The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar

'A cracking historical novel with a twinge of the surreal about passion and obsession' The Times SHORLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2018 One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock finds one of his captains waiting eagerly on his doorstep.

A cracking historical novel – with a twinge of the surreal – about passion and obsession, dreams and reality.. The story is by turns intriguing, touching, funny, sad and heartwarming. It will make you laugh and it may make you cry. Mostly, though, the cast of endlessly engaging characters will keep you turning the pages until you get to the wholly satisfying ending... The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock is superb. * The Times *
From the first page of this dazzling debut novel, you are pitched into a sumptuously detailed adventure set in the bustle and swagger of 18th century London… The result is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel, its brilliantly drawn characters driven by heady and dangerous desires.***** * Sunday Express *
Roll up, roll up, a true wonder is on display: a mermaid magicked out of words. The author of this debut set in Georgian London gulled me, by the zest of her writing and sustained authorial slight of hand, into forgetting for a second that they do not exist... Imogen Hermes Gowar delights in the feminine fakery of mermaids, but as a writer she is the real deal. -- Hermione Eyre, author of Viper Wine * Guardian *
A sumptuous historical novel... It was an absolute pleasure to lose myself in this beautifully written Georgian adventure
Hotly anticipated... a bold, sumptuous doorstopper... Gowar has created a dazzlingly original novel, full of heady pleasures and shot through with the kind of irreverent humour you might expect to find in Georgian London. She’s succeeded in creating a fully-realised world that you want to get lost in. But what’s most refreshing is that she gives all the best lines to women. * Evening Standard *

Imogen Hermes Gowar studied Archaeology, Anthropology and Art History before going on to work in museums. She began to write fiction inspired by the artefacts she worked with, and in 2013 won the Malcolm Bradbury Memorial Scholarship to study for an MA in Creative Writing at UEA. The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock was a finalist in the MsLexia First Novel Competition and shortlisted for the inaugural Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers’ Award.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781784705992
ISBN 10	1784705993
Title	The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock
Author	Imogen Hermes Gowar
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Vintage Publishing
Year published	2019-01-24
Number of pages	496
Prizes	Short-listed for IBW Book Award 2019 (UK), Short-listed for Sunday Times/ PFD Young Writer of the Year Award 2018 (UK), Long-listed for Desmond Elliott Prize 2018, Long-listed for Womens Prize for Fiction 2018 (UK)
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable