This is an interesting read and gave me an insight into theatrical life in the Victorian era. It focuses on a main female character Zilla who under the direction of the theatre owner, provides entertainment to theatregoers based on the colour of her skin. When it is highlighted to Zilla that she is being exploited, she undertakes to help free another woman and her child from a similar fate.

There's more to the book based on Zilla's relationships, friendships and backstory. I really enjoyed the London setting and the portrayal of a woman coming to terms with her past and trying to find her way in a hostile environment where she's unsure of whom to trust.

An interesting story about Zilla a young girl who was abandoned by her mother a slave working in a house in London.

Zilla ends up working at Crillick theatre doing a dance routine as the Great Amazonian.... while from a mixed race she was born and bred in London.

Zilla has a relationship with Viscount Woodward one of Crillicks friends

A look at the musical hall and variety theatre of the 19th century. I understand that this was written for young adults,,,, while I enjoyed it I find it difficult to think of any teenagers who would... hence my rating

An engaging and compelling story set in 19th century London. Set against the backdrop of popular theatre, the novel centres around the star of a variety show, who being mixed race is cast as an African warrior character and her relationship with an upper class aristocrat with dubious friends and connections. This leads to a sinister discovery of exploitation and criminality which our heroine investigates and exposes, leading her to question the morality of how she earns a living. Well researched and thoughtfully written, this is an interesting read.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Theatre Of Marvels - Lianne Dillsworth

‘𝐆𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡? 𝐍𝐨, 𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞. 𝐀𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐞𝐡? 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲- 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.’

Zillah is a proud and strong, independent woman. She is a free woman, born free and has grown up in the slums of Victorian London. She wants better for herself and stepping out with a Viscount is a way to do that. She is a black, British actress in Crillick’s theatre as ‘The Great Amazonia’; people pay to see her perform but then she meets Lucien Winters. He was a slave and although she doesn’t want to be, she is drawn to him. When a new act disappears, Zillah finds herself embroiled in the underbelly of London, haunted by what she has seen and desperate to find The Leopard Lady, she puts everything at risk.

‘𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝: 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐧, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭.’

This is really rich and atmospheric writing, full of mystery, I was gripped from the start and entranced by Zillah’s story. She is a strong, brave character with a clear voice and I loved watching her develop and discover her true self.
Victorian London is vividly brought to life, the smells and sounds making it feel an immersive experience to read.

‘𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞.’

Exploring race and class, this book made me think, it shocked me and it made me sad. The leopard lady’s introduction was as horrifying as it was sad. We treated people like this in reality, it is an awful truth and one that should never be hidden.

An atmospheric, sumptuous read, full of spectacle, secrets and truths that need to be told.

✩✩✩✩

This was a fascinating read. I did already know something of the Black population of Victorian London, the exhibition of people of colour as freaks/animals and the foundation of Sierra Leone, but Theatre of Marvels brought it all to life in a hugely entertaining way. I loved Zillah's personal awakening as to her complicity and found her a very engaging & sympathetic narrator. The scene where rhe Leopard Woman is first exhibited at Crillick's house was exceptionally well done and I really felt Zillah's horror at what she was witnessing.

Considering the slow pace and lack of action in this book, it’s still very enjoyable. Dillsworth really brings Victorian London to life, providing a unique story that’s interesting and thought-provoking.

The backdrop of the grey city streets contrasts superbly with the vibrancy of the theatre - somewhere that many through the years have dared to call home when they were not welcome elsewhere.

Well-researched and written, it’s a real page-turner with strong characters who are engaging and believable.

Zillah in particular is feisty and determined, but her character develops throughout the story and we see her change from a fairly proud woman into someone who has real depth.

Powerful, compelling and visual, this is a fantastic book.

This book wasn't as good as I expected but I still absolutely loved it and fell in love with all of the characters. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Oh, how I wanted to love this book. The set-up and premise is great- a woman of colour who is forging her way in Crillick's Variety Theatre, Victorian drama, society intrigue and mystery. Zillah could have been an iconic character, but even before the mystery at the heart of the story began I found her a bit insipid.

A mystery and the arrival of an intriguing stranger draws Zillah into a London and world she was unaware of. I enjoyed the descriptions of the theatre and the area of London Zillah grew up in, but it didn't draw me in quite enough. The narrative thrust was sadly slow, with not as much action or engagement as I wanted. I hoped this would be a Sally Lockheart but-on-stage story, but I found it a bit of a drag.

A dark tale in Victorian times highlighting the differences between those born to privilege who are easily shocked and those who are not of their world and are abused to provide entertainment for the privileged.

Every evening at Crillick’s theatre Zillah puts on stage makeup and her costume and performs as Amazonia. She thinks nothing of her act until a meeting with a stranger begins to alter her mindset and she realises that she has no idea who she really is and whether her performance is what she originally thought. Will she come to her senses in time to save Crillick’s latest marvel?

This was an enjoyable read that highlights the struggles of being a black lower class woman in Victorian London. It was fairly fast paced with lots of twists and turns but some of the relationships felt a little weak and I wanted a bit more from them. Overall it kept my attention and I’d recommend this if you’re a fan of historical fiction.

The debut historical fiction novel by Lianne Dillsworth sheds a light on Victorian London, the disparity and inequality between race, class, the wealthy and poor. The story of Zillah is enthralling and emotive, a mixed race young woman from the slums of St Giles in the East End, acting as the ‘Great Amazonia Warrior’ at Crillick’s Variety Theatre however all is not what it seems. Forced to sharpen her nails to points, to blacken herself by wearing make up and act as a savage on stage, Zillah does not consider how her acting role reflects or portrays her heritage or the colour of her skin until she meets the mysterious stranger sitting in the stalls one night.

I’ve read many reviews suggesting this is more of a YA read, I entirely disagree in that although the historical components of the story or the main issues raised such as race and poverty are not heavy, the writing and themes are also not immature. The Theatre of Marvels is a fantastic novel, not only is the writing gripping but it is also informative and thought provoking without becoming draining or difficult to read. The descriptions of the sights and smells of Victorian London are immersive and encourage the reader to truly imagine what it would have been like to face decisions and encounters such as Zillah’s during this time.
Equally, reviewers have also suggested that the relationship between Lucien and Zillah is underdeveloped. In parts I do agree however I think this was an intentional and necessary feature in Zillah’s story, as how little she truly knew him and their differences were quite clearly demonstrated in the last few chapters.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the Theatre of Marvels which thoughtfully tackles themes of slavery, exploitation and racism. I feel this will be popular among historical fiction fans and those who enjoy authors such as Stacey Halls.

Zillah works at Crillick’s Variety Theatre. She puts on her skimpy animal fur costume each night and steps out on stage as The Great Amazonia, the warrior from Africa.
Except she’s not. She’s Zillah, a 20-year-old mixed-race woman from St Giles, a down at heel area of London.

She’s one of the lucky ones, having caught the eye of her boss’ friend, a viscount, she begins to enjoy a certain level of luxury.
But with her act requiring her to file her nails into points, cover herself in tar, and pretend to be from another continent, she is always at risk of being found out as the “gaffed “ performer that she is - a fraud.

It wasn’t Zillah’s idea to become Amazonia. She doesn’t even want to act but as a young Black woman with no living family in Victorian London, it’s the best she can hope for, until a chance encounter with a mysterious man at the theatre makes her open her eyes to a world out there bigger than she imagined. And she gets an opportunity to make up for her own mistakes.

This is a YA read and I found it quick and easy to dip in and out of, but diehard historical fiction fans might want a bit more detail. Theatrical Victorian London nonetheless comes to life through sights, sounds and smells.
We get to know Zillah through the tough moral decisions she’s forced to make, and as the story progresses, she comes to terms with her own identity and her place in the world through her chance to save other performers in a less advantageous position. The novel also presents important topics like human rights, racism, colonialism and poverty.


Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

I'd read so many good reviews of this book that I was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately I was disappointed. I felt it never really got going. I never got the sense of the exuberance of the music hall. It was often repetitive; I had to check that I hadn't already read the paragraph. It was more Theatre of Humdrum than Marvels.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

I picked Theatre of Marvels up because I love most things set in or based on the Victorian period. There’s something about the era that fascinates me, perhaps partly because it’s the era where a lot of our modern ideas originated. The 19th century saw monumental shifts in the way we live and work, and a lot of the debates that began then are still happening now.

Theatre of Marvels centres on a black actress called Zillah, who is trying to escape the poverty she grew up in. She’s made it so far, but only through using her ‘novelty’ status as a black actress to her advantage. She’s a sympathetic character, and as Dillsworth tells the story in first person perspective, exclusively from her point of view, we get to know her quite well. It’s easy to see her character developing throughout the book, and I liked the slow way she had realisations. Dillsworth did a really good job of showing Zillah’s understanding of the world around her grow. Though I, as a reader from the 21st century, could see what was wrong, and what Zillah needed to understand, it was still fulfilling to see Zillah come to those realisations and understandings.

The other characters in the novel felt realistic, and I enjoyed the friendships played out in the book. I suppose because Theatre of Marvels is set in the underbelly of the Victorian world, rather than ‘proper’ society, as we see in a lot of novels set in this time period, the relationships between characters are quite free (in the sense that they don’t worry so much about their reputation or what society will think of them for having sex outside of marriage). This side of Victorian society feels much closer to our own. Yes, there are concerns about pregnancy, but this is something the central character feels confident she can prevent. As a result, the relationships are messy, and feel quite contemporary.

Thematically, the book is most obviously about race. But it’s also about class too. In a promotional video on Twitter the author says that she hopes people come away from reading Theatre of marvels with a better understanding of the black population in London in the Victorian period. As she says, most people aren’t aware that there was a black population in Britain at that time, and I will admit that I know little of that part of Victorian history. And this is why I love historical fiction: it can teach you something that you otherwise might not have even been aware that you don’t know.

Dillsworth sets Theatre of Marvels at the time when the UK government were trying to encourage the ‘Black poor’ to leave Britain for Sierra Leone to start a new life there. So there is this undercurrent of political tension running through the narrative. Zillah differentiates herself from the ‘Black poor’ as she prides herself on having been ‘born free.’ Whereas her mother was a slave, she was born outside of that system.

This serves as a stark reminder that slavery didn’t just end in a clean, easy way. There were many ex-slaves left without homes, without incomes, without any means of gaining those things. As Zillah finds in her life, getting work as a black person was extremely difficult due to the extreme (and legal) prejudices that existed against non-white people. These ideas all tie into the central question the novel asks about identity: who are we really? And what creates and defines that identity?

As for class, Theatre of Marvels deals with that alongside race, in a way that I really appreciated. For me, Dillsworth suggests that the two things are interlinked. Zillah cannot escape either – though one is obviously harder to hide than the other. Zillah attempts to fit into upper-class society, and finds she struggles. She never seems to feel at home in the big house with the fancy clothes. Yet she doesn’t feel at home in the slums anymore either. She is caught between two worlds. And that resonated a lot with me.

I have two main criticisms of Theatre of Marvels. The first is about the relationship that Zillah develops with another character throughout the book. For me, there just something missing in the development of her feelings for this person. I felt like Dillsworth could have shown Zillah’s feelings a little more, and really helped me, as the reader, to understand how Zillah’s feelings were developing. Instead, I felt like, towards the end, that I’d missed something. I felt disconnected from that side of the story.

The second criticism regards a secondary character and the way Dillsworth represented them.. This character felt, to me, queer-coded. But Dillsworth never explicitly gave an answer to the question she had asked for the entire story: is this person queer? For a story written in contemporary times, I feel a bit let down that authors still do this. I understand that in Victorian society queer relationships weren’t at all acceptable and were in fact illegal. But for a contemporary reader, there is no reason to never explicitly say one way or the other. For a story that otherwise concludes in quite a satisfying way, this one thing bothered me.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Theatre of Marvels. It was a refreshing take on an historical fiction novel set in the Victorian period, and I really liked reading about characters who weren’t part of upper-class society. I also enjoyed learning about an aspect of history that I don’t know much about, and it has inspired me to do more research and learn more. Theatre of Marvels is well-written, with engaging characters, and a storyline that kept me intrigued all the way through. I hope to read more from Dillsworth in the future.

Theatre of Marvels by Lianne Dillsworth
I really enjoyed this debut novel by Lianne Dillsworth. It features mixed race woman in Victorian England. Zillah works at Crillicks Variety Theatre and there performs as Amazonia, a warrior woman from Africa. She has lived all her life in London and is an orphan from the slums of St Giles. We learn that she was brought up by a woman named Mrs Bradley and that her mother, a slave, had given her into this woman’s care at the age of seven.
Although slavery has been abolished there are many other forms of abuse going on in Victorian England and the freak shows of the time treat humans with complete inhumanity. A man called Lucien visits the theatre one day and begins to make Zillah question what she is doing in her role on stage I absolutely love the cover of this book. Zillah’s only friend is Ellen a young Irish girl struggling to make enough money to bring her family over from Ireland and from there to travel to New York.

Theatre Of Marvel shines a powerful light on what it was like to be black, female and British in Victorian London. Zillah is an interesting creation and I read her story with fascination. I will be recommending this to my various book groups and would like to thank the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was an exciting, easy to read novel with serious themes. In Victorian London Zillah, an actress, plays The Great Amazonia, a fake "freak" but is forced to question her job and eventually her beliefs about herself when her boss brings a "Leopard Lady" into his show. The first half is quite slow going as the story gets set up and we get to know Zillah, but then the plot twists come thick and fast. I found the characters compelling and I enjoyed spending time with Zillah. I didn't like the ending, so that spoiled my enjoyment a bit, but that's entirely a matter of personal taste. Overall a very good story that's worth reading.

I'd like to thank the publishers, Random House UK, and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance release copy, I really appreciate it.

I was sent a copy of Theatre of Marvels by Lianne Dillsworth to read and review by NetGalley. I enjoyed this novel very much, although I have to say there were times when it felt very reminiscent of something else that I have read – I just can’t quite remember what though! I loved the way it was written in the first person, I really liked protagonist Zillah’s voice, and the descriptions of both people and places seemed very authentic and atmospheric. This book is part mystery/thriller and part social commentary of the Victorian age, there’s something here for everyone! A very enjoyable read, only just missing out on the top 5 star rating from me.

This wasn't what I expected. Although I'm not 100% sure what I expected.
I also feel this could potentially be labelled a very light mystery since there's the mystery surrounding Leopard Lady.

I did really enjoy this. Although there was a point where I lost a little bit of interest. While the beginning was rather slow I felt once I pasted the halfway part I was getting through the book a little quicker.

Zillah was an interesting character to read. While she had her own screen regarding her on stage persona. She felt the most real off stage.
She was the one who knew something was up with leopard lady. She wouldn't stop until she knew the truth. Wanting to help anyway she could.

"Freaks are big business, Zillah." and so they were in this captivating tale in all its literal meaning of Victorian theatre world and an underbelly of curiosities.
Zillah is a brilliant positive portrayal of a young half caste women, born in Britain and living in the slums of St Giles in London wo works in Marcus Grillick's Theatre. That her popular role is 'pretending' to be an even darker Amazonian woman in various scenes on stage draws large audiences and often admiring advances. But Zillah's roots in the East End also show the class differences. Her lover Viscount Vincent Woodward seems truly to care for her but he seems caught between love and a duty to a father whose plantation and slaves brings the spectre of how post the Abolition Act of William Wilberforce and Parliament that many landed white gentry sought 'compensation 'reparations' for their loss of vile human cargo and how treatment and prejudice still could not make many feel 'at home' in Britain.
The world of this part of London is described in detail and with consideration of how girls, women and some men still cowered on the edges of acceptance and poverty. Zillah's friend at the theatre Ellen from Galway, Ireland also shows the lengths both immigrants and women must accept to make their way in the world.
When Zillah meets Lucien Winters and his friend Elvira Masterson who are trying to raise funds for a scheme to send 'blacks' to Sierra Leone in Africa, where Freetown and their ability to start lives afresh maybe offered Zillah is drawn into an underworld beyond the open stage show.
The idea of freak shows and an Odditorium (still an event on some theatre fringes it seems) showed the worst of humanity. Zillah fears the involvement of Crillick and even her lover Vincent. Will she brave enough to pursue the rescue of desperate people now taken into 'theatrical captivity' for exploitation and experimentation.
Zillah's past and her need to see the best in all may be her downfall. Overall her courage amongst a small group of friends made this a marvellous novel with a plot that grew in tension right to the very end. There is more to be told from this tale - what did really happen to those captured/escaped from such shows? I think this author is just the person to explore these ideas again.
A great read. Entertaining, gothic and yet learning so much.

I didn't actually enjoy this book, I found the writing itself a bit flat and somehow immature for want of a better word. However I am grateful for what I've leared from it. The Sierra Leone scheme made me think of the shameful proposed policy of sending those who come here seeking refuge and security to another country, in this case Rwanda, saying it's for the best. Some things never change.