A Wild & True Relation

LoveReading Says

Part exhilarating adventure, part literary puzzle, A Wild and True Relation by Kim Sherwood presents an inspired, inspiring romp through centuries as it tells the story of a woman who rises from being little orphan Molly to making myths that grip literary greats. Reeling with revenge, courage and incredible escapades, it’s a joyous, beautiful book.

Opening with a brutal scene of violence and flames, we meet Molly when she’s taken under the wing of smuggler Tom West: “I’ll take care of you… I couldn’t stop Dick English killing your mother. But I saw him dead for it. I know I’m not your father, but I swore the day you were born.

You’re mine, you understand? And you always will be. I’ll live up to my word”. Disguised as a boy called Orlando, Molly joins his crew and shows herself to be an indomitable force, bound for a life of revenge-fuelled adventure.

With interludes from writers intrigued by Molly/Orlando’s exploits, among them George Eliot, this dances with invention, wit and women’s voices.

Reviewed by Joanne Owen
Joanne Owen’s lifelong love of reading and writing began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, and very much wished that witches (and Mrs Pepperpot) were real.
More reviews by Joanne Owen

About A Wild & True Relation

Shortlisted for the Winston Graham Prize for Historical Fiction'This book is a rarity - a novel as remarkable for the vigour of the storytelling as for its literary ambition. Kim Sherwood is a writer of capacity, potency and sophistication' HILARY MANTELA Wild & True Relation opens during the Great Storm of 1703, as smuggler Tom West confronts his lover Grace for betraying him to the Revenue. Leaving Grace's cottage in flames, he takes her orphaned daughter Molly on board ship disguised as a boy to join his crew. But Molly, or Orlando as she must call herself, will grow up to outshine all the men of Tom's company and seek revenge - and a legacy - all of her own. Woven into Molly's story are the writers - from Celia Fiennes to Hester Thrale to George Eliot - who are transfixed by her myth and who, over three centuries, come together to solve the mystery of her life. With extraordinary verve and chutzpah, Sherwood remakes the eighteenth-century Heroical novel and challenges women's writing and women's roles throughout history.

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