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Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho
2 journalers for this copy...

I really struggled to get into this book, and I really wanted to like Sancho, but found it very difficult to connect with him in the beginning. I am not sure if it was the format or the writing style that made it difficult for to be more engaged. I found his story interesting and admired his courage and intellect and what he did manage to achieve. The story of his life was told through a diary which he passed onto to his son. Sancho was born on a slave ship, his mother dying in childbirth and his father killing himself. The 2 year old Sancho was given as a slave to 3 spinster sisters living in Greenwich. He befriended Duke John Montagu who saw Sancho’s intellect and educated him. Sancho managed to escape the sisters at 18. He married Anne and had a number of children with her and eventually became a shop owner before his death.

First book in the Bookgrocer box for 2025. To be passed onto fellow Bookcrosser Jean-Sol to read.

Delivered to my door today, thank you! I will get onto it as soon as I have finished my current book as I'd like to have it done and dusted by the end of the month. It does look intriguing.

The first quarter of the book was quite a slog for me after two months of reading crime novels but once I got my head around the style and substance of it the rest flew by. What worked for me was the vivid depiction of Georgian London and I could follow Sancho’s whereabouts in my head or on a map. I also relied on Wikipedia and other internet sources to learn more about Sancho, his achievements and his time, and all the famous people he encounters. I also found the Gainsborough portrait! Whilst it is entirely fictional, Sancho’s (and, to a certain extent, Anne’s) unease and uncertainty about himself and the place in society made the book worth reading for me and raised many questions. Finally, I loved the walking audio on the back cover and will try to cover it next time I am in London with enough time to spare! For me it was also a strong reflexion on and reminder of the constant whitewashing of our Western societies. The author is a well-known British actor and this is his first book. It was awarded the 2023 Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Christopher Bland Prize.
Now ready to travel again.
Now ready to travel again.