The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock

Historical fiction set in 19th century London. Mr Jonah Hancock makes his living by trading on ships but when his captain brings back a mermaid, Mr Hancock's fortunes change. Elsewhere in London, Angelica Neal has lost her benefactor and is back to entertaining the men of the city. Their paths cross as Mr Hancock is showing his mermaid to the high end of London society. How will their stories twist together?
I enjoyed how this story brought together a respectable trader and a very disrespectable whore and how a mermaid brought them together and almost tore them apart.

St Just Monday Morning Reading Group 31st January 2022.

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock. Imogen Hermes Gowar.

All of the reading group enjoyed this book, finding it original, imaginative, interesting, and well written. “Gave a real feel for the times”, immersing its readers in eighteenth century London with its squalid poverty cheek by jowl with the wealth of the upper classes, all of it described in colourful detail. The depiction of a group of strong independent women, in control of their unusual profession (high class prostitution) was especially noticed. Funny and sad, readers said, the narrative trod lightly and captured so many of the dimensions of London life: the sights and smells, the class system, and the position of women as almost invariably dependent upon men.

The matter of the mermaid herself was a matter for some discussion: a conjuring trick, sleight of hand? The manifestation of all the folklore about mermaids? She was also a symbol of the novelties with which the upper classes entertained themselves at parties; plus she was an investment which enabled Jonah to start investing in property development (instead of ships), building houses in fashionable areas of London and looking towards the following century.

The only negative comment circulated was that the book was a little slow at the beginning. Two readers also mentioned that the story of Polly and Simeon seemed overly brief, possibly appearing as just a token gesture to diversity, and they wondered whether the unfinished aspect of this part of the story might indicate a sequel or spin-off.

Regarding the other characters, Angelica was much admired, especially her transition to living as Mrs Hancock, and Suki was liked for her resilience and resourcefulness. Mr Hancock was a kind, fair-minded man, intelligent and dynamic, while most of the other men were weak characters – rakes who lived on credit and led sorry lives, though largely escaping without sanction (the real exploiter, Mrs Chappell, gets her comeuppance and meets an awful end).

Several people made connections between Georgian London and the present, in terms of the amount of hypocrisy on display (the Profumo case was mentioned), and of the inevitable exploitation of people born without connections or money.

In general this book was seen as a highly convincing romp through eighteenth century London, a mixture of the bawdy, the historical and the fantastical. Being written in the present tense, one reader noted, made the narrative appear fresh and real, with a sense of seeing everything through contemporary eyes, avoiding the judgements of the present and accepting the standards of the time - in which mermaids are still a possibility.

This book was read during January 2022 and the continuing restrictions due to the Covid-19 virus, and so the discussion was not 'live' as usual, but took place via a Facebook group, email and telephone conversations.