Product Description

Astraea, the first volume of Jane Stevenson's trilogy, was described by Prospect as 'so intelligent and original, it establishes the author as a potential successor to Penelope Fitzgerald...Here is a writer worthy of the highest traditions of English fiction.' The Pretender, the second volume of the trilogy, has as its protagonist Balthasar van Overmeer, the son of the secret marriage between Elizabeth of Bohemia, daughter of James I, and an exiled African prince. We see him first as a young medical student in Holland, then as a doctor in Middleburg, where he becomes involved with Aphra Behn, an English intelligence agent and later a playwright, in Restoration London and in the developing colonial society of Barbados. As he matures he is forced to come to terms with his peculiar upbringing and to explore his strange and powerful heritage, both black and white. Once again, Jane Stevenson, 'a writer of formidable ability', has created 'one of those rare fictions in which intellect and emotion are given equal weight' (Sunday Telegraph).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #545835 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 303 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Pretender is the second book in Jane Stevenson's trilogy which began with Astraea, the story of Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia (daughter of James I) and her secret marriage to an exiled African prince. While The Pretender continues the theme of 17th- century royal and political intrigue, Elizabeth and her prince are now dead and the couple's only son, Balthazar, is making his living as a doctor, an early surgeon in fact, in a world well removed from the court. Having been brought up in secrecy by his father in Holland, Balthazar the "mulatto" met his mother, briefly, only once. His adult life was to be lived without family and without any real sense of identity. Neither black nor white, reared not as a royal of either European or African descent, Balthazar is forced to confront his unique heritage alone and forge his way in an unstable world where disease and deceit wait at every turn.

After completing his medical training and working in his home town, Balthazar moves to London, keen to make his way in his mother's world. Here, influenced by two very different people, he decides to try and make a new life in Barbados. Before leaving Holland, Balthazar is introduced to Aphra Behn, singular for her time both as a female novelist and playwright but also as an English intelligence agent. The chance encounter leaves a lifelong mark on the rigorously honest and decent doctor. This intriguing, unusual book is crammed with fascinating detail about the everyday lives of 17th-century men and women. Reading such carefully structured prose, modestly oozing intelligence, clarity and insight on every page, reveals more than many a history book on the Restoration period. Stevenson has left no stone unturned in her coverage of every facet of life in the 1600s from local dialects to medical practices, from fashions to culinary preparations. Neither has she stinted in her meticulous research into the wider issues of the day: religion, politics, class, and the historical significance of the rise of sugar cane and the impact of the slave trade in the West Indies. Jane Stevenson is a writer of immense talent and The Pretender is not only a superb sequel to Astraea, but a book easily strong enough to stand on its own.--Carey Green

Sunday Telegraph
‘Jane Stevenson is a writer of formidable ability’

Times Literary Supplement
‘The Pretender represents a vital return to the tradition of the historical novel’

Customer Reviews

Best recent novel set in the Restoration
I am a historian of the 17th century, and am not normally allowed to approve of historical novels as they are often inaccurate, etc. But in the case of Jane Stevenson, you overcome the unlikely premise (the secret marriage of Elizabeth of Bohemia with a black doctor, or the coincidental meetings with Aphra Behn) as the atmosphere and set-pieces are spot on. Meticulously researched detail make this really evocative of the Restoration period, much much better than Rose Tremain. The characters are delineated well enough to make this a quick read but also one from which you can learn much about history. Highly recommended.

Well-written, but lacklustre plot makes this dull
I read Astraea, the first book in the trilogy of which this is the second part, and found it interesting though not compelling. Here the story moves forward 25 years and the child of Elizabeth of Bohemia and an ex-African prince, ex-slave is now an adult of mixed race and living in Holland. The other reviewer here has commented extremely favousrably on the historical background, and while I'm not as qualified to tell, I would expect that to be the case given that Stevenson is an English professor.

But however good the 'history' the book just doesn't have a compelling enough plot or characters to make it come to life. Balthasar and Aphra Behn are just cardboard, which is a huge disappointment. This might be an accurate depiction of Restoration Europe but it's a dull novel, in my opinion, with no life to it. I struggled with it then finally abandoned it on the tube hoping that perhaps someone else will get the enjoyment from it that completely escaped me. A huge disappointment I'm afraid.