Book Nook: Review of Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent

I enjoy reading historical fiction because it can bring to life a time period that I've learned about but can never experience. This book takes place in London in the 1860s. At this time America is launching into the Civil War, England is trying to remain neutral and keep the favor of both the North and the South, and the English people are rocked by the death of Prince Albert. There is also the advent of embalming practices, popular and accessible photography (the ambrotype), and new theater productions. 

Christine Trent does an awesome job of weaving a historical rich tapestry of life in the 1860s. She created a perfect atmosphere in London and in the Morgan household to set the stage for treason, murder, and kidnapping to occur. The book is an even mix of hopefulness, despair, mystery, and history. As a guide in an historical house I really enjoyed the little nugget of information about unscrupulous tea sellers who doctored the measurements of tea for sale with ash leaves and iron filings. These are the type of things that catch people's attention as an amusing anecdote of history but also illustrate how different our lives are now. 

I really liked the imagination that was put into the story line, but I felt like this was enough material for three separate stories that could have been expanded and treated as a series. There are three distinct parts, the royal funeral, the murders and kidnapping, and international treason. As it was written the three parts tie together in a way that makes sense, but feels rushed at times and other times it feels like Ms. Trent has just snipped a thread she is done with. The more character lines that Ms. Trent pulls in the more complex the chapters become. I'm not sure what prompted her to alter the method of structuring her chapters halfway through, but it became clear that Queen Victoria had pushed her way into the story and demanded her own distinct voice. 

That might seem harsh, but its easier to look past the inconsistencies and immerse oneself into the story and let it carry you along, bumpy chapters and weirdly flowing writing notwithstanding. The characters are vibrant, the loving detail that is put into describing the world of funerary practices is excellent, and the setting is rich. These traits are what make me want to read other books by Christine Trent. For those of you who like character driven stories this is something to add to your reading list. Again this book is very historically based, if that isn't something that appeals to you, not matter how good the story is, you probably won't like it. However, if you appreciate well built story worlds real or made up, this is definitely worth a try.