The Floating Theatre by Martha Conway published by Zaffre Publishing
May Bedloe is a young woman in 1830's America. She works for her actress cousin, Comfort, as a seamstress, which suits her fine as May doesn't like the spotlight. She cannot tell a lie and is blunt with the truth. However an accident on the boat they were travelling on changes their paths in life. May finds herself in a theatre company on a riverboat which moves along the Ohio River between the free north and slave owning south. How will May adapt to life on the boat, and what will she do when she is called upon to help free slaves?
My first impressions of the book were I liked how believable May was. She finds social interactions difficult, so focuses on her sewing as a way to deal with the world. In many ways her adherence to the truth was endearing, but also could lead her into trouble considering the era in history she was in.
In some respects I would compare May Bedloe to Jane Eyre, both young orphaned women who find themselves in situations in life they wouldn't have imagined, and growing from the experience.
I enjoyed reading about the theatre, as this is an area I am familiar with. The plot was easy to follow, and built up nicely to it's conclusion.
Although I enjoy historical fiction, I tend to mostly read books set in Victorian England, so it was interesting to expand outside of my comfort zone, with the American setting.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, with political, social and romantic elements.
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