My Review of None so Blind (The Harry Probert-Lloyd Mysteries) by Alis Hawkins #TuesdayBookBlog
Book Description:
West Wales, 1850. When an old tree root is dug up, the remains of a young woman are found. Harry Probert-Lloyd, a barrister forced home from London by encroaching blindness, has been dreading this discovery. He knows exactly whose bones they are.
Working with his clerk, John Davies, Harry is determined to expose the guilty. But the investigation turns up more questions than answers. Questions that centre around three names. Rebecca, the faceless leader of an angry mob who terrorise those they hate. Nathaniel Howell, a rabble-rousing chapel minister preaching a revolutionary gospel. And David Thomas, an ominous name with echoes from Harry's past.
Is it Rebecca who is intent on ending Harry and John's enquiry? Why did Nathaniel Howell disappear when Rebecca's insurrection was at its height? And can Harry keep the secrets of his own past safely buried?
The search for the truth will prove costly. But will Harry and John be the ones to pay the highest price?
My Review:
I looked forward to this
book dropping through the letter box.
It landed in the porch with a thud. This is one big
tome. But I was intrigued by the title and I love the cover so, undaunted I
decided to read the first couple of chapters while I had ten minutes to spare.
Two hours later I was still reading; the washing was still waiting to go into the machine, I’d forgotten to even start on the soup for lunchtime and domestic
trivia waited for attention all around me. I needed to make a decision. I went
back to bed to read. Yes, I know; wasn’t that disgraceful?!!
So, with
confession out there, I will tell you a little about None So Blind. If you
enjoy historical fiction, if you can’t get enough of reading about crime, or mystery; in fact if you just enjoy a brilliant read – this is the book for you.
The
background to the story is the Rebecca Riots in West Wales at a time of social
unrest and upheaval.
I never give
spoilers in my reviews; I prefer to say what I think are the strong points of
the stories. But neither do I shy away from those aspects that didn’t work for me because I realise that my viewpoint, as with everyone's on everything in life, is subjective.
However there wasn't anything that didn't appeal to me with this novel.
From the
start the main plot, the discovery of why a young woman has been murdered, is
an intriguing and complex story-line. But it is interwoven with many equally
fascinating subplots that subtly reveal the complexities and injustices of the
social system and conventions of the era. Nothing is as it seems on first
glance.
It is obvious Alis Hawkins has carried out her
research thoroughly and drip-feeds it throughout this unique and original narrative.
Narrative that winds around the characters we meet
in the book. There are many well rounded supporting characters: but the main
ones we follow, are the protagonist, Harry Probert – Lloyd, a lawyer whose
career is ruined by the onset of blindness and John Davies, a young lawyer’s clerk, who becomes Harry’s eyes for him. Although not his social equal, the reader becomes aware of the growing
friendship between the two.
One thing that I would like to mention; something that occurred to me many times throughout None So Blind is the interesting notion of having Harry Probert – Lloyd, a character with increasing sight problems, as the protagonist (hence the play on words with the title). This gives an intriguing and unusual viewpoint for the reader to follow and underlines the awareness of the use of the other senses to the reader
I loved the
writing style of the author; the story is told through the first person point
of view in subsequent chapters – one of my favourite techniques to read in a
book, And there is a great deal more to recommend about None So Blind...
The dialogue
is excellent; there is no doubt who is speaking (no doubt of the accent they
speak in, either) and no mistaking their social standing. The internal dialogue reveals
much of the personalities of the characters and of the awareness and acceptance of
class at this time; even though the author cleverly portrays the undercurrent
of resentment in the working and perceived lower classes.
There is a
good sense of place of Wales in this period, in the descriptions of the streets
and roads, the countryside, the portrayals of the farms, the large town and
country houses, the living areas of the poor.
And a mention here of how the depiction of the weather creates the background and atmosphere for certain scenes.
I think this book would work well as a television drama.
All in all an excellent read.
I would thoroughly recommend None So Blind to readers who enjoy historical fiction, mystery and crime fiction.
About the Author:
Alis Hawkins grew up on a dairy farm in Cardiganshire. Her inner introvert thought it would be a good idea to become a shepherd and, frankly, if she had, she might have been published sooner.
Comments
Post a Comment