A Respectable Trade (Historical Novels)

I have to say, I found the main romance of this novel more than a bit unbelievable, but once I suspended my disbelief and gave the story a chance, it became very moving. I think one of the best things about the story is how every main character, no matter how misguided or negative their actions, is not a bad person. They all make mistakes, but they all have an element of decency, and each of them is trying to do what he or she feels is the right thing to do. The book is another affirmation of the basic evil of slavery, but it doesn't preach about it- Gregory makes the point through moving, character-driven scenes. This book really made me view history in an entirely new light.

This well written historical novel gives a glimpse into a less well known aspect of slavery namely, the slave trade in England. The depictions of life in 18th C Bristol are believable. The follies of the newly rich are applicable to all times and were amusing. The romance between the Yoruban slave and the mistress of the house is a bit overdone but a useful vehicle for the plot. What kept this from being really excellent was the somewhat superficial characterizations.

This book was written so well that it was possible to get inside the head of both the slaves, and the slave owners. The character of Frances was particularly interesting, as you were able to see how even a 'good' person found it difficult to know what was right and what was wrong. She had been told for so long that the slaves were lesser people that she was shocked when she came to realize that they weren't.
I have never read a romance story with such a difficult and unusual theme and I think Gregory did a marvellous job of portraying it.

I got through half of the book before I became so bored that I read the last chapter to find out what happens to the characters. The whole premise of European brutality towards African slaves becomes mundane repitition and nothing new or insightful is brought to light through the experiences of either Francis or Mehuru. It comes as no surprise that they fall in love nor is it the least bit interesting to read in light that the whole black man/woman smart, insightful slave and uncaring, raping, brutal white slaver stereotype is definitely overplayed.

This book was very well written, but also very stark and unflinching in its portrayal of the slave trade in the city of Bristol at the end of the eighteenth century. It was not a nice time, and the city was neither genteel nor polite, no matter how much it pretended to be. The book captured this roughness, as well as the political maneuverings of the very rich, who managed to use everyone who was not included in their select circle for their own personal gain.
Enter into this scene one impoverished lady with only her good name, an ambitious merchant and his sister, and a highly educated slave, and you get a story filled with complicated loyalties and difficult questions. What impressed me about this book is that it offered no trite answers to these questions.

I really enjoyed 'The Other Boleyn Sister' and was anxious to read more from the author. This book was a waste of time! I was more than half-way through the book when I realized I didn't care what happened to any of the characters and that most of the book wasn't even logical. For instance, the lead slave seemed to learn to speak English AND write in two chapters, the love affair between the lead slave and Frances was not even a little bit believable, not to mention the 'secret'pregnancy. I can't believe this is the same author. I will try to read other books from Ms. Gregory, but I would not recommend this one to anyone.

One of my favorite things about Gregory's books are the personalities of the characters. For me, I could not make an emotional connection with anyone in this book. I could feel sorrow for characters and definitely for the slavery subject matter. I just feel that there was no life in the characters themselves. This book was by far the worst Philippa Gregory book that I have ever read. I never thought that it was possible to say that about one of her books!

As a black woman, I too found this difficult to read. On a practical level I felt that Ms. Gregory pushed too hard to make this story plausible. I found no link for this romance, no real spark. I found the 'love at first sight' a bit of rubbish for this day and time. Mehuru seemed to good, a little too "Kunta Kente-ish". And Frances was vapid and skittish, hardly the type of love match one is used to. I loved all her other books, but I had to make myself finish this.

This book was rich in detail but was really lacking in some areas. I continually lost interest and was not convinced at the reality of the characters in the story. I have read many other books written by Phillipa and have thoroughly enjoyed them. I was unable to put down many of her books about the Boleyn girls and the Virgin Lover was great too. I felt like this book could have been half as long and would have been complete....try Phillipa's other books, they are great!

This is really one of those books that you do not want to put down! I have read it twice and even at the second reading when I knew the outcome, I was gripped. The characterisation is excellent and the descriptions are very realistic. The theme is, of course, disturbing but dealt with in such a way that there was a sense that love and truth can overcome all opposition. A really great read!

I found myself drawn into this story very quickly. I liked how "human" all the characters showed themselves to be--both good and bad.

At times, I felt sorry for almost everyone, and at times, I disliked many of the characters, but I could always identify with certain choices they made.

I've not read many novels regarding England and the painful subject of slavery--and it's handled very well here. I also liked learning about the shipping business in this era.

This is a interesting novel.

Having read many of Philippa Gregory's books and loved them, I decided to ignore the bad reviews I read about this one and buy it anyway...and I'm glad I did. I found the story both compelling and heartbreaking, and not at all unbelievable. I did not like it as much as some of her other novels, but I liked it nonetheless. If you are a Gregory fan don't listen to the naysayers...this was a good read overall and I was not disappointed.

This book does a good job of introducing one to the despicable business that was slave trade and to Eighteenth century England . The characters are also well developed.

The book is well written and read quickly except for the last part. It seemed as if the author was belaboring about the fact that Josiah was to be doomed in his new ventures and that Mehuru and Frances were falling in love.

One can safely skim over many such pages towards the end of the book and not lose touch with the story.

This was a very well written novel on a little known topic: British slave trade. While it was very difficult to read about the devistatingly inhumane treatment of people who were lifted from their own homeland and sold into slavery, I could not put the book down. I highly recommend this novel.

The beginning of the book was so vivid and real that it made me angry. In fact it made me so angry, because of the painful truth, that I ended up picking a fight with my boyfriend. Few books can make you that mad. The last quarter of the book was purely a fictional romance. At that point it lost its zeal from the first part of the book. Overall it was a good read.

I found this my favourite book written by philippa. It really opened my eyes, I had no idea that the slave trade in the UK had been this bad. I would highly recommend this book to anyone - superb reading!

I thought that the details of this book were wonderful but unfortunately the relationship between the two main characters is not well established and therefore a bit confusing. All of a sudden the two characters are involved when the last we heard he thought she was ugly and strange. And her fear turns to passion in an instant leaving the reader feeling left out of the relationship's development.

Great read. A bit different from other Gregory novels I have read (not many I haven't). Although accepted as historical fiction it is unbelieving from our era to understand that this novel depicts history as we good not imagine. This novel actually branched me out to other slave-related novels that I have/will review elswhere

Having read The Other Boylen Girl, Queens Fool and the Virgin's Lover, and enjoyed them greatly, I was expecting more of the same. It was not to be. I thought the story was totally unbelivable and the style of writing much more simplistic. In fact, I got half way through it, and gave up in disgust.

I am a very big fan of Gregory's, but cannot recommend this book. I found it uninteresting and hugely predictable. I honestly had to force myself to finish it. If you're looking for entertainment, don't stop here.

Phillipa Gregory is an amazing story teller. She has woven a story rich in culture and history. It is so easy to get lost in her language. The way she describes the scene makes me feel like I am there. You can see the rich colors, smell and feel what she is describing. Not always pleasant when she's descibing a fish market, ha ha, but makes you feel like you are walking down the streets in England admist the hustle bustle. The story line of A Respectable Trade is not always pleasant, but it follows what it really would have been like to live in that time. She makes me feel for her characters. Phillipa Gregory is the master of historical fiction.