Now We Shall Be Entirely Free – Andrew Miller

Late one dark night, Captain John Lacroix is delivered to his family home, more dead than alive. The chaotic retreat from Corunna, the voyage to Portsmouth, and the overland haul by carriage have left him unconscious and barely recognisable. But not to Nell, the last remaining servant, who makes it her job to bring back to life the man she nursed as a boy. It works, but to Lacroix his recovery is not all good news, a return to his regiment and the Peninsular War is unthinkable. There is a darkness there he could not bear.

In Spain, two military men, a Spanish Lieutenant and a British Corporal, meet at a roughly convened tribunal, held jointly by their respective authorities, allies at least in name. An atrocity has been committed during the British retreat. Corporal Calley can testify to the events; can point the finger at the officer in charge. The Spanish want justice; the British do not want a public shaming; the outcome is a death sentence to be served covertly. Calley is to be the executioner, Lieutenant Medina is to bear witness to the deed.

Back in England, Lacroix is recovered physically but, worried about unspoken events in Spain, decides to make himself scarce. A trip to the Scottish Highlands and Islands to recuperate and study the folk tunes is the excuse, and it is off to Bristol to catch a ship north.

Calley and Medina are not far behind, extracting information on their quarry’s progress by any means, preferably violent. But they travel by land allowing Lacroix to pull ahead. Both hunted and hunters have eventful journeys. When Lacroix ends up on a remote island and falls in with the delightful Frend siblings – Cornelius, Emily, and Anne – he settles easily into their free-thinking community. It is idyllic, with the prospect of romance, but the bounty hunters are closing in.

It is a slow burner that subtly builds plot from hints and things unsaid. The period detail is excellent, and the romantic and violent episodes are equally well handled. Lacroix with his guilt, Calley with his brutality, and Medina with his detachment, make three interesting and contrasting lead characters, providing depth to the narrative.

The climax is tense, and all possibilities remain open to the last. Who will end up free, and what will that freedom entail?

Ariadne – Jennifer Saint

Ariadne’s main claim to fame is the assistance she gave to Theseus in escaping the labyrinth wherein the minotaur dwelt. How the creature got there, why Theseus went in, and what happened when he got out is a good tale, a classic Greek myth in which Ariadne plays a bit part. But in Saint’s novel, Ariadne takes centre stage, princess daughter of king Minos of Crete, who sells out her father’s kingdom and throws her lot in with Theseus and Athens. No spoilers, but let’s just say it doesn’t turn out well, at least initially.

Saint fleshes out Ariadne’s story, and that of her younger sister, Phaedra. They mix in exalted company; in addition to Theseus, the god Dionysus, genius inventor Daedalus, Amazonian scion Hippolytus, and rival hero Perseus all pop up, along with their back stories.

Between the godly and heroic deeds of the menfolk, Ariadne and Phaedra flip flop between adoration of their physique and contempt of their attitude to women. The new lover always seems to promise different, better, but turns out just the same.

Being Greek, we expect it to end tragically for most, only the gods get off Scot free. The prose is pitched between modern and archaic and makes for an unchallenging read.

If putting Ariadne centre stage was meant to be a feminist statement, I am not sure it works. She is rather passive, Phaedra less so, and both remain defined by their romantic attachments and domestic circumstances. This is perhaps why the Greek myths have little to say of the women. There is, however, a lot of moaning about a woman’s lot and whinging about men in general and heroes in particular.