In her debut novel, Anna-Marie Crowhurst plunges the reader headfirst into the dizzying and intoxicating world of Restoration England. Our guide is Ursula Flight, an irrepressible heroine in the style of the protagonist of Kathleen Winsor’s 1940s historical romance Forever Amber. With her spirited voice and determined ambition, Ursula has a passion for life, sex and theatre that bursts forth from every page.
Crowhurst’s skill lies in her use of description. The book is impeccably researched, and she recreates the Restoration period in vivid detail. She deftly describes the minutiae of Ursula’s hairstyles and gowns, the menus served at luxurious court dinners – as well as the squelching mud of London’s streets, and the smell of orange peel mingled with sweat in the city’s seedy yet seductive playhouses.
Written in the first person with a faithfulness to 17th-century slang and dialect, the novel draws the reader intimately into Ursula’s inner life. As a child, she is obsessed with the theatre she is yet to visit. She writes plays for her friends to perform – but her dreams are put on hold when she is married off to a much older man. The grey monotony and coercive control of her marriage form a brutal contrast to the bright sensuality and freedom of her life before and after.
It’s when Ursula begins life as an independent woman that her character truly blossoms. Her determination to shape her own destiny, and her refusal to be crushed by misfortune or heartbreak, make her a thoroughly feminist heroine.
Crowhurst fills her narrative with letters, diaries and scripts – the latter all written by Ursula to foster her dream of becoming a playwright. Although the scripts are stylish homages to Restoration theatre, there are times when they block the narrative flow. Key interactions are written in play form, which can result in a loss of emotional intensity and slowing of momentum.
It’s a small complaint, however. The Illumination of Ursula Flight offers a joyous romp through Restoration England, with a heroine who lingers long in the imagination after the final page.
- The Illumination of Ursula Flight by Anna-Marie Crowhurst (Atlantic Books, £12.99). To order a copy for £11.04, go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min. p&p of £1.99.
