Ravenglass - Carolyn Kirby

 

I am pleased to say that I have now read all of Carolyn Kirby’s books. See below for links.

 

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-conviction-of-cora-burns-carolyn.html

 

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2020/05/when-we-fall-carolyn-kirby.html

 

 

This most recent one, Ravenglass, has been very much a labour of reading love! I was offered an ebook from Carolyn’s publicist, Ana McLaughlin. Reader, I don’t do e reading! I’ve never been particularly keen, but sometimes it was a necessity. Unfortunately, as I’ve aged it affects my eyes more and more. So I can’t read digitally at night, I can only read in daylight. So, it’s taken me much longer than I would’ve liked to read this engrossing novel.

 

Let us begin with the blurb…….

 

‘In 18th century Whitehaven, Kit Ravenglass grows up in a house of secrets. A shameful mystery surrounds his mother’s death, and his formidable, newly rich father is gambling everything on shipping ventures. Kit takes solace in his beloved sister Fliss, and her sumptuous silks, although he knows better than to reveal his delight in feminine fashion. As the family’s debts mount, Kit’s father turns to the transatlantic slave trade – a ruthless and bloody traffic to which more than a fortune might be lost.
 
Adventures will see Kit turn fugitive and begin living as ‘Stella,’ before being swept into the heady violence of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rebellion. Driven by love, revenge and a desire to live truly and freely, Kit must find a way to survive these turbulent times - and to unravel the tragic secrets of the Ravenglass family.’

 

An absolute must for lovers of historical fiction. The reader is transported back to eighteenth century social and political values and invited into the life and mind set of conflicted Kit who you will root for right from the very beginning. His dilemmas are fascinating to explore alongside our contemporary attitudes to such difficulties and make you wonder whether much has changed significantly.

 

The narrative and the prose engage your senses. I think, at one point, I was holding my nose at some of the descriptions of unwashed sailors! But the sights and sounds of the nautical world and Kit’s social world are palpable as you accompany him on his odyssey of life. 

 

There is no sentiment in Carolyn Kirby’s writing, she has the ability to confront things as they were – lives could be harsh and brutal – but there is no shortage of emotion. I think this is something that struck me, particularly with the Conviction of Cora Burns, the skill of eliciting an emotional response from the reader towards the characters.  It’s a skill that not all historical fiction writers have but Carolyn Kirby has it in droves. 

 

So much is covered in the book from the sea faring episodes, fashion, in terms of dressmaking, embroidery and millinery, the expansion of the slave trade in the UK, all against the backdrop of the Jacobite rebellion. 

 

And then of course there’s the secrets of the Ravenglass family which I can’t possibly divulge here because they wouldn’t be secrets then would they?!

 

All in all you’ve got a compelling, engaging, beautifully written story.

 

My thanks to Ana McLaughlin for a PDF copy.

 

 

 

 

  

November Round Up

 I managed five books this month and two of those Library books and one was a book that was lent to me. It pains me to say it but I'm actively trying not to acquire so many books. I'm getting old. And I don't know what will happen to them when I put my clogs. So I've been giving some away. I'm not finding easy but I'm trying to be sensible. Five books is quite low for me, but the Philip Pullman was over 600 pages but that's a pathetic excuse. Bottom line is I didn't read as much this month as I've done in previous months. Does it matter? Of course not.

This book was one of those rare things nowadays - a copy from a publisher to read, review and blog about. I did all of those things. Here.   https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-bookbinders-secret-adbell.html

One of life's little coincidences. I had a free trial of the streaming platform from Paramount. And one of the films they had on offer was called The Substance. I remembered that it had been up for several awards. I didn't actually enjoy the film to be honest. It was pretty gory. And then in my local library I saw this autobiography from one of the film's stars, Demi Moore. I remembered her Work from earlier decades and there was always a hint of controversy about some of them. So I thought the book might be worth a read. It was okay. I quite enjoyed it but as an autobiography, it didn't stand out as anything special.

A long wait for the final part of the story. Was it worth it? Was it worth the wait? For me, it was. I've been enthralled by the whole saga and story of Lyra. I felt very sad that this is it. The end. And if I'm honest, I was a little disappointed by the conclusion. For it didn't seem conclusive, but maybe it never could be. It feels as if all the stories is now converge in this final volume. There's some nailbiting moments and the final denouement is a white knuckle ride. But I guess there's an element that even though our journey is at an end, the characters will endure and go forward and go forth with their lives and we can only imagine how that would be.

A friend lent this to me. The same friend that lent me the Susan Lewis book I read in July! This one was much longer and more convoluted. I regarded it as a bit of light relief after the 600+ pages of the Philip Pullman.

And my month rounds itself out with a Library book and a booker prize winner no less. Book awards always puzzle me to a degree. I like to try and read the winner and I often find myself wondering why it is this particular book that has gone at such an accolade. What is it that makes this book better than all the others. I don't know. I did enjoy it. I thought it was well written. I found it a very dispassionate exploration of one man's life, his rise and fall. But it's very clever, for the economy of words conveys as much as a verbose tale. It's all paired down to a minimum.