The Merest Loss
The Merest Loss is a novel set in Victorian England about Harriet Howard, mistress of the Emperor Louis Napoleon III.
What a cracking subject: the Cinderella tale of a girl who climbs the ladder socially and is used by the intelligence services of the day to snare an emperor, with devastating consequences for herself and her family. And yet she rises above it all, in a way, to triumph. Woven into this tale is the story of a jockey and the life of the Turf, all of it researched and so engaging.
This novel is clearly well-researched and the story about Harriet is highly unusual, so worth a look. There is a large cast of characters and much to learn about Louis, who had such an impact on France.
This is well-written, but the construction and pace, and above all, the shift from point of view, and so many points of view, makes it hard to engage as the story unfolds. The list of characters at the start gives you a clue as to how complex the book might be—and it is. A great subject, a good command of language, but the reader may get lost at times.
