One of Philippa Gregory's early books and one that doesn't fail to deliver. The book is set in 18th century Bristol, based on the slave trade. Knowing Bristol quite well and understanding it's darker history, this book helped my knowledge of the slave trade develop further. In part it is a harrowing read. Young women, children and men forced to work overseas and put on ships that were only meant to hold 300 slaves, but were instead filled to the rafters with up 500 slaves. Children and mothers chained together, men on the top deck being exposed to all kinds of weather to get to Africa or the W.Indies. Frances' dowry to Josiah Cole, comes in the form of slaves. Those who were willing to work, endless hours as servants to Josiah and his cruel friends. One scenario, involves the raping of a slave woman, from one of Josiah's friends.Josiah Cole is a man with serious debts and dangerous desires. Money is his motivator and his willingness to purchase and make profit, spirals out of control. He has three trade ships already in function, trying to compete with the Liverpool port of trade, whose access to the high seas was easier. Cole purchases the Hot Well Spa, hoping that it will make him more money to compensate towards his debtors. Unfortunately this does not plan out at all well and he finds his friends, are royally stabbing him in the back.Frances' is trains the slaves to speak English and to go about household servant based chores. Her relationship with one servant grows particularly close. Mr Cole, never consummated his marriage to Josiah. They weren't in love. It was a marriage of financial convenience, from one Bath family to a neighbouring Bristolian family. Josiah falls in love with Mehuru (a black slave) from Africa. Mehuru is an intelligent man who can already speak four other languages and thought that most white men spoke Portuguese (thanks to the colonies). He woes Frances and before long, the passion embers are ignited and they have an ongoing affair. Without giving too much away, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it very difficult to put down. It is a book forwarded to me by the lovely Nu-Knees from Yorkshire (via the Book Crossing forum), thank you! I am also looking forward to reading more early P.Gregory work, aside from the Tudor saga books of more recent years.
I couldn't put this book down. It was fascinating and gave an overview of a disgraceful time in British history and goodness knows how much longer it would have continued if it hadn't been for Wilberforce. All the characters were trapped in some form or other. Josiah seeking wealth in order to step up another class, only to discover that money was not the key and one could only be born into class in English society at the time (unlike Australia). Frances, being a spinster and with no parents, had the choice of marrying a wealthy merchant or living in the servitude of her Aunt, given she had no means to support herself and in those days there was no welfare! Mehuru was a nobleman in his own country and was snatched away against his will to become a slave in a foreign land. Sarah, Josiah's sister, was the only one feeling comfortable within her own class, albeit she seemed to be quite unhappy about her lot.Gregory has done well enough to encapsulate the attitudes and the class structure of the times. Sitting in our armchairs in today's western world it is difficult to imagine that the thinking over two centuries ago could be so different to us. The fall out from slavery is complex and there is no way Gregory could have portrayed this in just one novel. But her story has certainly provided us with a snapshot, enough to whet the appetite to pursue other research into the slave trade.The romance seems incredible, but such couplings did happen. The sad fact is that in those days it was an impossible alliance. Today we can divorce and remarry and to whom we like. Women can stay single and have a baby or even several to different fathers and receive government support! Imagine if that proposition had been put to the people of two centuries ago, that would suspend their belief as much as ours has been with the conditions they endured at the time.I certainly felt this was a good read and full marks to Gregory for bringing this dreadful time in history to our attention. The fact that slavery still exists in our modern world, even within Australia, is a sad indictment on our society.
What do You think about A Respectable Trade (2007)?
I wouldn't exactly call this a romance. More of a historical account of the horrors of slavery. Francis Scott marries a man that does not suit her at all. Considered old and impoverished, her new station in life is to teach the people her husband and his sister kidnap from Africa to sell as slaves - a fact Francis learns after she has married. Francis is quite caring and compassionate & soon falls for one of the slaves, Mehuru. Mehuru proves to be everything her own husband isn't - warm, caring, sensitive and attentive. The tale of this pair's faith and hope is downright heartbreaking. Knowing they can not live as a couple in England - especially with Francis' being married, Francis and Mehuru must hide their feelings for each other. Again, the horrors of slavery are shocking and disturbing . Pretty accurate in portrayal since slavery was one of the ugliest events in time. Philippa Gregory is often called a romance novelist. The title historical fiction writer would serve her better. This highly informed and talented writer's work is a pleasure to read! Although I enjoyed the novel, I found the ending to be a bit of a letdown. Too many loose-ends are left untied - rendering it only 4 stars.
—Holley
I had a hard time with this book - it glued it's self to my hands and my thoughts! I would've read it in one sitting if my life allowed me. I love the way Phillippa Gregory's evocative writing transports the reader back in time to live with the characters being read about! This book especially took me on an emotional rollercoaster ride through the cruel (Not At All) Respectable trade. It left me wondering how much truth was in the book and made me want to do some research of my own. So, imagine my delight with the Author's Note at the end! I am going to look out for the 3 books she recommends for further reading!
—Shahrun
I have always enjoyed Gregory's historical novels, my favorites being Earthly Joys and Virgin Earth, both of which focused on England's place in the world as a nation of gardeners. I picked up A Respectable Trade at the library last week, having seen it in a BBC production years ago and not realizing it was based on a book by Gregory. The BBC production was pretty faithful to the book, as it turns out. The TV program had introduced me to a piece of history with which I had little or no knowledge...the involvement of British merchants and their ships in the American slave trade. While I find some details of the book regarding the training of slaves to be a bit far-fetched in terms of the speed and efficiency with which it was accomplished, nevertheless, the story is engaging, and certainly makes it clear that the British were no less cruel than the Americans in their treatment of their "cargo" in the Middle Passage and on plantations in Jamaica...in fact, the sugar plantations in Jamaica in most respects were much worse than any plantations in the colonies/US. That is not to excuse our role in the history of slavery, only to point out that we were not alone, and that we were not the worst, whatever consolation that might provide.
—Karen
