The Whisky Widow

In 1921, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks. I was therefore pleased to receive a copy of Karen Brook's new novel, The Whisky Widow, to read and review. I was not disappointed.

Set in Scotland between 1780 and 1784, this is the story about Greer MacAlister and her daughter Fen as they strive to find a home in a new community. When Greer's husband died she received a message that, as his widow, she should go to Montrose and collect money owing to him. Once there, however, she discovered that the money had gone and she was left to defend for herself and her daughter. Meeting Tam Gorden provided the chance for a new life living in a small village in the Scottish Highlands.

Greer soon encountered the prejudices that existed in the village regarding outsiders, especially Lowlanders, and that becoming accepted would not be an easy task. She also discovered that although there was some farming and fishing, the villagers mainly made their living from distilling and smuggling whisky. Although they were allowed to keep a small amount of whisky for their own consumption, a high excise was applied to the sale of whisky, hence the need for the smuggling operations.

The villagers lived in constant fear of raids from excise officers and Red Coats. A system was devised to alert the villagers of possible intruders. It was only after Greer stood up to an excise office during a raid that many of the villagers began to accept her presence in this tight-knit community. When disaster strikes and some of the men, including Tam, are arrested it is up to Greer to manage the community and to devise a rescue plan. Tam has been accused of murder and it is up to the village community to prove his innocence.

This is a story of a community bonding together for its survival when required. Life is hard but basically members of the village look after each other. Although most attend the village church there is still a strong belief in supernatural forces - just in case. This is also a story about relationships, especially between family members. It also explores love and war and seeking justice.

The Whisky Widow is a work of historical fiction that graphically portrays the difficulties faced by the workers living in small villages in the Highlands. It is a time of change with the Clearances already occurring in some areas. Eventually a decision needs to be made whether to remain in Scotland or try for a new life overseas.

Many thanks to Better Reading and HQ Books for a preview copy of this book.

The Escapades of Tribulation Johnson

The Escapades of Tribulation Johnson by Karen Brooks is definitely a rollicking good story set in Restoration England. With the name of the main character being Tribulation the reader can be reasonably sure that chaos will follow her.  When Tribulation is banished from the family home she moves to London to live with her cousin Aphra Behn, a playwright, writer and one time spy.

In London, the only way that Tribulation can initially earn her living is working in the theatre as an actress or as a prompter. Because she has connections many of the members of the theatre company are jealous and it is not easy for her to become accepted. 

Political unrest abounds in London in 1679. Charles II is back on the throne but there is much discussion regarding who his successor should be. Catholic and anti-Catholic sentiments abound threatening the lives of ordinary people. This is also a time when women are not allowed to assert themselves and give their opinions. Young ladies are expected to be demure and obey the men in the family. As an aspiring writer Tribulation must publish her work as anonymous or use a pseudonym for her own protection.

The theatre scene in London is the setting for much of the book. This work of historical fiction is set out in the style of a play with five acts and scenes within each act. Most of the chapters are narrated by the fictional character of Tribulation Johnson interspersed with occasional chapters by an observer. 

Many of the characters were people living at the time however other characters, including Tribulation, are purely fictional. The novel therefore provides a fictional account of a historical time period. A list of characters at the back of the book indicates characters who are real and those who are fictional.

Online articles about Aphra Behn

Aphra Behn - The British Library

Aphra Behn - Encyclopedia Britannica  

Aphra Behn - Poetry Foundation

Year of Wonders

In 1665 the plague invaded England, particularly London. The people living in the small village of Eyam in Derbyshire were not particularly concerned until a case was discovered in their village. Cloth that had been brought to the village from London was affected with fleas carrying the plague.

Geraldine Brooks has set her novel, Years of Wonders, in Eyam during the years 1665 and 1666 when villagers were struggling to live in a world where they were cut off from the rest of the country until the plague subsided. Although the book is based on a true story, it is historical fiction and the author has created her own characters and events to tell her story.

Anna Frith, a widow with two sons, lives and works in the village - part of the time at the vicarage and part of the time at the big house. As the number of villagers affected with the plague increases, the decision is made to close the borders of the village placing the village in isolation from the rest of the country. This helped limit the spread of the diease in neighbouring areas but resulted in 260 deaths in the village over fourteen months. How the villagers coped with this situation is the focus of the novel.

The book is primarily about how different people cope and react in difficult and dangerous situations. It is about love and caring for others. It is also about fear and fanaticism. It is about the need to learn new ways to survive. Set in the seventeenth century the novel also looks at the struggle between religion and science to understand what was happening.

Years of Wonders was first published in 2002. The story of events in Eyam, historical and fictional, became all the more relevant with the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

Great Plague of 1665-1666 - National Archives

Why is Eyam significant? - Historic UK 

Eyam recalls lessons from 1665 - The Guardian 15 March 2020

Geraldine Brooks on Tim Winton

Geraldine Brooks has written this book on Tim Winton in the Writers on Writers series. She provides a short, 76 page analysis of Tim Winton's writing and why she likes his books. She explains why his books have been important for her, especially when she has been working away from Australia. 

Tim Winton's books have been published since 1982. He has won the Miles Franklin award four times (Shallows 1984, Cloudstreet 1992, Dirt Music 2002 and Breath 2009) and his book The Riders was short listed for the Booker Prize in 1995. He has also written books for children.

Tim Winton's novels are normally set in Western Australia and often have something to do with water or the sea. He sets out to write stories where the plot is important but also places emphasis on characters and the environment in which the book is set. Many of the incidents in his books are based on people he has known and / or events that he has experienced. Geraldine Brooks discusses some of the aspects of Tim Winton's life that have impacted on his writing.

Perhaps Tim Winton's most famous work is Cloudstreet which was later turned into a play and a television series. I started reading the novel many years ago but became frustrated with realistic down and out characters who when life appeared to be improving for them made even more mistakes. I only got half way through the novel. I think it is time that I gave it another try. I have enjoyed a number of Tim Winton's other novels including Breath, Dirt Music, Eyrie and The Shepherd's Hut.

The Good Wife of Bath

This is a book that I initially borrowed from the library, read the first few chapters and immediately decided that I must have my own copy. The book was purchased between Lockdown 5 and Lockdown 6 in Melbourne. Those who complain about restrictions as the result of COVID-19 should read this story set in  fourteenth century England where there was the threat of bubonic plague in the community every few years.

The story in the first part of the novel, The Good Wife of Bath: a (mostly) true story, by Australian author Karen Brooks is based on the prologue to The Wife's Tale in Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400). 

Eleanor Cornfed was twelve when she married an elderly farmer who became the first of Eleanor's five husbands. In Mediaeval England life was not easy for a woman of the lower classes. Even when Eleanor's opportunities increased and she was able to show her flair for organisation and business she was thwarted because she was not a man or a widow. Never the less Eleanor was a fighter and strived to make her mark and established firm friendships. 

Between each marriage Eleanor went on a pilgrimage to places such as Canterbury, Rome and Jerusalem. Eleanor's distant cousin was the poet Geoffrey Chaucer who followed Eleanor's advice to write about ordinary people, including women. However she was not impressed when he modelled one of his characters on her experiences.

This is a story about the power of men over women in all forms. It is also about the determination of a woman trying and make her own way in a world where the rules are made by men. 

The Good Wife of Bath is an entertaining reworking of Chaucer's story and the historical context in which the novel is set provides an interesting glimpse into the history of 14th century England. At the end of the book there is a glossary of medieaval terms used, a list of the names of real people mentioned in the novel plus a detailed author's note about the writing of the book.