An unforgettable historical tale set in fifteenth-century England of a brilliant woman’s defiance, courage, and ingenuity—from the author of The Locksmith’s Daughter and The Chocolate Maker’s Wife.
1405: The daughter of a wealthy merchant, Anneke Sheldrake suddenly finds her family bankrupted when her father’s ship is swept away at sea. Forced to find a way to provide for herself and her … find a way to provide for herself and her siblings, Anneke rejects an offer of marriage from a despised cousin and instead turns to her late mother’s family business: brewing ale.
Armed with her mother’s recipes, she then makes a bold deal with her father’s aristocratic employer, putting her home and family at risk. Thanks to her fierce determination, Anneke’s brew wins a following and begins to turn a profit. But her rise threatens some in her community and those closest to her are left to pay the price.
As Anneke slowly pieces her life together again, she finds an unlikely ally in a London brothel owner. Determined not only to reclaim her livelihood and her family, Anneke vows not to let anyone stand in the way of her forging her own destiny.
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Beautifully written story with an incredibly dastardly villain. Especially enjoyed the brewer’s honoring of Ninkasi and the corner crones. Well-researched and inspiringly informative.
The historical detail was fascinating: the rules for making beer and ale, the punishment for breaking those rules, the restrictions on women, the brutal class differences.
While I know enough about the history of the Catholic Church to be aware of its many cruelties, the character of the bastard bishop was so evil and violent that it kept me from awarding five stars.
What a captivating, engaging 750 plus page novel! “The Lady Brewer of London” took me on a journey to medieval England in the 1400’s. I was drawn into the novel by the unique subject of ale-making. I can almost smell the barrels full of liquid gold. The book parallels many issues still existing today, when women endeavor to be sole providers for their families.
Anneke, is such a strong-willed young lady who suddenly has to provide for her family. At only 19 years old, she finds the courage and determination to go into the family business of brewing. She follows her deceased mothers ale recipes precisely, in hopes of making the perfect mug of ale. The measures she must take to make it happen is one challenge after another. What becomes of Anneke and her family? Will the stick-to-the-bench test for her ale get the okay from the ale-conners? (what a hilarious test)
This is my first novel by Karen Brooks and I look forward to reading more of her books. Even though this book was lengthy and I had to look up old-English terms, it was very well written. (please read **note** below) Those wanting to roam the streets of medieval England, grab this novel for your next adventure into the past.
**Be advised, this novel contains scenes of woman abuse and rape.**
~This novel was given to me through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for a fair and honest review.~
‘The Lady Brewer of London’ tells the tale of the naive nineteen year old daughter of a wealthy merchant, Anneke Sheldrake who suddenly finds her family bankrupted when her father’s ship is swept away at sea. Forced to find a way to provide for herself and her siblings Karl and Betje, Anneke rejects an offer of ‘companionship’ *cough*servantship*cough* from a despised, newly married cousin and instead turns to her late mother’s family business—brewing ale.
Armed with her mother’s recipes, she then makes a bold deal with her father’s aristocratic employer and the legal guardian of her half-sibling Tobias, putting her home set in Medieval England and family at risk. Thanks to her fierce determination, Anneke’s brew wins a following and begins to turn a profit, but her rise threatens some in her community and those closest to her are left to pay the price.
As Anneke slowly pieces her life together again, she finds an unlikely ally in the aristocratic son and Tobias’ Master, Leander. Determined not only to reclaim her livelihood and her family, Anneke vows not to let anyone stand in the way of her forging her own destiny which led to an unforgettable historical tale set in fifteenth-century England of a brilliant woman’s defiance, courage, and ingenuity.
Far exceeding my expectations, this compelling read had the perfect blend of European historical literature, minor doses of slice of life and women’s fiction. It was not over romanticized and the content feature showcased Anneke’s journey in becoming a brewmaster and everything that it entails.
Though this novel comes with praises, there were a few drawbacks that prevented this being rated five stars. Anneke was painstakingly naive, gullible and immediate trust to those whose intentions are unclear left a bad taste in my mouth especially when it pertained to her newest employee, Westel. Despite everyone’s warnings and growing suspicions when it came to his odd behavior, she simply ignored them which included her very own gut instincts and put her, siblings, and the staff in danger. It was difficult to look past her actions but considering her young age and primary shelter upbringing, I did give her minor leeway. Keyword: Minor.
All in all, it was an absolute delight to receive this giveaway and I will most definitely seek out reading the author’s similar works as I had enjoyed ‘The Lady Brewer of London’ quite immensely.
The Lady Brewer of London by Karen Brooks is an excellent historical fiction novel that takes the readers through an epic journey through early 15th century England (1403-1408). Here we follow Anneke Sheldrake as she goes from one difficult situation and obstacle to another on her quest for survival, happiness, and success in creating stability for her family through taking up her mother’s families’ brewing business. Here we see a woman made of strong will, determination, heart, and perserverance all the while defying tradition, gender roles, and dodging adversaries. It was so hard to read about so many bad things happen to such a strong and capable woman. This era was definitely not female friendly, and for Anneke to find her way to happiness and a family in the end despite all of the constant struggles and hills was daunting to say the least.
I did enjoy how the book ended, and feel that it was satisfying and seeing Anneke with Leander seemed to make all of the previous struggles somehow less overwhelming.
The literary descriptions of the locations, day to day activities, society in the 15th century, and the inclusion of appropriately associated royalty alive at this time (Henry IV) was excellent. I literally felt as if I was there experiencing it all with her.
It is obvious that the author painstakingly researched not only the culture and events during this time period, but also the extensive knowledge that is placed within this book concerning ale and beer production is impressive. I learned so much reading this book in regards to this area of commerce and production. It is always great to be able to learn something while reading a book that was chosen initially for leisure.
I also enjoyed the Author’s Note at the end of the book in which the author further explains what was historically accurate and what was altered in regards to fitting within the author’s viewpoint and narrative.
5/5 stars
Thank you EW and William Morrow/HarperCollins for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.