A review by zefrog
Moll Cutpurse, Her True History by Ellen Galford

adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Mary Frith, AKA Moll Cutpurse, is a real historical figure, who seems to have a lived a long, eventful and colourful life. The book is a fictionalisation of various episodes culled from a number of contemporary sources as allegedly being from her life. 

As such the narrative, set in London, in the first half of the 17th century, has the old-fashioned structure of an early novel, in that it reads as a series of tales loosely knitted together in the wider story of Moll's relationship with Bridget, an apothecary and the narrator of the book. 

It is a lighthearted yarn of daredevilry that stands out mostly because of its gender-bending, lesbian, lovable rogue of a protagonist, and the feminist politics in evidence throughout. It is entertaining but sadly it somehow falls a little flat and lacks the spark that would make it a really good book, which is a shame.
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