Sophie Gee
Published 2007
It's 1711 and newly celebrated poet, Alexander Pope is invited into society life in for the "season" in London. His unique perspective, especially the scandalous love affair between Lord Petre and Arabella Fermor, inspires his satirical poem, The Rape of Lock.
In her debut novel, Sophie Gee gives the back story of The Rape of Lock. Although the book is historical fiction, Gee did her research. As a PhD in English, her mastery of Lock's poem is a given, but she crafts a face to the Jacobite Revolution and Catholics living at this time.
For all those positives, I found the book lacking. If you have read my previous posts you know a book's worth is measured by my ability to connect with the characters. Maybe it was the haughty nature of the characters, but I could not bring myself to empathize with Arabella's heart break or Lord Petre's dilemma to choose life over love.
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