I'm going to come straight out and say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was one of those random buys (for me swayed by the name and the book cover - kind of a moot point as I bought it for my Kindle but, in all honesty, I'll probably pick up a hard copy at some point) that turned out to be fantastic.
I love it when that happens - when you totally judge a book by its cover and somehow it turns out to be wonderful. Admittedly, there have been times when I've thoroughly regretted spending money on something because of its cover, but swings and roundabouts.
Anyway, back to the Somnambulist - a story of love, loss, and I suppose life in Victorian England. The main character - Phoebe - is instantly likeable and I found her to be very human. You see her learn from her mistakes and become a better person for it. The situation she's thrown into isn't of her own making, which just makes you root for her all the more as you want to see her overcome the obstacles that have been put in her path.
There are (of course) a few twists and turns along the way and, I have to say, one of the things I loved most about this book was, that at a certain point, I honestly could not tell whether I'd get the happy ending I so desperately wanted or one that was incredibly bleak - I'll leave you to read it and discover which way it goes.
Essie Fox manages to capture the essence of Victorian theatre - with all its outward appearance of glitz and glamour while behind the scenes the reality is often very different. She tells the story beautifully, giving you just enough hints that you could work stuff out yourself, but not so many that the truth is screaming at you from the pages.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read and one I'd definitely recommend! (So much so that I'll probably be buying it in paperback to go on my bookshelf).
Glad this turned out to be a goodie! Will be adding it to my wishlist.
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