"A blistering and unforgettable tale of prejudice, love, obsession and betrayal set among the preachers, abolitionists, gay men and drag queens of 1809 London."
Oh my word, what a story! Based on true events that took place in 1809, this special novel is one that I want to recommend to everyone. John Church leads a dangerous double life, while preaching to Londoners he hides the fact that he is gay, frequents molly houses, and conducts marriage ceremonies for men. Neil Blackmore writes with the most exquisitely eloquent hand. As each character became a part of me, as London erupted in vivid colourful life, I found myself entirely consumed by this novel. It felt so very real, I felt as though I was at one with the story, my fear and concern for the characters twinned with my heartbeat and I believed. The different forms of prejudice, the intolerance and utter hypocrisy hit home hard as the cyclical nature of humanity powers through the ages. This may be set two hundred years ago, yet it would read just as intensely if it took place today. There were moments that pummelled my thoughts, really made me sit up and consider my own set of thoughts and beliefs, and that is a result of this remarkable novel. As I fell further in, as I got to know and really care about John Church, my emotions set on fire and I burned. Radical Love sits not only as a Liz Picks of the month, but also a LoveReading Star Book. Radical Love is a brilliantly and beautifully fierce, tender, and all-consuming read that I can recommend heart and soul to all.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
Welcome to England, 1809. London is a violent, intolerant city, exhausted by years of war, beset by soaring prices and political tensions. By day, John Church preaches on the radical possibilities of love to a multicultural, working-class congregation in Southwark. But by night, he crosses the river to the secret and glamorous world of a gay molly house on Vere Street, where ordinary men reinvent themselves as funny, flirtatious drag queens and rent boys cavort with labourers and princes alike. There, Church becomes the first minister to offer marriages between men, at enormous risk.
Everything changes when Church meets the unworldly and free-thinking Ned, part of a group of African activist abolitionists who attend his chapel. The two bond over their broken childhoods, and Church falls obsessively in love with Ned's tender nature. In a fragile, colourful secret world under threat, Church's love for Ned takes him to the edge of reason.
Based on the incredible true story of one of the most important events in queer history, Radical Love is a sensuous and prescient story about gender and sexuality, and how the most vulnerable survive in dangerous times.
Radical Love features in the following genres: Romance / Relationship Stories, Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month, Historical Fiction, Historical romance, Fiction, Recommendations, General Fiction, Star Books, Relating to gay people, Narrative theme: Social issues, Narrative theme: Sense of place, Narrative theme: Identity / belonging, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Relating to LGBTQ+ people, Relating to specific groups and cultures or social and cultural interests, Interest qualifiers, Fiction: narrative themes, Literary Fiction, Literary Fiction
Radical Love is available in Paperback, Hardback
Radical Love was written by Neil Blackmore and published by Penguin (Cornerstone) an imprint of Cornerstone
Radical Love has 279 pages
£8.99
