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The Eighteenth Century -- The Cat Royal Series
This is the first book in a new series.
London, 1790. Catherine –– or Cat –– Royal lives in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. In 1780 Richard Sheridan, playwriter and owner of the theatre, found an infant girl on the steps of the theatre. He took her in and gave her the surname Royal after the theatre. He saw that she was looked after and cared for and she has lived in the theatre ever since.
At t he beginning of the story Cat accidentally overhears a conversation between Mr Sheridan and a stranger. A diamond is being smuggled into the theatre. Cat is discovered and she promises Mr Sheridan that she will keep his jewel safe for him and tell him if anyone comes looking for it.
Shortly after this she makes two new friends. One is Pedro, a boy of about her own age. Taken from his home in Africa he was bought by a gentleman who trained him as a violinist. But on landing in Britain he became free and he is now an apprentice musician under articles to Signor Angelini, the theatre’s musical director.
Her second new friend is Mr Jonathan Smith, –– or Johnny ––the new prompt. But Cat soon finds out that Johnny has a dark secret. And Johnny is probably not his real name. So who is he? Eventually she finds out that he is wanted by the authorities and, if caught, could be put to death. Johnny must be smuggled out of the country to safety. But who can help her? Pedro? But Pedro feels very bitter about the way in which he was taken from his homeland. Can she trust him?
Then there is the question of the mysterious diamond. Cat has unwisely told Pedro about it and now she finds he wants to steal it. Even worse, Billy Boil the leader of one of the Covent Garden gangs has also heard about it. He believes that Cat knows where it is and he is determined to force her to tell him.
Then Cat makes two new friends –– Lady Elizabeth and Lord Francis the children of the Duke of Avon. They are being shown round the theatre one day and Pedro is invited to give a private performance in their home. Pedro tells them that Cat writes books and she is invited too to give a recitation. From this beginning a surprising and firm friendship is born. And Cat finds she can trust them.
Eventually Cat finds out that the ‘diamond’ is not a real diamond Richard Sheridan was speaking metaphorically. But what is the diamond in actual fact? We are not told until the very end.
From its solid setting in the theatre with such well known characters as Richard Sheridan, Mrs Siddons and Mr Kemble, the story branches out to give a wide picture of the London of the 1790s. There is the lifestyle of the Covent Garden gangs with their savage fights and boxing matches contrasted with the wealth and opulence of the house of Lady Elizabeth and Lord Francis. Wider issues such as slavery are touched upon. The panic of the government over the aftermath of the French Revolution is clearly brought out by the fact that a man could be condemned to death just for drawing a few cartoons. There is even a place for the balloon of the Montgolfier brothers.
All these facts are skilfully brought into the story. They form a very real part of the plot and are not just there to provide background.
A well crafted story with an unusual background which moves at a fast and furious pace. Told in the first person by Cat who is a most courageous and resilient heroine –– and who also provides her own glossary.
The first book of a very promising new series. Very highly recommended.
10+
This is the fifth book in the Cat Royal series about the orphan girl who was brought up in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, At the beginning of this book Cat is living with Lizzie and her husband in Philadelphia. But Cat feels that they do not need her underfoot. Neither is she ready to return to England. So she gets herself a position with a theatre company which is about to commence its summer tour. So Cat sails to the Caribbean together with Pedro. But Cat and Pedro are soon separated. Because of the slave rebellion on San Domingo the authorities do not allow Pedro to land on Jamaica and he has to stay on board ship.
Cat lands with the rest of the theatre company and soon finds that she has a talent for acting. But the impetuous and headstrong Cat does not just confine herself to the theatre and through her varied scrapes Julia Golding manages to give a wide-ranging picture of the Caribbean at that time.
While in Kingston Cat meets up with old adversaries. For a start there is Billy Shepherd and this book charts a slow change in their relationship. At first he infuriates her as usual and then there is a shift and he ends up helping her. Cat is appalled by what she sees of slavery and then she finds out that Billy is now the owner of a slave plantation. Billy gives her a present of Jenny, a slave girl, and makes sure that she will be unable to free her. So Cat is now a slave owner herself and she is soon to discover that it is not so easy to treat the slaves the way she feels they should be treated, as she has expected.
Then Pedro disappears. Cat is determined to find him and Jenny knows how to help. She arranges for Cat to be taken to the wise man, the Obeah man. But all Cat learns is that Pedro is not on the island. It falls to Billy to learn that Pedro has sailed on a pirate ship to San Domingo. Stubborn as always Cat decides to follow him and leaves the theatre company.
But first she is abducted by another old adversary, Pedro’s old master Hawkins. He says she is a vagrant and makes her an indentured servant. In this way the reader is given a first hand account of what it is like to be a slave. But help is at hand and Cat finds herself on a pirate ship bound for San Domingo.
In the course of all these adventures Cat also learns some important lessons on how to treat people. It is not enough to be well intentioned.
Comes with Cat’s usual glossary.
Continues the story of Cat Royal and further developes the characters from earlier books in the series.
A thrilling story with a well researched background.
11+