I liked but did not love this novel about an unusual woman in eighteenth-century London who finds herself an outsider because of her height and personality and so becomes a sort of zoo-keeper. The character and story were interesting however the prose was a little lacklustre for this reader.

Caraline Brown summons an evocative setting in The Candelit Menagerie, bringing late 18th century London to life through impressionable characters, vivid sensory descriptions, and (of course) said menagerie's many, many animals.

We follow the six-foot tall Lillian as she wanders into the eccentric Grady's Emporium, drawn to the menagerie lion's roars like a moth to a flame. She cannot keep away, and the eponymous Grady offers her work. Deeply connected to these animals, she meets veterinary apprentice John Button when he is called in as a consultant. The two make an instant match, but a miscarriage soon shatters their happiness. The quick-thinking Grady procures a baby chimpanzee for the grieving Lillian, and the two form a familial bond that triumphs despite society gossip and John's resistance to the unconventional pair.

(4/5: A unique novel that conjures a hidden world of man and beast in a bustling Georgian metropolis. Interesting characters, though the relationships between Lillian, Grady, and John could be more fleshed out. There are depictions of abusive conditions for animals, but it reflects the reality of these European colonial-era 'zoos.' A prime example of historical fiction.)

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This is one of the most unusual and most compelling books I’ve read in a while. Set in 18th century London, the story revolves around Lillian, an unusually tall woman, who suffers in her life as a maid because of her size and preference for wearing pants. Lillian hears the roar of a lion and investigates late at night to find a menageries of exotic animals on the Strand. And Lillian’s life is transformed, as she comes to care for the animals, both emotionally and in practice. She marries and when she has a miscarriage, an orphaned chimpanzee takes the child’s place. Unlike anything else I have ever read, this is a melancholic story of a woman shunned by society, looking for her place in the world