Nom de Plume

For someone who is unabashedly addicted to regency romances, this novel was a breath of fresh air, illuminating the era with multi-dimensional characters and rich prose. It offers fictionalized portraits of the actress Eliza Farren, her longtime swain Lord Derby, and their friend Mrs. Anne Damer. Amid the turmoil of their relationships, Donoghue also writes vividly of late 18th century England, a time when England and France seemed on the verge of collapse. I was expecting this novel to be like Donoghue’s novel Slammerkin, which I read years ago, but it was far denser and more satisfying.