There is a reason I love historical fiction so much. In this genre one often learns things never known before.

The time is 1802 and a young man Thomas de Quincy is coming into adulthood. He had led a comfortable life in a severe family that tolerated little deviations on what they thought Thomas' life should be. Thomas is desirous of attending Oxford but his mother and uncle feel differently and set Thomas up with a teacher of low caliber. Thomas revolts and through an error in judgement is banished from his life of comfort, literally living on the streets with one pound a month given to him by her "generous" family.

One day, from lack of food, Thomas collapses on the street. He is found by a young doxy and she takes it upon herself to nurse Thomas back to health.

Anne, the young prostitute who helps Thomas, later falls in love with him and he with her. Of course this is London in the seventeenth century and that relationship can or should never be. We also meet Tuah, a former slave saved and bought by a captain of a ship returning to London and is taken into the captain and later his brother's home and freed. All three of these characters are presented in alternate chapters each relating their experiences and portraying to the reader the differences in their upbringing, their lives, and how society sees them. The saddest one of all is Anne, left to make her way, which in reality is the only way possible for her and becomes a prostitute. She is the one that there seems no possible escape from a harsh and cruel world. Even if she does escape she knows she is doomed because of what she has become. To cope she begins using opium and introduces Thomas to the level of escapism opium provides. These three lives intertwine and present to the reader a fine glimpse of the life one experienced in Victorian England.

Thomas de Quincey later goes on to be a well respected writer and in his book Confessions of an English Opium Eater, he explored the manners, the boredom, the passion and hopelessness oftentimes presented in Victorian life.

For those who love historical fiction, this novel was a treat and gave the reader perspective, fine writing, and ultimately a greater understanding of what life was like if one was a Victorian.

Thank you to NetGalley and Holland House for an ARC of this book.

Why couldn't this book be longer?

"The Alphabet of Heart's Desire" is a splendid piece of historical fiction following the youth of Thomas de Quincey--yes, he of "Confessions of an English Opium Eater"--Anne, and Tuah, other young people living in the raw world of East London in the early 19th century. Anyone who loves finely wrought lit fic in a historical setting will be all in on this story which is completely engrossing. The last page came as a complete surprise to me--I was so ready for more!

What a treat!

The Alphabet of Heart's Desire is a fantastic piece of historical fiction primarily set in Victorian London. In it, author Brian Keaney paints a vivid picture of three very different lives: that of a young woman struggling to survive as a prostitute, a captured Asian slave adjusting to an entire new way of life, and an imagining of the earlier days of poet Thomas De Quincey.

The chapters rotate between these three main characters, providing a quick and even flow to the story line. As the plot progressed, the lives of the characters intersected as well as becoming inextricably linked - some with final resolution and some without.

The book had many beautifully written passages describing various sensations and sights on the streets of London - the smells, the sounds, the faces, the clothing. He brought the past to life without succumbing to the habit of over-describing, as many historical fiction writers tend to do.

Fictionalising the life of a well known literary character can often come across as amateurish, but I felt that Keaney did Thomas De Quincey justice. His treatment of laudanum as the invisible, unofficial main character of the novel showed how a well educated man such as De Quincey could develop such a strong addiction to the drug. It seems like an entirely plausible backstory to the life of the poet.

My only complaint is that the book felt a little short, although that could be attributed to the fact that I loved it so much that I couldn't put it down.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the book's publisher, Holland House, for providing me with an ARC.