This is a story of Victorian era sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. It has a realistic view of female disempowerment, drug addiction, abuse and experimentation and sexual judgement. In fact, although it conjures the perfect imagery of that time period rather accurately, the issues raised are ones that we still see in present day- and we could learn something from that.
The characters are all relatable- we've probably all met a woman who feels powerless, a man who abuses his position in society etc. Many of the characters are likeable- you root for them throughout the story, even when things are looking awry (Rebecca with her drug addiction) but many of them, you really can't stand (Alexander and Mr Badcock- their hypocritical and abusive ways just can't be condoned in any way, shape or form.)
All in all, a great historical read. It's refreshing to see it set in Edinburgh rather than London too- There's too many historical fiction books set in London!
The characters are all relatable- we've probably all met a woman who feels powerless, a man who abuses his position in society etc. Many of the characters are likeable- you root for them throughout the story, even when things are looking awry (Rebecca with her drug addiction) but many of them, you really can't stand (Alexander and Mr Badcock- their hypocritical and abusive ways just can't be condoned in any way, shape or form.)
All in all, a great historical read. It's refreshing to see it set in Edinburgh rather than London too- There's too many historical fiction books set in London!