Gowar’s darkly spellbinding period novel about a merchant, a mermaid and a beautiful courtesan utilises fantasy and myth to elucidate a complex story of love and obsession, indelibly rooted in 18th century London.
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2018
One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock finds one of his captains waiting eagerly on his doorstep. He has sold Jonah's ship for what appears to be a mermaid.
As gossip spreads through the docks, coffee shops, parlours and brothels, everyone wants to see Mr Hancock's marvel. Its arrival spins him out of his ordinary existence and through the doors of high society, where he meets Angelica Neal, the most desirable woman he has ever laid eyes on... and a courtesan of great accomplishment. This meeting will steer both their lives onto a dangerous new course.
What will be the cost of their ambitions?
And will they be able to escape the legendary destructive power a mermaid is said to possess?
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
ISBN: 9781784705992
Number of pages: 496
Weight: 344 g
Dimensions: 197 x 130 x 28 mm
A cracking historical novel – with a twinge of the surreal – about passion and obsession, dreams and reality... The story is by turns intriguing, touching, funny, sad and heartwarming. It will make you laugh and it may make you cry. Mostly, though, the cast of endlessly engaging characters will keep you turning the pages until you get to the wholly satisfying ending... The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock is superb. - The Times
From the first page of this dazzling debut novel, you are pitched into a sumptuously detailed adventure set in the bustle and swagger of 18th century London… The result is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel, its brilliantly drawn characters driven by heady and dangerous desires. - Sunday Express
Roll up, roll up, a true wonder is on display: a mermaid magicked out of words. The author of this debut set in Georgian London gulled me, by the zest of her writing and sustained authorial slight of hand, into forgetting for a second that they do not exist... Imogen Hermes Gowar delights in the feminine fakery of mermaids, but as a writer she is the real deal. - Hermione Eyre, author of Viper Wine, Guardian
A sumptuous historical novel... It was an absolute pleasure to lose myself in this beautifully written Georgian adventure
Hotly anticipated... a bold, sumptuous doorstopper... Gowar has created a dazzlingly original novel, full of heady pleasures and shot through with the kind of irreverent humour you might expect to find in Georgian London. She’s succeeded in creating a fully-realised world that you want to get lost in. But what’s most refreshing is that she gives all the best lines to women. - Evening Standard
This is a pure historical indulgence set in London at the end of the 18th century. We follow Mr. Hancock a merchant, trying to make a fortune with his mermaid and an ex-courtesan , Angelica striving for a better... More
This atmospheric tale is packed with so much exquisite detail, which fans of historical ficition will love. The setting is vividly depicted. We are introduced to Mr Hancock, a merchant and Angelica Neal, a courtesan.... More
‘The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock’ was advertised to fans of ‘The Miniaturist’, ‘Golden Hill’ and ‘The Essex Serpent’, so I jumped at the chance to read it and this book definitely did not disappoint.
The novel is set in...
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