Changes

I'd be interested to see if your thoughts on Sidney change during the book; mine did. I started by unkindly thinking him a [[Category:Sir Arthur Conan Doyle|Sherlock]] rip-off but that soon changed as I fell for his off-hand manner and desert-dry humour. Then half way halfway through the novel he started to revolt me (you'll see why), making me think that March and Pound were the only reasons I continued to read but that didn't last too long either. By the time I finished, I realised he's a lot more complex than I'd given him credit for.

On the other hand , March is a charmer from the beginning with redeeming qualities to match. She's our interpreter, behaving and reacting as we would if we were thrown into the story. March may be a feisty lady, fighting 19th century societal barriers but the barriers remain and she's frequently reminded of their existence. We don't know everything though; March has a dark secret. It's on its way to being revealed by the end of the novel, but her entire enticing story remains dangling just beyond our grasp... for now

The hard brutal landscape of Victorian London also stars. (If we could smell blood through the pages, this novel would be more than vaguely fragrant!) Among its streets , there are revelations a-plenty as the solved/no it's not/yes it is/nope - not nature of the plot sweeps us along. We marvel, we smile, occasionally we giggle and, if you're anything like me, chapter 70 will make you cry.