The Strange Adventures of H

Overview

The tale of one woman's life and fight for independence, on the streets of London

Orphaned young, H is sent to live with her wealthy and doting aunt in London. London is good to her, and H's life is a happy one until her lecherous cousin Roger robs her of her innocence, and the plague arrives to take from her the city and the people she loves. H is cast out, friendless, pregnant and destitute into the rapidly emptying streets of London under quarantine. When the plague finally lifts, and without a home or family to return to, H falls into the care and employment of Mother Cresswell, an infamous Clerkenwell bawd. It is under her watch that H endeavors to make a new kind of life for herself, and to use all the tools at her disposal to ensure that she never falls into poverty again. H will face a villain out for revenge, find love in the most unexpected places, and overcome a betrayal that she never could have foreseen. Weathering it all, she will charm or scheme her way to the life of freedom and autonomy that she longs for.

Author Biography

Sarah Burton was the course director of Cambridge University's MSt in Creative Writing. She has written for BBC History Magazine and done reviews for the Times, Spectator, Guardian and Independent.