London, 1838: the controversial practice of Mesmerism, with its genuine practitioners and its fraudulent chancers, has hypnotised the city. Miss Cordelia Preston, a beautiful, ageing, out-of-work actress terrified of returning to the poverty of her childhood, suddenly emerges as a Lady Phreno-Mesmerist. In her candle-lit Bloomsbury basement she learns to harness her talent - and to finally look towards the future. But success is fragile when you have a past filled with secrets. On a wintry, moonlit night a body is found in Bloomsbury Square, and what began as an audacious subterfuge erupts into a scandal. Cordelia's past is revealed, bringing not only heartache but terror - and the mystery of a cloaked figure who waits for her in the shadowy London streets.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Mesmerically gripping Sainsbury's MAGAZINE The enormous spirit of the characters and overriding sense of fun gives this book warmth and appeal Waterstone's Books Quarterly Written with insight, intelligence and style, a highly engaging and entertaining read with a complex plot and a cast of utterly believable characters SYDNEY Morning HERALD A good-humoured saga SUN HERALD
About the Author
Barbara Ewing is a New Zealand-born actress and author who lives in London. She has a university degree in English and Maori and won the Bancroft Gold Medal at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. www.barbaraewing.com
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good old-fashioned yarn,
By Steve P "thinking Christian" (Adelaide, South Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Mesmerist (Hardcover)
The Mesmerist is a great, old-fashioned yarn set in early 19th century England (mostly London) when mesmerism and phrenology were just starting to become popular. The story focuses primarily around a woman actress who, through a series of unfortunate circumstances, is forced to survive by using her gift of mesmerism to earn an independent living. The story twists and turns beautifully; the characters are superbly drawn; and the narrative is engaging. I couldn't put the book down (even though I had to for work!!). If you like historical fiction then don't miss this one.
5.0 out of 5 stars
"They Are No Longer Dreams From the Past...",
By
This review is from: Mesmerist (Paperback)
Every once in a while a book comes along that you simply can't put down. Work, sleep, food, showers - they're all irrelevant. The only thing that matters is finding out what happens next in the story, and the only problem is knowing that it has to end. Barbara Ewing's "The Mesmerist" is one of those books, and it truly saddens me (that at the time of my own review) there is only one other review recommending this book to the American market. I was up reading until the early hours of the morning.Barbara Ewing is a New Zealand writer, but the setting of this particular book is Victorian England, 1838, lovingly portrayed in all its atmospheric splendor: gas-lamps, penny dreadfuls, backstreet theatres, foggy streets and cloaked figures. The author has done extensive research into the Victorian era, particularly in regards to the intense interest in phrenology and mesmerism that was at the height of their popularity during this time period. Miss Cordelia Preston is an aging actress, who along with her best friend Rillie Spoons, is scraping together a living in the cheap theatres of London. Their lives are hard, but by no means hopeless, particularly when they catch on to the controversial practice of hypnotism, mesmerism and phrenology that is sweeping the country. Cordelia's extraordinary aunt had a healer's touch, and so Cordelia is rather taken with the idea that she could become a "Lady Phreno-Mesmerist," who can provide matrimonial advice to young couples. Even though most of her clients are hysterical young woman who know nothing about what's expected of them once they're married, Cordelia finds her guilt at being a charlatan assuaged when she realizes she can provide comforting and helpful information on what she calls "The Gentle Intricacies of the Wedding Night." Setting up shop in her basement apartment in Bloomsbury, the business soon flourishes, particularly with the help of a soft-spoken elderly French hypnotist and Cordelia's growing belief that there is some truth to the art of mesmerism. What the blurb calls their "audacious subterfuge" soon has the women rising up the social hierarchy, and along with their ability to mimic the upper-classes, are soon considered respectable ladies. And yet this summary does not even begin to scratch the surface of what happens in this story. Cordelia has a dark, tragic secret, one that threatens to destroy her reputation and her livelihood. I came into this book not knowing anything about the plot, and for that I'm grateful. The best way to read this book is to know as little about it as possible, and enjoy the twists and turns as it goes along. However, if you don't just want to take my word for it, and are looking for a little more of what to expect, then proceed... What forms the main crux of the book is that Cordelia has three illegitimate children. In her youth she was a beautiful and renowned actress, and in her desire for stability and protection from the poverty that her mother and aunt escaped from, she marries Lord Ellis, son of the Duke of Llannefydd. He takes her to Wales, where she lives a reclusive life with the three children she bears him: Manon, Gwenlliam and Morgan. Yet when Lord Ellis decides to marry again, Cordelia is told that her wedding to him was a sham and is cruelly separated from her children. Mad with grief, Cordelia hunts for them over Wales, but is unable to find them. The story itself opens ten years after loosing them, and although Cordelia still leaves messages in the newspapers hoping that one of her children will find and contact her, she is has already lost hope of ever seeing them again. Of course, fate has other plans... Cordelia Preston is a wonderful character. A fading beauty, hollowed out with grief, struggling to make ends meet, she never succumbs to despair or bitterness and instead uses her wit and skill in order to face whatever the world throws at her. Along with her friend Rillie, she has an appetite for life and its pleasures, but is also sensitive to its tragedies and injustices. Possessing a hot temper that she has learnt to control (but which still emerges from time to time), and carrying a heavy fire-iron with her whenever she goes out at night, one can't help but get completely caught up in her happiness and pain. Around her is an equally intriguing cast of supporting characters, including the irrepressible Rillie Spoons, who cares for her mentally disturbed but harmless elderly mother who constantly sheds her clothing, and their neighbor Regina who is convinced that there's a murderer on every street. The unorthodox family has so much spirit and warmth that you can't help but love them. There are also the colorful characters of the acting trope, the cold members of the aristocracy, the scandal-loving press, the sympathetic police force, and the heart-rending portrayal of three confused and lonely children. All of them are unforgettable. Ewing's language is beautiful, as is her ability to link together the themes and ideas strewn throughout her novel: the rigid class system, the sexual suppression of young women, the suspicion and derision directed toward alternative medical practices, the love of a mother for her children, and they for her - everything links together into a cohesive whole that manages to include a murder mystery, a court case and a family drama. Showcasing both the depravity and kindness that humankind is capable of, the novel is a quintessential example of the word "bittersweet". In fact, if I was to give it one criticism, it's that there is perhaps one death too many - one that tips the book from sustaining a good balance of light and darkness into one that is perhaps a bit too much to handle. Although the death itself is foreshadowed early on, it does seem unnecessarily cruel, particularly considering the sheer appeal of the character in question. Yet this remains one of the best books I've read in recent memory: running on sheer emotional torque, it is gripping, humorous, heart-breaking, intriguing, and contains vivid characterization, a riveting plot, and obvious care taken in regards to historical accuracy - not just in its details, but in the way human beings thought and what they valued in this particular time and place. I'm usually not this subjective (or gushing) in my reviews, but I loved every word. If you're into historical romance, mystery and intrigue, or are just looking for an author that knows how to tell a darn good story, then look no further than "The Mesmerist."
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