Reviewed by Luise Toma

At the end of the eighteenth-century, the world was an exciting and dangerous place. The French were going ballistic, calling for a bloody end of the monarchy; the English were so fearful of a similar revolution in Ireland, they made patriotism and loyalty to 'king and country' a prerequisite for anyone who didn't fancy a stint in the gaol or a swift execution. In amongst all this madness, Celia Rees sets her novel Sovay—a tale of love, bravery, gallantry, principles and every other noble characteristics you can imagine.

Sovay Middleton, seventeen-years-old and a stunning beauty—something which is mentioned so frequently, it may become tiresome to some readers—is faced with a number of difficulties. Her father is wanted for treason, thanks to his liberal attitudes and great love of Thomas Paine. Her brother Hugh has disappeared from university. All alone, in charge of their English country estate, Sovay deals with these things in a very intriguing way. Highway robbery—purely to intercept incriminating documents and search warrants, naturally—otherwise it would not be the noble thing to do.

However, all highway robberies in the world can not give Sovay what she really longs for: news about her father and brother's whereabouts. Hence, the young heroine sets off to London, in the company of her loyal maid, Lydia, and handsome steward, Gabriel. The big city brings unexpected allies and one very powerful new enemy, the evil aristocrat Robert Dysart. Will Sovay be able to locate her missing family? Will she be able to uncover the heinous plot Dysart is working on? Will she finally find a man who will treat her as an equal despite of being a woman? So many questions…

Rees has researched her period of choice to an alarming degree. The stench of the London back alleys, the fashion of the day, the political situation and the emerging anger of the common men ooze from the pages like sewage from an inner city London whorehouse. Descriptive is not strong enough a word to describe the style of this novel. The author has attempted to cover all angles of all senses and perceptions one would have experienced at the time—something which probably contributed quite profoundly to the length of the work (a slim 404-pages). The detail is so strong, it leaves nothing to the imagination, including the physical appearance of the characters—which incidentally matches their moral attributes. Although the heroine Sovay is not aware of being a beauty, Rees certainly is. Sovay's big dark eyes, her marvelous mane of hair, straight nose and strong jaw never fail to dazzle whichever man she comes across. By the middle of the novel she has accumulated quite an army of admirers, all of whom are incredibly useful in her later pursuits.

And further pursuits there are many. London is only the first step on a fairly epic journey in order to secure her own and her family's safe future. Foes are faced with the nerve of a gown-clad Lara Croft and the marksmanship of a pre-gadget James Bond. American spies, French revolutionaries, mad scientists and transvestite sex-slaves—Sovay meets them all without losing her impeccable countenance. While there is the occasional brave tear in moments of overwhelming relief or following a particularly gruesome brush with death, Sovay generally exhibits a self-assurance and bravery bordering on the ludicrous.

She is also a tireless warrior for the rights of the supposedly weaker sex, frequently reprimanding her male companions for their blatant sexual discrimination. Naturally, she out-braves and out-heroes all of them throughout the novel. Rees allows her heroine very few slip-ups, all of which are fairly small, perhaps in an effort to make her seem a little bit less super-human. In the end, however, these efforts are too little, too late. Sovay strides through troubles with a Joanne of Arc-type calm, Robin Hood-ish nobility and the bravery of several hundred freedom fighters.

Reading Sovay will teach you a lot about the French Revolution, the rise of the English lower classes, theories of power to the people, fashion, torture and the way folks used to speak in those long gone days. If there was an idea of providing a strong role model for young women, someone to show them that you can achieve it all, the author went a little overboard. Luckily, in the real world, you do not need to be impossibly brave, morally super-sonically sound and stunningly beautiful in order to make your way in life.

Sovay
(2008)

by Celia Rees
Allen & Unwin
ISBN 978 0 7475 9200 6
404pp AUD$17.95