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Novel set in 18th Century London (a titillating read…)

26th September 2017

An Almond for a Parrot by Wray Delaney, novel set in 18th century London.

This is the first adult novel to be penned by the acclaimed children’s writer, Sally Gardner and I, for one, fervently hope that it’s not her last. Think a captivating blend of Fanny Hill and the best of Sarah Waters. Delaney’s novel takes the reader to 18th century London and brings to life the rat-infested overcrowded prisons and hovels of the poor as vividly as she does the bejewelled and glittering upper class brothels or the stately mansions of the wealthy.

Novel set in 18th Century London

The novel opens with the central character, Tully Truegood, incarcerated in Newgate Prison, awaiting trial for the murder of her husband. Tully is pregnant and hopes that “pleading the belly” might save her from the gallows. As she waits, she writes her autobiography, telling the reader how she has come to be in this predicament. She recounts the inauspicious beginning of her life, stuck with a father who had little regard for her and treated her as a servant. When her father manages to get himself into disastrous debt he secretly marries the 12-year-old Tully off to a masked gentleman in the Fleet prison and we have to wait until the very end of the novel to uncover the identity of her husband and the real reason for the marriage. Tully is then held prisoner in her father’s Cheapside house until, when she is 16, her father remarries and introduces Queenie and her daughters into Tully’s life. There are many fairy-tale elements in Delaney’s story but Queenie does not, in any way, resemble fairy-tale stepmothers. In fact, her arrival marks the beginning of Tully’s growth and education. The marriage, of course, is doomed to failure and Tully’s father disappears from view, while Tully finds herself ensconced in Queenie’s opulent brothel, The Fairy House, being trained in the arts of harlotry. Soon she is well on the way to becoming the most famous prostitute in London.

An Almond for a Parrot is full of intriguing and skilfully drawn characters, notably the one-legged Mr Crease, who has “painted” eyes tattooed on his eyelids and has the ability to see what others cannot. This sinister character recognises the potential in Tully and encourages her to realise her own magical potential – the ability to see the dead and, even more alarmingly, to enable others to see them also. The crowning achievement of this novel, is Tully herself, however. This character is a delight from start to finish, as she grows from innocent child to sophisticated courtesan. Tully’s narrative voice is authentic to the period and full of dry wit and it is this, largely, which make the sex scenes so effective. Writing about sex is difficult but here the combination of 18th century euphemism (ladies’ “purses” and men’s “maypoles”) combined with the equally 18th century unabashed delight in sexual activity makes the sex scenes sheer joy to read.

Delaney also makes sure that the reader doesn’t miss out on a realistic view of prostitution in the 18th century. Tully berates a sanctimonious parson, who has been scathing about prostitutes, “Women have no money in their own right and many are subjected to the tyranny and cruelty of neglectful fathers and husbands… her body is the only currency she possesses”. Delaney shows us the comparative comforts of the life of an upper-class prostitute like Tully but doesn’t neglect to remind us of the poverty, the abuse, the violence and the disease that the less fortunate fell prey to.

There’s just so much in this novel to entertain, to titivate, to enthral and to provoke thought. I can’t wait for the next one!

Ellen for the TripFiction Team

You can follow Wray (as Sally Gardner) on Twitter and buy her book through the TripFiction Database

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Comments

  1. User: Janine Phillips

    Posted on: 26/09/2017 at 10:14 am

    As a huge Sarah Waters fan, I’d love to read this, it sounds fascinating

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