Arden- Blog Tour

 

Author: GD Harper 

Publisher: Ginger Cat

Publishing Date: 3rd October 2024 

Many thanks to the author and Random Things Tour for my physical copy and a spot on the tour

Blurb 

Alice Arden, idealistic and wealthy beauty, burnt at the stake for killing her husband, the former mayor of Faversham in Kent. But was she really the one responsible for the most scandalous murder of the sixteenth century?

William Shakespeare, England’s greatest playwright, born thirteen years after Alice’s execution. Why does his first-ever play, written about this murder, not bear his name?

This is a story of two people – one reviled, one revered – whose fates become linked in a tale of corruption, collusion and conspiracy. Based on historical documents and recently published academic research, Arden unveils shocking new evidence about the murder of Thomas Arden and reveals, for the first time, a remarkable new theory about Shakespeare’s early years.

My Thoughts

My first review of 2025 and it has started well!! The blurb is so interesting and I had to read this book. 

We are transported back in time to the sixteenth century whereby two stories of Alice and William crossover, over a few decades. 

Alice was an interesting character and displayed well. On the outside she had to fit into societal norms and come across as someone abiding by all the rules and being respectful. However indoors she faces so many challenges. She tries to conquer some of her troubles which comes with a price.  The author settles into the plot the troubles women had to face to understand their place in society in that era. 

William on the hand several decades later , is an actor and play writer  who has wife and child to support. During this time we go through the challenges William faces as he attempts to build his career and family. Considering someone who has written so much , it was interesting to read about the initial struggles and starting point of his career. 

The two plots intertine not stright away but once you start to notice the links it starts to come together. 

This book is amazing and so well detailed. The cover is striking and there are pictures within the book too. A fantastic historical fiction that I would recommend.