Words can't describe how annoying this book was (although I'm willing to try). I like Philippa Gregory a lot - she reminds me of a historical Jackie Collins. In general, her books are smutty and fun. (Although I'm glad she got the incest out of her system early in her career, 'cause that was a tad creepy.)

If this book was JUST historical fiction, it would've been trashy, a bit melodramatic and pretty dang fun to read. However, Ms. Gregory had to make it a romance too, which ruined it.

I wasn't surprised by the plot since the romance was featured prominently on the back cover blurb. I just felt if Frances (the slave trader's wife) was going to go against her society norms and shake off every prejudice she had ever been taught, she needed a little wooing from the object of her affection! At least have him wear some skintight pants and sweat a lot while doing a manly task like woodchopping. (That's how Harlequins do it.) Instead, Mehuru (the slave) walked in the room for about the 7th time in the book and the two were suddenly deeply in love.

It was so abrupt (and so odd) I kept checking the page numbers to make sure I hadn't missed some important clue as to what the heck was going on. ( )

http://sarahbbc.wordpress.com/and-now... ( )

Phillipa Gregory does a wonderful job of showing you the horrible world of slave trading and the divisions in society. At times I had to stop reading because I was overwhelmed with horror at what was acceptable behavior for the time. It's a great book and well worth the read. Would be perfect as a book club choice. ( )

Not as enjoyable to read as Gregory's other novels. An impoverished "lady" marries beneath herself, to assure her future. Josiah is a small-time trader in Bristol, dealing some in the slave trade. Francis' job as his wife is to teach a group of slaves to speak English and learn how to be proper house servants. Francis falls in love with Mehuru, a very intelligent, cultured African nobleman - now her slave. Explores the politics and culture of slavery in late 18th century England. From this book I learned of William Wilburfurce who led the fight as a mamber of parliament to abolish the slave trade. ( )

While I love Philippa Gregory's storytelling, this was my least favorite of her books. The story is compelling, but I found it to be a little overdone. The ending leaves too much unfinished, almost as if a sequel had been planned but never written. I was never able to sympathize with the main character; she went from uncaring to passionate in what seemed a very artificial way, without much insight into what caused the change. Even though I tore through the book in just two days, I was disappointed when I reached the last page. ( )