A Woman of Opinion
ISBN: 9781804994368
Description
Mary longs for adventure, freedom and love. When her powerful father schemes to marry her off to a foolish aristocrat, she has to find a man who will offer her the independence she craves Never one to fear a scandal, she elopes with Edward Wortley Montagu. Mary uses her charm and connections to live a life less ordinary – befriending poets, playwrights, and politicians. Securing a position for her husband as ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, she travels east, where she discovers a medical miracle. But this new adventure will come at a cost, for Mary’s inability to abide by the rules and her outspoken opinions have gained her powerful enemies.
Reviewed on 1st June 2025
Sean Lusk’s second novel shares similarities with his first - it’s historical, it involves travel, and it’s really engaging. But also differences - this time there’s no fantasy. Instead this is the story of Mary Wortley Montagu, a real 18th century writer, but with the details that history has failed to retain filled in with a fictionalised account.
I found my attention captured immediately, although the narrative felt very unclear exactly where it was going - in the sense that this isn’t the traditional novel where the character has a quest and a sense of direction. Instead it’s almost like each chapter serves as a separate episode, and each is its own story, and the full picture can’t emerge until you’ve consumed them all.
I found it really great to learn more about this period of history through this lens. I find stories much more engaging as a communication format than drier text, and so it was cool to see this from the point of view of a realised person. There’s much more going on, at home and abroad, than I had realised.
A great second outing, and I’m intrigued to find out what might come next.