Title: The Library Thief
Author: Kuchenga Shenie
Genre: Historical
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Rating: 💥💥💥💥
The library is under lock and key. But its secrets can't be contained.
1896. After he brought her home from Jamaica as a baby, Florence's father had her hair hot-combed to make her look like the other girls. But as a young woman, Florence is not so easy to tame—and when she brings scandal to his door, the bookbinder throws her onto the streets of Manchester.
Intercepting her father's latest commission, Florence talks her way into the forbidding Rose Hall to restore its rare books. Lord Francis Belfield's library is old and full of secrets—but none so intriguing as the whispers about his late wife…
Evocative, arresting and tightly plotted, The Library Thief is at once a propulsive Gothic mystery and a striking exploration of race, gender and self-discovery in Victorian England.
My thoughts
Because it was listed as a Gothic mystery, I was a little nervous that it was going to be scary., but that was not the case. It was such an wild ride of a read with a lot of racial undertones (because that was the norm during that time period), as well as secrets and a mystery that will have you guessing who done it right up until the very end. It was very well written and such an entertaining read.
About the Author
Kuchenga is a writer, journalist and speaker with work on many media platforms including Stylist, British Vogue and Netflix.
She has contributed short stories and essays to several anthologies, most notably It's Not OK to Feel Blue (And Other Lies), Who's Loving You and Loud Black Girls.
Owing to a lifelong obsession with books and the written word, Kuchenga studied Creative Writing at The Open University.
Her work is focused on the perils of loving, being loved and women living out loud throughout the ages.
Her first novel The Library Thief is the ultimate marriage of her passions for history, mystery and rebels.
She currently resides in Manchester where she is determined to continue living a life worth writing about.
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