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Review
'The vivid, stylish, witty story of a woman who refuses to accept her powerlessness ... Starling illuminates the period, diving beneath the surface of things with vertiginous introspection and consummate poise' Susanna Moore, author of The Big Girls and In the Cut 'A wonderfully vivid tale of intrigue, corruption and deceit ... Starling has left behind a heroine who is a testament to her talent and imagination' ***** Alex Clark, Red Magazine 'An elegant epitaph to a lost talent ... a triumph ... Starling created a witty and sympathetic heroine whose modern pluck enhances her charm' Francesca Segal, Observer 'A scrupulously researched, racy tale ... Starling skilfully conjures up a dank, deviant London ... Her bustling, energetic book is a worthy addition to the ranks of historical fiction' Catherine Taylor, Guardian
Catherine Taylor, Guardian
`Starling skillfully conjures up a dank, deviant London ... All the elements of the Victorian city metropolis are faithfully rendered... Her bustling, energetic book is a worthy addition to the ranks of historical fiction'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Belinda Starling grasps you by the hand and pulls the reader into Victorian London from the very first page of this fantastic story.
Dora Damage takes over her ill husband's book binding business in 1860. Although this is frowned upon by her neighbours and associates, Dora is determined to make a living for her family. She is soon to find herself binding pornographic books on the orders of the aristocracy. Very quickly Dora finds herself caught up in lawlessness, slavery, bare knuckle fighting, sex and money.
Dora's Journal conjures up Victorian London excellently, the filth, the smell, the poverty, the perversity of the rich and the misery of the poor.
The history of book binding is fascinating and well researched. The issues of family values and the freedom from slavery are dealt with sensitively and also with a passion and in vivid explanation.
I devoured this book in three days and truly did not want it to end, but was just as keen to find out the fate of Dora, her daughter Lucinda, Din the negro slave and Lady Sylvia.
It was with real sadness that I read that Belinda Starling died soon after completing the book. This is an excellent first novel, on a par with Sarah Waters, it is a great loss that we will not be able to enjoy further novels from this wonderful author.
Dora Damage takes over her ill husband's book binding business in 1860. Although this is frowned upon by her neighbours and associates, Dora is determined to make a living for her family. She is soon to find herself binding pornographic books on the orders of the aristocracy. Very quickly Dora finds herself caught up in lawlessness, slavery, bare knuckle fighting, sex and money.
Dora's Journal conjures up Victorian London excellently, the filth, the smell, the poverty, the perversity of the rich and the misery of the poor.
The history of book binding is fascinating and well researched. The issues of family values and the freedom from slavery are dealt with sensitively and also with a passion and in vivid explanation.
I devoured this book in three days and truly did not want it to end, but was just as keen to find out the fate of Dora, her daughter Lucinda, Din the negro slave and Lady Sylvia.
It was with real sadness that I read that Belinda Starling died soon after completing the book. This is an excellent first novel, on a par with Sarah Waters, it is a great loss that we will not be able to enjoy further novels from this wonderful author.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This story follows Dora Damage as she takes over her ill husband's book binding business. A woman running a business is very frowned upon by her neighbours and customers but she needs to make a living to support her child. As money becomes harder to come by, she starts binding illegal pornographic books for her wealthier clients. As often happens in illegal business, she finds herself getting deeper and deeper into this new world of slavery, sex and money.
This book really brings you into the sights, sounds and smells of 19th century London. I found the story a bit tricky to get into at first and I very nearly gave up but I am so glad that I didn't. Overall, the characters are very well written but I found Nora's romance a bit unbelievable and very predictable. I found the ending a bit weak but I still enjoyed the read.
This book really brings you into the sights, sounds and smells of 19th century London. I found the story a bit tricky to get into at first and I very nearly gave up but I am so glad that I didn't. Overall, the characters are very well written but I found Nora's romance a bit unbelievable and very predictable. I found the ending a bit weak but I still enjoyed the read.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I'm a great fan of Sarah Waters and snap up anything that promises to be in a similar vein; 'Dora Damage' is just that, minus the lesbian angle. It's thoroughly gripping from start to finish with fantastically realised characters and a C19th London which jumps from the page.
Dora is an original; tightly constrained by Victorian moral and social values, Dora's unexpected path leads her to break free from the roles and expectations of her relatives, employers and neighbours, aswell as her old self, as the story moves forwards and her eyes are opened to new experiences and ways of thinking and living. The in-depth description of hand tooled book binding is fascinating in itself and clearly well researched, as is Dora's heavy daily round of household chores.
The only criticism I have of the book is the weak ending (which seems to hobble a lot of modern film and fiction). As the momentum of the story gathers pace and various threads are drawn together it does fall apart slightly - a Mills and Boon style romance, a too unlikely and convenient friendship and aristo's with decidedly silly secrets, which is a shame as the books' initial strength is its wonderfully descriptive yet restrained sense of place, character and timing. Hmm. Still, the quality of the writing and the fact that I really did care about the heroine carried me through till the very end and it's one that will stay with me for quite a while.
Along the same vein I can highly recommend a gem of a book called 'The Observations' by Jane Harris, which evokes a similar sense of time and place and also has some wonderfully quirky characters.
Dora is an original; tightly constrained by Victorian moral and social values, Dora's unexpected path leads her to break free from the roles and expectations of her relatives, employers and neighbours, aswell as her old self, as the story moves forwards and her eyes are opened to new experiences and ways of thinking and living. The in-depth description of hand tooled book binding is fascinating in itself and clearly well researched, as is Dora's heavy daily round of household chores.
The only criticism I have of the book is the weak ending (which seems to hobble a lot of modern film and fiction). As the momentum of the story gathers pace and various threads are drawn together it does fall apart slightly - a Mills and Boon style romance, a too unlikely and convenient friendship and aristo's with decidedly silly secrets, which is a shame as the books' initial strength is its wonderfully descriptive yet restrained sense of place, character and timing. Hmm. Still, the quality of the writing and the fact that I really did care about the heroine carried me through till the very end and it's one that will stay with me for quite a while.
Along the same vein I can highly recommend a gem of a book called 'The Observations' by Jane Harris, which evokes a similar sense of time and place and also has some wonderfully quirky characters.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A special book
As her husband the bookbinder's illness swiftly worsens Dora finds herself forced to take up his trade to keep the business afloat and her family out of the workhouse. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Jeff Cotton
Trying too hard to be interesting? But not bad
If you fancy a satisfyingly thick historical novel of the non-romantic sort that's heavy on detail and atmosphere, with a bit of darkness and naughtiness thrown in, then you should... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Bookwoman
"... there were wounded birds inside those cages..."
Belinda Starling died in hospital a few months after her book was accepted for publication, which makes it a difficult book to criticise. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Eileen Shaw
The Journal of Dora Damage
Starling evokes Victorian London well and Dora Damage herself is a fine heroine. The novel is, I think too long. One or two more plot twists would've have helped here. Read more
Published on 28 Sep 2009 by Rich
Pure brilliance
I won't recap the story - lots of reviews already tell you what this book is about, though the plot is unusual, taking it outside most genres. Read more
Published on 2 July 2009 by Mrs. B. Salter-Murison
Thank you, Belinda Starling.
One of the most pleasant novels I've read this year. No, it's not "the best one" but it's really, really good. Read more
Published on 25 May 2009 by Eregwen
Intense Depiction of the Victorian Underworld
Dora Damage is married to a respectable book binder. She helps with the business, runs the home and looks after her young daughter. Read more
Published on 17 May 2009 by Mrs. K. A. Wheatley
Average
Dora Damage is the wife of a lesser-known bookbinder in Ivy-street in London. Her husband suffers from rheumatism, and her daughter has epilepsy, also known as the Falling... Read more
Published on 25 April 2009 by K. Huff
A good read.
Really quite a good novel if you want something enjoyable to read. It has a few shades of Sarah Waters' Fingersmith, but isn't quite as good. But I enjoyed it a lot. Read more
Published on 13 Feb 2009 by Mrs. S. Birchall
Amazing
This is the best book I've read this year. I was totally gripped all the way through. It is as near-perfect as a book gets - The author has a mesmerising writing style and the plot... Read more
Published on 28 Nov 2008 by Kate Mackinder
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