A Respectable Trade: Historical Novels

Philippa Gregory has always been a really good writer whose books always seem to have been thoroughly researched and thus historically accurate. I must admit, however, that my interest in British royalty did not match her prolific writings about them. It was with great relief, therefore, that I read this incredible dramatization of the sea-merchant component of the slave trade in Great Britain in the early 1800's. Very suspenseful and one of the best reads I've had in 2016. I bought this as a gift; my friend who I bought it for loves it and can't put it down. Thank you, Ms. Gregory! You are a mainstay for one who likes fiction, but is fussy about reading something worthwhile. This writer is right up there with Barbara Kingsolver, T.C. Boyle and the few others of that ilk who are currently writing.

This is an intriguing book by the author, with a story line that is simple enough. Frances Scott, an impoverished thirty-four year old, gently reared daughter of a cleric, is left to fend for herself by her dead father. Her uncle, Lord Scott, has been assisting her and has found her work as a governess, a job that she loathes. When an upstart tradesman, Josiah Cole, proposes matrimony, she jumps at the chance. It is a marriage of the utmost convenience.What she does not know is that her husband and his spinster sister, Sarah, trade in slaves, as well as other commodities. When a shipment of slaves comes in, Frances is expected to train the slaves to be servants that can then be sold to wealthy families. After all, having an African servant was all the rage in late eighteenth century England. Her instruction of her captives is a slow process, giving Frances an opportunity to get to know her slaves and the cruelties that have been inflicted upon them. She is, however, without resources to help them.Along the way, she falls in love with Mehuru, her major domo, and he with her. Therein lies the rub. In eighteenth century England, it was unheard of for a lady of gentle breeding to do so, and Frances has not the strength to follow her heart. Meanwhile, her ambitious husband is oblivious to all that is going on in his household, and involves himself in one scheme after another, trusting on some new found friendships that are suspicious at best. When he finds that his "friends" have merely taken him for a ride, all hell breaks loose.Much of the dialogue between Frances and Mehuru is pretty laughable, reading like a bad Harlequin romance. Their love affair simply does not ring true. Moreover, the characters in the book are too one dimensional and are pretty much caricatures. Overall, the book is a choppy, uneven affair, but a still a moderately enjoyable one, if one is a fan of the author. Others may not be so forgiving. Still, there are parts of the book that are somewhat interesting, and I was sufficiently intrigued to get the Masterpiece Theatre production of the book for which the author herself wrote the screenplay.

Philippa Gregory is an enjoyable and dependable story teller. You know that you will meet well developed characters who act out unlikely plots and hold your interest, even if story lines become a bit predictable. A Respectable Trade, the story of a series of unlikely events set in Bristol toward the end of the 18th Century, follows this Gregory formula and solidly delivers.Mehuru is a priest in the African kingdom of Yoruba and is on a quest to save his country from the ravages of slavery when he is beset upon and captured by white slavers from England. Perhaps ironically, his own slave is captured as well. Meanwhile, back in England, landless and aging Frances Scott is wearing her welcome thin under the roof of her uncle's lordly family and thus applies for a job as governess. Instead of a job, she is offered marriage by the man who interviewed her, one Josiah Cole. Cole is a struggling shipping merchant with ambition who sees ties to the Scott family as a stepping stone on his road to wealth and respect. His cold fish sister Sarah isn't too keen on Josiah's attempt to climb the social ladder. With no other options, Frances marries beneath her station and tries to make the best of it.The charges she was originally interviewed to govern turn out to be a dozen or so African men, women and children. Sarah and Josiah believe that they can train these select slaves to be excellent house servants who speak the Queen's English and within 6 months turn a pretty profit by selling to select Bristol families. Frances, who has never considered the grisly details about how her families (new and of origin) make their money, finds herself questioning all she has known. She sure likes the comforts of upper class living... but when she suddenly realizes the "stock" have faces, names and feelings, Frances discovers new feelings of her own. Is she an accessory to a crime? A teacher? A respectalbe wife from a respectable family? Her feelings become especially new and uncomfortable when Mehuru walks into her dingy merchant dining room...The details of the story which follow are both slightly predictable and unfathomable considering the time (Mehuru quickly becomes fluent speaking and reading English and manages to be rather mobile and unsupervised for what one might expect for a slave in Bristol during the height of the trade). However, the themes which underlie the story are well worth exploring. Is the grass really greener on the other side? Does wealth equate respectability? Does race matter? Does social class? How much risk should one take when investing? How much research? Where does wealth come from? Who really pays? Can love really over come all?In our ever growing global capitalist economy, these are important questions to consider. Why not reflect upon social justice and responsibility while reading a solidly enjoyable novel?

This book was recommended in the wake of Black Lives Matter and I bought it to learn more of the slave trade in England. I had no idea how well it would be written, or that I would find it impossible to put down from the first page. It is beautifully written and sympathetic to the ideas of the day, balanced with an awareness of the feelings and emotions from today's perspective. Philippa Gregory writes with tremendous sensitivity and having done a phenomenal amount of research, which allows her to cover unsavoury aspects of the story without gratification. Just brilliant and often heartbreaking storytelling at its best.

I normally enjoy Phillipa Gregory ,This is an intentionally uncomfortable hard read as it is about the appaliing conditions of the slave trade . The reason I'm giving it 3 stars is that I am finding the main characters 1 dimensional and the heroine irritating - the heroine does not appear to develop the depth of understanding that you would hope for and all actions are driven really by her own personal needs and insecurities. She renamed the man she Supposedly loves even though he frequently repeats that his self dignity requires that out of everything he has had stripped from him he wants to keep his name . For some random reason ( perhaps Stockholm syndrome) he falls in love with this flat charactered individual even though he has witnessed first hand atrocities on others as the result of her in-actions . I don't think I can read it to the end , I am already nearly there and have so little patience left with the characters that I'm vexed every time I pick up a page . Tried not to leave any spoilers here, I'm certainly not suggesting it's awful . The writer is clearly adept with what she does - just can't classify it as a romance as that would imply mutual love and respect and with that would have come across with greater stakes and much more depth of feeling And growth which would have made a much more interesting read .

I came upon this very well researched book completely by accident, but am so glad that I did! It tells the story of a Bristolian slave merchant, Josiah Cole, and the appalling way in which the cargoes of slaves were treated. My goodness! These merchants and their ship’s captains made Henry VIII look like a pussycat! Ruthless and evil people! Mr Cole marries for convenience and monetary reasons and she has the job of training the slaves to speak English and learn how to serve the gentry, that is until one of them becomes a favourite! A very good story. The characters were a little one dimensional, but a good insight of the appalling way in which slaves were treated. Perhaps British schools should read this book for GCSE. It would give British kids an idea of their history and heritage and give an insight into how the rich people became so rich!

This is a very moving and thought provoking book. It highlights the plight of slaves, gives a very gruelling account of the conditions in which they travel, and the appalling way in which they were treated on arrival in Britain. It also gives an interesting picture of the way women were treated in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Almost slavery too.

This book is so well written. Based during the dying days of the Bristol slave trade.You see the situation from many sides....The poor people stolen from their lives and families, transported to cold wet Britain, in the most inhumane way. Then beaten and tortured, treated like less than animals and made to wait on those who think they are better.The husband, struggling to make a living, striving to build up his business, trying to fit in with the 'big boys'.The wife, stuck in a loveless marriage, women had very little choices back then, looking for her equal.Philippa Gregory really knows how to weave a tangled story. To take each character in turn and make you want to root for him, or her, then she moves onto the next and your alliance changes along with her chapter....