The Daughter of Heaven - Nigel Cawthorne

"She was taken to the palace as a concubine for the Emperor. Using her skill in the bedroom, she seduced her way to the throne of the most powerful empire in the world. She executed her enemies without mercy, and even murdered her own children for political gain. She set up her own imperial harem made up of young men. She elected herself a living god and held a ruthless reign of terror for over fifty years. Yet in the end, it was sex that led to her downfall. In this sensational true story, bestselling author Nigel Cawthorne reveals the dark and dramatic story of the only woman ever to rule China; Wu Chao, concubine, manipulator, politician, murderer, Emperor. From her instruction in the art of love by palace officials, to her eventual sticky end, this book opens a window into the colourful world of Tang Dynasty China."

Daughter of Heaven starts off with a confusing medley of names and titles in a huge rush of Chinese history. I found the overall work jarring and that it seemed to take liberties in identifying what should and shouldn't be taken as historical fact.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. The subject is absolutely fascinating: Wu Chao was a commoner in 7th century China and became the only female emperor China has ever had. This time in history was bloody with not only countries, but families all fighting for power and positions. Within the families there were power plays and hostilities; some committing suicide while others were sent into exile. With all of this being such an important and tumultuous time in China's history, I was excited where the author would take this.

In truth, I had a difficult time getting through. There is a lack of organisation throughout the book as it wanders from one topic to another, seemingly unaware of the main focus of the narrative for awhile before coming back to its senses and getting back on track. There are many tangents, and the author seems to have the need to follow every one of them. That being said however, it is quite obvious that the research for this book is extensive and includes a lot of outer history and is very detailed. The amount of outer history may be the reason the author became so sidetracked, and he could have very easily done without it.

The work intersperses the overarching tale of Wu ZeTian with lengthy and unappealing descriptions of architecture and geography. While sometimes helpful in history books, these felt unnecessarily detailed and were only tangentially related to the overall topic. Additionally, the variations in the transliteration of Chinese names, including the addition of accent marks not found in Chinese standard pinyin, make it confusing for readers who are at all familiar with Mandarin. The book is lengthy and convoluted by the constant introducing and immediate executing of multitudinous characters  without any kind of introduction or explanation of how they fit into the larger narrative. 

Several long sections are dedicated to describing works surrounding sexual pleasure that don't particularly add to the tale beyond shock and awe value. There was quite an uncomfortably strong focus on matters of sex, murder, and other such things that made this feel much less like a decent historical novel of any sort. Instead, it feels like it just carries on the centuries-long tradition of painting high-powered women in imperial China, or anywhere or that matter, as all being part of the same basic mould as nothing but fierce, conniving power-hungry souls with a large sexually deviant streak. It lacked any try to humanise or understand the women and her great economic leaps and ability to rule are quickly skipped over. Certain sensational details may make this book interesting to some and there where certainly some interesting points that I learnt. But as a quality source on the life of a genuinely fascinating woman, I found this to be a very, very heavy disappointment.

Overall, I felt the topic was not presented well and that the author had an automatic bias concerning the Empress Wu from the very beginning - her as a historical character and Tang Dynasty China were not approached, in my opinion, with respect or unbiased objectivity. 

Age Rating 15+. As said in the review, there is a heavy focus on sex, violence and murder. 

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock - Imogen Hermes Gowar

"This voyage is special. It will change everything…

One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock hears urgent knocking on his front door. One of his captains is waiting eagerly on the step. He has sold Jonah’s ship for what appears to be a mermaid.
As gossip spreads through the docks, coffee shops, parlours and brothels, everyone wants to see Mr Hancock’s marvel. Its arrival spins him out of his ordinary existence and through the doors of high society. At an opulent party, he makes the acquaintance of Angelica Neal, the most desirable woman he has ever laid eyes on… and a courtesan of great accomplishment. This chance meeting will steer both their lives onto a dangerous new course, a journey on which they will learn that priceless things come at the greatest cost…

What will be the cost of their ambitions? And will they be able to escape the destructive power mermaids are said to possess?"
The scene is set for a picturesque romp through the teeming wharves, poverty stricken alleyways, gentrified squares and quaint rural areas, all of which we now know as inner London! The sights, sounds and smells of the time roll off the page.

The theme of mermaids and how they lure sailors onto the rocks seems to mirror the plight of some of the women in the novel who, in these deeply misogynistic times, use their femininity to lure men to gain influence, riches or simply to survive. Angelica Neal the grand but fickle courtesan is a wonderfully flawed and nuanced character and a key player in the story.

Part gritty and realistic, part whimsical and magical, this story of eighteenth century life is well told. However is didn't fully deliver. I was expecting magical realism, fantasy and mermaids based on the blurb. What I got was a well written historical romance novel, steeped in descriptive prose that felt a little flat to me.

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock follows a humble merchant and his love for a courtesan, whom he meets after a chance encounter with a mermaid. Jonah was a little dull in character, and felt as though he was severally lacking in any emotional depth (and backbone). Angelica, our courtesan, in comparison is scatty and all over the place. I wasn't keen on her characterization either at first, as she felt so different to Jonah, and I couldn't really understand her interest in him at all. She did become more sympathtic as the story porgresses but the romance was still incrediably forced. 

The pace is agonizingly slow, and the romance takes a long time to develop. I understand that the constraints of the time meant a romance of this nature would be upheld with trepidation and many longing glances - but unfortunately I felt it meandered too much before anything really happens. The ending, although it took a long time to get to, also left a lot of loose story lines which annoyed me. The real mermaid come completely out of left feild and it was so late in the story it felt like an odd addititon. 

I really didn't get what I expected out of this unfortunately. If it was targeted more as a historical romance it would perhaps find a better audience.

Age Rating 17+. Way, way more sexual then I thought it was going to be. Trust me, there is a bloody orgy in a brothel in one scene. 

An Almond for a Parrot - Wray Delaney

"London, 1756: In Newgate prison, Tully Truegood awaits trial. Her fate hanging in the balance, she tells her life-story. It’s a tale that takes her from skivvy in the back streets of London, to conjuror’s assistant, to celebrated courtesan at her stepmother’s Fairy House, the notorious house of ill-repute where decadent excess is a must…

Tully was once the talk of the town. Now, with the best seats at Newgate already sold in anticipation of her execution, her only chance of survival is to get her story to the one person who can help her avoid the gallows."

The way Gardner presents Tully's story is very vivid, straightforward and the language is a faithful example of the 18th century English collocations. The descriptions are lavish, detailed, from the clothes to the furniture to the daily life of the upper and low classes. The atmosphere was rich and luxurious.

Most importantly, the depiction of the prejudices and the stereotypes imposed on women by their fathers and their husbands is brutally honest. This is a world where a woman has to use her body as a merchandise in order to retain or to gain some form of dignity and self-respect, to acquire the necessary means to live her life in some form of freedom, however controversial. 

The magical realism element was a suprise but it is successfully woven into the story, adding an aura of mystery to Tully’s character. I do wish this element was explained more but I really enjoyed its inclusion. 

People have described this story as erotica, I personally disagree. It does have graphic sexual scenes but it's plot and characters is foremost. And as for the racy scenes? Well, this is the 18th century and our main character is a courtesan, so that’s that. In any case, you can easily skip them if they bother you.


Tully is an engaging main character. Naïve, sincere, brave and unafraid of her sexuality. She tries to make her life better, using the means that are accessible at the given moment and I don’t think that the readers should judge her. We all struggle to live our lives as best as we can given the era, the circumstances and all the unpredictable factors. I refuse to judge her choices and probably would have made the same ones in her prediciment. 

I personally thought that the speed that Tully feel in love with Avery was rushed. I would have liked if their relationship was fleshed out more and there was more time for the audience to get invested. They just sleep with each other a few times and I am supposed to believe they have a deep emotional, spiritual connection?

Overall a really good book that I personally enjoyed thoroughly. Won't be for everyone as it does have a very whimsical and otherworldly vibe to the whole thing, that is added to by Tully's ability to see ghosts.

Age Rating 16+. Very graphic sex scenes, rape and references to child rape. Not for the feint hearted. 

The Crimson Petal and the White - Micheal Faber

"Sugar, 19, prostitute in Victorian London, yearns for a better life. From brutal brothel-keeper Mrs Castaway, she ascends in society. Affections of self-involved perfume magnate William Rackham soon smells like love. Her social rise attracts preening socialites, drunken journalists, untrustworthy servants, vile guttersnipes, and whores of all kinds."

I've been of the mind recently that there is something slightly worse than bad. And that is: almost. Bad, one can deal with. Almost is harder. Almost teases you with what could have been, only to disappoint you with what is. Almost is wasted potential. The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber almost lives up to its promise.

I was drawn into the novel by seductive narrative voice leading me down the streets of Victorian London. It was a little bit cinematic and a little bit Dickensian, and I was immediately enthralled. Crimson Petal tells the story of Sugar, a 19-year-old prostitute who is renowned in London for doing everything. There is no depravity too extreme, as long as she's getting paid for it. Yet, that's not what makes Sugar truly interesting. She's interesting, because while she was raised in prostitution, she's literate and reads voraciously. She's also an aspiring novelist, hoping to better the plight of prostitutes by exposing their ills (and their secret vengefulness) to the world through her prose. Meanwhile, on the other side of London, there resides the Rackham family, and at its head, William Rackham, heir to a perfume company.

It's his meeting and subsequent infatuation with Sugar that's supposed to be the main story, but Faber packs the novel with intricate "secondary" characters that are much more interesting: Agnes, William's addled, very Catholic wife; Henry Rackham and Emmeline Fox, William's brother and the unorthodox humanitarian he loves; little Sophie Rackham, forced into observing her household rather than taking part in it; and Caroline, Sugar's soulful prostitute friend. I loved the characters and this is definitely a character driven plot. Sugar is feisty and relatable. William, is a man at once so self centred that you want to slap him and instantly recognizable. Henry and his inner torment was captivating and wonderfully frustrating. 

All of their stories are so captivating that it must have seemed a daunting task to do them all justice...so Faber opted not to try. Instead, the lives of the supporting characters peter out with no resolution, good or bad. Now, we all know that life is not a neatly packaged thing. Situations don't resolve themselves perfectly, and one could argue that the "point" of this book is that that's how life is. However, that "rationale" for ending things with no change or resolution has more often than not seemed like a cop-out to me.

I loved the narrating style of the omniscient person leading the reader through the story. Both invisible and unseen to the characters. I love getting into the heads of as many of the key players as possible. However, perhaps in this case, I just didn’t want to dally within these minds for quite so long! (This book is enormous!!) I guess there’s a limit to my curiosity about my fellow human beings. It felt like an absolute slog and I had to keep taking myself into picking it up again. Would have been amazing in half the size. 


Age Rating 16+. Sex, talk of sex, thoughts of sex are abound. A word of warning to the more sensitive reader – you may need to stomach more than your desired share of descriptions of a variety of bodily functions and fluids in this book!