Astraea, the first volume of Jane Stevenson's trilogy of historical novels, was described by Prospect as 'so intelligent and original, it establishes the author as a potential successor to Penelope Fitzgerald... Here is a writer worthy of the highest traditions of English fiction.'
The Pretender, the second volume of the trilogy, has as its protagonist Balthasar van Overmeer, the son of the secret marriage between Elizabeth of Bohemia, daughter of James I, and an exiled African prince. We see him first as a young medical student in Holland, then as a doctor in Middleburg, where he becomes involved with Aphra Behn, an English intelligence agent and later a playwright, in Restoration London and in the developing colonial society of Barbados. As he matures he is forced to come to terms with his peculiar upbringing and to explore his strange and powerful heritage, both black and white.
Once again, Jane Stevenson, 'a writer of formidable ability', has created 'one of those rare fictions in which intellect and emotion are given equal weight' (Sunday Telegraph).
(2002-02-20)"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
After completing his medical training and working in his home town, Balthazar moves to London, keen to make his way in his mother's world. Here, influenced by two very different people, he decides to try and make a new life in Barbados. Before leaving Holland, Balthazar is introduced to Aphra Behn, singular for her time both as a female novelist and playwright but also as an English intelligence agent. The chance encounter leaves a lifelong mark on the rigorously honest and decent doctor. This intriguing, unusual book is crammed with fascinating detail about the everyday lives of 17th-century men and women. Reading such carefully structured prose, modestly oozing intelligence, clarity and insight on every page, reveals more than many a history book on the Restoration period. Stevenson has left no stone unturned in her coverage of every facet of life in the 1600s from local dialects to medical practices, from fashions to culinary preparations. Neither has she stinted in her meticulous research into the wider issues of the day: religion, politics, class, and the historical significance of the rise of sugar cane and the impact of the slave trade in the West Indies. Jane Stevenson is a writer of immense talent and The Pretender is not only a superb sequel to Astraea, but a book easily strong enough to stand on its own.--Carey Green
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