Collect A Net For Small Fishes By Lucy Jago Disseminated As Script

you just love it when you stumble across a fantastic read in the airport bookshop, it's been awhile since I have done that, I was reluctant to even pick this up because of the cover and the title but glad I did.
This is only Jago's second work of fiction and even though the plot is based on a true story she has written something very accomplished, in fact I think its been about twenty years since I have had to put down a book while reading and pick up the dictionary to check the meaning of a word, very impressive not many authors do that these days! The story is compelling and Jago uses a lot of literary devices throughout the story to engage the reader and hold that engagement.
I look forward to he next book, Lucy Jago highlights a real lifeth century historical scandal set in the reign of James I of England, a blend of fact and fiction that addresses the misogyny of the time in this feminist retelling of the surprisingly strong friendship that sprang between the beautiful Countess of Essex, Frances 'Frankie' Howard and the physician's wife, Mistress Anne Turner, a gifted fashion stylist struggling to find a platform to market her talents in London society.
Frankie is a member of the powerful and influential Catholic family in the Jacobean court of fierce aristocratic and religious rivalries, enemies everywhere and where favourites rise and fall at the whim of a insecure King.
At the age of, Frankie's family arranged a political marriage for her with the Earl of Essex, a man who loathed the Howards.


The marriage is a nightmare for Frankie, she is dreadfully abused physically and emotionally by a husband who regards her with suspicion, holding her in the utmost contempt.
Anne and Frankie begin to form a strong bond as Anne dresses Frankie in a manner that brings her increasing public attention in the Royal court to the great displeasure of her husband.
Despite the terrors of her marriage, Frankie goes to great lengths to make her marriage work, helped by Anne, to produce an heir that will increase her power, but is doomed to fail with a husband unable to perform sexually.
As Frankie's eyes turn to another man, she becomes impetuous and careless in her efforts to gain a annulment of her marriage.
Anne's circumstances become substantially more precarious as she becomes a widow and faces betrayal, but Frankie proves to be a constant friend.


As the enemies of the Howards grow stronger, Frankie and Anne face the gravest of dangers in a society determined to crush women daring to challenge the limitations placed upon them.
Jago writes an riveting, well researched, historical novel, with oodles of suspense and tension, She makes the period come alive with rich descriptions of London and the intensely competitive nature of the royal court and the rampant political intrigue that marked it.
For me, it is the characters of Frankie and Anne that captivated, the differences in their status made little impact on the strength of their feelings for each other.
Anne is bright, witty, and sees nothing wrong in wanting to tweak the circumstances in her life to gain happiness for herself and her family, and Frankie has the nerve to want an annulment, a groundbreaking act for a woman.
This is a terrific and entertaining piece of historical fiction that will appeal to many readers, Thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC, Based on a true scandal that rocked the court of Jamesst, this book sees you dive into the pitchblack waters of the cutthroat Jacobean Court where even the King is a stranger to his own subjects.

When

Anne Turner ends up in a chance encounter with Frankie, a woman of very high and different means to her own, a friendship is instantly formed which will be tested to beyond breaking point.

But as Anne starts to rise in the world of the elite, accompanying Frankie on her journey of wanting to be rid of her abusive husband, will they be able to stay friends or will dark forces and those who only want to see them fail bring an end to them both
This total gem of a novel is one that will have you truly believe you are a part of Annes world as she fights her way to stay by Frankies side but when she loses someone who meant the absolute world to her, Annes future is thrown into disarray.

Meanwhile Frankie is being abused both mentally and physically by her husband who keeps blaming her for not being able to produce an heir, despite the fact he cannot seem to keep it up long enough to even tryMen!
This is one hunting ground where you cannot afford to be seen as pray, for the hounds will swiftly surround you and rip your very soul to shreds.

So when Frankie tell Anne of a plot most foul in a bid to reset the game board and give both of them a fresh start, Anne must make decisions that could end up with her being at the mercy of the gallows.
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Devine intervention, hushed speak of poisons, Humours out of balance, witchcraft, and a dry wit that will have your mouth twitching with amusement, this story of power and the struggle to be seen as what you could be is a total joy to read.
Ambition
The court of James I of Scotland amp England Great Britain is brought to life in this vivid historical drama, based on a story that had farreaching consequences as it was mired in scandal.
A Net for Small Fishes is a compelling weave of imaginative fiction with meaningful historical disclosures, The royal courts at the time were places of deadly political machinations where winners held power and wealth, while the losers lost land, position, and often their lives.
Lucy Jago creates a perilous and edgy atmosphere that encircles the story of two unlikely female friends who sought to change their lives from the abusive and restrained existence they endured.


Frances Frankie Howard, a member of the powerful catholic Howard family, was betrothed to the Earl of Essex as a political union.
A marriage that gossip claimed never to have been consummated brought much ridicule to the Earl of Essex, As the Countess of Essex, Frankie suffered physical and mental abuse from her husband in a marriage fraught with family loathing, religious hatred, and partisan suspicion.
Frankies close friend comes from an unlikely source, Mistress Anne Turner, the wife of the physician Dr George Turner, Anne ensures Frankie is dressed magnificently for court as a talented fashion stylist, They become closer and closer friends, which is unique in an environment where deceit and corruption are common practices, The genuine connection across the class divide was surprising and endearing, openly discussing secrets and desires, which was a risk for that era.


With Frankies marriage falling apart, the drama intensifies when she pursues a love affair with the Kings favourite, Viscount Robert Carr.
An affair that risked devastating repercussions but illustrated the attitude of Frances Howard and the loyalty of Anne Turner, Anne is widowed, and she courageously works to provide an independent life and social position,

When the poisoning of the poet Sir Thomas Overbury occurs, and the following trial is prosecuted, the loyalty of the women is paramount.
The trial is steeped in accusations, coercion, talk of witchcraft, magic, and the plotting of powerful families to destroy each other, In a Net for Small Fishes, Lucy Jago paints a credible account of the actual events surrounding the death and trial over Sir Thomas Overbury but places the two women at the centre of the story and addresses an imaginatively unique perspective they faced.
It is a wonderful opportunity to appreciate how difficult it was for women to navigate the royal court scene and obtain equality, independence and romantic relationships.


The scenes painted in historical London are authentically portrayed, along with the engaging dialogue, delivering an enthralling read with intelligent and distinctive voices.
The depth of the characters creates personalities full of light and shade, witty, and fascinating,

This is an audiobook review and the narrator, Sarah Durham, totally beguiled me with her beautiful shifting tones and inflexions, which provided greater scope than I expected.
I would highly recommend this book, and I would like to thank Bloomsbury UK Audio and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in return for an honest review.
“We are all caught, from the highest to the lowest, in nets of custom and propriety those that cut themselves free do not swim away but are destroyed”
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I know its only theth March, but Im calling it A Net for Small Fishes is my favourite March read and one of my “best books” of


The court of King Jamesst is a seething mass of political intrigue as some of the greatest families in the land jostle for influence with their new Scottish king.
A Net for Small Fishes focuses on two women caught up in the manoeuvrings of the Howards, one of the great Catholic families who adhered to their faith and maintained a position at court even during the English Reformation


Frances Howard has been married off to the Earl of Essex, a political union, and certainly not a love match.
The marriage remains unconsummated and Essex physically abuses Frances because of his impotence, Mistress Anne Turner, inventor of yellowed starch and a flamboyant dresser, is initially called to attend Frances by her mother in order to make her more attractive to her husband.
Anne starts by styling Frances in clothes like armour and the two form a strong alliance, Frances wishes to annul her marriage and marry Sir Robert Carr, the Kings Favourite, but a small spiteful man called Ovebury stands in the way and must be dealt with


Two women with independent ideas, playing their own political game and refusing to conform to the “nets of custom and propriety” who must therefore be destroyed.
The historical setting of this novel is a rich as a court gown and as detailed as one of Annes fripperies, The dialogue is sharp and Anne and Frances are both fully rounded, flawed characters that I routed for from beginning to tragic end
It is difficult to believe this book is by a debut author.
It is masterful, fascinating, and entirely engrossing, Brava! This book did scratch my sitelinkWolf Hall itch and while it doesn't have quite the same psychological intensity, it does have complex characters and fully immersed me in the world of the Jacobean court, its ruthless intrigues, arbitrary power, and the ultimate vulnerability of everyone, from maid to king, in the face of it all.
Although, as the title says, it's the 'small fishes' that usually pay the price, An eternal truth. The power of this novel is showing that all this was doubly true for women, Triply true for Anne Turner, who had no male to 'protect' i, e. govern her, and was thus that most frightening of creatures, a woman on her own, a vessel for all forms of wickedness.
Jager creates a warm and sympathetic Anne Turner for our age, rescuing her from the crude and cruel historical documents of her time.
Jager doesn't ever milk the melodrama and there is plenty of light along with the darkness there's genuine love, strong friendships, She also brings to life the wealth and pageantry of the court all the stuff that makes historical fiction feel so rich, but doesn't let it overwhelm what's most important in the story.
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