At this time, Blythswood Square was considered a genteel area to live, while in more recent times it became notorious as the red light district.
When her father dies suddenly, Charlotte discovers that he had harboured many secrets. When she discovers an extensive collection of erotic art, she is mortified but resolves to find a way to get it out of the house and recoup the rest of her inheritance. At the time it was considered shocking for Charlotte to live alone in her house despite the presence of many servants, and her neighbours – particularly the local doctor and his wife, and the minister of the Free Kirk she had previously attended – all tried to interfere in her life and control her behaviour. I do confess to getting quite annoyed as I read of their hypocritical, judgemental and narrow-minded behaviour. Fortunately, Charlotte discovers hidden strengths and is able to stand up for herself and live life on her terms.
Meanwhile, Ellory is doing her utmost to make her new business a success. This was an exciting time in the history of photography, and being one of only a few women she had to fight extra hard. The story is told from multiple points of view, in the present tense, so the reader feels they are right in the middle of the action. The characters are well drawn, and the historical detail convincing. I found Sara Sheridan’s notes at the end of the book to be a useful addition as she reveals the source of her inspiration and details of the extensive research she undertook. I really enjoyed The Secrets of Blythswood Square and look forward to the next book by this talented author. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

I always have apprehension when it comes to books set in my country. Not just the places but the local dialect, people, behaviours, but this one is very well researched and accurately depicted. The writing flowed, the characters were a mix. Some of them not as flushed out as others. It was nice reading this and being able to picture the streets in my mind, it added to the experience.
The storytelling was great, I really enjoyed this!

Whilst authentic and well-researched, this book fell short for me. The setting was beautifully described and it was accurate enough that I believed the author had been there and lived that life themselves. However, the plot was predictable and lacked enough substance to grip me. I continued to read hoping that something would happen which inspired me to keep turning the pages, but it never came.

I did not enjoy this I’m afraid. It felt like several other books of a similar genre. Having said that the authors writing is lyrical and evocative. But for me that didn’t quite make up for the issues with the predictable plot.

I really liked this book. I’m a huge fan of Sara Sheridan’s Mirabelle Bevan mysteries and also really loved The Fair Botanists which was set in Edinburgh. This new book is set in Glasgow and I loved the historical detail that the author included as it really helped me feel in the story. I found the characters likeable and the story engaging. I think this book would make a great book club choice as there is so much to discuss!

Excellent really enjoyable book, with intrigue and a great selection of characters. Particularly enjoyed the introduction to photography and the intrigue behind Charlotte’s father’s collection!

Edited to add that I don’t usually like books written in the present tense, but this worked very well. Bravo!

I'm a big fan of books set in Scotland but have to admit I don't know much about 1840s Glasgow, but this book felt to be strong in historical detail.

When Charlotte Nicholl discovers that the fortune she has been bequeathed by her father is tied up in a secret collection of erotic art, she is faced with a terrible dilemma: sell it and risk shaming her family's good name or lose her home.

An encounter with Ellory Mann, a talented working-class photographer newly arrived in Glasgow, leads Charlotte to hope she has found not only someone who might help her, but also a friend. Yet Ellory is hiding secrets of her own - secrets that become harder to conceal as she finds herself drawn into Charlotte's world.

I enjoyed the stories attached to both of the main characters, Ellory and Charlotte. Both characters have their own fish out of water moments and both are from different classes, but they each have their own struggles based around being women at the time and this leads them into an unlikely friendship.

The characters feel fully realised and the story even manages to add in some real life characters in order to help create a bit more realism

As I said I don't know much about that time period but Sara Sheridan's historical notes really help me to understand references and context that helps make the book more enjoyable. I would certainly recommend this to everyone who is interested in the time period and setting!

Who knows what goes on behind closed doors. But what if the closed doors you are behind are the ones you have always known and yet you still don’t know what is going on.

Charlotte Nicholl, is left to deal wit the estate of her father. Unmarried and with a house in Mid Victorian Glasgow, it is not considered seemly to be living alone and with a fortune to consider. Expect the fortune has come from some rather interesting images, hidden behind a closed door in Charlotte’s home. A home that is now all hers.

Ellory Mann, is at the beginning of her life but rather down on her luck in society. But she is skilled and is in at the beginning of something which will change everything. Photography.

When Charlotte and Ellory meet, it seems that they can be a force for good for each other and they can help survive the societal norms and the ever changing presence of women in a man’s world.

The settings of both Edinburgh and Glasgow are fascinating and the author as she always does, brings everything to life. The colour of the mid 1800s is thoroughly researched and jumps off the page. You can imagine the scandal, the gossip about everything mentioned and all the things that are not in this book. The added bonus of real life people such as Frederick Douglass who shows a different plight but one similar to our main female protagonists. All of it added together makes for an interesting and fascinating novel.

If you want good historical fiction with strong female protagonists then you cannot go wrong with this or any of Sara Sheridan’s work. Excellent and I learnt so much as well as being transported away with the story.

Really enjoyed this read.
Great twist which I didn’t expect and finished wonderfully.
Fully recommend as a empowering lighthearted read

Great research that conjures up an authentic-feeling picture of Glasgow in the 1840s- the contrast of the poverty and roughness with the new wealth born of Empire. However the plot is weak and not very interesting, and moves at a glacial speed, and I'm so tired of historical fiction being peopled with characters with 21st century attitudes. The strong women defeating the patriarchy theme has become a cliché in historical fiction now, stale and hackneyed unless it is treated with originality, which is not the case here, I fear. I lost interest before I reached the halfway point and skimmed through to the end, which was pretty much as expected.

The Secrets of Blytheswood Square by Sara Sheridan is set largely in Glasgow in the 1840s. A time when the world was slowly changing in women’s rights, improving sexual freedoms, emancipation, and also in industrial change. The era is captured extremely well and Glaswegians will recognise many of the locations that still exist.

Through the characters Charlotte Nicholl, whose father has just passed away with many secrets. There is also Ellory Mann, a photographer’s assistant until a benefactor gifts her sums of money which change her fate.

The paths of the women cross and they, and most of the characters in the novel, begin their own individual journeys.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for a review copy.

A brilliantly well written book set in Scotland in the 19th Century. A book I would recommend. Great description of characters in the book.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I can even see it turned into a movie, and I’d certainly watch it. The secrets of Blythswood square was definitely an intriguing read.

Absolutely fantastic!

I loved this book. The cover is stunning. The story is engaging and historically fascinating.

I don't really know any Scottish history, or much about the history of photography but this book is written in such a way that i feel educated and keen to learn more.

I love that the characters are either real people, or based on real people. Charlotte and Ellery are my favourite kind of character. Strong women who are defying the expectations of the time. I also loved reading about Frederick Douglass and his fight against slavery, but also for women’s rights. He sounds rather fantastic.

I fell in love with the gorgeous cover and then I fell in love with the entertaining and compelling story. A story about women relationship, their role in the society and an embarassing collection of erotic art that could make the owner a wealthy woman but let her reputation in tatters.
A great book if you love photography and want to read about the pioneers.
Well plotted, entertaining and featuring a great cast of characters.
I loved the storytelling and the story
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I loved author’s first book, The Fair Botanists, and I loved this too! It felt like a warm hug where everything turns out all right in the end. A really enjoyable and lovely read. The characters are all well rounded and it’s nice to read a Victorian novel set in Glasgow. An interesting insight into religion at the time without being too much. The historical note at the end was fantastic too. Highly recommended!

A fascinating historical read on early photography, set in 19th century Scotland
The two main female characters - Ellory and Charlotte were such strong unconventional determined women in a time when social norms meant anybody going against them was treated with suspicion.
Both women were fighting against restrictive society expectations and formed an unlikely friendship, encountering scrutiny and resistance at every turn but still maintaining their independence.
The author’s descriptive style of writing brought the hustle and bustle of 19th century Glasgow to life.
Well researched and full of interesting characters - loved the author’s notes at the end, where the real life characters were explained and explored.
A wonderful read for any historical fiction fan.
Thanks @sarasheridanwriter, @hodderbooks & @netgalley for taking me on an adventure in 19th century Glasgow.

I particularly liked that the book was written in the present tense. It really stood out for me and made me wonder if most historical fiction is written, perhaps unsurprisingly, in the past tense. Along with Sara Sheridan’s vivid writing, it made me feel like I was right there with the characters, experiencing everything with them.

It was so interesting to read about the early days of photography. Ellory, is apprenticed to famed Edinburgh photographer David Octavius Hill, one of many historical figures who appear in the book. When her talent is recognised, she takes the opportunity to set up her own studio and moves to Glasgow. This is a bold move for a woman at at time when their lives were very constrained. Charlotte Nicholl, on the face of it is better off but she is also constrained by society’s expectations of women. Grieving for her father, as a single woman living alone in a large house in Glasgow’s Blythswood Square, she is the subject of much gossip.

The way people’s lives are restricted in different ways by many influences seemed to me to be a major theme in the book. Another character who really existed was the campaigner and social reformer Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery in America, he had escaped and, at this point in history, toured Britain giving talks about equality, freedom and opportunity. We see the hypocrisy of the Free Kirk at play as it refuses to hand back money given to the Kirk by American plantation owners. The Church of course had much to say about the place of women and how they should be living their lives. Although, clearly there is no comparison with enslavement, to a certain degree women’s opportunities were limited whether by rank, poverty or expectation.

The risk of scandal and ruin is never far away for many characters in this book and there is much kept hidden behind closed doors. Quite literally in some cases! The need for secrecy looms large as we read about erotic paintings, suggestive photographs and bawdy poetry. Having led a very sheltered life, Charlotte is quite shaken by what she sees and reads.

As much as this book is about hidden desires, societal constraints or conforming to expectations, it’s also about awakenings and liberation. Sara Sheridan has created wonderfully likeable characters in Ellory and Charlotte, as well as Murray, Jeremiah and Jane. Her attention to detail brings 19th century Glasgow and Edinburgh as vividly to life as if looking at a photograph. This is a brilliantly researched novel bringing the lives of women sparkling onto the page in a compelling story of strength, friendship and unconventional independence.

4.5⭐️s

A moving, enriching historical fiction tale weaving a complex tapestry of the social issues and themes prevalent at the time. This gifts a riveting story exploring female friendship and empowerment, societal expectations on women, and being your true self. There’s intrigue, mystery, possibility, and scandalous goings on – don’t hesitate to pick this one up!

Sheridan’s sumptuous and vibrant prose place us in Victorian Scotland. The time and place is perfectly captured and the setting comes alive as the reader feels they are there in the moment. It’s a fascinating world inhibited by such well crafted, nuanced characters. The slow pace enables the reader to take their time and really get to know the characters, we see their heart warming journeys and risks they take. The development arc they go on is amazing. I loved their distinct, authentic voices and astute observations as they trail blaze their own paths amidst an oppressive atmosphere.

Charlotte feels a bit lost and alone in the wake of tragedy. She has time to think about what’s important and a brave spirit that will not conform to others’ expectations. I loved her independence, both in terms of thinking and in how she lives her life, and the choices she makes. Will her reputation survive?

Ellory is a talented photographer not adhering to the restrictions placed on her in this male dominated world. She’s clever, ambitious and a wonderful innovator. Will her secrets cause a scandal?

As their worlds collide an unlikely bond is forged. Despite their different circumstances they have much in common. As they share confidences and support one another during difficult times the power of their friendship stands out, which was a delight to see.

I also enjoyed getting to know Murray and Jeremiah as they each fight their own battles. They are both strikingly brought to life, feeling like real people you know, adding much to the narrative and important themes covered.

The Secrets of Blythswood Square is a well researched story that’s highly entertaining. It has a terrific plot, memorable characters who draw the reader in, and holds a looking glass up to societal conventions at the time. It was a joy to read this beautifully written tale showing the power of acceptance and fighting for what you believe in.

With thanks to @AlainnaGeorgiou, @HodderBooks and @sarasheridan for my place on the Tour and copy of the book.

This is a wonderfully researched book set in 1840s Glasgow, rich in historical detail and full of interesting characters.

It is the story of two very different women, both in background and at first glance character, but equally strong and determined, whose paths cross as they battle to find their own way in the world and challenge societal expectations of the time.

Charlotte’s comfortable existence is turned upside down following the death of her father - faced with a much smaller inheritance than expected and having discovered her father’s secret collection of erotic art, she begins to question how well she knew him and must figure out how to dispose of the collection whilst not damaging her reputation. Ellory is a working class girl who takes the brave step of moving from Edinburgh to Glasgow to try and make a name for herself in the male-dominated world of photography. The women form an unlikely friendship and support each other as they deal with everything life throws at them.

Both Ellory and Charlotte are well drawn characters, as is the interesting Jeremiah who shines a light on the challenges faced by gay men at that time. Amongst the fictional characters Sheridan also weaves in a real life character, American abolitionist Frederick Douglass, which adds another interesting element to the story.

Sheridan really does make the period come alive - and it is clear from the author’s notes how much research has gone into the book - and tells a story that creates a wonderful read that I recommend to all lovers of historical fiction.