Review: Arden by GD Harper

Arden

I received a free copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

‘Alice Arden, idealistic and wealthy beauty, burnt at the stake for killing her husband, the former mayor of Faversham in Kent. But was she really the one responsible for the most scandalous murder of the sixteenth century?

‘William Shakespeare, England’s greatest playwright, born thirteen years after Alice’s execution. Why does his first-ever play, written about this murder, not bear his name?

‘This is a story of two people – one reviled, one revered – whose fates become linked in a tale of corruption, collusion and conspiracy.

‘Based on historical documents and recently published academic research, Arden unveils shocking new evidence about the murder of Thomas Arden and reveals, for the first time, a remarkable new theory about Shakespeare’s early years.’

Arden

In Arden, by GD Harper, we follow Alice Arden, the frustrated young wife of avaricious Faversham bigwig Thomas Arden, from 1536 to 1551, when she’s burned at the stake for her part in her husband’s death.

Her narrative alternates with that of Will Shakspere – a young man working all hours at the theatres just outside London’s walls while trying to write his first play – starting in 1586. When he discovers information that casts Alice’s actions in a new light, Will knows he has his story.

However, before the authorities will allow the play to be staged (and therefore make Will money to support his young family back in Stratford-upon-Avon), he’s required to tone down his criticisms of certain prominent characters. Will the play still feel like “his” once he’s made the revisions? And how culpable was Alice for Thomas’ murder, really?

I very much enjoyed Arden. The dual timeline was an inspired choice on the author’s part which kept me highly engaged as I went through the two principal characters’ frequent – and very different – trials and tribulations alongside them.

As an upper-class woman in the early modern period, Alice lives in a gilded cage. She’s well aware Thomas married her primarily for the patronage of her influential stepfather, and he isn’t even interested in consummating their union. Her material and social fortunes are irrevocably tied to his, and while a passionate affair with tailor Tom Mosby (which her husband grudgingly tolerates) gives her the love she craves, it also increases her vulnerability to manipulation and ruin.

Will, meanwhile, struggles to muster enthusiasm for making gloves like his father, much preferring to entertain the alehouse with his clever political rhymes. When one gets him into hot water with a local landowner, he seizes the chance to act with a travelling troupe while waiting for things to blow over. This experience leads him to the realisation that he wants to be a playwright, and from there, a challenging, penny-pinching few years away from his family as he gets involved with the theatrical world in whatever way he can.

While both accounts are necessarily fictional – Alice’s own voice hasn’t survived, and little is known of Shakespeare’s early years – Harper’s extensive historical knowledge and research, and ability to put himself in the shoes of his characters, make them feel convincing and authentic.

It’s also very meta, sometimes, as we watch Will face the challenges of using limited surviving evidence to create a fully fleshed-out story about the murder of Thomas Arden. I did feel, though, that his last few chapters, which summarise his more well-known subsequent highs and lows, with an emphasis on Faversham and themes that recur in his later plays, felt a bit rushed and might have worked better as a historical note.

As with his previous book, The Maids of Biddenden, the author takes care to vividly convey the full sensory and social experience of England at the time the novel is set, as well as the far-reaching real-world impact of contemporary events such as the dissolution of the monasteries, and the plague. Ideas about gender and class intersect to make things especially difficult for Alice, much as they did for Biddenden’s conjoined twins, but with a far worse outcome.

Her accomplices include not only her lover, but also a freed man whom Thomas had cheated out of a piece of crucial farming land; an artist who supplements his income by selling poisonous substances; and a fearsome itinerant assassin-for-hire, yet it’s Alice who faces the most opprobrium and worst punishments.

This is because, at this time, a wife killing her husband was directly equated with killing the King or God. The notion of woman committing a murder was also shocking because it was so antithetical to her “natural” role of bringing and nurturing life (arguably, an idea that still has influence today!).

At the same time, any suggestion that a gentleman of similar social standing to Thomas might be involved is shut down as unthinkable and disrespectful, hence Alice took the fall for something that may have been part of a grander conspiracy, and Will didn’t get to write the play he wanted.

Arden is an inspired, convincing, and entertaining historical novel.

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About Alice Violett

Writer of blogs and short stories, reader of books, player of board games, lover of cats, editor of web content, haver of PhD.

Colchester, UK https://www.draliceviolett.com