What do readers think of Accidents of Providence by Stacia Brown? Write your own review.

Set in Oliver Cromwell's England in the year following the beheading of Charles II, this novel draws on a number of intriguing historical facts and legal cases. It opens as legal investigator Bartwain prepares an indictment against spinster Rachel Lockyer, charged under a new law that demands the execution of any woman found guilty of secretly disposing of her bastard infant, whether the child had been born alive or dead. Rachel, an apprentice glovemaker, had become entangled in a passionate affair with William Walwyn, a married Leveller and father of fourteen who pens pamphlets against the Puritan leaders and their rigid, merciless laws. There are several surprising twists in the plot (not to be revealed here), some of them based on intriguing facts that are outlined in the epilogue.

While much of the novel details the affair, the investigation, and the trial, Brown also questions the religious intolerance, misogyny, harsh prison conditions, and class divisions in Cromwell's Commonwealth, and she paints a disturbing picture of the paranoia such a society engenders. As a reader, however, I sensed that the author had perhaps taken on a theme or two too many. Still, it is worth reading for a view of a historical period not often covered in fiction and for the relationships among the female characters.

I asked for this book with high expectations and was really looking forward to reading it. I had finished The Dressmaker and the suggestion that this book was in a similar vein was quite intriguing .

The book while having a great story to be told and characters with all sorts of angst, did not live up to the potential it could have. The author used story elements such as flashbacks to tell the story of Rachel Lockyer and the events around her murder trial. The English history during this time of Cromwell and the difficulties was a great backdrop to tell a story. The characters seemed to be an honest reflection of the time. The problem was the prose was hard to read and the story, at times, was did not capture the imagination as it could have and should have. I finished the story but continued to be off put by the quality of the writing. I did not find the comparison between The Dressmaker and this story to be accurate.

For the most part, I thoroughly enjoy historical novels. This book however was rather superficial providing some background within which the story evolves. I found the characters not well developed and some rather strange, ie Walwyn's wife, Anne. The story itself became more improbable as it went on so that it was less of a historical novel and more of an imaginary tale and sometimes it seemed like the writer was trying to make it a bit mysterious. This is my first book review for BookBrowse and I was so excited to participate. Unfortunately reading this small book became somewhat of a chore. I am curious to see what others have to say. I thank you for the opportunity.