Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore

[Hilary Fisk]

This novel is set at the end of the eighteenth century and Bristol is a city in turbulent activity and growth – we all know why! Our protagonist, Lizzie, is caught up by her involvement with John Diner Tredevant, a property developer (as we would say today) engaged in building a new terrace on the hillside of Clifton. Lizzie sees him as her escape but she discovers that escape from one trouble can lead to even more turmoil. I found the insight into Georgian life – speculative building and the exploration of new ‘radical’ ideas very enjoyable. The situation of women in this period is well drawn.  As Lizzie’s situation develops the book becomes more of an absorbing psychological study that is universal in its themes.

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