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Title: The Penny Heart
Author: Martine Bailey
Narrator: Charlotte Strevens
Format: Unabridged
Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins
Language: English
Release date: 04-14-16
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes
Genres: Fiction, Historical
Publisher's Summary:
Sentenced to death for a simple confidence trick, Mary Jebb escapes the gallows...but her reprieve is harsh: seven years in the unforgiving penal colony of Botany Bay. Yet Mary is determined not to be forgotten, sending two pennies, engraved with a promise, to the two men who sealed her fate.
Timid artist Grace Moore jumps at the opportunity to marry handsome gentleman Michael Croxon - happy if only to get away from her drunken father. But when Grace takes on a new cook, the two penny heart love tokens reveal she is tied to a world she didn't know existed...a world of deceit, double crossing, revenge and murder.
Members Reviews:
I loved âAn Appetite for Violetsâ
I loved âAn Appetite for Violetsâ, and was eager to read Martine Baileyâs second novel. âThe Penny Heartâ is a strong successor: atmospheric, dramatic and haunting. There are characteristics common to both books: beautiful writing, sumptuous and vivid period detail that instantly transports you to the eighteenth century, and a fast-moving, constantly surprising plot. Both are written in the âCulinary gothicâ style â a term coined by Faye Weldon especially for Baileyâs writing. There are eighteenth century recipes at the start of each chapter, and food plays a significant part throughout.
The Penny Heart is darker in tone than An Appetite for Violets, yet there is redemption at the end. From the first page, Bailey creates a sinister atmosphere, as two brothers are tricked and robbed by a woman on the streets of Manchester. She is Mary Jebb, an orphan who was raised in The Life, Manchesterâs criminal underworld. As punishment for the robbery, Mary is deported to the Australian colonies, where she loses everything that made life worth living, except a burning desire for revenge
Grace Moore leads a desperately unhappy life, caring for her brutal, alcoholic father. She marries Michael Croxon, though she hardly knows him, to get away. However, Michael is not everything he seems. Grace must shed her naivety and rely increasingly on her wits in order to survive.
The novel has a clever structure, with alternating chapters written from Maryâs and Graceâs point of view. Bailey cleverly builds suspense, keeping the reader one step ahead of Grace at all times, yet not far ahead enough to know what is going to happen. The action moves from the slums of Manchester to the Australian penal colonies to New Zealandâs Maori tribes. Bailey has a fine eye for place, vividly describing each setting.
Grace and Mary are completely different characters, yet both are strong and memorable. It is part of the magic of Baileyâs writing that you sympathise with Mary, while being aware of her wickedness.
This is a highly recommended novel that lingers in the mind long after you have finished reading. I am already looking forward to Martine Baileyâs next book!
A Gothic Tale with Depth
I really enjoyed Baileyâs first novel, An Appetite for Violets, and was intrigued to see what she had conjured up in her next book. Itâs definitely darker and more Gothic and I was soon drawn into this strange 18th century world of thievery, treachery and survival. Throughout this wicked tale are insightful moments as we stop to ponder Maryâs fate and the lack of compassion shown towards her, which fuels her final revenge.
