Image from @litguru's post and edited using Canva
I spent about ten minutes reading The Harlot, a captivating historical fiction written by @litguru and I loved it!
I also mourned it a little because not many users would read this story and thereby miss the beauty in it. Need I state the obvious: our reading culture has greatly declined. I'm hoping with this review I can spark some interest.
This is a tale that is stunningly written and deserves to be read!
The plot focuses on Emma Knowles, a member of the Dames for Decency and Social Health whose job is to read through publications for "any sign of funny business". She takes her job seriously and keeps to her schedule. If she finds anything offensive in the publication, she sets it aside (flags) and writes a report citing reasons why no one should read it.
This is to prevent the "sneaky devils" from slipping any sensual or depraved publication into society…until she received a strange publication via her delivery porter, Mr Reginald. Upon opening this strange publication, she paled. As she turns each page, her heart skips beats and her breathing becomes shallow…
Are you as curious as I was when I got to this point? Then you must click on the story title to take you to this mesmerising tale.
One of my favourite genres, apart from fantasy, is historical fiction but I've not read any (short story or novel) in a long while. Reading The Harlot was refreshing, like I'd been experiencing withdrawal symptoms and a taste of this story calmed me.
The author weaves this thrilling and thought-provoking story with such finesse that you would have no choice but to applaud him after reading. I did so mentally and dropped a comment because the ending was unexpected and thrilling.
Emma Knowles is a compelling character who portrays certain socially 'acceptable' attitudes yet her actions say otherwise. As the story unfolds, readers will see that she peels off her prudish (hypocritical) gown to put on a bold and sensual one. At this point, I realised there was more to the story than the entertaining part.
So I read the story a second time knowing my comment did not do justice to this brilliant piece, hence this review. Emma Knowles' story is both metaphorical and satiric, touching on themes of the role of genders in society, sexuality, censorship and the abuse of power.
Emma Knowles took up the role of censoring publications and taking them away from readers simply because they were offending the delicate sense of the female gender of society then. I see that as an abuse of her position and power. She used her power to decide what people (ladies) can read and what they shouldn't read. Arguably, this abuse was quite common in the olden days but not as much in the present day. Although I'm sure some publications are still being censored in some parts of the world for certain reasons.
An interesting part that endeared me to the protagonist is the theme of sexuality and hypocrisy. Why would Emma read through an offending publication, react like any red-blooded female would and hide the publication away? She finds it offending, yet secretly she liked it and continued to read other similar deliveries while keeping them from the public. This gives a glimpse into the role expected of the female gender at that time—to hide who they truly are. This is an attack on freedom and I'm glad things have improved a lot since then.
Overall, this story is rich and raises some interesting questions that call for a comparison between society then and now on the mentioned themes.
The author did a great job captivating readers with vivid descriptions of this member of the Dames for Decency and Social Health and how seriously she takes her job. The story is well-written with a clear arc, rich Victorian era setting and a fine ending that leaves readers to deduce their own conclusions. I enjoyed the subtle transformation of the protagonist from prudish and self-righteous to sensual and scandalous.
This story is worth reading! I encourage fiction lovers to check this story out right 👉 here and also the author's works on Hive.
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