This was a fictional story of Sancho, born a slave, which begins on a slave ship in the Atlantic and ending back in London. I thought this was a fascinating book which was based on true events, and the life of a true historical figure.

I both read and listened to the audiobook format, and enjoyed them both.

*many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I received this audiobook for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph is a historical novel that imagines the life of the subject of Thomas Gainsborough’s 1768 painting, The Portrait of Ignatius Sancho. The first Black man to vote in a British general election (in 1774), Sancho’s history is pieced together by the author based on Sancho’s own letters and writings and on contemporary accounts. There are great gaps in the historical record, but the author fills them in with rich, imaginative, and credible details.

Born on a slave ship and brought to England as a toddler, Sancho is reared in slavery (until the age of ~20) by three unmarried sisters who treat him as a pet rather than a person. Finding a path to education in secret with the influential Duke of Montagu, who is sympathetic to the antislavery cause, Sancho becomes a learned man as well as an excellent musician and composer. He eventually escapes the sisters (who he refers to as ‘the coven’) and, with difficulty, scrapes together a living. But he must always keep one eye out for his nemesis, a brutal slave catcher. It’s a lonely existence. He is seen as an oddity by the White community and cannot find a place for himself within the free Black community in London.

After the death of Montagu, Sancho’s position becomes more precarious, and for a short time, his situation is desperate enough that he is ready to end his own life. Fortunately, he reconnects with the duke’s widow, who gives him a small pension and, in due course, a job.

Sancho’s life changes focus when he meets a Black footman, John Osborne, who introduces him to his daughter Anne.

A large part of the middle of the novel consists of correspondence between Sancho, in London, and Anne, who has gone to the West Indies to nurse a sick aunt, who is a slave there. She remains in the West Indies for years, writing home of the horrors of the plantations. Eventually, she returns home where she and Sancho are reunited and marry. Anne is clever and kind, and supports Sancho unconditionally.

The novel is constructed as an autobiography written by the elderly and ill Sancho for his son, Billy. Sancho utilizes his old diaries to help reconstruct the tale. It is a fascinating look at the hidden lives of Black men and women in eighteenth century London, although Sancho is considerably more fortunate than most.

The audiobook is narrated by the author, who smoothly navigates the transitions in time and the various speech patterns of the characters, telling a compelling story that rings true as being told in Sancho’s own words.

This started with promise. The writing is eloquent and pretty to listen to. The narrator did an impeccable job bringing out the best in the prose. It is important to note that I am not the biggest fan of classic literature and the Charles Dickens school of abundant writing. This is very much in that style, and I didn’t work for me. My brain kept checking in and out. Aside from the central theme of living life, I couldn’t find much of a plot to speak of.

Thank you Paterson Joseph, and Netgalley for my advanced review copy. My opinions are my own.

Plot -2
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development -3
Narration -5
Personal Bias -2
Final Score -3.2

3.25*

thank you to netgalley for this publishing arc!
the premise of this book was really interesting and i was looking forward to learning more about a historical figure i'd never heard of before. but overall i felt like this book was hurt by a lack of cutting. pretty writing and important and interesting scenes were often overshadowed by huge lulls in the plot and frequent and dense monologues. the beginning parts of charles' story lasted way too long and the parts about his actual role in england about being the first black man to vote were so rushed that by the time i got there, i was already exhausted by the marathon i felt like i'd just run.
what i'm saying sounds very negative but i, by no means had an unpleasurable reading experience. i'm glad i picked this up and like i said this book presented a lot of nice writing with important subject matters.

I enjoyed this book. I personally had no idea who Charles Ignatius Sancho was and this book has certainly made me do my research. The story telling is great for the most part but at times its suffers from poor pacing. I think this is one that I might have enjoyed more with the physical book vs. The audio.

I went into this book with zero expectations - I didn't even know what the book was about. And I enjoyed it. At times I found it a little confusing as an audiobook - I think I would have been less confused at parts if I had been reading the book, but it did not detract from my enjoyment. The story was fascinating, the experiences and relationships well written and developed. The fact that it was based off of a real person made it that much more interesting. It covered a part of history that I do not read a ton about, but this one was fascinating and I am SO glad that I listened to this story.

Written in diary form, Charles Ignatius Sancho tells his story - from the beginning on a Slave Ship until the end in London. Despite huge mountains to climb, Charles manages to become the first Black person to vote in Britain and works hard to help put an end to slavery.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced audiocopy.

Born on a slave ship in 1729 Charles Ignadia Santo was luckier than most until the age of three he lived in his masters home but was soon sent to England to live with his masters three sisters and Tillie the housekeeper. Tillie would not only be a great friend to Little Charles but eventually she would have to pay for that kindness. We learn about Charles‘s first introduction to the Lord of Montague A Blackheath who would become not only little Charles his benefactor but a great fan of the little boy we find out about his first introduction to Francis Edwards the first educated black man little Charles ever met and Little Charles is love of scones and eventually Ann Osborne his wife and mother of his children there’s so much in this book including getting his portrait done his interactions with Duke George and the Duchess and so much more I love this book I was already a great fan of diaries in letters but I listen to the audiobook and if I’m being honest this was one of if not the best audiobook I have ever heard the narrator does such a great job conveying the dry humor and intelligent insight from the diaries of Charles and the letters between him and A who was in Barbados until they married. I love this book and wish they had 10 more just like it I cannot express how great this audiobook is and no I will probably listen to it again in the theater as I do with the most grade books. I received this book from NetGalley and a publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thank you NetGalley Macmillian audio the author for the free ALC in exchange for my honest review. This wad a dnf at 53% as i expected to be obseesed with it but the story was moving too alow and had the speed up at 3x to hwlp move it along. I will try again another time

The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph is a fictionalized story of the very real British abolitionist, writer and composer, Charles Ignatius Sancho. The story is epistolary in nature as it is told through a series of diary entries and letters between Sancho and his wife, Anne. This story covers nearly the entirety of Sancho's life, so it is a bit drawn out at times.

All in all, I enjoyed learning about a historical figure that I was not aware of prior to this book. The narrative was a bit whimsical even when the content was a bit dark or heavy, which I enjoyed. The author was also the narrator who was enjoyable to listen to and loved his enthusiasm throughout the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Henry Holt for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I will start off and say this is the first time learning about Charles Ignatius Sancho and I am happy I got a chance to read this fictionalized story of his life. I thought the choice of presenting this story as journal entries made it feel intimate. I also felt like I was with Charles as he reflects on his past. The world was described so vividly that I could picture everything as it was going on. I felt the ending was a bit slow but overall a great read. The interview at the end of the book was amazing. This author was an amazing narrator.

Thank you for providing to arc

I thought this was an interesting narrative about a historical figure I truthfully knew nothing about before reading. The topic itself was interesting and I'm happy I was able to learn about Sancho's life, but I found sometimes that I struggled to keep my attention on this book and many parts did not stick with me even a couple days later.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

I was intrigued going into this book, but unfortunately it fell flat for me.

This is a historical fiction about the real person, Charles Ignatius Sancho, born a slave in the 1700's in England. The book is told through his diaries.

It was an interesting concept, but it didn't keep me gripped and engaged. I kept finding myself going back because I was zoning out and not paying attention. Also I know it was set in 18th Century England, but the language and writing style was a little difficult for me to follow.

Charles Ignatius Sancho, the first Black person to cast a vote in England (in 1774), tells the story of his life through letters to his son and wife. The narrative details facets of Sancho's life: being born on a slave ship, escaping from slave catchers, meeting the king, falling in love, taking the stage as an actor, and so many more interesting little tidbits.

As expected, the audio narration of this book is <i>perfection</i>. I absolutely love when authors narrate their books, especially someone like Paterson Joseph who has an established career in theatre and film. I also loved the discussion at the end between the author and Mallory Blackman, it was illuminating and enjoyable!

For me, this book was interesting but not overly engrossing. I didn't find myself connected to Sancho throughout the story, but I did enjoy learning about his (fictionalized) life in Georgian England as well as the experiences of Anne in the West Indies. The format was a little jarring at times, switching between past/present as well as switching audiences between Billy and Anne, but it became less confusing as the story progressed. I think this is a great account of the time period and the historical experiences of a Black man during that time, but the characters felt a touch flat for me.

Thank you to Paterson Joseph, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for my advance audio copy.

This audiobook was fire. This story was everything and more. I couldn't put it down and I listened to it all in one sitting.

AH!!!!!! What a magnificent novel! Oh my goodness, I am so thankful to Paterson Joseph, Henry Holt Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for sending me both an advanced reader's (PHYSICAL) copy and an audiobook version before publication day, which is April 11, 2023, by the way.

Charles Ignatius Sancho was born on a slave ship, leaving his home country in the slave trade of the mid-1700s, destined for a dead end, but he became the captain of his boat, pun intended!

Escaping his captor, he made a name for himself, acquiring some respect from the people of London after serving under the esteemed family of Duke John and Duchess Mary, who both stuck a kind arm out to him in his period of uncertainty. Throughout several "Books" in Charles' life, we see him journey into cities, worlds, relationships, and battles that he never knew himself to experience and conquer, all while striving to liberate the enslaved people of the present and future times.

This feel-good book contains historical references and social activism for a brighter tomorrow.