Elijah's Mermaid
Published on 8. November 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
416 pages
978-1-4091-2335-4 (ISBN)
Description
Since she was found as a baby, floating in the Thames one foggy night, the web-toed Pearl has been brought up in a brothel known as the House of Mermaids. Cosseted and pampered there, it is only when her fourteenth birthday approaches that Pearl realises she is to be sold to the highest bidder.
Meanwhile, the orphaned twins, Lily and Elijah, have shared an idyllic childhood, raised in a secluded country house with their grandfather, Augustus Lamb. But when Lily and Elijah go on a visit London, a chance meeting with the ethereal Pearl will have repercussions for all of them, binding their fates together in a dark and dangerous way...
In this bewitching, sensual novel, Essie Fox has written another tale of obsessive love and betrayal, moving from the respectable worlds of Victorian art and literature, and into the shadowy demi-monde of brothels, asylums and freak show tents - a world in which nothing and no-one is quite what they seem to be.
Meanwhile, the orphaned twins, Lily and Elijah, have shared an idyllic childhood, raised in a secluded country house with their grandfather, Augustus Lamb. But when Lily and Elijah go on a visit London, a chance meeting with the ethereal Pearl will have repercussions for all of them, binding their fates together in a dark and dangerous way...
In this bewitching, sensual novel, Essie Fox has written another tale of obsessive love and betrayal, moving from the respectable worlds of Victorian art and literature, and into the shadowy demi-monde of brothels, asylums and freak show tents - a world in which nothing and no-one is quite what they seem to be.
Reviews / Votes
The author behind the Virtual Victorian blog has followed up her Channel 4 Book Club choice THE SOMNAMBULIST with this Wilkie Collins-style sensation novel... An obvious comparison is with early Sarah Waters...The glee with which Fox approaches her material is infectious. All Victorian life is here ...Intriguing. -- John O'Connell * GUARDIAN * Fox's story of obsessive love is memorable and unusual. * SUNDAY TIMES * "Fox's vivid, sensual prose is - fittingly - as seductive as a siren's song, drawing you into a shadowy Victorian world of obsession and guilt... An intoxicating follow-up to 2011's acclaimed The Somnambulist. Recommended to fans of Sarah Waters." * HEAT * "A fabulous foray into a shadowy Victorian world" -- Fanny Blake * WOMAN & HOME * An absorbing novel that twists and turns through a labyrinthine plot to reach a satisfying conclusion. * BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE * "If you like imaginative, romantic stories then this book is definitely the one for you! A beautiful gothic novel we loved and know you will too." * ESSENTIALS * Dark Secrets, hidden pasts and childhood mysteries are the focus of the sensual melodrama...an entertaining slice of Victoriana, rich in historical detail... * Marie Claire * a highly enjoyable and evidently well-researched page-turner, packed with dramatic twists and turns, colourful locations and well-realised characters * Metro * The author captures the essence of Victorian life in this richly textured novel...If you love all things Victorian, you will love this * Historical Novel Society * Fox's well-researched novel is a gripping insight into the Victorian discrepancy between the respectability and morality. * NORWICH EVENING NEWS *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
542 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4091-2335-4 (9781409123354)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2012
1st Edition
Orion
€3.99
Available for download
Person
Essie Fox divides her time between Windsor and Bow in the East End of London. Her debut novel, THE SOMNAMBULIST, was selected for the Channel 4 Book Club and was shortlisted in the New Writer of the Year category of the 2012 NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS. She is the author of The Virtual Victorian: www.virtualvictorian.blogspot.com