Harper pays close attention to the details of the era, bringing it to life. During the plague period, Anne prepares to step into the disease-infested world outside her home, "With an onion stuffed with figs, rue and treacle about my neck to ward off deadly air.” Imagine breathing the stench of such a concoction, as well as the smell of the open sewers running down the center of each street.
In an Author's Note at the end of the novel, Harper cites her abundant credentials and research that backs up her meticulous depictions. This is not the first novel she has written set in the Elizabethan era, and we can hope it is not the last.
Page 1 — Page 2
Article comments