I'm really sorry but for once I gave up on a book - I tried on several occasions but just couldn't get past the first 50 pages

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book however I would like to decline the offer,. I would rather not read a book that is not to my taste and give it an unfairly negative review

I loved the cover and the concept of this book, but alas, I just did not get on with it. I am not scared of stopping to read a book if I do not like it, as I have plenty of others I want / need to read, but I did give this a good try.
Sorry.....

Just couldn’t get hooked into this one. Maritime, it seems, is just not me.

The manners and mores of the 18th century were here but with the insight into the seedier side of life. The Mermaid changed fortunes and lives. Mr Hancock ginally found a purpose and Mrs Hancock respectability. Angelica seems to be spoilt and capricious but in adversity it is her strength of character that saves them all.
With a language form we are today unused to the comedy and pathos of these 18C lives came through including a nod to changing social attitudes regarding slavery and prostitution. I enjoyed this story more as it developed.

I was super excited about this book because - okay - I love mermaids. Who doesn't, though? And for about the first half of the book, I was intrigued enough to enjoy the story and the characters. But the more I read, the less I enjoyed it, the less I was intrigued by it, the less I wanted to keep reading.

Don't get me wrong. There is so much to praise about this book. Starting with the wonderful prose and ending with the crafting of some very interesting characters.

But if I'm honest, after putting this book down, I felt a little cheated. Because what the title and blurb of the book promised wasn't at all what I got from it. The mermaid and mrs. hancock don't even come into play until about 70 or 80% into the novel - nor does the 'destructive powers mermaids are said to possess.' A disappointment all in all.

This is a wonderfully atmospheric historical fiction set at the end of the 18th century.

The widower, Mr Hancock, unexpectedly acquires a mermaid, and what he decides to do with this find leads him to meet the high class whore, Angelica Neal. As the novel progresses I found myself cheering on the characters of Mr Hancock (a little dull, but incredibly kind hearted and generous of spirit) and Angelica (a little capricious and gullible, but wonderfully childlike and kind hearted underneath her bravado) and wishing them the happy ending that they deserved.

The book cleverly touches on the role of women in society and the hypocrisies of the same society, slavery is mentioned, the scientific world and the desire of society for new treasures and goods from overseas. All themes that are woven into the story and add to the clearly well researched novel.

I do have to say that the book is slow paced, and at times brings in characters and events that I felt detracted from the main story (Polly and her escape). I was tempted to not continue after the first quarter, but I am so glad that I did as overall the book is a wonderfully immersive experience and an escape from the frantic nature of modern life.

Thanks go to the publishers and net galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

A wonderful tale that delighted me throughout. Set in Georgian England in 1785, the stories of Mr Hancock and Angelica are drawn irresistibly together and chances are it would be a road to disaster. The period is brilliantly portrayed and I loved the brothel house scenes which made me laugh. There is hope, despair, fortitude and magic so delicately and enjoyably woven together that I didn't want it to end. An amazing debut, this is a writer to look out for.

A fantastic novel that is steeped in folklore and magic. Set in the 18th century the book is very evocative of the age. You can almost smell the streets and whorehouses of Bristol. The characters are very Dickensian in that they seem almost characatures.
The novel also has a moral tale to tell in that what you wish for is not always worth the cost of attaining it.

The year is 1785 and widower John Hancock finds himself the owner of what appears to be a dead mermaid. The artefact proves the talk of the town and gains John access to a whole new circle of society. A society that includes the alluring courtesan, Angelica Neal. 18th century London is brought vividly to life in this enchanting debut novel.

Enchanting and entertaining. This is a tale of reinvention and wonder set in Georgian-era London - a time of discovery, industry, hedonism, and major shifts in society - and the pursuit of an ancient and mysterious mermaid.

Excellent for lovers of historical fiction, magical realism and quality literature. I cannot think of an obvious comparison, but I believe readers who enjoyed stories like Night Circus, Jonathon Strange, and The Passion would also enjoy Mrs Hancock.

If you loved Golden Hill, this is your next read! Set in a bustling, mercantile London in the C18th, it mixes the prosaic with the magical, embodied here in the mermaid brought back from a trading sea voyage. At the heart of the book is the shipowner Jonah Hancock and his unlikely but charming romance with courtesan Angelica Neal, who has recently lost her protector. How these two come together in marriage is the main thrust of the plot but what really makes this book is the material details and lavish language.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance e-copy in return for an honest review.

I loved The Miniaturist, so when I read that this novel was being compared favourably to The Miniaturist I was thrilled.

However, I was disappointed. The language is lovely and a lot of time is spent on finer details; perhaps a bit to descriptive at times as it flows along slowly/ In fact so slowly that I eventually realised that I really didn’t care what happened to anyone. This was a sad realisation as I was over half way through the book, but it for me it was too late. I had lost interest.

It’s a well-researched historical novel and the author really knows about the period, and social gatherings that she writes about, but as a historical romance, or rags to riches story it just did nothing for me.

Its not a bad novel, it just wasn’t for me so three stars.

Immerse yourself in the story of London at the end of the 18th century. Find the place where everything seems possible, where, at one point, you may be at the bottom of the social ladder, and already in the next one, town could be under your feet. What can happen when you are in a city like that while one of the most mystical creatures, a subject of so many unexplained legends, is in your hands!?

Late one evening, while someone knocks on his door, Mr Hancock, a humble merchant and a widower, surely doesn't know that his life is about to change. There is the captain of the ship, whose return he has been waiting for a long time, with some news that could be Hancock's ticket for a better life. Although seemingly crazy, the captain's decision to sell his valuable ship to buy a mermaid, could really change his life. But of course, only if he decides to do something about it.

There is a thin line that separates the world of imagination from the reality, that's what this novel teaches us. Sometimes, all it takes is one little miracle for our lives to go in a new direction. A mermaid was that wonder, needed to change the fate of a few people, but also to make the paths cross for the two people who would never have met otherwise. The first person is, of course, Mr Hancock, and the second is the most famous London courtesan, Angelica Neal. The development of this unexpected romance will lead us though many unpredictable paths, if we follow them to the end of the novel.

It's been a great, imaginative and interesting book that I literally couldn't put down and out of my hands. In the last few days I had literally moved into the book, and lived there with those characters. The atmosphere was perfect, but the countless details and descriptions also helped me to go deep into the story. Yes, maybe you'll find a few minor flaws, like I did, but I will not even mention them because I believe they really do not affect the overall impression, and it is very likely you won't even notice them to the very end, when you'll be forced to say goodbye to this book.

If you love those historic settings and life stories mixed in with a bit of mystique and some interesting, but unusual romances, this is the book for you. The only thing you need is a little patience because the book will not be published till January 2018. Still, it will be worth to wait, believe me…

A wonderful historical novel full of fun, emotions and magic. The characters are fantastic and will stay with me a long time. There is also obviously a huge amount of historical research as the period feels right. Love it! Will be recommending it far and wide for 2018.

This novel started strongly and enticed me with an interesting voice and a playful wording. I found it atmospheric and different enough to keep me interested. As the novel progressed however, I was searching for some form of connection with the characters, any character, and I just couldn't feel it. I did have problems with the dialogue feeling stiff to me, and I think that was a big contributor to me not connecting.
Eventually had to put it down partway.

I was astounded by this book. More than just an intelligent historical novel, it explores women's roles in a society where their financial circumstances are entirely controlled by men; it looks at bereavement, class, race.. but with such a lightness of touch that the reader's interest is with the two main characters - Angelica (high class courtesan), and (merchant) Jonah. The mermaid of the title is an interesting and rather wonderful presence - as likely (or as unlikely) as a kangaroo to someone from the late 18th Century. . Highly recommended.

It's so hard to explain why this book is so bizarre and yet so fantastic (in both senses of the word). It defies genre and delivers a wholly satisfying story that I couldn't wait to unravel.

It is 1785 and Jonah Hancock, a merchant in London, is living a narrow existence and waiting for news of his ships that are sailing across the world with the cargo that is his livelihood. One of the ship's captains returns with a strange offering, a mermaid, an event which marks the start of Jonah's change in fortune. As he rises in the world by feeding the public's desire to see the mermaid, he crosses paths with Angelica Neal, a beautiful courtesan, and his life changes forever.

The story moves between Jonah's view of events and Angelica's; both are utterly engrossing and introduce the reader to different levels of Georgian society and a whole host of fascinating characters. Although the novel is ostensibly historical fiction, there is also a slightly supernatural element which is interesting. It reminded me of some of Angela Carter's novels ('Nights at the Circus' being a firm favourite of mine) in that there is a grotesque element to some of the writing and the reader is sometimes unsure what is reality and what is illusion.

Overall, I loved this book and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves historical novels (Georgian London is presented in absorbing detail), mystery and intrigue (is the mermaid real?), wonderful characters (Mrs Chappell is delightfully awful) or who just simply want to read a great story. Beautifully written and absolutely engaging.

I thought at first that this was just going to be a romp through the darker corners of late 18th century London - young girls plucked from obscurity and poverty to be trained in the arts of a courtesan, high jinks amongst the aristocracy - but though the early chapters concentrate on this, the novel paints a much more thoughtful and interesting picture than that alone. It gives us a real taste for the times - London on the up and up, expanding as never before, splendidly vital and with so many wonders being brought back from around the world by explorers and merchants. Furnishings, artistic curios, foreign foods, people with exotic hair and skin - who would not believe a mermaid could be found and brought home too? Certainly the Londoners of this novel did and clamoured to see one.

At the heart of the novel is a love story. Two hugely engaging characters, Angelica and Jonah both seek to escape their circumstances and to live the best lives they can. How they come together in a joint commercial and personal venture is a joy to follow, I was rooting for them both from the beginning.

Superbly well written, particularly the dialogue and descriptions. I was particularly struck by the bioluminiscent appearance later in the story - exactly as I imagine a mermaid to be. The author has a terrific way with words and this added so much to the atmosphere she created. Some lovely examples include: a woman’s ‘commodity’; a couple of expressions I shall be trying to fit into everyday use from now on, ‘nebbiting, yepping thingsnitch’ and ‘dandyprat’; and my favourite of all, ‘the blunder of the wind in … chimneys’.

One niggling omission for me - I’d love to know more about how one of the minor characters, Polly, fared, tantalising hints but far too little information there. Hard to say much more without spoiling things for others. I’d recommend this book highly.

This is an absolutely gorgeous read. Lyrical descriptions of a world that encompasses both glittering intrigue and muddy reality; complex, richly drawn characters that you fall in love with; finely and wittily observed social nuances, and all with a meaningful message at its heart that left me feeling genuinely uplifted when I turned the last page. Stunning.