The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose

Set in the England of Charles II, this is the fictional tale of Eliza Rose, swapped at birth for the son of a mason in the local village, to avoid her mother being divorced and cast out. Eliza is later thrown out of her adoptive family as a cuckoo in the nest and sets off to find her father who has left to seek work in London. She is rescued from Clink Prison by Ma Gwyn, and then taken under the wing of her daughter Nell, thus becoming an observer of the rakish life at court. Nell’s very straightforward approach to life (being a mistress of the King was her ambition) means that the bawdy life of King Charles’ court is vividly described and although the sexual exploits are not graphically portrayed there is enough there to make the reader well aware of what is happening. Eliza is determined not give up her virginity but this is threatened more than once. Eliza’s search for her family is poignantly told, but the reader’s credibility is stretched somewhat towards the end as the resolution is well signposted.

Hooper’s first historical novel, At the Sign of the Sugared Plum, set in the time of the Plague, was more surefooted than this tale, which does not seem to know whether it is an adult novel telling of Nell’s exploits, or the story of a girl thrown out of what she thought was her home and searching for some stability in her life. Much detail of food, clothing and London life is there to give the story depth and period feel and Eliza is a spirited and resourceful heroine.