''An Almond for a Parrot'' was published in 2016 by English author

Sally Gardner Sally Gardner is a British children writer and illustrator. She won both the Costa Children's Book Award and the Carnegie Medal for ''Maggot Moon'' (Hot Key Books, 2012). Under her pseudonym Wray Delaney she has also written adult novels.

(who writes children’s fiction) under the pseudonym Wray Delaney, this is an adult novel set in London in 1756, and has been described as an erotic fairytale.A sexual odyssey across 18th-century London has shades of Sarah Waters and the Brothers Grimm
Retrieved 10/9/21. It takes its title from a tract by Elizabethan writer

Thomas Nashe Thomas Nashe (baptised November 1567 – c. 1601; also Nash) was an Elizabethan playwright, poet, satirist and a significant pamphleteer. He is known for his novel ''The Unfortunate Traveller'', his pamphlets including ''Pierce Penniless,'' ...

. As remarked in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', "Historians estimate that one in five women worked as prostitutes in 18th‑century London. Delaney takes care to outline the abuse, assault, disease and abandonment that are also often the courtesan’s lot."

Dedication

'For my mother, Nina Lowry.'

Fleet Marriages

An explanation of the Fleet Marriages is highlighted in the foreword, where customs are observed in the Fleet Prison. A marriage ceremony is performed by 'disreputable and dissolute' clergymen (mostly in prisoners for debt) in eliciting a fee for the service without 'questions asked or stipulations made'. Such a marriage is part of the key to the novel itself.

Plot

Initially set in Newgate Prison, pregnant Tully Truegood is charged with murder where she looks back on her life with her various incarnations as an orphan, whore and possibly murderer. Tully is able to see ghosts and more troubling is her ability for others to see them. Much of the story is set in a high-class brothel where Tully is groomed to be a successful

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other ...

Reception

Rowan Pelling Rowan Dorothy Pelling (born 17 January 1968) is a British journalist, broadcaster, writer and stand-up comedian who first achieved note as the editor (or "editrice", to use her term) of a monthly literary/erotic magazine, the ''Erotic Review''. ...

writing in ''

'' is positive: "this is not a novel you read for its plot, so much as for its detours and set pieces, such as the resurrection of the dead during Tully’s trial... It’s a rococo affair, with Scheherazade-like diversions, much cross-dressing and rags-to-riches scenarios. The sex scenes are plentiful, unabashed and delivered in period parlance. Tully’s pleasure in her awakening body and ability to pleasure others is infectious. By the end of this novel you will have glimpsed more mounds and maypoles than on any village green, while Delaney’s portrait of gossipy, decadent coffee house London is a pleasure in itself." *Ani Johnson in www.thebookbag.co.uk also praises the novel "Tully has a lot going on in her life and a shadow of great menace and danger lurking over it. She is growing while we watch, learning about human nature and her own background as much as, if not more than, her profession. Sally/Wray also provides a window on the plight of women and the politics tied up with the choice or necessity to go into prostitution. The residents of the Fairy House may have started out avoiding poverty but they come over as being in a very fortunate position compared to those out on the street or in a similar line of work but without the House's protection or scruples. Indeed, the ethos and realities within their world make fascinating reading. In some ways this book could be the literary love child of

Sarah Waters Sarah Ann Waters (born 21 July 1966) is a Welsh novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society and featuring lesbian protagonists, such as '' Tipping the Velvet'' and '' Fingersmith''. Life and education Early life Sa ...

and

John Cleland John Cleland (c. 1709, baptised – 23 January 1789) was an English novelist best known for his fictional '' Fanny Hill: or, the Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure'', whose eroticism led to his arrest. James Boswell called him "a sly, old malcont ...

(author of ''

Fanny Hill ''Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure''—popularly known as ''Fanny Hill''—is an erotic novel by English novelist John Cleland first published in London in 1748. Written while the author was in debtors' prison in London,Wagner, "Introduction" ...

'') with the subtle fantasy dash of Karen Maitland yet it also feels fresh and original. This means that Wray Delaney has written a debut adult story that will generate discussing as well as entertainment, and that's not a bad thing at all." *Katherine McLaughlin writing in

SciFiNow ''SciFiNow'' was a British magazine published every four weeks by Kelsey Media in the United Kingdom, covering the science fiction, horror and fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically se ...

is more restrained "it must be said that the ghosts almost feel like a secondary consideration. Though many appear, few stick in the memory aside from a young girl named Pretty Poppet whose tragic demise is truly upsetting. The manifestations become mildly repetitive as their yarns unfold and they lack a certain spookiness with the atmosphere feeling more mysterious than chilling. Towards the end, a cheap twist involving male homosexuality leaves an entirely icky residue, which is strange considering the lesbian arcs are so gracefully handled"Here’s our review of Wray Delaney’s An Almond For A Parrot
Retrieved 10/9/21.

References

{{reflist 2016 British novels Novels set in London Novels set in the 1750s Fiction set in 1756 Novels about British prostitution British historical novels Novels with lesbian themes Harlequin books