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Angeline Trevena

The Bottle Stopper (The Paper Duchess) Paperback – December 2, 2015

by Angeline Trevena (Author)

70 ratings

Book 1 of 4: The Paper Duchess

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"Too much trouble, and you'll end up just like your crazy mother."

Maeve was six when they took her mother away, and left her in the care of her Uncle Lou: a drunk, a misogynist, a fraud.

For eleven years she's lived with him in Falside's slums, deep in the silt of the Falwere River. She bottles his miracle medicine, stocks his apothecary shop, and endures his savage temper.

But as his violence escalates, and his lies come undone, she devises a plan to escape him forever. Even if it means people have to die.

A dark and gripping thriller set in a future dystopia. If you like stories of oppressive governments, genetic selection, mass murder, and the fight for freedom, if you look for unlikely heroes and always root for the underdog, you’ll love The Bottle Stopper.

“Angeline Trevena, with her ever fertile imagination, creates dystopian visions of the future that are both innovative and chilling.”Tony Benson, author of An Accident of Birth

Print length

212 pages
Language

English
Publication date

December 2, 2015
Dimensions

5 x 0.53 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0993486401
ISBN-13

978-0993486401
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Angeline Trevena was born and bred in a rural corner of Devon, but now lives among the breweries and canals of central England with her husband, their sons, and a rather neurotic cat. She is a horror and fantasy writer, poet, and journalist. In 2003 she graduated from Edge Hill University, Lancashire, with a BA Hons Degree in Drama and Writing. During this time she decided that her future lay in writing words rather than performing them. Some years ago she worked at an antique auction house and religiously checked every wardrobe that came in to see if Narnia was in the back of it. She's still not given up looking for it.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bogus Caller Press; 1st edition (December 2, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 212 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0993486401
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0993486401
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.53 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #10,726,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #31,458 in Dystopian Fiction
- #3,300,757 in Literature & Fiction (Books)

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Angeline Trevena

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Angeline Trevena is a British science fiction, fantasy, and horror author. Creator of The Paper Duchess series, she is best known for her feminist brand of dystopia.

She’s been writing stories since she was old enough to hold a pen, and after gaining a BA Hons degree in Drama and Writing, she honed her craft with horror and fantasy shorts which are published in numerous magazines and anthologies.

Angeline grew up on the edge of Dartmoor, Devon, amongst its legends and ghost stories, but now lives in central England with her husband, their two young boys, and a somewhat neurotic cat.

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4.2 out of 5

70 global ratings

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4 star		31%
3 star		19%
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P. D. HENDERSON

Good quick read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 25, 2018

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I downloaded this book a little over two years ago but only just got around to reading it now. It is a fairly decent book. Short though. I read it in a single day.

It is a dystopia, and a particularly brutal and bleak one at that. A little too much so for my taste but still a good story. The plot revolves mostly around one character. A seventeen year old girl living under the care of an uncle since years ago her mother was arrested and taken away and has been unheard-of ever since. The girl is abused by her uncle and the brutal society overs her no hope so she devises a sociopathic scheme to get rid of him. (She seems to get away with it too, so the ending is morally suspect at best).

The world is an interesting one, though not as well developed as I'd've preferred. It shows signs of being much more planned out but the author has saved most of the details for later books. From this book we know mostly just that it is a SciFi future Earth where civilization has devolved slightly. Most modern things still exist but are more rare and not as well understood. Society has also devolved since for some reason female births have dropped considerably (there are hints that this may have been intentionally done). As a result women are scarce and are treated as a rare commodity. That is, as possessions (slaves), mostly, although with a few small differences. Whole the fiercely authoritarian government and harsh economy works seem to make it a brutal climate for all citizens, the focus here is heavily stilted toward women's issues. The subjugation and abuse of women is a central theme and takes precedence over all other worldbuilding concerns. I'm not sure whether that makes this a feminist book or merely myopic.

Overall it's a fairly gripping story in a rather drab world. worth reading, but with room for improvement.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Don't judge this book by its cover

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 2, 2018

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This was a gritty, dystopian, read with some graphic situations and strong language. It felt appropriate to the story and not gratuitous. In most scenes readers were only given glimpses. While there was some disturbing content, I did not feel the need to flip through scenes. It is the type of horror that creeps up on you slowly and sticks in your mind.

It had a more of a European story arc in that it dove right into the action, meandered about a bit, and ended. A story was told, but it was a piece of a greater whole. There is no happy ending or tying up of all loose ends. Part of that could be because it is the beginning of a series. It was a quick read and entertaining enough that I grabbed the next in the series.

I had a little trouble with the main premise of the book regarding women though. There is suppose to be a significant shortage of women based on an uneven birthrate, making women precious, and they end up being treated like property. Yet, women are very common in the book and constantly brutally abused in every manner possible. This is partially explained by the birthrate not being as uneven in the slums where most of the action takes place. The levels of freedoms and constraints placed on them was a bit confusing to me. Perhaps it will be developed further in later books.

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Karen Siddall

Dark, grim, and awesome!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 6, 2018

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When Maeve was six years old, her mother was taken away by the authorities for crimes against the state. Since that time she lived with her Uncle Lou, a horrible, abusive man that runs a sham of an apothecary. Maeve’s job is to scavenge old bottles from the nooks and crannies and alleyways of the “The Floor,” the poorest slum of the city of Falside where they live, and fill them with medicine to sell in the shop. In reality, the “medicine” is the polluted water from the local river and a sprig of whatever plant material she has gathered. It is a grinding existence until Topley and her loving parents open the bakery next door.

Topley’s family gives Maeve a vision of another life that she, too, can have once she turns 18 leaves Uncle Lou. But when Topley suddenly falls ill and her desperate mother resorts to some of Uncle Lou’s medicine, Maeve’s dream of a better life changes to one of revenge.

Maeve’s world of Falside is grim and bleak where women are restricted and controlled and viewed as property. The birth of female children has, unaccountably, become a rare occurrence, and leaving Falside is viewed as treasonous and punishable by death. But there is a glimmer of revolution here and there such as in “The Paper Duchess,” an old bookstore off the beaten path, where Denver, Kerise, and Tale try to discover what happened to Maeve’s mother.

“The Bottle Stopper” is a dark and well-developed beginning to “The Paper Duchess” series. It is recommended for readers that enjoy dystopian tales and those with similarities to Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Sweeney Todd meets Golden Compass, a fantastic YA urban fantasy read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 26, 2019

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If you like Sherlock Holmes’ London with a bit of Sweeney Todd and Golden Compass-like sci-fi on the side, you’ll love this urban fantasy novel. I certainly did. What starts off as the daily tribulation of 17yo Maeve in a rather medieval slum underworld turns into a suspence thriller when you get to credits and barcode tattoos and modern tech equipment. let’s not forget It’s a dual world separated by The Stairs - in the Upper world marriages are arranged as women are outnumbered and births are rare, while everybody, even monks are breeding like rabbits in the underworld. This book gives you a version of where we could end up, if we abandoned the Big Brother and smartphone era. While I felt for Maeve and her desperation, I can’t say I applaud her choice of remedy against Uncle Lou, because the stories her actions led to were heartbreaking. Loved the suspence - Trevena can really keep you on your toes! I’m intrigued by Maeve’s parentage and can’t wait to read more about the The Paper Duchess’ bookshop slash surveillance slash resistance centre in the next book! Totally recommend!!!

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Scarolet Ellis

WOW!!!! New author for me

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 28, 2018

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This is a new author for me but is becoming one of my favorite authors. I loved reading this book she made the story come alive for me instead of just reading it made me feel like I was living it. If this is what all her books are like WOW I will love it. I highly recommend this book and author to everyone who loves a wonderful book.

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Brett Jackson

Glued to every single page.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 13, 2022

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Stuck in the middle of a sitation, not of her own making, Maeve is forced to take action to create a better life for herself. Along the way, she discovers a lot of truths about her family, that she takes all in her stride. Because what else can you do, when you are just trying to survive?

Full of incredibly well thought-out plot, characters that make you want to punch, hug, or gather in the bar and to drink with them, based in a world, that makes you almost smell what it's like to be there, this book is just simply flowing with allsorts of creativity, and ideas that make it a real page-turner.

If you like dystopian books, that stand up for womens rights, and an unlikely hero, then you will absolutely love this book.

Kindle Customer

Disquieting dystopian fantasy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 1, 2018

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I love how this is a story about one tiny action causing huge ripples across society. It's a slowly unfolding tale which can be at times both frustrating and fascinating to read, as we know more than the characters and just have to wait for them to catch up. There are a lot of characters here, but this doesn't dilute the plot as it might do in a less skilled writer's hands. Each little vignette of life in Falside gives flavour to the world described, as well as reinforcing the butterfly effect message.

Maeve herself is a darkly curious character, constructed with a hint of apathy that somehow doesn't make her unpalatable. She's raw, angry, full of simmering-beneath-the-surface tension that's barely held in check by her conscience. Even though I felt her friendship with Topley could have been better explored, you could feel her desperation to be liked.

The world setting is one of a grim future-dystopia that's refreshingly old European in style. You can't fail to make the Handmaid's Tale connection - it's a society based on the necessity of protecting women to maximise an unusually low birth rate. Women of high social status are tagged and forced into marriages, the birth of a child (particularly female) is publicly celebrated, women are forbidden from things ranging from wearing trousers, buying "treats" or having same-sex relationships. However Falside is not deeply religious (not if the monks are anything to go by), the lower classes are free to do as they please procreation-wise, and what's happening beyond the city walls... Well, no one's sure. There are some holes in the logic here and there but it's an interesting world which will hopefully be expanded upon later in the series and answer some questions. The writing is solid throughout, and never strays too far into the nastier aspect of the world.

A disquieting read, but one well worth a go if you like your teenage dystopian rebel to be more brain and less adrenaline (and/or hormone) fueled brawn. While it might not be perfect, I'm so curious to know what will become of Maeve and the resistance that I've already got hold of the rest of the series.

AlwaysReading

Disturbing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 19, 2020

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Book one of this series gives a disturbing glimpse into a future world where women are tightly controlled. It seems to be a world of extremes and hypocrisy with quite odd characters.

Maeve is intriguing with a definite dark side, her origins and possible genetic make-up a mystery.

The world is cruel, strict and steeped in poverty, though only part of it has been explored as yet. There is a curious mix of technology and Victorian England, which, I assume, is a result of some catastrophe.

Reasonably well written, if a little jerky and confusing at times…losing the flow. I was intrigued, however, and will probably read more when funds allow.

Thought-provoking for sure.

TL Clark

A dark future well told

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 27, 2019

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This is a story which lures you in. The author lets it unfold in its own time. There is no rush.
A dystopian future zooms its focus onto one girl who's turning 18; Maeve. She's physically abused by her uncle, leaving her black and blue and desperately seeking a way out of the slums.
Women are scarce, and yet become a controlled commodity. Times are bleak indeed. But there is yet hope.

There is somehow a touch of Chaucer in here. Don't even ask me how. Just a vibe I get. Maybe it's the monk? Or the storytelling?

This is a brilliant start to a series. No qualms in recommending it at all.
Great character and world building.

Mark Tilbury

A chilling vision of a possible future.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 29, 2016

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Maeve is living a life of hardship and cruelty at the hands of her uncle. She has lived with him ever since the authorities took her mother away when she was a young child. As his violence towards her gets worse, she begins to put into action, a poisonous plan to get her revenge and escape. Uncle Lou is an evil piece of work who deserves what he gets in the story.

There are quite a large number of characters in this book, but they are all needed, serve a purpose and are well developed. This is a well written dystopian thriller, and although fictional, does make you wonder how much control governments will have over people in the future. I am pleased to see that this is the first in a series, as I'd like to know what happens next to Maeve and the Paper Duchess.

A chilling vision of a possible future. I enjoyed this so much I've also purchased Cutting the Bloodline by the same author.

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