Monday 6 March 2017

Miss Treadway and The Field of Stars - Miranda Emmerson. Book Review

Miss-Treadway-and-The-Field-of-Stars-Miranda-Emmerson-book-review


Miss Treadway and The Field of Stars - Miranda Emmerson Book Review*


It's 1960s London and an American actress Iolanthe Green disappears. The media is full of speculation over her fate but soon lose interest.

The only person who seems interested in finding out the truth is Anna Treadway. Iolanthe's dresser at the Galaxy Theatre. She lives above a Turkish CafĂ© on Neal Street and with the help of Aloysius, a naive young man from the Caribbean.


Their quest takes them to the darker side of London. From jazz clubs, prison cells to backstreet doctors and seaside ghost towns. 

This is Miranda Emmersons debut novel and has an interesting take on the usual mystery novel. It explores the darker side of England, the injustice of both sexual and racial prejudice. Many of the characters are immigrants and they have an idealistic idea of England. We forget that it really wasn't so long ago that foreigners, black and Irish people especially, were discriminated against quite openly. I found some of the scenes quite disturbing and had to remind myself that this is how it was. This is not a book about the swinging sixties, it is quite bleak and dark.

I did find myself drifting back into the 1930s whilst reading this book. It reminded me of those old black and white detective films and I had to keep reminding myself that it was the 1960s. I'm not sure if that was my fault for my preconceived ideas of 1960s London or if the book did not set the scene. 

It is beautifully written and I did enjoy reading it. I would certainly be happy to pop it into my suitcase as a holiday read.

The book is published by Harper Collins and is available in hardback for £12.99, Kindle £7.99 and the paperback is to be released on 27th July 2017 for £8.99

*Disclaimer- I was given an advance copy for the purpose of a review. All opinions are honest and my own


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