‘Written with passion and empathy, Arnopp’s insight and extensive, faultless research shines throughout A Song of Sixpence.’ Tudor London: 1540. Each night, after dark, men flock to Bankside seeking girls of easy virtue; prostitutes known as The Winchester Geese. Joanie Toogood has worked the streets of Southwark since childhood but her path is changed forever by an encounter with Francis … childhood but her path is changed forever by an encounter with Francis Wareham, a spy for the King’s secretary, Thomas Cromwell.
Meanwhile, across the River, at the glittering court of Henry VIII, Wareham also sets his cap at Evelyn and Isabella Bourne, members of the Queen’s household and the girls, along with Joanie, are drawn into intrigue and the shadow of the executioner’s blade.
Set against the turmoil of Henry VIII’s middle years, The Winchester Goose provides a brand new perspective of the happenings at the royal court, offering a frank and often uncomfortable observation of life at both ends of the social spectrum.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s set in the era during which Henry VIII was married to Anne of Cleves, then to Katherine Howard, finishing at the time of his marriage to Catherine Parr, though this is but a backdrop for Judith Arnopp’s main story, which is told mainly in the first person points of view of two women leading very different lives.
Isabella Bourne was born into nobility, and, when young and unmarried, takes up a place at court, along with her sister, the vivacious Eve. She attends both queens. The other main character is Joanie Toogood, the ‘Winchester Goose’ of the title. This was how the prostitutes living in Southwark were known; her mother was a prostitute too, and led Joanie into the life when she was too young to protest. What the two women have in common is their association with young rogue Francis Wareham; through certain events, their lives become inextricably linked.
I liked how Ms Arnopp placed Isabella as one of the women attending Katherine during her imprisonment, a clever idea and completely feasible; I assume those women were not named, in accounts of the time. This enabled us to see how Anne and Katherine were perceived by those around them. The descriptions of Joanie’s meagre life on the other side of the river (literally and metaphorically) sat in stark comparison, though Joanie did not seem any less happy than Isabella; they’re both gutsy, likable characters, and their situations give a clear illustration of the lot of women in those days.
The story itself is inventive and unusual, and did not progress as I expected it to, at all – always a plus. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a cracking good tale set Tudor times.
When a reader first approaches the Winchester Goose, you can well imagine they’re thinking… “What a title! What is this about? Is this just another bawdy novel about the seedy side of Tudor England?”
Nope, nope, NOPE! This book has teeth. It has meat, and Arnopp pulls off pulls off a redemption that is jaw-dropping. Now… the plot…
The Winchester Goose is a slang term used for prostitutes in Southwark, London, during the days of Henry VIII. Amid the historical drama of Henry’s marriages, is the fictional story of Joanie Toogood, a typical, run-of-the-mill prostitute, plying her trade. One of three sisters, Joanie does what she must to survive, but discovers a tragic love with one of her clients, who’s a dubious character, himself. When a bizarre tragedy strikes, Joanie’s sense of humanity is tested like never before, and she adopts a mysterious young woman, who has fallen prey to a tremendously awful situation. In caring for Eve, Arnopp crafts a striking character transformation, and Joanie becomes a motherly, loveable woman who will do anything to provide for her family–ANYTHING. Within the heart of this novel is a song of sisterhood and the redemption and acceptance of a person, regardless of societal status.
Judith Arnopp’s expertise in Tudor history and worldbuilding of that day and age is magical. She is an historian who has the art of creating a plot and story down to a science. This book is memorable not just because of the characters, but because of the way it’s carefully crafted, down to the very last chapter. I personally LOVE multiple point of view characters and Arnopp delivers with memorable faces that made me want to either rejoice or gnash my teeth in anger or disgust.
A well-deserved FIVE STARS!
Arnopp’s development of her main character Joanie Toogood is deftly done. The best aspect of this well-written, well-researched book is that Joanie doesn’t seem terribly damaged by her profession nor does she turn into a regretful convert once she leaves it. Gloriously and unrepentantly herself, it’s no wonder all in her circle are drawn to her. I was too. Arnopp delivers a gem of a tale with this book. Will read her Beaufort Chronicles next.