Read at least 6 books about art this year:
Feb 1 - July 31
Not good enough
Aphra is an alluring, intelligent woman who writes plays and dabbles in the the social scene that swirls around the court of King Charles II. She seems to know everyone, and still remains impoverished though she works very hard. When two former acquaintances, who happen to be brothers, reappear in her life only to turn up dead the next day, Aphra is compelled to see that they get justice. This promising plot fails, mainly because the characters come across as cliches and most of the “action” consists of inane conversations of the “O whatever shall I do” order. The King’s infamous mistresses flounce around being alternately catty or despairing of his “love”, and Nell Gwyn actually wades into Aphra’s investigation.
Silly and vacuous. The historical Aphra Behn, who was the first woman in England to support herself by writing, deserves better.
Filed under: book review | Tagged: 17th century, England, mystery
