Uprooted
from her home in India, Alice is raised in Windsor by her aunt, a spiritualist
medium. When a mysterious Mr Tilsbury enters their lives, Alice finds herself
drawn into a plot to steal one of
India's sacred jewels: the priceless Koh-i-nor diamond, claimed by the British
Empire after the Anglo-Sikh wars.
Said
to be both blessed and cursed, dooming any man who holds it, the diamond exerts
its power over the lives of many - a handsome deposed maharajah determined to
claim his rightful throne; a man believing he will be blessed with the secrets
of eternity, and a widowed Queen who thinks its light will draw her husband's
spirit back...
In
the midst of the madness, Alice must take control of her life and her fate -
and that of the Koh-i-nor.
Published on 5 December 2013 by Orion Books, The Goddess and the Thief is Essie Fox's third novel.
Essie Fox has proved with this third novel that she really is the master of Victorian drama, and excels in making historical fiction appeal to all. I often struggle with this genre, yet despite a fairly slow beginning, I was soon transfixed by this story, the writing and the masterful way that every intricate detail just seems to flow effortlessly.
Young Alice has been brought up in Lahore, India. Her mother died in childbirth and she was raised by her ayah. Alice's father decides that she must go to England, to live with her Aunt Mercy and Alice finds herself in Windsor. The place is so different, and Aunt Mercy is not what she seems. Mercy has plans for Alice, plans that would horrify her father, if he knew. And so, Alice becomes more miserable, but has no choice to go along with Mercy's plans.
The story moves forward, Alice is grown and determined to get away from her Aunt's hold. Enter Mr Tilsbury into the story; Alice thinks that she dreamt about him, but a few months later it becomes apparent that his night time visit was very real. Aunt Mercy and Mr Tilsbury are obsessed with the Koh-I-Noor diamond
, they are determined that it will be theirs.
The Goddess and the Thief is a novel that meshes together the exotic and lively streets of India with the more sedate area of Windsor, and Essie Fox does this effortlessly and with great skill. Alice is a beautifully created character, who suffers greatly between these pages, and who the reader can empathise with. Mercy and Mr Tilsbury are vile and brutal, and it is with a sense of horror that the reader has to experience their treatment and betrayal of young Alice.
The fact that the novel features actual events adds another layer to the whole story. The contrast of the different locations is so well handled, with the story slipping effortlessly from one location to the next.
Fans of Essie Fox's first two novels will adore this one, and readers who are experiencing this author's work for the first time cannot fail to be impressed either.
A truly outstanding novel, well-researched, colourful, sometimes a little dark, often unusual, but very readable and certainly memorable.
I really have to say something about the beautiful, beautiful cover design. The vibrant green, pink and red really stand out and the illustration perfectly conjures up the whole essence of the story. The cover was designed by David Wardle from Bold & Noble; a company creating and hand printing wall art and homeware. They have some beautiful things on their website.
My thanks to Emma from the publisher who sent my copy for review.
I'm honoured and thrilled to be able to welcome Essie Fox here to Random Things today. Essie has taken the time to answer some questions. I'd like to share her answers with you ......
Do you read
reviews of your novels? Do you take them seriously?
I have a Google alert set up
for each of my novel’s titles - so yes, I do tend to see reviews, or at least
to notice they are there. Once noticed, it is very hard to resist clicking onto
the link and reading what’s there - for good or for bad.
There are generally three sorts
of reviews. The first, and the best to have, is the complimentary one. To think
that a complete stranger may appreciate and like your work is the most
wonderful feeling. The second is the reader who doesn’t like the book at all,
but still offers some constructive advice. Because of this I always try to read
a review as if someone else - to take in the words with an open mind and
perhaps to garner any hints as to what I might change in the future to create a
better story. The third type (and most every author I know has had some
experience of this) are the reviews which are simply malicious in tone. They
can be very upsetting. But one way to overcome the gloom is now and then to
post them on Twitter or Facebook for others to read as well. The fact is that,
when so full of vitriol, those reviews tend to have a comic effect: an
entertainment all their own.
How long does
it take you to write a novel?
It varies. The Somnambulist took just over a year.
I think I was so inspired, and so ‘high’ on the actual process of writing that
I simply couldn’t stop myself from writing almost every hour in the day.
My second novel, Elijah’s Mermaid, took approximately
eighteen months, but then I had so much more to research, and it has a denser,
more literary tone which required a little more artifice.
My latest novel, The Goddess and the Thief, actually took
six months to write - but that is somewhat misguiding. The story had been in
mind for years. The English setting - which is my home town of Windsor - was
constantly before my eyes. The imaginary characters refused to go away. The
real ones were fascinating to research. The religious, political and social
concerns have emerged as something of a Victorian Sensation - but I hope the
messages remain, wrapped up in the plot and the sentiment. There are some
serious issues lurking beneath that gothic veil.
Do you have any
writing rituals?
Not really - except
the habit of getting up every morning to make myself a coffee and then bringing
that back upstairs to bed where I have a little breakfast table, upon which my
computer sits. If I can get away with it, my preferred way to spend a morning
is in my pyjamas, propped up on the pillows, tapping away to my heart’s
content.
What was your
favourite childhood book?
The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley. It has always haunted my imagination, so much so
that (along with The Little Mermaid)
it actually inspired Elijah’s Mermaid.
All that water, and magic and the idea of physical transformation were
wonderful themes to work around.
Name one book that
made you laugh?
Can I name two?
The Adrian Mole Diaries. I would drive my
husband and daughter mad, giggling and reading extracts out loud. They were
never so amused. Also, The Diary of a
Nobody. (What is it about diaries?) Again there are scenes from that which
still have the power to make me laugh.
Name one book that
made you cry?
Just one again!
There are so many. All right then, I’ll plump for Jude the Obscure. I read that as a teenager when I had a Thomas
Hardy obsession. I recall walking around the house with the book held in my
hands, and with tears streaming down my face as I sobbed uncontrollably.
Which fictional
character would you like to meet?
Boris, from Donna
Tartt’s latest novel, The Goldfinch. So many characters in that book are an
absolute triumph of imagination. Tartt makes you care for them so much and yet
they are realistically flawed. Boris first appears as a young boy, but even
then his charisma shines through, and as the character says himself...his friends
all say that he, ‘lights up the world’. He certainly lit up my reading world. I
loved every moment when Boris was there. A triumph.
Which book would
you give to your best friend as a present?
Today - The Goldfinch. I enjoyed it so much. I
feel confident that my friend would too.
Are you inspired
by any particular author or book?
I read a lot and in
many genres. I am often awe-inspired. But with regard to my own writing, the
biggest influence has been Angela Carter - and I’m very fond of Rose Tremain.
What is your
guilty pleasure read?
Can we come back to
Adrian Mole?
Who are your
favourite authors?
Angela Carter, Rose
Tremain, Kate Atkinson, Michel Faber, Michael Cox, Sarah Waters, John Fowles, Wilkie
Collins, Edith Wharton, the Brontes, R L Stevenson, Donna Tartt, Isabel
Allende, Mark Z Danielewski, Rumer Godden, Graham Greene, Evelyn
Waugh, G R R Martin, Stephen King, Muriel Spark, Tracey Chevalier, Jane Harris...I
think I’d better stop. I could go on and on.
What book have you
re- read?
Most recently, The Water Babies. I don’t tend to re-read very often because
I have so many books on my shelves, and far too little time to read.
What book
have you given up on?
There have been a fair few. I don’t believe in continuing if you reach
mid way in a novel and still feel unconnected. I don’t consider it a failure on
my part, or necessarily on the part of the writer. There are times when certain
books speak to us, and times when they do not.
Essie Fox was born and grew up in Herefordshire. She now divides her
time between Bow in East London, and Windsor. After studying English Literature
at Sheffield University she first worked for the Telegraph Sunday Magazine, then
for the book publishers, George Allen & Unwin – until moving on to art and
design: a career that lasted twenty years.
Essie became a published author in 2011. She has appeared at various
festivals, contributed articles for the national press, and lectured at the
V&A. She also created the popular blog, TheVirtual Victorian, and much of the research she does for that website goes
on to feature in her books, which are dark Victorian novels published by Orion
Books.
The Somnambulist, was featured on the Channel 4 TV Book Club, was shortlisted for the
Best Debut Novel at the 2012 National Book Awards, and has now been optioned
for TV/film by Hat Trick Productions. Her second novel, Elijah’s Mermaid has received many excellent reviews in national
newspapers and magazines. Her third novel, The
Goddess And The Thief is published in December 2013.
Poppy and Jazz have been best friends from the first week of uni. Whenever these two get together trouble isn’t far away and things haven’t changed much. When Jazz gets herself into financial trouble Poppy, being a good friend, offers to help. She instead ends up being talked into swapping lives, with Jazz insisting it will be good and help her get over her broken heart.
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