The story of Mary ( and on the sidelines her sister Fanny) who was apparently a pioneering women: poet, society wit, pioneer. But she wasn't very interesting ( to me). The parts in Turkey were well written and engaging and brought to mind the brilliant first novel from Lusk but the other bits simply fell flat. I wasn't interested in what she did or why she did it or her affairs with nasty men. Nor why on earth she married the man she did. Nor why she didn't seem to like her children. It's a huge shame as I was looking forward to this tremendously. I don't doubt the research and the writing was excellent in parts but this is not one I would recommend. An honest opinion from me, sorry.

A fascinating account of a woman and period of history that I was pretty ignorant about!
As with Zachary Cloudesley, the writing is superb - there are similarities such as the obvious link to Constantinople and description of journeys across Europe, but this is far more of a historical novel, mixing fiction and biography. I was most interested in the smallpox / inoculation part of the story and was disappointed there wasn't more of that in the book, although Mary's life was so full and interesting, especially for a woman of that time, that I understand why it played a fairly minor role in the plot.
Altogether another outstanding success from this brilliant author.

In 2022 Sean Lusk entered the literary world with the magical wonderful Dickensian The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley.

His new novel A Woman of Opinion feels that it takes a nod towards the world of Thackeray and Austen.

This is the story of Mary Wortley Montagu ( 1689- 1762)- a pioneering woman ahead of her time. A woman who battled against a society where women should be 'seen and not heard' and staying at home with children was considered the expectation. Mary shattered this convention

This novel is based around the life of the real life person and is a mix of fiction and biographical.

A strong character who from her an early age was not to be forced into a marriage of status but disobeyed her father to marry Edward Wortley; although a rich man Wortley lacked the drive and ambition of Mary who in her own machiavellian way instigated his move in to politics and to become an Ambassador in Austria and Turkey.

The best parts of the novel are when Mary flaunts convention to pursue her need for knowledge, battles for acknowledgement particularly in the world of poetry and writing letters, fights for the development of smallpox inoculation and tries to protect her sister. Occasionally her wealth and the assumption that she can live so freely does grate- money can solve all woes courtesy of her husband's funds

Her move to Italy broadens the story with intrigue between kingdoms and duchies (the currency of gossip prevails ) but also shows her fallibility as she finds herself a victim of fraud and love.

Mary is a fascinating character. This is an historical read opening up a door to a relatively unknown 'society' figure.

Fav quote: "Diplomacy is the skill to weave the flights of many arrows into a single purpose, to make a truth, as it were, from many untruths and one that is irresistible to all"

Nothing changes 3oo years later in the world of scrupulous politics

A really interesting novel exploring the life of Mary Wortley Montague who was a pioneer in an impressive number of fields in the 18th century. She proved to be an engaging protagonist and it was fascinating learning more about her life and activities, which were unconventional for a woman of her time. It was well written and interesting novel showcasing a fascinating woman who was very much ahead of her time.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I liked "A woman of Opinion" a lot, reads like a classic, thank you Transworld for the early netgalley.

 A historical, fictional novel, based on an extraordinary colorful life,  it tells the story of a trailblazer of a woman, Lady Mary Wortley Montague, a feminist, mother, European traveller, poet, first to introduce smallpox inocculation in England,  free spirit  and adventure seeker, born into 18th century aristocracy, elopes and marries Lord Edward Wortley whom she talkes into becoming an ambassador in Constantinople where she has her first taste of differences of culture and freedom.  Edward is smart enough to employ his wife's charme and  connections, later granting her freedom to lead her independent life abroad while staying friends throughout their unusual marriage. Her "Turkish Embassy Letters" are classics and Penguin Classics  have her "Selected  letters" still in print.

For me it was a fascinating, captivating read  about what life was like even for a smart, rich and well educated woman in the 18th century. We've come a very long way..... Like the richness of the cover.

3.5 🌟

I really warmed to Mary in the first half of this book, she definitely did have some opinions, and she wasn't afraid to act them, or voice them.
There's was a lot thrown at her, not just the usual nonsense a woman of that day had to put up with.
The second half didn't capture me quite so much, but I was entertained throughout.

An exciting novel, full of examples of Mary's unconventional ways, I really enjoyed it and it was a good read. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.