His Fic Saturday...The Illumination of Ursula Flight by Anna-Marie Crowhurst

On Hist Fic Saturday

Let's go back to ...Restoration, England

Allen and Unwin
3 May 2018

My thanks to the publishers and LoveReading.co.uk for my copy of this book

Ursula Flight’s journey into the world began on the night of the great comet of 1664. With this auspicious beginning, Ursula was never going to be an ordinary girl. Taught reading, writing and astronomy by her father, Ursula had a thirst for knowledge and desire for adventure which eventually sees her taking to the London stage. However, Restoration England was a brash and vulgar place and to achieve success in this world, Ursula had to use her considerable wits to survive and thrive. 

Ursula isn’t your usual delicate romantic heroine, she is bold and brave and so beautifully depicted that her character literally leaps of the page and grabs you by the hand as she explores the thespian world she so craves. A passionate writer and playwright from an early age, Ursula uses her considerable skill to tell her story with great gusto. Part narrative, part play, part diary, this unusual way of telling the story captured my imagination, and I had great fun in following Ursula’s adventures, both at her home in the village of Bynfield, and later when she makes her mark on the great city of London. 

The author has captured all the essence of Restoration England and brings this rather bawdy world to life in a very readable way. Time and place is captured beautifully and I especially enjoyed the way the story wrapped itself so perfectly around Ursula’s forceful personality. 

Really well done from the very beginning, The Illumination of Ursula Flight is a lively and, at times, mischievous journey through the whims and fancies of Restoration England. 

About the Author

Anna-Marie Crowhurst read English at King's College London and has worked as a freelance fashion and culture journalist for more than 15 years, contributing to publications including The Times, The Guardian, Time Out, Stylist and Emerald Street, for whom she currently covers books, entertainment and lifestyle, as well as writing a weekly column going out to 150,000 like-minded women every Sunday:

Her debut novel The Illumination of Ursula Flight was written during her recent MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, and was supervised by the award-winning novelist Tessa Hadley. Anna-Marie graduated with distinction in 2017. She lives in London.

Twitter @Writercrow #UrsulaTakesFlight

@AllenAndUnwinUK

Amazon UK

  I read this book as part of the Love Reading Review Panel. You can read more reviews here