“In a detailed feat of detective work, Clifford pieces together the strange story of Maria Glenn, for whom being the reputed heiress to a large slave-produced fortune proved to bring her only misfortune. Described by the Taunton Courier as ‘like a deposit in our savings Bank, to be reserved until a few more years have improved […]
Reviews
Featured in Somerset Life
The Disappearance of Maria Glenn was included in the December Bookshelf Special in Somerset Life magazine.
Your Family History: author interview and review of The Disappearance of Maria Glenn
I was interviewed recently for the October 2016 edition of Your Family History magazine about how I researched The Disappearance of Maria Glenn and the historical background to the events. You can read the article, which includes a review of the book, by downloading the PDF. DOWNLOAD THE PDF Here’s a short extract from the […]
“The details of the case of Maria Glenn’s abduction and all the characters involved are very thorough”
This book is amazing! The research that Ms Clifford has put into this book is astounding. The details of the case of Maria Glenn’s abduction and all the characters involved are very thorough. It’s hard to believe that this is a true story, as the plot is full of twists and turns and the characters are all larger than life. Even the family name of Bowditch sounds like it comes from a Thomas Hardy novel. I would really recommend this book to lovers of social history. The events are set in the Regency period and it’s interesting to read about how people lived in those days.
Review in A Line in a Book
“I was quite frankly astonished by this story and the way that Maria was tormented throughout, not only by her abductors but afterward by the citizens of Taunton. Naomi Clifford has done a masterful job of researching the case and relating the shifting tides of the legal battle and public opinion. Even more surprising is the way in which Maria is able to bear up in the face of horrible false accusations. This is a great book for anyone interested in legal history or women’s history in England. Included in the book is the complete transcript of Maria’s statement of her abduction and the events leading up to it…”
Brixton Society review of The Disappearance of Maria Glenn
“The author of The Disappearance of Maria Glenn, Naomi Clifford, may well be better known to readers as Naomi Klein, who wrote the superb These Were Our Sons: Stories from Stockwell War Memorial. Her latest book is indeed a Regency mystery: elopement, abduction, what really happened on 26 September 1817? A novel might well tie up all the loose ends and give you all the answers, but this is real life, leaving you to draw your own conclusions. This would make a great film.”