I have just returned from Iceland and in the euphoria that London seems positively warm compared to the North Wind that was blowing me away. I have however managed to almost cause myself a serious back injury getting home the books that I bought there. A full works edition of the ‘Sagas of the Icelanders’ which I am very excited about for my library and a Yuletide Christmas traditions book beautifully illustrated which explains the Yule Lads traditions of Iceland. Well there is no pleasure without pain, thankfully I also have wonderful Iceland wool mittens to handle them in and was forced to eat some reindeer but the less said about that the better.
Of course I was furiously reading for this weeks review every time I was not walking against 90mph wind and getting a red face in Reykjavik. Some of you may have already heard of Sara Stockbridge who rose to fame in the 1980’s as a muse for Vivienne Westwood. The model has launched her debut historic novel in the form of Hammer based around the life of Grace Hammer a thriving East London pick pocket with a young family. The book is reminiscent of Phillip Pullman’s series featuring Sally Lockhart especially The Ruby in the Smoke – so if you like that you will like this.
It too features a ruby at the centre of its intrigue, which was stolen by Grace Hammer from another thief Mr Horatio Blunt in her youth. Lady Stanhope was relieved of the possession from her grand house in a large robbery soon after Grace was dismissed from her service. Blunt already had taken revenge by murdering off Grace’s family so she flees to London to hide in the winding streets in the hope he can’t find her. Blunt will stop at nothing to get his own back and after years of tracking Grace he has found her at last.
The back drop to the story is the time of Jack the Ripper and the murders go on around Grace the other unfortunates of the dangerous East End. Stockbridge has managed to give a detailed account of the London area by the docks, especially gin swilling prostitutes and tradesmen leading the hard working lives of the period. The history is well researched and this book does conjure up the period and area wonderfully. You can almost feel the grime off the streets and the seedy pubs like the Alma, Britannia and alike that would have been the centre of mischief in those days.
The characters are amiable and we get to know the pick pocket Hammer children [who are a little like a band of Artful Dodgers except for sweet little Daisy and her on and off ruffian lover Jack Tallis]. The book tends to veer on the feminist side and you would start to believe that East London was ruled by a group of high powered brothel queens, but all the same the story is a great light-hearted read. The writing style in places can be a little erratic and the grammar and descriptions a little odd but once I got past this I really enjoyed the book.
Currently Stockbridge is working on her second novel which will be a ghost story set in Brixton, hopefully she will refine her style for this but if she can conjure up South London as well as the East End it should be one to look out for. Buy Hammer here.
- Lauren
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