A Respectable Trade
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Review
‘The great roar and sweep of history is successfully braided into the intimate daily detail of this compelling and intelligent book’ Penny Perrick, THE TIMES
‘Philippa Gregory is a very good storyteller indeed’
SUNDAY TIMES
‘Subtle and exciting.’ Daily Express
‘Written from instinct, not out of calculation, and it shows.’
Peter Ackroyd, The Times
Product Description
The devastating consequences of the slave trade in 18th century are explored through the powerful but impossible attraction of well-born Frances and her slave, Mehuru. From the bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl.
Bristol in 1787 is booming, from its stinking docks to its elegant new houses. Josiah Cole, a small dockside trader, is prepared to gamble everything to join the big players of the city. But he needs ready cash and a well-connected wife.
An arranged marriage to Frances Scott is a mutually convenient solution. Trading her social contacts for Josiah’s protection, Frances enters the world of the Bristol merchants and finds her life and fortune dependent on the respectable trade of sugar, rum and slaves.
Once again Philippa Gregory brings her unique combination of a vivid sense of history and inimitable storytelling skills to illuminate a complex period of our past. Powerful, haunting, intensely disturbing, this is a novel of desire and shame, of individuals, of a society, and of a whole continent devastated by the greed of others.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
69 of 70 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This novel by Philippa Gregory takes a look at the slave trade in the period leading up to the abolition.
It tells the story of Mahuru, a high priest taken as a slave, and Francis Scott, the wife of the merchant who owns the slave ship that took him.
In an effort to increase his wealth, Francis's husband wishes to train the slaves as servants to be sold to wealthy families, and to Francis falls the task of teaching them English customs.
The characterisation in this novel is very superior. Mahuru is a kind, intelligent man who quickly masters the English language, but never loses sight of his heritage. But perhaps the most developed character is Francis, as she struggles between the ways of the English aristocrat that have been drilled in to her since childhood, and her growing empathy with those she must teach. Philippa Gregory handles this with skill, and those who have criticised Francis for wanting the best of both worlds, forget that far from being a woman ahead of her time, Philippa Gregory has taken the more original step of creating a woman very much of her time.
Her descriptions of the brutality the slaves had to endure are poignant and all the more disturbing for their accuracy. It is right that the story does not gloss over the behaviour of our ancestors, as a less dedicated writer of historical fiction might be tempted to do. This novel has the Philippa Gregory trade mark attention to detail and thorough painstaking research. I was quite moved to tears by the end.
A haunting novel well worth reading and rereading.
It tells the story of Mahuru, a high priest taken as a slave, and Francis Scott, the wife of the merchant who owns the slave ship that took him.
In an effort to increase his wealth, Francis's husband wishes to train the slaves as servants to be sold to wealthy families, and to Francis falls the task of teaching them English customs.
The characterisation in this novel is very superior. Mahuru is a kind, intelligent man who quickly masters the English language, but never loses sight of his heritage. But perhaps the most developed character is Francis, as she struggles between the ways of the English aristocrat that have been drilled in to her since childhood, and her growing empathy with those she must teach. Philippa Gregory handles this with skill, and those who have criticised Francis for wanting the best of both worlds, forget that far from being a woman ahead of her time, Philippa Gregory has taken the more original step of creating a woman very much of her time.
Her descriptions of the brutality the slaves had to endure are poignant and all the more disturbing for their accuracy. It is right that the story does not gloss over the behaviour of our ancestors, as a less dedicated writer of historical fiction might be tempted to do. This novel has the Philippa Gregory trade mark attention to detail and thorough painstaking research. I was quite moved to tears by the end.
A haunting novel well worth reading and rereading.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Cracking, self-contained adventure that is informative and entertaining throughout. A rollercoaster ride towards doom, you might think, and although most of your worst fears are realised by the end of the book, Gregory gives Josiah Cole a way out with the suggested formation of a bank. Though most people know about the American slave trade, Britain's part in this disgraceful business is not always so well covered. Thank heavens for Wilberforce.
43 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a book i have come back to again and again. The period of history it covers is fascinating and was relatively unknown to me and the empathy with the characters is enormous. It is beautifully and skillfully written.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Philippa Gregory - 'A Respectable Trade'
A moving insight into 'The Slave Trade' and the plight of Slaves, also the indifference of those profiting from Slavery. An excellent read, couldn't put it down.
Published 1 month ago by Sally Dean
An Interesting and Enjoyable Read
Slave trading in England - interesting subject. I think Gregory has dealt with it very well. I know little of the subject but thanks to this book would like to know more. Read more
Published 4 months ago by C. A. Dunn
Great read
This book started off a little slow,but it became so emotional as the story started unfolding, I was in tears.Very dramatic,well worth it !!!
Published 5 months ago by Todrolfe
Disappointing
I didn't enjoy this book at all and I've now given up on Philippa Gregory's historical fiction except for the tudor series which are excellent and which I love). Read more
Published 8 months ago by Biolage Fan
hard hitting insight into the slave trade
I have just returned from a trip to Kenya and visited 2 historical ruins, which were former slave holding buildings on the coast in Mombasa. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Popps
Reasonable read
The story was good but a bit predictable, but it was a pleasant read.
I prefer her royal historical novels.
I prefer her royal historical novels.
Published 16 months ago by J. D. Stanley
for what it is, it's good
I'm not going to say I expected or hoped for a sensible novel on slavery, because I've read enough Philippa Gregory novels to know that's not her thing. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Lauren H
Both beautiful and Ugly but always engaging.
I've been a fan of Phillipa Gregory ever since reading "The other Boleyn Girl" and since then i've bought and read all her Tudor stories and "The Red Queen". Read more
Published 18 months ago by FUTURESTARdelux
Excellent historical novel
An excellent novel, meticulously researched and written in an interesting style. Although fiction, the book has the ring of truth and contains many interesting facts about late... Read more
Published 19 months ago by D. A. Matthews
Lots of excellent detail..
This is definately Phillipa Gregory at her usual high standard, and made a good companion to the non-fiction book The Slave Ship which I read at the beginning of the year. Read more
Published 20 months ago by miss_spookiness
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