I was a little daunted when ‘A
Want of Kindness’ dropped on the doormat, sent my way by the Real Readers
review programme. Whilst I enjoy a historical novel from time to time, I know
very little about the Restoration Court and even less about Queen Anne, the
book’s main protagonist. The three page ‘Dramatis Personae’ at the start of the
book did little to allay my fears so I was pleasantly surprised upon starting
the novel itself to discover a readable and absorbing novel about a fascinating
and often overlooked period of English history.
We first meet Anna as a sickly
ten-year old, an odd figure amidst the glitter of the bawdy Restoration court.
Cards, sweetmeats and gossip with her Ladies of the Bedchamber make up the bulk
of her life and Anne is blissfully oblivious to the intrigues and scandal of
the court around her and unaware of the part she is to play as a pawn for the
troubled Stuart dynasty. As she grows to maturity, we follow Anne as she
marries and bears children, overcomes intense personal grief and withstands the
political manoeuvrings of her closest family and friends to become heiress of
England and the Queen that we know of today.
Joanne Limburg has clearly done
her research when writing this novel. From the very start, Restoration England pours
off the page and you get a real sense of life in the confines of the court. The
chapters are interspersed with many of Anne’s genuine letters which give a real
sense of her voice but also serve to show how naïve she is amidst the growing
scandal that will result in her sister, Mary and brother-in-law, William,
overthrowing their father, King James II, in order to keep England as a
protestant nation. Anne’s passivity can be rather frustrating at times and it
wasn’t until later in the novel that I began to really empathise with her, as
she struggles under the pressure of producing the next Stuart heir. The
constant miscarriages and stillbirths that Anne faces are heart-wrenching and
you get a real sense of the devastating sadness that she must have faced in her
life. Anne shows extraordinary courage in the face of repeated grief and in her
later battles with personal illness, but you get the sense throughout the book
that this is a woman better suited to a simpler life than that of heir apparent
to the throne of England. Infuriating character traits, such as her
over-reliance on her closest confidantes, are understandable when you read
Anne’s story, in which friends are hard to find and everyone seems to be
playing a game that she has little understanding of.
My sense from reading this book
is that Anne did indeed suffer from ‘A Want of Kindness’ – her life was one
often dominated by other people or by national pressures so much bigger than
she was. Joanne Limburg has done an excellent job of giving her readers a sense
of Anne’s character and world, although I could have done without some of the
more obscure vignettes that make up the earlier sections of the novel and I’d
have preferred the book to continue into her time as queen, rather than
abruptly ending just before she takes the throne. Some of the fonts used in my
advance copy were also rather off-putting, especially those used on Anne’s
letters – a real annoyance as these are one of the most fascinating parts of
the novel! Minor niggles aside however, this is a fascinating glimpse into a
forgotten corner of English history and an absorbing portrayal of one Queen’s
long and painful personal history. Fans of Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory and
Sarah Dunant will find much to enjoy here, as will other readers who enjoy an
absorbing delve into English history.
A Want of Kindness by Joanne Limburg is published by Atlantic Books and is available now from bookstores.
NB: This review has also appeared on Amazon and on Goodreads
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