When Harriet Howard becomes Louis Napoleon’s mistress and financial backer and appears at his side in Paris in 1848, it is as if she has emerged from nowhere. How did the English daughter of a Norfolk boot-maker meet the future Emperor? Who is the mysterious Nicholas Sly and what is his hold over Harriet?
Can Harriet meet her obligations and return to her former life and the man she left behind? What is her involvement with British Government secret services? Can Harriet’s friend, jockey Tom Olliver, help her son Martin solve his own mystery: the identity of his father?
The central character is Harriet Howard and the action takes place between 1836 and 1873. The plot centres on Harriet’s relationships with Louis Napoleon and famous Grand National winning jockey, Jem Mason. The backdrop to the action includes significant characters from the age, including Lord Palmerston, Queen Victoria and the Duke of Grafton, as well as Emperor Napoleon III. The worlds of horse racing, hunting and government provide the scope for rural settings to contrast with the city scenes of London and Paris and for racing skulduggery to vie with political chicanery.
The Merest Loss is historical fiction with a twist. It’s pacy and exciting with captivating characters and a distinctive narrative voice.
I have said this many times before and I will say it again, I am a book cover hoe! I saw this cover and I had to read this book, just look at it! To me, it looks like Scarlett Johannson on the cover!! So, of course, reading this, that is who I imagined! So you know Hollywood if Scarlett needs a job this is the book for her!
I am beginning to reignite a passion for historical fiction and this book helps me along the way. Before Napoleon came along, Harriet’s personality shone through the book, this carefree and rebellious woman stole the pages. Then we enter the part of the book where Napoleon turns up, and the research that has been put into this book is ridiculous because it is amazing! You could believe you were back in the 1800s, you could picture everything perfectly, the actions and mannerisms of the people, felt to me, spot on and I thoroughly enjoyed the road we walked upon.
Not one word I felt had been wasted when writing this novel. Every single word was needed to create such a fascinating, engrossing story for its time.
I will admit I do not know much about this era of time, but I love a book that can teach you something. I feel now I can walk away and I have learned something today and when a book can do that it is amazing.
