Description

‘Enlivens the standard tale of swashbuckling adventure, adding feminist spice … Rich and immersive’ SUNDAY TIMES HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH

‘Remarkable’ HILARY MANTEL

‘A vivid, narrative-packed splice of historical fiction’ DAILY MAIL

A Wild & True Relation opens during the Great Storm of 1703, as smuggler Tom West confronts his lover Grace for betraying him to the Revenue. Leaving Grace’s cottage in flames, he takes her orphaned daughter Molly on board ship disguised as a boy to join his crew. But Molly, or Orlando as she must call herself, will grow up to outshine all the men of Tom’s company and seek revenge – and a legacy – all of her own.

Woven into Molly’s story are the writers – from Celia Fiennes and George Eliot to Daniel Defoe and Charles Dickens – who are transfixed by her myth and who, over three centuries, come together to solve the mystery of her life. With extraordinary verve , Sherwood remakes the eighteenth-century novel and illuminates women’s writing and women’s roles throughout history.

‘Breathlessly swashbuckling’ DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘Vividly imagined, relentlessly entertaining, rich and resonant in scope and context, it’s both a thrilling adventure and a vital witness to women’s voices’ EMMA STONEX, author of The Lamplighters

‘A young writer of immense talent’ ANDREW MILLER

‘A breathtaking feat of historical fiction and utterly astounding. It is wise, urgent and entirely compelling. I was bereft when it ended’ WYL MENMUIR

‘This book is a rarity – a novel as remarkable for the vigour of the storytelling as for its literary ambition. Kim Sherwood is a writer of capacity, potency and sophistication’ HILARY MANTEL

‘A thrilling adventure novel’ FIONA MOZLEY

Publisher Review

This book is a rarity - a novel as remarkable for the vigour of the storytelling as for its literary ambition. Kim Sherwood is a writer of capacity, potency and sophistication -- Hilary Mantel A thrilling adventure novel that richly evokes the sights, sounds and smells of Devon at the turn of the eighteenth century. Smugglers, pirates and some cameos from some well-known writers - what's not to like! It presents swashbuckling action alongside reflections on authorship, agency and the powerful question of who gets to write history -- Fiona Mozley, Booker shortlisted author of ELMET and HOT STEW I loved this tremendous book and devoured it in two days. Vividly imagined, relentlessly entertaining, rich and resonant in scope and context, it's both a thrilling adventure and a vital witness to women's voices -- Emma Stonex, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS It is a breathtaking feat of historical fiction, and an utterly astounding novel. It is wise, urgent and entirely compelling. I was bereft when it ended. If it does not win every prize for fiction next year, I will be amazed. * Wyl Menmuir, author of The Draw of the Sea *