This month’s BOTM (Book of the Month) bought me a bit out of my comfort zone — to historical fiction. Typically, I tend to opt out of it due to the fact I often like to read contemporary works. However, when faced with the choices for this month’s Book of the Month, The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar grabbed my attention.
The book is set in London 1785. Widower Jonah Hancock is faced with a surprise when his captain sells his ship and brings home a mermaid instead. Jonah is faced with the problem of what to do with that mermaid.
Meanwhile, Angelica Neal is faced with problems of her own. She is a prostitute, and her most recent gentleman is no longer interested in her. As a result, she is trying to figure out what’s next.
Thanks to the mermaid, these two meet and collide and are set for a tale of ups and downs.
I have no idea what genre to classify this genre in. There are elements of fantasy, romance, and of course, historical.
With that being said, I still think that this is an awesome read, and it really kept me guessing. The author took me for a loop quite a few times while reading it — some of it not as realistic. However, that still made it an awesome read.
Furthermore, I thought the portrayal of the mermaid was really well done. I thought Gowar did a good job doing the point of view of the mermaid — someone who was held captive against her own will.
With that being said, I also thought the character Angelica Neal was very interesting. Angelica definitely changed the most from beginning to end. She was the most glamorous girl of her business at the beginning and only cared about trivial things. By the end, she transformed into a wife. That transformation was bought on by a marriage. However, it was amazing to see the moral turnaround of her.
Therefore, I really liked this novel and recommend it. While it is something I would have not picked up normally, I loved every minute of it. Therefore, don’t judge a book by its’ genre. . . right?
thenutmegmillennial.com 