I found this fictionalised account of the life of the poet and playwright William Congreve just a touch dry for my liking. The writing is excellent and that's really what kept me reading when my interest began to falter. It reads more like a straight historical account and, while interesting, it wasn't hugely entertaining as a fiction. I enjoyed the framing device and was almost more intrigued by the history of Stowe than the central subject.

really enjoyed reading this novel about William Congreve, it was a wonderful tribute with a great plot and I really enjoyed reading this.

I loved the writing style of this book, let me tell you that. It was easy to read, it felt well-researched, and I will definitely pay more attention tot his author.

This book is a fictionalized account of William Congreve. I found that it was really well researched, well written and engaging.
I'd definitely read again from the author.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

A Mirror for Monkeys is a book WAY out of my normal reading wheelhouse and I'm glad to have read it. I'm not generally a fan of English/European literature but thankful to have learned more about this piece of history. This is roughly 100 yrs or so after Shakespeare (late 1600s - early 1700s) and takes place in Europe about a manservant (scribe/assistant) finding an 18th century memoir of William Congreve, English Playwright. It takes you through the times, and various people.

It was a little slower for me-- since, again, not my normal genre and I just took my time. The writing was more so contemporary (which I appreciated because it made it more engaging to read). I did have to research some parts of history.

If you like English lit and European history, you might really enjoy this read!

In the grounds of Stowe House stands a monument to William Congreve, playwright and poet, and in a derelict house in London a latin manuscript is found purporting to be a biography of Congreve. In his tale Jeremy Fetch tells the life of his master through forty years of British history. Here famous characters come and go within the narrative of a talented yet impecunious and somewhat selfish writer.
The device of using a fictionalised biography works well here as it enables some licence with the facts and enough space for embellishment of events. However this is also a thoroughly entertaining romp through Restoration Britain populated by individuals known to history but with a slant on actuality that really works. I felt that the motif of using the follies in the grounds of Stowe to link events in the narrative was excellent. Spurling has a light hand with his writing which means that it seems insubstantial, as a reader I shot through this book in a couple fo hours, yet is actually very learned.

3.4 stars

A very entertaining way to explore the life of a historical figure.

I am grateful to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book for review.

My knowledge of the life of William Congreve was non-existent prior to reading this novel, and I thoroughly appreciate how it gave an overview of politics and society during that time period. I really enjoyed its structure, and how the story was really a collection of "true accounts" found in documents that Spurling has put together for us. I am not usually a fan of biographies /memoirs etc, but I was interested in this one because the setup seemed interesting and I was not disappointed.

May favourite thing about this book was the perspective of Congreve's manservant Jeremy. Jeremy is present for many of interesting interactions and allows us to feel like we have a true fly-on-the-wall view of everything. The story manages to feel tangible, and the characters and scenarios had healthy doses of intrigue and humor. The story is a fun fictionalization of a famous life in 1700s England.

However, the book sometimes felt a bit drawn out, and that is my one critique. I think if you are not already invested in the story of Congreve and how his life intersects with all the other famous literary names of the era, the story starts to drag. At certain points I felt like I was simply on a tour where important places and anecdotes were being pointed out to me. That is a small critique though, since I think many readers would find those portions really enjoyable.

I recommend this to fans of historical fiction and classic literature.

Beneath the floorboards of a ruined house, an 18th-century memoir is discovered. It reveals the life story of William Congreve, the acclaimed English playwright. The lost manuscript is penned by his faithful servant, Jeremy, who tells how they lived together through fierce political division and triumphal nationalism in that era of war with France, the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution.

It is witty and playful and was a delight to read. Reading it has certainly made me curious about the literary and political world that William Congreve inhabited. After such a positive experience I have also added a few of John Spurling’s titles to my wish list.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I'm sad that I missed downloading this book before it was archived. It looks really good and the other reviewers seem happy!

“This is my monument to the man I served and loved for more than half his life, a mirror for monkeys perhaps, or it may be that I am the monkey holding up the mirror, from the top of which my master’s face stares at me in dismay.” - Jeremy Fetch

My thanks to Duckworth Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘A Mirror for Monkeys’ by John Spurling in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fascinating novel that chronicles the life of acclaimed English playwright, William Congreve. It is framed as an 18th-century memoir discovered under the floorboards of a ruined house.

The memoir is penned by Congreve’s faithful servant, Jeremy Fetch. This was not his real name but Congreve had named him for the manservant character he had created for his play, ‘Love For Love’. Together they live through these tumultuous times and the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution.

The narrative is vividly peppered with historical figures including Dryden, Vanbrugh, Swift, Pope, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and Lady Henrietta Godolphin, daughter of the infamous Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough.

John Spurling is an award-winning playwright and novelist, whose work I was completely unaware of before reading this novel. It is written in the style of the 18th-century yet remains extremely readable. While it took me a short time to get used to the lyrical style, once I did I was mesmerised.

It is witty and playful and was a delight to read. Reading it has certainly made me curious about the literary and political world that William Congreve inhabited. After such a positive experience I have also added a few of John Spurling’s titles to my wish list.

*A big thank-you to John Spurling, Duckworth Books, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
A most entertaining read covering the life of William Congreve, as told by his manservant Jeremy. Historical fiction at its best: superby presented life of William, and the political and social backgrounds of his times, between the Glorious Revolution and the second king of the Hanoverian dynasty. Book is filled with big names of those days, wit, a little humour and observations on the times and Congreve who was one of the authors whose works I was expected to read but who as a person did not mean much to me. This has changed thanks to this unexpected gem of a novel.

An entertaining historical novel about the life and works of William Congreve, an English playwright from the late 1600s, early 1700s. He was well connected with other writers (Swift, Pope and others) and also politics so the story covers a lot of the history of England during this period. There’s a clever structure to the novel as it’s set up as a found manuscript, and the biography is written by Congreve’s servant Jeremy.

I discovered a great author through his description and tribute of William Congreve. When reading, you hardly believe it is a historical fiction. I looked for the sources of the quotes , but, of course, could not find any.
What I mostly enjoyed is all the narratives about the actors. The crafted descriptions, the vivacity of the talented writing, all is making the people coming out alive from the pages. A master piece !
All opinions are mine, I received a copy from NetGalley

This book is historical fiction at its best. A charming fictionalised account of William Congreve's life and works, taking in the Restoration and the complex political manoeuvring. I read ( and thoroughly enjoyed) Margarette Lincoln's London and the Seventeenth Century just last month, and this book picks up where that ends. England was going through an uneasy period- the last century had seen the execution of a king, multiple riots over religion, a Military dictatorship under Cromwell, the strengthening of Parliamentary democracy, the Restoration, the Glorious Revolution, and further uncertainty about the direction the country was going to take. Queen Anne seemed to favour her Catholic-leaning exiled brother's family, instead of the Hanoverian relations favoured by the Parliament, with the further prospect of civil war. Spurling explores this time, and the main players, through a lovely narrative device- the country estate of Stowe, with its many monuments commemorating British worthies, commissioned by Lord Cobham, with his Whig leanings. Each chapter starts with a particular feature of Stowe, and traces events through that. Choosing Congreve as the linking thread is clearly a wise decision, apart from being an important member of the Kit-Cat Club that a lot of influential men belonged to, his satires were at the centre of policy decisions on censorship and artistic freedoms. His works are placed in the proper context of their times, and even if you've never been interested in his plays, by the end of the book you definitely are. The narrator of the book is Congreve's....Chief of Staff, such as he is, given that he helps him with his translations, and runs his household for him. The book mentions intelligent, witty manservants being a feature of all of Congreve's plays, and I thought that might be an inspiration for Jeeves, but that's also apparently a feature of Ancient Greek comedy. Jeeves has classical roots then!

If you're a fan of the movie The Favourite, this book is recommended reading. The main characters play important parts here as well, and in a far more significant way. The machinations of Sarah Churchill had far more profound political implications for the country, something not adequately emphasised in the movie. The book completely transports you to a very chaotic historical period, and right now, with the present times being so distressing, you really couldn't ask for more!

An interesting, well researched and well written historical fiction by a new to me author.
it helped me to discover William Congreve and I loved the style of writing and the well plotted story.
I will surely read other books by this author, this one is highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The biography of the English playwright and poet William Congreve as told by his faithful manservant and friend Jeremy, is at the centre of John Spurling's latest literary gift A mirror for monkeys, a delightful novel that will take the reader through a magnificent tapestry of English cultural, historical, intellectual and political life from the premises of the Glorious Revolution to the beginning of George II's reign. Teeming with a cast of unforgettable characters and full of humor and gossip, this delightful fictional romp is also a stunning portrait of a nation on the brink of greatness. An unexpected surprise to be enjoyed without any moderation!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Duckworth for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel prior to its release date

I’m slightly embarrassed to say I had not previously heard of John Spurling. Given the titles of his earlier works and the reception they have received, I’m not quite sure how I managed that. I quite like the framing device of a found manuscript; I enjoyed A Room Made of Leaves and His Bloody Project. The initial set-up here is clever, a frame within a frame as we are first told by Henry how he came into possession of the manuscript and then introduced to Jeremy who wrote it. It was so deftly done that in a matter of a few pages I had almost forgotten I was reading a novel.
In having a servant writing in his twilight years about his former master, it reminded me of Robert Harris’s Cicero trilogy. Here, Jeremy takes us on a two-page whistle-stop tour of the history of the preceding decades as an introduction to the tales of his master, the poet and playwright William Congreve, and a series of mini-biographies of the great and the good of Restoration London.
Will and Jeremy are pleasant company and I enjoyed their verbal sparring. It’s a jolly romp through Congreve’s life but I’m not sure it’s anything more than that. The stories are told briskly, each attached to one of the astonishing array of buildings in the gardens at Stowe (imagine the rabbit hole I went down looking at Wikipedia and Google Maps). Spurling, via the conduit of Jeremy, has no shortage of wit and I got a real sense of the sentiments and mores of the time. There are some cracking summaries of complicated history and politics dashed off in a few sentences. It reads more like a biography or popular history than a novel but it’s no less jolly for that.

A tribute to William Congreve which describes his life, and the historical context that he moved in. His first real instructions on hiring Jeremy were clear, do not give false and flattering praise. Aside from the instructions to fetch his things of course, I am talking about the important instructions, not trivia, because it reveals the character of the man. I enjoyed the book immensely. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advance copy of this book.