I'm disappointed with this book. You can only go to the well once, and the Penny Dreadful stories interrupt the book's flow. In the first book in this series (THE LADY AND THE HIGHWAYMAN), this interruption with Penny Dreadful Tales was charming and gave a feel to the era and what people enjoyed reading. Now, it is tiresome. Maybe folks in the late 1800s wanted ghosts; I couldn't care less about them.
Hollis Darby writes penny dreadfuls to supplement his bare cupboards. He's from the aristocracy, but the family has fallen on hard times. He is part of a group of writers that have banded together to help children escape from stealing goods for their "masters." These crooks know children will get away with things longer than adults, so they train children to be pickpockets and petty thieves. These children are orphans and are treated harshly if they do not produce enough profit. I won't discount the writers' good works, but after a while, it seemed that they were committing crimes, too (especially the ones that were apprenticed).
Justine Eyre read this on Audible, and she was a terrible choice. Her cloying attitude and delivery were unfortunate. Based on the tremendous first story, I purchased the remaining three novels. I'm disappointed because I'm unsure I want to further pursue this slow-moving, turgid story.
Dread Penny Society- Total of 4
1. The Lady and the Highwayman (2019)
2. The Gentleman and the Thief (2020)
3. The Merchant and the Rogue (2021)
4. The Bachelor and the Bride (2022)
Hollis Darby writes penny dreadfuls to supplement his bare cupboards. He's from the aristocracy, but the family has fallen on hard times. He is part of a group of writers that have banded together to help children escape from stealing goods for their "masters." These crooks know children will get away with things longer than adults, so they train children to be pickpockets and petty thieves. These children are orphans and are treated harshly if they do not produce enough profit. I won't discount the writers' good works, but after a while, it seemed that they were committing crimes, too (especially the ones that were apprenticed).
Justine Eyre read this on Audible, and she was a terrible choice. Her cloying attitude and delivery were unfortunate. Based on the tremendous first story, I purchased the remaining three novels. I'm disappointed because I'm unsure I want to further pursue this slow-moving, turgid story.
Dread Penny Society- Total of 4
1. The Lady and the Highwayman (2019)
2. The Gentleman and the Thief (2020)
3. The Merchant and the Rogue (2021)
4. The Bachelor and the Bride (2022)
