Engaging narrator but the characters and story felt quite predictable - I didn't feel any drive to keep reading. DNF

I thoroughly enjoyed this, written mainly as a diary to his son with letters to and from his beloved Anne, we learn about this extraordinary life in Georgian London. Although ficionalised, Sancho was a real person. Born on a slave ship in 1729 in the Atlanic then orphaned, Sancho goes on to have a very unusual upbringing and fascinating series of jobs, combined with meeting some hugely influential people such as Samuel Johnson, Gainsborough and David Garrick. His story manages to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming, he is taken in by the Duke of Montagu who is kind, teaches him to write but there is always an element of danger such as the slave catchers. With huge obstacles to climb, he goes on to become writer, musician and composer amongst other things. He was the the first black person to vote in Britain and became a leader in the fight to end slavery. There is clearly a lot of historical research in here and it is told with a storytellers skill, I certainly learned much about this period of British history as well as more about what life was like on the plantations. Dark at times, brutal, honest and hopeful, it's a cracking read and I highly recommend.

With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC, all views are my own.

The secret diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Patterson Joseph is a fictional story based on a real person. Sancho was a black Composer and a writer and was believed to be the first black person to vote in Britain. This is an account of his life. Call it a memoir is you will. I have not heard of Sancho and had to goggle his name to find out more.
He was born on black slave ship in 1729 but then lost his parents. In 1749 He was brought to London where he was then sold to three sisters who treated him like a pet. He managed to escape them but first became destitute until he met the Duke of Montagu who taught him to read and write.
Parts of the story tells us of his courtship and marriage to Anne and the horrors that go on with the black slavers. And Sancho using his higher status joins the British Abolitionist movement to fight against the slave trade.
Thank you, Little Brown, and NetGalley for a copy of this book. This an entertaining read of not only the life of Charles Ignatius Sancho but also an insight into the Black slavery in Britain. I know it existed but for me I did not know much about it until I read this. After reading I had to find out more about him. 4 stars from me.

I had not heard of Charles Ignatius Sancho before reading this - I was surprised to discover his extraordinary story in the pages of this book.
Sancho looks back on his life in the letters and diaries addressed to his young son (and let's not forget the letters from his wife narrating the awful situation in Barbados and Antigua). Fascinating and educational.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4921443401

A really interesting (and educational) book, but didn't quite manage to keep me gripped throughout, and at times I felt like I was having to force myself to plough on with it. Glad I persevered, though.

It's always an intrigue, reading a first book written by a celebrity and a little worry that it won't be any good... no problem here! "The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho" by Paterson Joseph is so eloquently written. The book was well structured and I particularly enjoyed Sancho's early life. A refreshing historical read.

The weaving of the fictitious story around the real life of Charles Ignatius Sancho is expertly done. The book pulled me in with its vivid descriptions, evocative of 18th century life to the point where I could almost smell it. The horror of slavery and the divisions within society at the time are made clear. This has created a curiosity to find out more about Sancho who I had never heard of before reading this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Paterson Joseph's debut novel is a triumph in bringing to life one of the missing and untold stories of black history in Britain.
Charles Ignatius Sancho's life is an extraordinary one given the times he was living in. His fortunes and failures are documented in a first person narrative to his youngest son and the voice is honest and brave.
Readers will enjoy the brushes with historical figures such as Gainsborough and Garrick (Paterson's love of Shakespeare and the theatre shines through) and documented events such as the disastrous Fireworks display on the Thames and the Gordon Riots.
A significant title that begins to address the balance of Britain's historical representation in fiction.

I enjoyed "The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho" for many of the same reasons I enjoy most books, but the highlight of this book (for me) was the "feels". Some parts make for emotional reading, both positive and negative, thanks to the superb writing of Paterson Joseph. Everything (plot, writing, setting, characters) combines beautifully and brings you within an inch of actually living the story. More please!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Really enjoyed this intriguing story of Charles Ignatius Sancho who could not have had a more difficult start to life on a slave ship. Loved the way the author used the unusual diary format to narrate the story. Plenty of twists and turns both happy and sad in the life of Sancho to keep you turning the pages to the very end.

Fascinating book based on a lot of true history. So shocking that a lot of it was true. Very believable a characters

1746 - We meet one Charles Ignatius Sancho; this is the fictionalised account of his life. A real young black man living in Georgian Britain, born on a slave ship in the middle of the Atlantic into a life of slavery. Through his diaries he tells us his tale, how he learned to write and educate himself and escaped to live on the streets, dodging slave catchers and living in fear. His life is a rollercoaster of emotion and he rises to meet the King, writes and plays music, is friends with David Garrick, has his portrait painted by Gainsborough, became the first Black person to vote in Britain and lead the fight to end slavery.

This is an incredible story, you wouldn’t believe one person could pack so much into their life! A story of desperation and loneliness, a story of fear and also a story of love and hope. I found this book enlightening, captivating and enthralling. My interest was really piqued and I went down a few rabbit holes reading about these real people and their lives, this stuff really did happen to Sancho!
I especially liked the segments of letter writing between Sancho and Anne and the contrasts between life in London and on the plantation. A lot made me feel quite saddened and just disgusted with how Black people were not treated as people. It was also a learning experience for me, I found out a lot I did not know. This is the great thing about reading both fiction and non fiction, you can broaden your horizons, educate yourself and sometimes walk in the footsteps of real people.

Let Sancho’s voice speak to you, read this one!

Paterson Joseph's debut novel is outstanding, and dramatises the life of a true character, Charles Ignatius Sancho.

Sancho was born on a slave ship, and finds himself in London living in the house of three spinsters, essentially their pet. Having engaged with education despite their wishes, he finds himself homeless in London, and this is the essence of his story - through all the incidents and escapades he gets into, and his battle to escape the slave catchers.

Sancho ends up a person of great renown, known at the court of the King, and with privilege and rights beyond most of those in his position.

This is a tremendous read, what touched me most of all is the relationship between Sancho and his future wife, Anne, and their long distance courtship.

Through letters the reader is sucked into the 18th Century in this fascinating account of a man fully immersed and revered by many in Georgian London, but hunted, hounded and excluded by others. The highs and lows of Charles's life are reflected in the mixed emotions experienced on reading this often funny, sometimes.sad, often hard to digest very British history.

As an historical fiction lover, I really enjoyed reading The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho. Based on a true story, I really felt immersed in 18th century England. Paterson Joseph has a way of writing that transports you back in time.
Charles Igantius Sancho was a black composer and writer and also it is believed, he was also the first black man to vote in Britain. Admittedly I thought the book might focus more on this aspect of Sancho's life as what a defining moment in history this was, however the book is a fictionalised history of his earlier life, and I wasn't disappointed.
Sancho's acquaintances with the nobility were extremely fortunate and the fact that he was able to learn to read and write stood him in good stead during his later life. This allowed him to eventually find work and freedom. His life in London was undoubtedly tough as an educated black man, but Sancho navigates life to the best of his ability and achieves a lot.
I found this quite a moving read and would definitely read more by Paterson Joseph in the future.

Initially I was intrigued by the storyline with its enlightening themes of slavery and its abolition, but then I began to find the stylised writing and constant leaps in timeline confusing. As a fictionalised biography it is brilliantly researched but ultimately I was defeated and confused by the writing style. Others will love it, it just was not for me.

So informative and great to learn about ethnic minorities in the 18th century. This book provides real-life chapters of Charles Ignatius Sancho, a free black man in England. He encounters slave catchers, London life, good people and eventually his future wife, Anne Osborne. Such an important book for anyone interested in history, society and culture.

Based on a true story, The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho, is a debut novel by Paterson Joseph. And you can tell it’s been written by an actor and literature lover. The dialogue and descriptions are strewn with nods to Dickens and quotes from Shakespeare.

The story of the writer, shopkeeper and abolitionist, starts with ‘Sancho’ being born a slave and shipped to Georgian London as a toddler.

His secret diaries and letters written to his son before he dies, tell of his ups and downs, and the extremes of what life has thrown at him.

Along the way he has met servants, slave-catchers, gamblers and kings, with many a famous name dropped in along the way.

Sometimes the story felt a little disjointed, as if there were some holes in the plot, but I imagine that might be down to the original research. It’s always hard with historic novels knowing how much actually happened.

I can imagine it making a great BBC costume drama. I’d be surprised if it hasn’t been signed up already.

Thank you to NetGalley for this preview to review in my own words.

Charles Ignatius Sancho - a bit pompous, not completely likeable but totally fascinating. This is the story of a real black man born into slavery but living a good life in 18th century London. The historical detail is fascinating with many mentions of well-known figures and an interesting depiction of attitudes to black people three centuries past.

This is the fictional story of the real Charles Ignatius Sancho and it had me griped from the start.

It starts in 1729 when Charles is born on a slave ship and he loses both his parents. Forward to 1746 and he is constantly on the run from slave catchers and trying to find the person that showed him a kindness once. What follows is an incredibly moving story both beautiful and heartbreaking.

The way the author manages to bring the Georgian era alive is transfixing, their narrative is very descriptive and immersive.