* Thank you so much to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me on another book tour, and Thank You to GD Harper for sending me a copy of his book, in exchange for an honest review.
Alice
Arden, idealistic and wealthy beauty, burnt at the stake for killing her
husband, the former mayor of Faversham in Kent. But was she really the one
responsible for the most scandalous murder of the sixteenth century?
William
Shakespeare, England’s greatest playwright, born thirteen years after Alice’s
execution. Why does his first-ever play, written about this murder, not bear
his name?
This
is a story of two people – one reviled, one revered – whose fates become linked
in a tale of corruption, collusion and conspiracy. Based on historical
documents and recently published academic research, Arden unveils shocking new evidence about the murder of Thomas
Arden and reveals, for the first time, a remarkable new theory about
Shakespeare’s early years.
Review:
I knew I would most likely enjoy Arden because I had previously read and reviewed another of GD Harper's books, The Maids of Biddenden, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I read the whole of Arden within a few days, and was hooked from the first page. Harper brings to life the time period he is writing about.
Told by both Alice and Shakespeare in dual timelines, Harper
weaves historical fact and fiction beautifully. We first meet Alice Arden at
the beginning of the story, as she is brutally burned at the stake; we then
follow the story of how she got there, with Harper using new evidence about
Alice and the murder of her husband, Thomas Arden, to add twists and turns to the story.
Shakespeare was born thirteen years after Alice’s death, and
we first encounter him as a young, poverty-stricken glover; with a wife and
children. After getting into trouble, and needing to leave home for a while, he
tours with an acting troupe and discovers his talent and passion for acting and writing plays. We learn of his connection to Alice Arden, and the reason why
he had to remain anonymous for his first-ever play, written about the murder of
Alice's husband.
Arden is a fascinating story dripping with scandal, corruption, and conspiracy. The conclusion of Alice’s story is utterly tragic. Harper uses historical documents and recently published academic research, which reveals shocking new evidence about the murder of Thomas Arden and a remarkable new theory about Shakespeare’s early years. The book also includes image plates, which make a brilliant addition to the book!
I loved Arden, highly recommended!
If you would like to buy your own copy, you can do so here: UK readers US readers
Meet the author:
I have written four novels in the last eight years under the penname GD Harper.
My last novel, The
Maids of Biddenden, the imagined biography of real-life conjoined twins
born in 12th-century Kent, was featured on BBC TV News and was the winner of
the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the historical fiction category,
shortlisted for the 2022 Selfie Award at the London Book Fair, and shortlisted
or longlisted for five other awards.
It has over a thousand ratings on Amazon UK and Goodreads,
with an average score of 4.3. Across the major Amazon markets, it reached
number sixteen in overall paid-for e-book sales, number two in historical
fiction and number one in medieval historical fiction.
Social Media Links – Instagram
@gdharperauthor
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