Mr Hancock owns a ship and his employee finds him a mermaid. Unsure of what to do with it at first he decides to exhibit the mermaid to the public.
Mr Hancock meets an owner of a nunnery; Mrs Chappell. Mrs Chappell sees a business opportunity and asks Mr Hancock if she can display his mermaid at a party.
There he meets Angelica Neal who is a high class whore for Mrs Chappell. He is looking for a wife, as society wishes and she is looking for someone to take care of her.
This is a story of strong women who are also the most despised, London's nunneries and the wonders of the sea. Two quotes that really sum up this book are from Angelica.
"A real creature (the mermaid) too sorrowful to display. A thing that tells us what we really want is out of reach."
"Cleaver Mrs Hancock knows that the beauty of truth has only a limited appeal..."

This was one of those books I’d heard so much about and couldn’t resist, despite suspecting that I wouldn’t be blown away...I couldn’t have been more wrong and it’s my second five star read of 2018. First and foremost it’s quite simply a brilliant story with memorable characters but not only that the author has created such a vivid sense of the London of the time in which it is set it has remained firmly in my mind ever since. I can’t say how accurate it is and it’s certainly not overwhelmed by historical detail - in this way it does remind me of The Essex Serpent where the characters take priority and wanting to know what happens to them makes the book a surprisingly pacy read. But for historical fiction this is not only very well written and edited but it is very accessible too and I think would appeal to people who don’t usually read this genre. If at times a few characters leaned towards caricature this was balanced by others who were written with enormous empathy and overall it was pleasingly non-judgmental. It’s left to the reader to draw conclusions about some of the strands that aren’t tied up and I really appreciate that in a book. This was a brilliant blend of commercial and intelligent writing; I enjoyed it enormously and would love to see it on the small screen.

The mermaid “theme” will really flow into the zeitgeist with mermaid films and books galore this year.

This is a historical novel which wears its research lightly and I have described it to customers as a “ historical romp” . The nearest book can compare it to is The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber.

This book has two mermaids a “fake” type one who gets the plot rolling and then another appears much later in the book.

Mr Hancock, a widowed merchant, is the person who first displays the (first) mermaid which has been brought back from an Asian sea voyage. However other people have other ideas on how to profit from the mermaid...

We meet Angelica who is a high class courtesan who has lost her patron. We also meet her “colleagues” from the world of prostitution.

Mermaids famously lure men with their beauty and haunting songs. Together with the prostitutes this version of women as “Eve” is explored. The women are shown as having aspirations to be educated, read books and make lives for themselves as independently as possible within the constraints of 18th century society.

Characters are portrayed with their own foibles and idiosyncrasies. I found myself warming to Mr Hancock who is kind and compassionate. His niece, Sukie is a capable girl with an overbearing mother, whom he supports.


Angelica is selfish, unaware, vain but also somehow wistful.


One of the best scenes is when Angelica is receiving visitors at a tea party and ignores all social conventions . In fact the author does a great line in dialogue- scenes with Sukie's Mum always have a Dickensian comic flavour.

Unlike The Miniaturist which I felt introduced anachronistic elements, this felt “embedded” realistically within its historical setting.

This is a gorgeous book, a bit like eating a trifle- to borrow a catchphrase “naughty but nice”.

I did not connect with this story. I did not finish this book. Thank you for the chance to read it.

I am halfway through this exquisite book and loving it! all the characters are so well defined - even the individual whores have their own personalities. The writing reminds me of the best fantasy novels, but so far it is historical. I can't wait to find out if the mermaid has a life of her own, or whether the new mermaid will be different to the first... Spellbinding.

Georgian England and upcoming Deptford merchant Josiah Hancock is coming up in the world. However when he is told that one of his captains has sold his ship to buy a mermaid he is sceptical. Deciding to make the most of it Hancock exhibits his mermaid to great acclaim and he is asked to loan it to notorious bawd Mrs Chappell to exhibit in her nunnery. At Mrs Chappell's house Hancock meets beautiful whore Angelica, back in service after the death of her keeper, but horrified at the orgy that takes place he removes his mermaid and sells it for a phenomenal sum. He can't forget Angelica and, when entering her orbit again, she tells him that she will be his if he gets her another mermaid, Hancock is smitten.

There has been a lot of hype about this book, vast sums bid and a huge amount of publicity. Often when this happens the book disappoints, but not in this case. At its heart is a story of two people from different backgrounds who are right for each other, a gentle historical romance, however the book is so much more. I felt the ideas about racism and slavery were slightly underplayed, Polly and Samson could have been developed more as characters. The historical detail was superb, particularly the setting in the world of bawds and brothels, Mrs Chappell getting her comeuppance was a surprising twist. The magical realism of the second mermaid was slightly at odds with the majority of the plot but it provided a device to strengthen the last quarter of the book. All in all an incredible debut.

https://lynns-books.com/2018/02/01/the-mermaid-and-mrs-hancock-by-imogen-hermes-gowar/
The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock is a modern day classic. Set in London during the Georgian period. This is a historical style novel with a hint of fantasy thrown in. I loved this. The writing is simply gorgeous. Think of the saucy Moll Flanders or the romps through Vanity Fair and couple those with the more modern writing from The Crimson Petal or Norrell and Strange and you may be able to glean an idea of the make up of this story.

The main protagonist is Jonah Hancock, a shipping merchant based in London during the 18th century. Jonah lives alone, his beloved wife having died, along with his son, during childbirth. His nature lends itself to the romantic. He often wonders what his life would have been like and fancies he can hear footsteps on the stairs when there are none there. Jonah is a reasonably well to do fellow and is pleased to be put upon by the rest of his family to help his many nieces and nephews and in fact one of his nieces, fifth or sixth daughter of Jonah’s older sister currently resides with him. You certainly detect a hint of sadness about Jonah as the story commences but his fortunes are about to change. Jonah anxiously awaits the return of his ship, however, when the captain of the ship finally makes an appearance, knocking on Jonah’s door late one evening, it is with startling news. Jonah finds himself the proud owner of a curiosity that will change his life in the strangest way.

At the same time we are made aware of the fall in fortune of Angelica Neal. Angelia is a famous courtesan of the period. Unfortunately she’s fallen on slightly hard times and is currently planning the best way to relaunch herself into society. At 27, and hailed to be one of the fairest and most desirable women in the country, Angelica is all to aware that she needs to strike whilst the iron is hot, which is to say she understands that her good lucks will not last forever.

The two of them are about to be thrown together in a, at first, not entirely agreeable fasion. Their paths will then cross a number of times until Mr Hancock finally makes a promise to Angelia that may cost them both more than they bargained on.

I think what really made this story for me is a combination of the setting, which comes so gloriously to life during the read, the period in which it’s based which was a time of invention and curiosity when people were fascinated with the strange and the bizarre and curiosites were avidly sought after, and the characters. I found myself totally transfixed by both storylines and in fact really liked both of the main characters, so much so that I wanted to shake them both when their paths teetered on the edge of darkness. Put bluntly, I found myself wishing for a happy ending for them both.

I feel that the author has managed to accomplish here the perfect balance of historical and modern. She manages to evoke the period so well and yet her writing has an easy charm and modern feel. It really does feel like a perfect accomplishment. The story has a saucy edge to it that could be shocking but instead comes across as another curiosity of the period and there’s a wit and feel of the comedic thrown into the mix. A good story that at the same time is not too shy to poke a little bit of fun.

The element of the story in which the mermaid resides is craftily done. On reflection, was there a mermaid at all? It all feels a little bit like smoke and mirrors which is fitting for the period and helps to create an underlying current of tension that is ramped up during the final chapters. It’s like watching an old black and white film – where you were never quite shown the horror that was lurking in the attic – but you so desperately wanted to see it – then you caught a quick glimpse.

In terms of criticisms. I don’t have any. I would perhaps say that if you’re less inclined to read historical novels and more inclined to want your fantasy in greater abundance then this might not be the story for you. I love reading fantasy but I also have a penchant for classic reads and historical novels so this worked perfectly for me.

Overall I thought this was charming, witty and beautifully written and I will certainly keep track of where this author goes next. For now, the Mermaid and Mrs Hancock have provided me with the perfect fix for my historical yearning.

I received a copy, courtesy of the publisher, through Netgalley, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

The year is 1785 and merchant John Hancock is sat quietly at home when there is an urgent knocking on his door. Stood on the threshold is the Captain of one of his ships with the news that he has sold it in exchange for a dead mermaid.

Hancock is somewhat baffled and bemused wondering what an earth he can do with a dead mermaid. Persuaded to show his mermaid, his unlikely exhibit begins to garner notoriety and fame and before long Hancock is immersed in the less salubrious side of London society.

When he enters into a business deal to display the mermaid at a party thrown by high class madam Mrs Chappell, his companion for the evening is courtesan, Angelica Neil. Keen to launch herself back onto London society after the death of a wealthy client, Angelica shows little enthusiasm for Hancock, but an unlikely friendship grows between them with surprising results.

Mermaids, love, greed, and high class prostitution, this novel has it all. The characters are just fantastic.

Mr Hancock, the bumbling widower, scruffy, naive, haunted by his dead son, and thrown into a world he has no desire to be a part of. His shock and horror at the shenanigans he witnesses at Mrs Chappells, was so wonderfully described by Gowar, I could feel myself getting hot under the collar just like Mr Hancock! I felt a great deal of affection for Hancock, wanting him to succeed, to win through and be happy.

Angelica Neil is everything you expect a well heeled courtesan to be, buxom, vain and superficial, caring little for the everyday mundane aspects of life. Her companion Mrs Frost is everything she is not, practical, plain, and the voice of reason, reason that Angelica will not listen to, landing her in a whole lot of trouble. Who does she turn to but Mr Hancock and the ensuing friendship is both touching and tender. I loved the slow unveiling of the real Angelica, not necessarily the superficial creature we see at the beginning, but a young vulnerable woman wanting security, love and affection.

And then we have Mrs Chappell. Oh my, what a character! Larger than life, overweight, and overbearing with friends in high places. Mrs Chappell is the owner of a high class brothel, overseeing the education, manners and decorum of her girls. Girls pulled from poor backgrounds, desperate for a new way of life, but totally bound to Mrs Chappell, unless they can buy their way out. My imagination was sent into immediate overdrive as numerous images of what Mrs Chappell may actually look like flashed through my mind such was the vividness of Gowar’s writing.

There are a myriad of secondary characters supporting the main protagonists, all with their own part to play. Central to it all is the mermaid, feared by sailors, bringer of bad luck and catalyst for good and bad in the novel.

Characters are always central to a good novel and so it is with The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, but what sets its apart from others in its genre is the superb quality of the writing. The imagery, the description of a Georgian London and society are just amazing. As I read I felt myself transported back in time, I could smell the heavy perfume of the ladies, imagine the wigs, the dresses, the inside of the brothel, and the streets of London. This is a long novel but at no point did I feel it was too long, in fact I did not want it to end!

As you can probably tell from my gushing review I absolutely adored this novel. It is just superb. It will make you laugh, smile, make you sad and immerse you in a world you do not want leave. It is a story that would make the most perfect BBC drama and I have my fingers crossed that it will be dramatised.

Bravo Imogen Hermes Gowar on a gem of a novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harvill Secker for the opportunity to read and review.

3.5 stars. I received a review copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is quite beautifully written and definitely well-researched. I loved the way the author was able to really conjure of the scenery of a place so well and throw you into it. However, I found myself having trouble connecting to the characters, and this continued throughout the book, which made it a less enjoyable experience overall. That was really unfortunate because I really loved the ending of this book, and I can see why so many people are loving it so much. Just not completely for me, I guess!

A fabulously detailed historical novel set in 1700s London. Josiah Hancock has received a little more than he bargained for when the captain of his ship comes back with a mermaid. He is inducted into Georgian pr when he attempts to publicise the curiosity more widely - the coffee shops and salons were the social media of the day, creating a stir which makes his fortune. He also attracts the attention of Angelica Neal, a beautiful courtesan past her best (she's about 27!), but who is in need of a benefactor after her previous protector has died.

After several false starts, the unlikely love between Mr Hancock and Angelica blossoms and is the subject of much surprise in fashionable London.

This novel is a delight, illuminating the realities of life in a burgeoning commercial London, where twists of fate can make - and ruin - fortunes.

I read a lot of debuts; it’s always a risk – but I love finding those hidden gems when they’re still relatively undiscovered. This book was promoted as Vintage’s debut of the year and, whilst I hadn’t heard much about it from my fellow reviewers, I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover and the promise of mermaids, and went for it.

I would love to fall in love with every book I read, but unfortunately this one wasn’t really for me. It had a lot of promise – combining history, romance and magical realism, this book should work for me, yet I found myself struggling through the slow, meandering plot about characters who I just couldn’t care for.

When widowed merchant Jonah Hancock unexpectedly finds himself the owner of a dead mermaid, he attempts to make the best of it. He puts his bizarre specimen on display, and soon he finds the creature is the talk of the town, and he has been elevated to social circles he’d never encountered before.

During his business endeavours, Mr Hancock meets Angelica Neal, a courtesan in her late twenties who’s protector had died suddenly and who is now struggling to find her place in the world. As the two’s stories interweave it’s difficult to understand what the main story is supposed to be, or who we should be rooting for. The author introduces a host of characters through the first half of the novel, but I struggled to connect with any of them. She does paint a colourful picture of London during this era, with a host of eclectic characters. But the combination of crude, seedy scenes with flowery, elegant language was jarring.

Things do pick up in the second half as our two main protagonists – Angelica and Mr Hancock – come together. There’s the introduction of a second, live mermaid and we finally learn who the Mrs Hancock of the title is. But, while I did enjoy this half more, as we hurtle toward the end a lot of the sub plots are tied up in a rush, or not concluded at all.

I have to remember this is a debut – and maybe I’ve just been spoilt by some really strong ones over my past few years using Netgalley. Imogen Hermes Gowar does write with elegance; her descriptions of London and the era feel evocative, immersive and well researched. This writer does have talent, but the plot and characters in this story didn’t quite work to me. I’ll be interested to see how this release does, and what she does next.

The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock is notable for its cast of memorable female characters. There’s Angelica, the beautiful, capricious, independent-minded courtesan who’s unfortunately insufficiently financially independent not to be in need of a new protector. There’s the procuress to high society and Angelica’s erstwhile employer, Mrs Chappell, a somewhat grotesque figure but one who possesses an acute eye for business. ‘Mrs Chappell is there to greet him, a vast toad in white linen, her stubby arms outstretched and her legs churning up her skirts as she paddles across the gleaming floor.’ There’s clever, organised Sukie, Mr Hancock’s niece, who’s been made to feel ‘a spare daughter’ in her mother’s large household and wonders about her future. ‘Sukie’s secret ambition is to marry a gentleman in possession of s good trade but poor health, who will die very shortly after the children are born and leave her be.’ And there’s young Polly, whose dark skin makes her merely a valuable novelty for the men who patronise Mrs Chappell’s establishment.

However, my favourite character and the most sympathetic figure in the book to my mind is Jonah Hancock. Widowed in tragic circumstances, he’s all too aware of his responsibilities to support his sister’s mighty brood. Jonah is seized with the desire to better himself and it is in pursuit of this that he is persuaded to take the uncharacteristic step of putting the strange object he has unexpectedly acquired on public display. What follows will bring him wealth and fame but also contact with elements of society that are totally outside of his previous experience.

Above all, Jonah is lonely. ‘Mr Hancock returns to his own doorstep, where no wife stands with her arms outstretched to him, and no children buzz with their observations of the day.’ He feels particularly keenly the sadness of having no child to make everything he’s achieved seem worthwhile. ‘If he leaves nothing, who can say he lived at all?’ When he sets eyes on Angelica he is immediately captivated, although they seemingly have little in common. Perhaps his life may take a different path, a path which he had long ago given up hope of?

The book has a fantastic period atmosphere reminiscent of that created by Francis Spufford in Golden Hill. The sights, sounds and tastes of 18th century London are conjured up so the reader feels immersed in the period. ‘Syllabubs on cold slates; liqueur-flavoured jellies, and strawberries and melons and millefruits; and a great heaped centrepiece of butter-yellow pineapples, whose flesh both fresh and roasted perfumes the room.’ And there’s a touch of another ‘Hill’ – Fanny Hill by John Cleland – in some of the bawdy scenes at Mrs Chappell’s ‘entertainments’.

There’s some brilliantly witty writing and dry humour. ‘It happens that a gentleman named Mr Brierley is one day caught in flagrante with this horse-boy, or some say his horse, but either way such prurient interest in the dealings of strangers has no place in this story. It only signifies at all because after this Mr Brierley hanged himself, the extent of his debts was revealed, and his widow put his house and all its contents up for sale for a very reasonable price.’

Amid the lively atmosphere of high society taking its pleasures, there are darker undertones. There is a reminder that the gilded cage in which Mrs Chappell’s ‘ladies’ reside is a form of imprisonment and that their lives could be transformed for the worse in a moment. In fact, being trapped by one’s gender, class, race, financial situation or even marital status emerges as a theme of the book. There are other messages as well: that you should be careful what you wish for, that you should count your blessings and that what you think you crave above all things may not bring you the happiness you believe – in fact, just the opposite. “To be content as best we can must be enough for us.” Perhaps contentment is all anyone needs.

I absolutely loved this book with its cast of colourful characters, its exquisite period detail and engaging story line. It’s a long time away, but this will go straight on my list of books I’ll tip to make The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction longlist in 2019. And, I’ll bet that’s not the only literary prize list it ends up on either.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of NetGalley and publishers, Vintage, in return for an honest review.

I loved this book. The characters are appealingly imperfect and the storyline is gripping. Although the concept (and the title) are focussed around the mermaid, for me the real joy of the book was in following the surprisingly sweet story between the shy merchant, Jonah Hancock, and the beautiful, charming but troubled Angelica. The mermaid (or mermaids) serve as a reflection of what is happening in the story at the time: the first, a dried out husk of a monstrous thing, coincides with the dark and debauched world of Mrs Chappell’s ‘nunnery’, where Jonah first encounters Angelica. Later, a live, dangerous and unknowable mermaid provides the backdrop for the maturing of the characters as they learn about themselves and each other. There are pleasing touches of Angela Carter-esque magical realism, and the plot, descriptions and characters combine beautifully. A gorgeous book.

I wanted to love this book, I really did. The descriptions evoke a London of historical fable and the events are both fantastic and yes very ordinary.

But something is holding me back. I didn’t particularly warm to any of the characters and found Mr Hancock a buffoon (does anyone even use that word anymore?!) ... but overall it just didn’t work for me - just too BAWDY!!

perhaps it’s the writer’s eloquence or deep descriptions but it was all too much for me. Sadly I’ve had to abandon it...

Others will love it, I’m sure - just not for me.

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock follows a man named Mr Hancock who unexpectedly has his life changed by being given a 'mermaid' in exchange for his ship and in trying to get make back his losses and show off the creature to London meets a beautiful courtisan. I thought the story was very well researched and life in 1785 is vividely painted across the pages. I really enjoyed parts of the book and it was interesting to see where the well written characters would wind up, but there were a few things that bothered me, such as there was too much focus on the going's on in the brothel, some quite coarse for my taste. I also thought that more explanation about some the characters, and where they ended up would have been good, such as Polly, Simeon, the nature of the mermaid. Overall the book was very well written but I thought it was a shame that the story was more about the world of Mrs Hancock than the allure of the mermaid.

Be careful what you wish for

Set in and around London between 1785 and 1786, this is a colourful depiction of life at the time.

Jonah Hancock is a merchant operating in Deptford; he is a widower and shares his house with his fourteen-year-old niece, Sukie, who keeps house for him. He is moderately successful, but by no means, a wealthy man but the two live comfortably.

The book begins with Mr Hancock becoming concerned about the fate of his ship the Calliope which should have returned to Deptford with a valuable cargo. Then one night there is a pounding on the door by the captain of the Calliope who has returned having traded the ship for a ‘mermaid. Understandably poor Jonah is appalled at the loss of his trade, but soon finds that there is more money to be made by displaying his prize; London is full of jaded people desperate for novelty.

Whilst showing the mermaid, Jonah is introduced to the glorious Angelica Neal, a courtesan looking for a protector; he is instantly smitten. She used to work in a ‘nunnery’ (brothel) run by the colourful Mrs Chappell and is determined not to return there. Jonah does not come up to her high expectations and is therefore not considered a suitable prospective patron.

The story follows about a year where the three households interconnect in varying situations, and it becomes clear that there is no extricating one from the other. Prospects ebb and flow on all sides and some interesting alliances are built.

The characters are finely crafted and become familiar and convincing so that the reader feels an intimate knowledge of each.

The various plot lines are expertly devised, and the suspense rises consistently until the final denouement which ties up all the loose ends.

An enjoyable and satisfying read with London in the eighteenth century positively leaping off the page; the stench is almost palpable, and the mood of the people changes constantly; what is celebrated at one time becomes despised at another. Fortunes, in the wider sense, come and go, often with cruel consequences for those not in favour.

Pashtpaws

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Be careful what you wish for because it may not be what it seems.
Beautiful historic novel set in Georgian times where oddities were viewed and seen as entertainment.
Mr Hancock a merchant finds that one of the captains of his ships has sold it in exchange for a mermaid which although dead is exhibited and makes him a very rich man by selling it.
Now a wealthy man Mr Hancock attracts Angelica Neal a high class courtesan who has just lost her protector an old duke who has suddenly died and so the real part of the story begins.
Set in a time where brothels where the favourites of the rich and famous and society had very perculiar values this book does not disappoint.
I highly recommend it to all historical lovers

The story circles mainly around Mr Hancock, a middle aged, widowed merchant, and a woman named Angelica, who is a well known high class prostitute. These two characters are drawn together after the Captain of Mr Hancock's ship arrives home with a most unexpected and peculiar cargo.

This book reminded me of The Crimson Petal and the White in a some respects, particularly the London setting and the lives and society of the prostitutes.

For a fair bit of this book there is little of mermaids, and even less of a Mrs Hancock, but what this is is a richly detailed story of life in London in the latter 1700s with a wonderful cast of characters and maybe a smidgen of something otherworldly.

Imogen Hermes Gowar creates a believable world set in 1785 England where Jonah Hancock, aged 45, is shocked to find his trade ship Calliope has been sold in order that a memaid can be purchased. He has no choice but to promote it and this finds himself in the company of Mrs Chappell and the girls she runs as prostitutes, alongside her previous ‘employee’ Angelica Neal. The main characters lives start to converge but as they do so the minor characters seem to be left unfinished and drift out of the story. However, the language and sense of place means this novel has a lot going for it. Thanks to Netgalley and Harvill Sacker/Penguin Random House for a review copy.