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Jump to navigationJump to searchThe Optickal Illusion: A very eighteenth-century scandal by Rachel Halliburton (view source)
Revision as of 14:48, 3 September 2020
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|isbn=9780715651971
|website=https://www.rachelhalliburton.net/
|cover=Halliburton_Optickal
|aznuk=0715651978
There are a lot of names and time jumps to keep up with, and the narration moves inconsistently between past and present tense. I also found some of the metaphors a bit overwritten: 'Her eyes as agitated as lightning-lit seas', 'Hobnailed boots of self-reproach stamp through her mind', and 'It was as if the coffee were a dark bitter oxygen for the nervous spark of ideas'. However, this is overall an absorbing story with lively characters and an unconventional female lead.
Further reading suggestion: The writing style is reminiscent of the historical pastiche in [[Resolution by A N Wilson]]. If you enjoy historical fiction with an eighteenth-century setting, you may also want to read the delightful [[Golden Hill by Francis Spufford]]. We can also recommend [[In Search of Mary: The Mother of all Journeys by Bee Rowlatt]].
{{amazontext|amazon=0715651978}}
