Synopsis

A girl known only as Red, the daughter of a Cornish fortune teller, travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient method: the Square of Sevens. When her father suddenly dies, Red becomes the ward of a gentleman scholar.

Now raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendour of Bath, her fortune-telling is a delight to high society, but she cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul: who was her mother? How did she die? And who are the mysterious enemies her father was always terrified would find him?

The pursuit of these mysteries takes her from Cornwall and Bath to London and Devon, from the rough ribaldry of the Bartholomew Fair to the grand houses of two of the most powerful families in England. And while Red’s quest brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads into her grave danger…

Review

Whether or not you believe in it, most of us are fascinated by the idea of predicting the future. Even if it’s as simple as wanting reassurance that everything will work out in the end to reduce the anxiety… At the same time, there’s something terrifying about knowing what could happen. How much is mapped out for us? How much power do we have to change our fate?

In The Square of Sevens, we meet Red, a young girl travelling the road telling fortunes. Her future might not be sung about in ballads, but she’s content until her father dies and her world is turned upside-down. Yet fate intervenes and her life changes – for better or for worse.

Now this book may be a hefty tome but trust me when I say it’s brilliant. I love an anti-hero and Red is our ideal. Every possible tragedy seems to befall her and we see her scheme, grieve and battle to achieve her goals and get revenge on those who have crossed her. She’s a brilliant character: feisty, determined and stubborn, yet subject to the same weaknesses and naivety one would expect from a girl her age. This helps us to empathise with her plight, despite her vendetta.

The story is also incredibly immersive. Shepherd-Robinson is excellent at location writing and the sense of place was fantastic. I was swept up in the sights, sounds and even smells of Bath, London and the countryside, and at times I really lost myself in the story. There are plenty of twists and even if you think you have it all figured out, you may still be as surprised as I was by the ending!

Yet this book also made me angry. So many characters I grew to love met with an untimely death, which distracted me from clues and hints as to what was going on (a cunning ploy). The juxtaposition between Red’s time at the manor and the Bartholomew Fair is very clever; despite the differences in her alternating circumstances, which situation provides her with the most happiness?

Gripping, heart-breaking and full of mystery, this is a phenomenal piece of historical fiction.

Thanks to Mantle Books and BookBreak for the proof copy and for having me on the readalong. Opinions my own.