Sovay

Sovay

By Celia Rees

Summary

Sovay Middelton is a young girl living in England in 1794.  She is living all by herself in a large house in the English countryside while her brother, Hugh, is away studying and her father is mysteriously lost. She amuses herself by disguising herself as a highwayman (someone who robs people on the highways). Everyday she goes and waits at a highway for a carriage to pass by, then she starts her acting. One day Sovay steels a wallet, she does not realize how important it is. She had just stolen the wallet of one of the most important but also dangerous people in England.

Sovay continues using her pass-time as a highwayman not thinking about taxes, rent or expenses. But one day when Sovay returns from the stables she finds that a "trusted" friend, Sir Royston, had come on a government mission to arrest her and destroy her house. Sovay wouldn't let it happen because Sir Royston had no papers to approve the arrest--she had stolen them just hours before!

Sovay is worried and wants to do what is best for herself and her family so, she sets off to her family home in London. She saddles up her horse and sets off as fast as possible. On the way she meets a handsom young man, Captain Jack, who is also a highwayman heading to London. The two of them ride together all the way to London, where Sovay goes to her house and to her surprise, finds one of her old friends, Gabriel Stanhope the son of the Middelton's stewart.

Sovay and Gabriel work together to figure out the mystery of Sovay's lost father their friendship becomes even more important and Sovay finds herself in love.

All this time, they are being watched...by one of the best spy masters ever known. His name being Sir Dysart. He is determined to get rid of the Middeltons. He had received news that the youngest Middelton, Sovay, had escaped from her French home and was now in London, where he was. This was his perfect opportunity. Sir Dysart has plans to always have Sovay near him, but also near his new purchase, a guillotine, from France.

Can Sovay escape Sir Dysart's presence and his guillotine but also find her father?

This is not just any adventure, but a story of a young girl, a mystery, an adventure and a romance all-in-one.

Review

I absolutely adored Sovay, I love historical books and have read a lot of them, but never, ever, have I read a historical novel as attaching, exiting and dramatic as Sovay. At the end of every chapter there is a cliff hanger. In every chapter Sovay solves a mystery, but there is always another mystery to solve. Celia Rees (author) has a very unique writing technique. That is to say that, for example, she will write a sentence with an romance side of it and a mysterious side of it. She twists different reading genres into one sentence. In this book Sovay has a mystery to solve but also an adventure (which turns into a romantic adventure) that she has to handle, that she has to go through, along the way.  I like the way that the author has added a bit of an 'introduction to English society' for Sovay. Sovay and Gabriel explore London together and I think is a very romantic thing to do. I find that the plot is bit unrealistic at some points (and it would make a great Hollywood movie!) but is still very enjoyable.  Celia Rees is an author who needs to be reconsigned for her amazing work.

I have nothing more to say than: brilliant. That is the only word that you can really describe this book as. Just brilliant.

Strongly recommended for ages 11-12 and up.

404 pages