The story is set in the 18th century, and the descriptions of London at that time are wonderful. The author has clearly done a lot of research on what it was like at that time.

The characters in the book are well-written and interesting, and not just the main ones. I was fully immersed in their stories.

The book is a little slow in the beginning, but stick with it and you won’t be able to put it down.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Superlative immersive historical fiction! Loved it. The writing was evocative with details of sights, sounds, behaviours and vocabulary of the age. There was no way for me to predict how events would turn out, but it was a wonderful read. Heartily recommended to lovers of (Georgian) historical fiction.
Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a book that has left me with mixed feelings. Some of the passages demand to be read and reread, they are so beautifully written. There is great detail about 18th century London and I felt like I was given a good insight into this period. I devoured the first two-thirds of this book but found the final third to be hard going. The ending was a little flat for me and didn't deliver on the premise. I was expecting a little more magical realism, and the title led me to believe that there would be a 'Mrs Hancock' a lot earlier in the book. I also found myself wondering what happened to some of the more interesting secondary characters like Polly. Overall, an interesting and beautifully written book but I would have liked more from the ending. If I could give half stars this would be three and a half stars.

I loved this book, both for the portrayal of Regency England through ‘ordinary folk’ and the fantasy elements around the idea of the mermaid. It admirably portrayed the endeavours of people trying to make their way in the world as best they can, surviving by whatever means available to them, hoping for love and happiness along the way – but not really expecting it to come along.

First we meet Mr Hancock, owner of a shipping vessel, anxiously awaiting its return so he can pay back his investors including friends and family, and avail himself of the hoped-for profits of the voyage. He is a lonely man living with his young niece and a servant, but filled with dreams of his (deceased) wife, the son they lost and the life they could have had together.

Next is Angelica Neal, renowned courtesan and social presence, and her down to earth ‘aide’ Mrs Frost. Angelica’s last benefactor has passed on and she has found herself in a bit of a no-woman’s land, with no income but definitely intent on not returning to her former ‘abbess’ - Mrs Chappell’s house, and former life in the (albeit high-class) bawdy house. She is casting about desperately for a means of income by which she can keep her independence and social standing.

Mr Hancock’s Captain returns with strange and earth shattering news – and accompanied by something that will change Mr Hancock’s life forever. Angelica meanwhile falls in love with a total ‘bounder’, who avoids making ‘a formal settlement’ for her. Totally overcome by emotion, she is unwilling to listen to the advice of her aide, Mrs Frost who warns against him.

I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone but the 2 main characters pull you into their lives and you really want them to find happiness- even the initially superficial Angelica. The subject matter is highly unusual and the attention to Regency period detail; food, clothes, speech, social attitudes, etiquette and how others prey on the more vulnerable (with outwardly respectable appearances) plus the detail of some goings-on/events of high classed bawdy houses is fascinating. The moral character of our leading man is clear and admirable. It is beautifully written and just flows, carrying you forward effortlessly. It’s partly a dreamy book with fantastical elements, but also harsh realities and sinister threats which threaten the so hoped-for peace and contentment the characters seek. Two thirds of the way through I was desperate for a happy ending! I will definitely be looking out for any other books by Imogen Hermes Gower – who gets my highest compliments for an absolute delight of a book! I also need to read the (anticipated) sequel - Polly's tale, please!

3.5*

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, Imogen Hermes Gowar’s assured debut novel, is set in Georgian London and its environs. Its plot centres around two protagonists and the worlds they inhabit –so distant despite being geographically close. On the one hand there is merchant and businessman Joshua Hancock, a rather dull widower who rarely strays away from his home and his office, despite the fact that his ships sail the seven seas. On the other hand there is young courtesan Angelica Neal, one of the finest ‘graduands’ of Mrs Chappell’s famous ‘nunnery’ and a favourite amongst high-class clients. The novel tells their story and how a mermaid will join their destinies. As the book progresses, we also realise that the worlds of merchant and courtesan might not be as different as may appear and unlikely parallels start to surface.

Let’s get some clarifications out of the way. This book is not primarily about mermaids, although it deals with more than one of them (both literally and figuratively). Moreover, although it does have a fantastical element to it, it is a “supernatural novel” only in a half-hearted way. In this regard, it reminded me somewhat of Eleanor Catton’s Booker-Prize-winning The Luminaries, which also relied on otherwordly elements in the plot without actually feeling like a work of “supernatural fiction”. To be fair, this is not the only quality which put me in mind of “The Luminaries” and there are a number of positive elements which “The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock” shares not just with that book, but also with other great works of historical fiction. In particular, I was struck by the effect of “total immersion” which the book gives the reader. The historical context is evidently well researched and conveyed in the greatest of detail. There are lengthy descriptions which brilliantly evoke the atmosphere of 18th Century London, with its sights, sounds and smells. The author also gets the hang of the style of novels of the epoch, such that both the narration and the dialogue feel convincing and authentic. The various secondary characters are also drawn in significant detail with their backstories deftly dovetailed into the main storyline.

Whilst appreciating the evident quality of the book I found it rather difficult to actually love the novel. At times I felt as if the main elements of the plot were not remarkable enough to justify the length of the book and some of the scenes (I’m thinking for instance of several paragraphs describing Mrs Chappell clumsy attempts at using a chamber-pot in a carriage) could have been excised without losing the thrust of the novel. Another issue I had was with some of the characters (including the protagonists) who seem to make decisions decidedly at odds with what the reader is led to expect from them.

That said, this looks set to be one of the remarkable debuts of the coming months, and deservedly so. I certainly look forward to more from this author.

A very atmospheric and enthralling historical novel about a man who seeks to fill the emptiness in his life with wonder and beauty, which almost becomes his downfall.

Jonah Hancock is a middle aged widower, an 18th century merchant and not taken to flights of fancy. He could be said to be staid and unimaginative. But when he is offered a chance to accrue riches beyond his dreams by gambling his fortunes on the ownership of a curiosity, a strange thing found on a fated sea voyage which he is assured is that mythical beast - a mermaid, he acts out of character and sets in motion a series of events which ARE about to change his life, just perhaps not in the way he could have imagined.

Persuaded that the way to recoup any losses invested in this awful and frightening denizen of the deep is to display it in public, eventually brings onto his radar the beautiful and capricious Angelica, a courtesan of some repute, her shallowness and flightiness is the opposite of his dull, ponderous nature yet opposites attract for many reasons and the pair are destined to become a mismatched couple. But the mermaid which brought them together may be the very thing which rips them apart and becomes an obsession which can only lead to heartache for one or both of them.

It is a story of relationships and greed, loneliness and desperation and the lengths people can be pushed to. It is a character driven story and those characters are not wholly likeable, they develop and chnage so much a complete metamorphosis of their natures takes place which is a little hard to come to grips with, but understandable when you appreciate their circumstances.

This book is not quite what I expected, the characters are quite flawed and entirely disparate, yet the story is a compelling one, although it does drag quite dreadfully in the middle It meanders and rambles and eventually gets us to where we want to be. Yet, its very descriptive and engaging and for anyone who enjoys a historical tale with a difference this is a great read.

I was initially pretty keen to get stuck into this but it soon became apparent that this wasn’t the magical realism I was expecting/ hoping but more of a historical romance .The author is obviously very talented and brings the period to life but I found it over descriptive, slow and hard going.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this historical novel, Jonah Hancock, a widowed merchant, comes into possession of a dead mermaid. While trying to find a way to make money of this, he crosses paths with Angelica Neal, a courtesan whose protector has unexpectately died.

My thoughts on this are very complicated. I don't think I have been this unsure how to rate a book this year yet. Therefore, here are my thoughts, first in listform and then more elaborate:

Pros:

mesmerizing language
wonderful description
immersive setting
unpredictable plot

Cons:

glacial pacing
characters
meandering plot.

This is one of the most beautifully written books I have read this year. Imogen Hermes Gowar has a brillint way with words and I love how immersive her setting is. I could picture every single thing she describes, from the shipyards, to the brothels, to the houses of the rich and the houses of the merchants, to the parks and alleys. The dresses and the way people looked came alive in her description and this made for a vivid reading experience.

However, the pacing was glacial and the plot meandering. Told in third person from numerous perspectives, I am quite unsure what the main story was supposed to be. (Jonah Hancock and his niece and sister and their relationships are one focus of this work, Angelica Neal and her confidante another, her relationship with another suitor the third, Mrs Chappell and her prostitutes another, then there is a the subplot of Polly, one of Mrs Chappell's black prostitutes and how she is treated for being such, then the search for another mermaid and so on and so forth.) While plenty of these perspectives could have been interesting we often did not spend enough time with these people for them to come alive. The two main protagonists, Jonah and Angelica, also stayed undefined for me. Especially Angelica was hard to root for in the first half of the book, although she did grow on me in the end. I wish the plotting had been tighter or (and I cannot believe I am saying this about a 500-page long book) the book longer. I would have liked more closure on some of these storylines (especially Polly's!).

Ultimately, what will stick with me is the unbelievably beautiful writing. While long stretches were excruciatingly boring there was never a moment where Imogen Hermes Gowar was not in perfect command of her language. This alone is enough for me to be excited about what she will do next.

First things first: I did not finish this book. I actually didn't got very far...
From the cover and the blurb I expected something differently and am ashamed to admit that I didn't got through. I tried tho.
I'm sure this book will find it's audiance, especially with the serpent essex and Miniaturist being so popular. It will sell.
The writing wasn't my cup of tea. I got headaches quiet fast with this title... Which is sad, as I loved the amount of detail she put in it.
I wish the author a huge succes. Sorry I'm not the targeted audience.

Unfortunately this story is written in present tense and like most books that are written this way, the prose feels stilted and doesn't flow well, plus the tenses get confused when referring to something that happened in the story's past. It's a shame as it had the potential to be really good. People who don't mind reading in present tense may enjoy it more than I was able to. I also had the impression from the description that it would be about a live mermaid rather than an artefact, but I won't blame the author for my expectations being other than what the story was really about.

A merchant, Jonah Hancock, learns that his agent has sold his ship to buy a mermaid. His ship! His means of livelihood!

He is given no choice but to begin a new career in exhibiting what would be considered the body of a freak of nature. It isn't what he wants to do, but it will take him into some unexpected adventures.

The characters were depicted well in this and the plot had some interesting twists and turns, but I found it hard going because of the present tense writing. It just doesn't work for me and I know a lot of other people are the same, so why do recent writers keep doing it? Anyway, I'm giving it 3 stars because I think this author could write well and the plot did have some interesting aspects.

Merchants, mystery and mermaids....what’s not to like!? Now, this book is not as focused on the mermaid as you might think from the blurb but take the mermaid as a mystery in the background which draws the world of traders and courtesans together then you have the full focus of a historically intriguing read.

The author has a knack for evoking London of the 1700s. The ships in the dock, the stench of the streets, the glamour of the courtesans, the theatres and then there’s the mermaid. Such a discovery and a source of amazement. Pineapple was hailed as a new wonder at the time so the mermaid takes their breath away

The mermaid is the link between two worlds - fact and fiction, rich and poor, man and woman, the world of business and that of make believe. From this wonder, the romance between two very different characters swims between two worlds not linked until now.

The mermaid is not just a creature of intrigue, it’s a symbol for so much more. How London was changing, people within and how the world was becoming smaller with ships exchanging goods from one world to the other, and the people in it players in the theatre of its day.

This isn’t a fantasy novel about a mermaid as the blurb suggests, but an insight into a world where marvel and mystery was opening up, knocking down borders, bringing new cultures and foods to new markets and the marvels of what can happen when two worlds collide, and the awe and mystery of a mermaid cast into a love affair with magic at its heart.

I find myself in two minds about this novel, the first from the author. There is some really enjoyable writing and phrases which fit with the historic setting (Georgian England). Some of the characters and settings are very well described. However I am not sure whether the intention is to create a historical fantasy or a historical romance. Despite the titular mermaid I do not think the novel works as a fantasy tale. The relationship between Angelica and Mr Hancock does work but I was left disappointed overall by not knowing what happened to some of the other interesting characters including Polly and the ship's captain. I felt as if the author herself had found it a problem to come to a narrative resolution for the many characters she had introduced and so left their fates to be decided by the reader. I would look out for future writing from Imogen Hermes Gowar as I enjoyed much of the writing in this book.

I think I was expecting more from this than delivered - and I don't think that's entirely the books fault. I was expecting magical realism, fantasy and mermaids based on the blurb. What I got was a well written historical romance novel, steeped in descriptive prose that felt a little flat to me.

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock follows a humble merchant and his love for a courtesan, whom he meets after a chance encounter with a mermaid.

Jonah was a little dull in character, and felt as though he was severally lacking in any emotional depth (and backbone). Angelica, our courtesan, in comparison is scatty and all over the place. I wasn't keen on her characterization either, as she felt so different to Jonah, and I couldn't really understand her interest in him at all.

The pace is agonizingly slow, and the romance takes a long time to develop. I understand that the constraints of the time meant a romance of this nature would be upheld with trepidation and many longing glances - but unfortunately I felt it meandered too much before anything really happens. The ending, although it took a long time to get to, also left a lot of loose story lines which annoyed me.

I really didn't get what I expected out of this unfortunately. If it was targeted more as a historical romance it would perhaps find a better audience.

Beautifully written, but the author needed a firmer hand in the storyline development!

I was immediately taken by this novel, as the writing is so fine. The black and white of life in the late 18th century is well drawn. it was a very different time and the fear of poverty and all that brings was always close to the surface. If you read this story as a social commentary, there is much to be learned and taken from it.

Had the novel simply revolved around the story of Mr Hancock and the beautiful courtesan Angelica Neal, I would have rated this far higher I think. As it stands, the novel is an odd mix of fantasy and reality that just doesn't quite gel. By volume 3 the story is descending into a whole other genre, fantasy, and this is in itself very well done, but by this stage all I wanted was a resolution to all the loose ends.

Volume 3 has a darkness to it and a creeping sense of concern about what might happen to characters we have come to truly like, but it comes to rather a rushed close, all problems rather too easily resolved and moved on from. Loose ends still abound, although our hero and heroine look set to walk into the sunset hand in hand.

I wish that the author had simply chosen to stay within the bounds of storytelling within this fascinating historical era without trying to mix in the stuff of fantasy and legend. She clearly knows enough to have managed this and her writing style is truly beautiful; a firmer editorial hand for her next novel, I hope.

This is a beautiful debut novel with lyrical prose and a hypnotising story.
The novel is set in the 18th century and follows various plot threads, Mr Hancock trying to make his fortune with a "mermaid", an ex-courtesan and widow at the turning point in her life.
Now, if you're expecting a supernatural folklore tale about a real mermaid, you'll be disappointed. I must admit I was sad there was no live mermaids in this novel, but the narrative more than makes up for it.
This book is predominantly a historical fiction novel, and although there is head nod towards fantasy.
The book is well written, with great character development, and atmospheric descriptions.
Beguiling characters and beautiful language, makes for an interesting and enjoyable read.

Interesting insights into values and lives of courtesans in London of centuries ago .. dependencies on protection and low value placed on independent women making their way on looks and wile. Angelica is one of the best. Mr Hancock is a kind simple merchant who happens to fall into ownership of a cursed relic of sorts, a mermaid . He organises entertainments, meets Angelica and they get together .. a bit unlikely but a n adolescent gets involved, and times are changing. Intriguing and slow moving but characteristics are full on of sometimes belaboured. Never quite believed chemistry entirely but very interesting effort.

The Story is set in London in the 1700s and the style of writing gives you the feel of the times. The Setting is one of opposites, women are either Saints or sinners, and to be judged by Society and treated as such. Our Heroine goes from being one of the sinners to becoming a nearly respectable woman thanks to her meeting with Mr Hancock. He is a sad Soul who finds new life with Anjelica, after the unusual find of a mermaid brings them together. The actual point of finding another mermaid and subsequent chapters dwelling on it don't really go anywhere and I am not sure of the purpose of it, as it doesn't add to the story, which has enough in it without it. Sometimes ponderous, but an interesting look at society in those days.

This was a tricksy story, as it managed to be both really great & easy to read, and yet also trudgingly slow and annoying! I read nothing about it beforehand, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I though the historical side of things was done well, and the style of writing suited, for the most part, the period of time being depicted. The appearance of the mermaid was a little odd, but I went with it, but what I struggled with more was the lurching between character plots. For quite a large part of the book I wasn't sure whose story this was, nor who I was meant to care about. Mrs Hanock was not my favourite character initially, but she grew on me through the story. Mr Hanock I liked a lot, but then for a while he seemingly disappeared from the story!
Sometimes the side stories of other characters seemed to become the focus, and so it became frustrating when their stories remained incomplete.
The story also veers more towards fantasy towards the end, but in a rather unsatisfactory way.

There were times when I was struggling to read this, but then others when I really wanted to see what happened next. For me, it was good not great.

I was extremely excited to read this book, so I jumped at the chance to read it.
This story is based in the 18th Century. We follow Mr Hancock as he attempts to make a breakthrough and make money from a rare find. The flip side of the story follows a young girl who attempts to find a better life for herself.
I enjoyed the historical fiction component of this novel, as it was very vivid and interesting. I also enjoyed the magical side of it. This book is very descriptive, and you can find yourself immersed in the characters world fully.

I really enjoyed the hope this book brings. A book I would definitely recommend.

First of all, I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't think I've ever read a book that was so thoroughly not for me in my life. I really struggled to get through the pages - it took me well over a month to read, even though I've been known to read books of equal length in two days flat - and I just never warmed to it at all.

I'll start with the good points, just to get them out of the way - firstly, the author's writing style is admittedly lovely, and does a very good job of evoking the era, the places and the characters depicted. However, even the writing rang a bit hollow to me at times - it was a bit like a courtesan's glamour, all frothy, pretty little turns of phrase which cleverly disguised the lack of any underlying substance.

The premise of the whole book is based around the relationship that kindles between one of London's most famous courtesans and a staid middle-aged merchant, and the mermaid that unexpectedly enters the latter's possession. A note to any fans of fantasy (like me) who are tempted to pick this book up because the mention of a mermaid intrigues you: don't. The mermaid barely features, and the elements of magical realism are severely underused in general; they only really have an effect on the last 20% or so of the book, and barely at that, fizzling into nothing in the last few pages.

I also found it almost impossible to connect with any of the characters in this novel. While I was pleased by how many of the characters were women, I'm utterly sick of fiction in which women are constantly at each other's throats. Meanwhile, the two main characters' romance was surprisingly tolerable, and one quiet scene between them early in their relationship was actually one of my favourite scenes in the whole novel, but I found both of the characters themselves unbearably insipid. The narrative also dipped into the side characters' stories fairly often, almost randomly, and in most cases without any satisfying resolution. I actually found several of the side characters more interesting than the main characters - Sukie and Polly were probably my favourites, and I hated how neither of them got any real narrative resolution. In fact, the entire plot just kind of ambled along with no real drive or cohesion throughout the whole book.

Finally, the book seemed to be trying to make a point about women's place in society, but utterly unable to actually figure out what that point might be, and it was even clumsier when trying to comment on historical race relations, which made a couple of scenes downright uncomfortable to read. All in all, not my cup of tea at all, and not a book I'll be recommending.