Tully Truegood is the narrator of this story, it is her story she is telling. It opens with her in Newgate Prison, awaiting trial and probably the death penalty for murder. She is writing her story in the form of a letter to an ex lover, knowing that it is unlikely to ever be read, detailing how her life brought her to such a catastrophic end. And what a tale it is.
Her mother dying in childbirth, her father a no-good drunk gambler, she lives in London, looked after by Cook. For reasons not disclosed till later in the book, Tully is married off at the age of 12 to a young man whom she does not know. This is the defining event in her life, which is what ultimately leads to her being in Newgate. But her life also takes another path when her father marries Queenie Biggs, bringing into the house not only order, clean clothing, good food, an education but also love, care and companionship for Tully in the form of two young women, Hope and Mercy.
Queenie is actually a brothel owner, of the Fairy House, a high class and popular house in London. She has a number of courtesans under her care/control, of which Hope and Mercy are part of, and in due course Tully also. Tully is not only gifted in the art of lovemaking, she also has the gift of magic, expressed in many and various ways, which is recognised by the magician Mr Crease. Over the course of the next few years, Tully rises through the courtesan ranks, falling in love and out of love, her supernatural powers beguiling and terrifying those around her, her notoriety following her far and wide, famous for her many talents.
The great thing about Tully is that she never gives up. This is a society and time where if you were female, it didn't matter a jot if you were born into wealth or poverty, you were simply a commodity to be traded, used and discarded at will by men. Tully always believes in love, she believes in her self worth. She knows she is clever, she knows her beauty and desirability is not just in her looks, she uses her magic gift carefully, she is loyal and determined to break out of the courtesan life, becoming self sufficient and independent in her own right.
Like any good fairy tale, wickedness and malevolence are never far away, and Tully has to use all her powers to outwit and destroy the evil that continually threatens to destroy her and those she loves. This is all told in the most wonderful writing, sensuous, descriptive and so vivid. Some of the writing is graphic, erotic, but it is never inappropriate, the sexual awakening of a young woman delightfully, deliciously and outrageously told. You will never look at a maypole the same way again.
This is the first adult novel for this writer who has written it under a pseudonym. She is actually Sally Gardner, a children's writer and illustrator who has won many awards for her books. A quick bit of Google research reveals that many of her children's books also have magic and fantasy in them, and here she has brought this magic realism to an adult novel, managing to make it believable and entertaining, a joy to read.
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