The Strange Adventures of H

4.5 stars. Why is nobody talking about this book? It's a tremendous romp through England in the 1660's (or there about) and includes a girl named H, the plague, some dastardly villains, the great fire of London, a few brothels, a cross dressing sailor, the odd murder and delightful array of colourful characters. Thoroughly enjoyable and escapist.

This story has been told many times before. A young girl from a well to do family finds herself, through no fault of her own, on the streets, fending for herself, at the mercy of London's most wicked rapscallions, her life reduced to petty crime and prostitution.

What makes this book stand out is H, she is a wonderful narrator and you can't help falling in love with her and the strange group of friends she makes on her journey. There does seem to be a bit of a missed opportunity to expand on some of her experiences, particularly surviving life on the streets during the great plague of London which lasted a year but is reduced to a handful of pages. There is, however, much to enjoy and yes, the ending is ridiculously overblown, almost like the last scene of a Carry On film, But I loved it.