A glorious romp through seventeenth century London. H, so-called because her parents cannot agree on a name (what memories that brings back!), finds herself thrown out on the streets, penniless and alone. She survives the plague, the great fire, deception and violence. Coincidences and slightly too colourful characters abound, but I couldn't stop myself turning the pages way after what should have been my bedtime. The denouement was, in my opinion, only just the right side of kitsch, and - again in my opinion - I could easily, happily have done without the prologue. But it was all most enjoyable nonetheless.

This is a wonderful book, emotionally rich, and well researched. H is taken in by her aunt Madge, and is happy for a while, but from then on, things unravel at a great pace, not least due to the Plague, and great Fire of London. The Plague is described in detail, and the historical background to it, and the Great Fire, is the best I have read so far.
Without inserting any spoilers into this review, I can say this is the most impressive novel, for it's page turning qualities, and humour, at times. Also the character development. This includes H's own character, as she grows up, and learns more about life.
I would recommend this book to all who love historical novels.

When H loses her father, she is sent, along with her sister, to live with her Aunt in London. H and her sister live comfortably with their Aunt until the plague returns to London and their household is torn apart. From here, H is forced to look after herself, the only way she knows how.

The Strange Adventures of H is a piece of excellent historical fiction that easily goes to the top of my list of 2020 books.

Although H comes across as very naive at the start of the book, you're drawn in by her narrative and can't help but love and care for her character.

Many parts of this book are quite intense. The descriptions of plague ridden London and then London suffering the Great Fire are really interesting and well done. I also enjoyed reading about the social norms and classes of the time and how it could tear a family apart. A lot of research has been put in here by the author to great effect!

I was sad for it to end but, whilst it wasn't the ending I'd have picked, it was rounded off very nicely.

I'll definitely be picking up a physical copy of The Strange Adventures of H and be recommending it to everyone!

Wow this was a book I wasn't sure whether I'd like or not - I love historical fiction but usually more recent history than this so I was uncertain... but wow! I really enjoyed it.

It is set in the 17th century and deals with huge events in history that we all know about with basic GCSE-level knowledge - the plague, the great fire of London etc. And it was just so absorbing, told in first person it was really well told and helped me to learn all about what it would be like living through these events and also help me to understand how it happened.

The main character is H who is a child at first in this story and then an older teenager. I felt like I really got to know her and follow her through her journey in these pages.

It is the kind of book which has stayed with me, I think it was even more powerful given that we are in the midst of the covid pandemic so a lot of the things which came up with the plague were also relevant today despite being so many years apart! A fantastic read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a type of historical fiction that I didn’t know I needed. My favourite period of history is 17th century Britain so this was either going to be amazing or horrible for me! Luckily, I absolutely loved it. Throughout the book, there is fantastic imagery of London, portraying both the Great Fire and the Plague and the effects both had on the city and its people. It was even more interesting reading about the Plague whilst experiencing the current Covid-19 pandemic.

The book being in first person was extremely interesting as, in the beginning, we get what I’d say is a very accurate portrayal of a childish mind, which develops with the storyline into a woman’s mind. I feel we always understand why H does the things she does because we are so wrapped up in her mind and thoughts.

There were dominant themes of religion and feminism which were an interesting mix in this seventeenth century setting and one I really did enjoy. Despite this being a work of fiction, it is a pleasant thought that there may have been feminists in seventeenth century London.

More generally, the book was very fast paced at points which I thoroughly enjoyed, as I think it could have been very easy to drag this story out further and make the timeline go by a lot slower, but I don’t think that would have been as enjoyable. Linked to this, the chapters are very short which I love in a book. The ending was just a little ‘too happy’ for me BUT I don’t think I would have changed it as I am happy for the central characters.

Finally I would add a TW for sexual assault, although it is not dealt with in detail.

This was a very good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story is told by the main character “H” (how she got that name is explained later in the book). She recounts her life story starting first as a young girl living with her family in the country, then as a naïve teenager living with her Aunt and sister in London and finally as an older, wiser teenager a few years later. The story takes place in the 17th century, and includes details on the plague and the Great Fire of London that happened around 1666. Her and her sister were forced to live with her Aunt after her father had suddenly passed. Life was good with her Aunt, until her Aunt had to leave London to visit her house in the country. Her sister and H are left alone with her cousin and his wife. Life takes a turn for the worse soon after that, the rest of the story covers how H managed to survive, even thrive in the face of devastating life events. H is a likeable character, some readers may frown on how she makes her living, something that wasn’t really a decision she chose to make, but one she had to in order to survive. The ending was very satisfactory and I would certainly read another by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the read.

I absolutely love Sarah Burton's writing style! This book was a winner in my eyes - great descriptive language and really strong storytelling. I would definitely recommend it to historical fiction fans.

The story centers around H from her childhood to adulthood. She is beset by awful circumstances, one after another; orphaned, raped, and ejected from her home during the Great Plague of London (with echoes of our current circumstances), the book details her determination to survive.

I loved certain aspects - the book successfully evoked mid-1600 London, H was well-characterized, and the cast of characters were at times heart-warming, funny, horrifying, or loyal. However, much as I enjoyed the leisurely pacing for two-thirds of the book, the last third felt like a sprint towards a haphazard and contrived happy ending (even if our heroine deserved one).

Though the ending felt rushed, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to read the book. I give it four stars.

Some moments of feeling are written in your heart for ever, and this unutterably painful scene, where my sister and I stood some distance apart, both brimming over with the deepest misery, yet unable to comfort each other, has never been erased in mine.

When we first meet our heroine, H, she is attending a public execution in London with her friend. We learn that the executed man has been convicted of the murder of a woman, which was actually perpetrated by H and her friend. The book then jumps back in time and tracks H’s journey to this moment and past it, through the plague, the Great Fire of London, and various personal traumas. I hadn’t realized upon picking it up that I was reading my second book in a row set in the Stuart Era, which was a delightful surprise.

This is a stunning debut novel that captured me almost right from the beginning. Burton explored themes of loss, poverty, and chosen family through the eyes of H, a complex character for whom you can only wish the best. Unfortunately, this book is very timely, as a large portion of it centres around the plague. It was terrifying to see so many parallels to our current state in a book set during a horrific tragedy that occurred hundreds of years ago. The book touches on the particular sadness of losing a loved one and not being able to properly say goodbye or honour them, for fear of following them to the grave. It also explores the deepening of class distinction present in times like these: When the cards were on the table, the ordinary people knew, the rich would always save themselves first.

CW: depiction of sexual assault; plague

Following the footsteps of Henry Fielding (The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling), Daniel Defoe (The Fortunes & Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders) and other great 17th century novelists, Sarah Burton's masterful The Strange Adventures of H, is a rollicking and exuberant romp through the backstreets, pubs, and brothels of London in the tumultuous times of the plague and the great fire, to the sumptuous and decadent lives of the titled and wealthy. I happily read the book courtesy of NetGalley, the author and the publisher.

After her father's death, H, the eighth child of an English clergyman, finds herself and her sister sent to live with her widowed aunt in London. After being raped by a lecherous uncle, she is thrown onto the streets to fend for herself. She is 16 and with child. Her journey, which starts with hopeless despair, starts here and takes us through adventures and misadventures as H seeks to find financial and emotional security and stability. Awful as this sometimes is, H is a survivor, triumphing over the trials of plague, The Great Fire of London and the precariousness of 17th-century life for a woman of no importance. Fear not, though, all's well that ends well and getting there is all the joy of this book..

Sarah Burton lets H tell her own story. The writing is taut, crisp and observant. While the book is heavily plotted and filled with a cornucopia of colorful well-drawn characters, Burton keeps the story moving along swiftly. .The book, Sarah Burton's first novel, is a wonderful success and portends great things to come for her readers.

3.5
If I had only read the first two sections of this book, my rating would be higher, but I felt the last part brought the story down. The author does a great job of evoking London during the plague years and the Great Fire of London.

This is brilliant writing and excellent story, I would certainly reread this even in the future I enjoyed it that much and the story just kept me wanting more and more. Highly recommend this book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It kept my attention and I read it in one sitting. Cannot wait to read more by this author. Hopefully there will be another book soon.

Oops, I missed pub date for this one, because life and migraines got in the way. What a fantastic book though! I read a lot of historical fiction, and this one was completely different from any of the ones I read before. It’s hard to get into why without being spoilery, but let’s just say that H’s life didn’t turn out the way I expected at all, and I loved it.

Part of the book takes place during a plague outbreak, and I have to say it was strange to read about that now, with so many similarities to the covid situation.

Overall I really loved this novel, if you are into historical fiction set in London I am sure you will love it too. Oh! And look at that gorgeous cover!

I couldn't put this book down. Sarah Burton has created a compelling tale with complex characters and brought to life a turbulent time in London in a way I hadn't read in a long time.

*4.5*
The Strange Adventures of H is a harrowing tale of a young woman, who under dire circumstances, is thrown into the streets of London to fend for herself. Split into three parts this memoir type tale shares with us the harsh realities of what it was to be a woman during this time period. We see H grow throughout this journey into someone who is inspiring, strong and worth reading about. Sarah Burton not only delivered a realistic feeling and well-researched novel but one that can transport you to 1600’s London. She created an amazing family dynamic and explored so many varying relationship themes throughout. I cannot sing the praises of this book enough - and while there was something about the writing in part one that made anxious to continue I am so glad I did - This will be a book that will stay in my thoughts for a very long time and one that I am sure I will re-read very soon as I found it captivating and thoroughly soul-wrenching. I felt so many emotions reading this and cannot wait to see what Sarah Burton writes next!

What a fabulous book!! If this is the authors first adult fiction then I pray it isn’t her last; after all we don’t know how a certain two characters came to own a pub! (Trying to prevent spoilers!)
H is such a likeable heroine and I really was cheering her on from the sidelines throughout. The entire cast of characters were so full of life, of personality and opinions that for most you could find a redeeming feature. I like this as in reality I don’t believe that people are intrinsically evil. Roger though? The Jury is still out ;-)
The historical detail was very good and I like the fact that the author used the historic events as a back drop to H’s story but didn’t let them over power the narrative. This could so easily have turned into a ‘plague novel’ or ‘great fire novel’ but it remained firmly about H and her adventures. I did think the novel incredibly timely as I read it during the lockdown because of the Covid 19 pandemic. Many of the things H experienced or heard during the plague summer were things that I have seen or heard this spring.
I will be watching and waiting for Sarah Burton’s next novel, whether it be linked to these characters or something new entirely!

The Strange Adventures of H is a historical fiction novel following our main character H, from her childhood to adulthood, as she survives personal struggles and the reality of surviving in 17th century London.

I really liked the start of this book. It’s split into three parts, and the first one had me hooked. The prologue was gripping and had me wanting more, but the other two parts failed to keep me invested. I liked H as a main lead. Her growth from a naive ingenue to a streetwise woman was believable, and her narrative was the strongest part, and seeing her experience the plague, Fire of London, and so many other events during that time was fascinating. I also enjoyed seeing how women had to survive in that time, from the acts they were forced to do or the sacrifices they made in order to live.

The writing I was mixed about because I loved the attention to detail and the easy flow. It was atmospheric and painted a very vivid world of London, from the grime and You can get through it pretty quickly. However, what I didn’t like was how fast paced the story was. Things happened so quickly, and we just move on before we had time to process, so it was hard to stay engaged at times.

Another negative was there was too much story. The page count is meant to be 272 pages, and the only way this would make sense if the print was tiny. So much happened, and it could’ve benefited from certain scenes being focused on, because the whole story felt rushed, and at times went very absurd in some of the plot beats used.

Overall, I still enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction. It could’ve benefited from better pacing, but it’s still a fun read.

Warning: very slight spoilers included in review.

The Strange Adventures of H is Sarah Burton’s debut novel for adults. Set in the mid 17th-century, the story is told by H, an orphan sent to live with her doting aunt in London. H’s life in London is happy until uncontrollable events take her away from the people she loves and the safety they provide. Friendless and destitute in a city ravaged by plague, H determines to do what she must to gain back the life she has lost. The story itself is separated into three segments, each named after a different identity adopted by H to help her cope at different times in her life. In ‘H’, H recounts the events that bring her to London and see her left penniless and alone. In ‘Doll’, a new H emerges, resolute and unfeeling, hardened to the realities of life on the streets. Finally, in ‘Halcyon’, H struggles against her conflicting identities; between her desire for revenge against those who have wronged her and her need for freedom and a fresh start. It’s definitely a rollercoaster of a novel, full to bursting with historical detail, plot twists, misadventures, tongue-in-cheek humour and unlikely friendships. While I’ve always endeavoured to kept my reviews spoiler-free, I feel it necessary at this point to forewarn any prospective readers that The Strange Adventures of H also contains very sexually explicit content and some distressing scenes of rape, suicide, child abuse and violence. This book will not be to everyone’s taste. But where it is shocking and at times brutal, it is equally beautiful and wholesome...the beating heart of this story is one of courage, determination and strength. So if you were drawn into the lives of the women in Hallie Rubenhold’s The Five, or enjoyed Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters, this one may be for you!

Many thanks to Sarah Burton, Legend Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, according to Goodreads the paperback edition of this book is a mere 272 pages. Either this is an egregious lie, or the font in that edition is too small for any human to read. This book was so long. And usually I’m the kind of person who wants books to be longer—I love it when a book fulfills all of its potential instead of cutting parts short! The Strange Adventures of H was a drag from start to finish (and still managed to rush the ending???).

I think this book just wasn’t my cup of tea. For one thing, it wasn’t what I was expecting. From the title, I thought that this would have, well, more strange adventures—a little bit of everyday magic, a little more strangeness, but H’s adventures were anything but. They were relatively straightforward adventures. After H, an orphaned child being raised by her aunt, is thrown out of her cousins house at the height of the bubonic plague, she takes to the streets of London, penniless and pregnant (due to unwanted advances by her cousin). She turns to prostitution to make her living. This is roughly what the hook of the book is, but these events don’t even happen until a third of the way through the book! You have to slog through her entire backstory before even reaching the defining moment, and that was the most interesting part. It goes downhill from there.

The biggest problem that I faced in this book is that I just didn’t care about H. Her character fell flat, which makes the entire book a struggle since it is written as her faux-memoir. In the first third of the book, she is painfully naive, and the reader can muster up some sympathy for her as she faces up against her pervy cousin and his catty wife. When she is thrown out, though, all of that innocence falls away, and we find ourselves with a very dry, matter-of-fact narrator. She goes through the motions, and the author relies heavily on telling rather than showing. I just never got a good sense of character from H.

As a result, her actions don’t really carry any weight. Why should the reader care about whether she’s ruining her, or anyone else’s, reputation? Why should we want her to overcome her struggles, when it hardly feels like she is struggling at all? Equally, we can’t follow the other character’s motivations either. The romance came completely out of nowhere, and then got pushed to the side again and again until the very end of the book. The ending wraps up with a neat little bow on top, and it really feels like through her entire life, H never faces consequences for anything bad she’s done, including murder.

Ah, the murder. This is not a spoiler, because the book is framed by a prologue in which H chillingly describes the hanging of a man who has been deemed guilty of murder. The reader is then informed that H is watching this execution despite the fact she knows the man to be innocent of this crime, “for [she] had tied [the victim] up and Kat had beat her with the poker.” It’s a very promising introduction to the story, and leads us to believe that the story will be about H’s fall from grace and how she became a criminal, and yet when we finally get to the murder it’s horrifically anticlimactic. H goes from 0 to murder in less than a page, and then she basically has no fallout after the fact. It was barely a blip on the radar, and it only acted as the turning point for H to get a bunch of money and move into her own house.

I don’t want to say that this book is unequivocally bad and that no one should pick it up. If you’re a fan of historical fiction and are looking to read a book where the women have a bit more agency, then you might enjoy this book. For me, however, reading this book was a chore and a bore.