Privilege
On sale
11th May 2023
Price: £9.99
‘Tightly plotted and hugely readable’ Jane Rogers, author of PROMISED LANDS
‘Marvellous . . . fans of immersive historical fiction, the 18th century, all things French and a dash of peril, this one’s for you’ Emily Brand, author of THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF BYRON
‘Glasfurd deftly, elegantly captures this volatile world of impoverished attic rooms and gilded literary salons’ DAILY MAIL
The King knows the true power and privilege of books. When every book is cause for suspicion, you risk execution for possessing the wrong ones.
1766, PARIS. Ten years have passed since Delphine Vimond last saw her father. After his violent arrest, his library of books is burned. Young Delphine, bereft and fatherless, is forced to seek refuge in the city.
Now working as a housekeeper for the radical Monsieur Diderot, her settled life is suddenly disrupted by the arrival of Chancery Smith. A printer’s apprentice, he has been sent from London to hunt down the mysterious author of revolutionary papers marked only with the initial D – the possession of which could prove fatal.
Pursued by the brutal French censor, Henri Gilbert, Delphine and Chancery set off on a frantic and deadly search that will take them across the country.
But can they catch up with D before Gilbert catches up with them?
‘Among historical novelists, Glasfurd rides high’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘Marvellous . . . fans of immersive historical fiction, the 18th century, all things French and a dash of peril, this one’s for you’ Emily Brand, author of THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF BYRON
‘Glasfurd deftly, elegantly captures this volatile world of impoverished attic rooms and gilded literary salons’ DAILY MAIL
The King knows the true power and privilege of books. When every book is cause for suspicion, you risk execution for possessing the wrong ones.
1766, PARIS. Ten years have passed since Delphine Vimond last saw her father. After his violent arrest, his library of books is burned. Young Delphine, bereft and fatherless, is forced to seek refuge in the city.
Now working as a housekeeper for the radical Monsieur Diderot, her settled life is suddenly disrupted by the arrival of Chancery Smith. A printer’s apprentice, he has been sent from London to hunt down the mysterious author of revolutionary papers marked only with the initial D – the possession of which could prove fatal.
Pursued by the brutal French censor, Henri Gilbert, Delphine and Chancery set off on a frantic and deadly search that will take them across the country.
But can they catch up with D before Gilbert catches up with them?
‘Among historical novelists, Glasfurd rides high’ FINANCIAL TIMES
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Reviews
Praise for THE WORDS IN MY HAND
*shortlisted for the 2016 Costa First Novel Award*
Excellent . . . Glasfurd has created an entirely unsentimental love story, with a memorable and engaging heroine. She takes the narrowness of Helena's life and her kicks against its confines, and spins them into an original tale
A striking debut . . . Her portrait of love across barriers of class, and of Helena's yearning for education, is a touching one
An accomplished first novel . . . She brilliantly dissects the complex frustrations of a woman in love with a man consumed by intellectual obsessions. There is much to move us here
Gloriously readable . . . It feels as though Guinevere Glasfurd has seen into the heart and soul of Helena, as though this really could be her story . . . A truly lovely and captivating debut
Praise for THE YEAR WITHOUT SUMMER
*Shortlisted for the HWA Gold Crown Award 2020*
*Longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize 2021*
Rich in voice, beautifully told, and with a chilling sting in its tail
Superb . . . a stay-up-all-night page-turner . . . a beautifully written, angry, unflinching and unforgettable novel
Glasfurd is a strikingly sharp and subtle writer . . . She has the rare ability to conjure characters vividly in a few deft strokes and the gift, rarer still, of making us care deeply about them
Another superb saga, rich in both historical detail and human interest
*Praise for PRIVILEGE*
'Set in eighteenth century France, Privilege takes us into the vividly dramatic world of Delphine, self-taught and rebellious, who is effectively orphaned by her father's arrest. In Paris she meets Chancery, a naive Scottish printer's apprentice who is miles out of his depth in this country where freedom of the press - for both readers and writers - is literally a burning issue. Feminism and censorship are just two of the themes that make this novel very timely in 2022. Tightly plotted and hugely readable.
Marvellous . . . fans of immersive historical fiction, the 18th century, all things French and a dash of peril, this one's for you.
Glasfurd deftly, elegantly captures this volatile world of impoverished attic rooms and gilded literary salons
Among historical novelists, Glasfurd rides high... Unsentimentally, she takes us by the lapels and insists we pay attention to her characters... This fine novel is a strong reminder of the sovereign importance of the freedom to seek out the truth, wherever we can find it and, without fear of reprisal, to have it published.
A wholly immersive plunge into another world, perfectly realised and a sheer joy to spend time in. Above all, it's a book about books - books and their extraordinary power.
A wonderfully engaging novel which reminds us why the freedom to write without fear of persecution remains a privilege which we must always defend.