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Neil Blackmore
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Radical Love Kindle Edition

by Neil Blackmore (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 97 ratings

'Re-imagines a story of gay men in London 200 years ago and under the pain of their betrayal and injustice, he uncovers loyalty and above all, love’ SIR IAN MCKELLAN

‘An imaginative, layered, clever story’THE TIMES

London, 1809. By day, minister John Church preaches to a congregation of commonfolk in Southwark. By night, he is drawn to the secretive, alluring world of a molly house on Vere Street. There, ordinary men reinvent themselves as outrageous queens: lads on the make flirt with labourers and princes alike, and John finds himself ordaining marriages between men.

When he meets the unworldly and free-thinking Ned, one of a group of African abolitionists who attend his chapel, John falls in love with Ned's tender nature and discovers how quickly desire can turn to obsession.

Based on the true story of one of the most important events in queer history, RADICAL LOVE is a sensuous and prescient story about gender and sexuality, and how the most vulnerable survive in dangerous times.

‘One of the boldest novelistic explorations of desire I have read in some time’ KEIRAN GODDARD

‘Compellingly real’ DAILY MAIL

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  1. Print length
    279 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    1 Jun. 2023
  6. File size
    3.4 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product description

Review

Blackmore has taken the historical facts and created an imaginative, layered, clever story that explores male desire in an intolerant time. With wit and aplomb he performed a similar trick in The Dangerous Kingdom of Love, riffing on the gay life of the polymath Francis Bacon. Radical Love confirms Blackmore as being one of the most original voices in historical fiction today. -- ANTONIA SENIOR ― The Times

Neil Blackmore re-imagines an astounding story of gay men in London 200 years ago and under the pain of their betrayal and injustice, he uncovers loyalty and above all, love. I relished every page. -- SIR IAN MCKELLEN

I was staggered by this book; one of the boldest novelistic explorations of desire I have read in some time. Frighteningly prescient, it shines a light on the world-making possibilities of erotic transgression and the violence that so often comes in its wake. ― KEIRAN GODDARD, author of Hourglass

Forget Bridgerton. Neil Blackmore's Radical Love give us the people of Regency England and its people as they really were; brutally intolerant, scarred by slavery, marred by oppression and social injustice. Don't look for heroes here - look for life as it's really lived, people as they really are. -- ANNIE GARTHWAITE, author of Cecily

A celebration of the erotic lives of long-dead gay Londoners and a lament for past persecutions, Radical Love is a powerful story of desire flourishing amid danger. -- NICK RENNISON ― The Sunday Times

About the Author

Neil Blackmore is the author of five novels. His work has been acclaimed for its radical redrawing of the historical fiction form and the parameters of queer historical fiction. His third novel, The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle, was shortlisted for the Polari Prize for LGBTQ+ Fiction. The Dangerous Kingdom of Love, his most recent title, was memorably described as 'like Hilary Mantel on acid' and chosen as one of The Times' Best Historical Fiction Novels. He lives in London.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BLJQ2LWG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 Jun. 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.4 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 279 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1529152098
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Best Sellers Rank: 103,059 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • Customer reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 97 ratings

About the author

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Neil Blackmore

Neil Blackmore

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Neil Blackmore is the author of several novels, acclaimed as 'one of the most original voices in historical fiction today' (The Times), a Polari Prize shortlisted novelist, and widely celebrated for his radical reimagining of history through a queer perspective. He lives in London.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
97 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • AM
    5.0 out of 5 stars Expertly weaved story
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 December 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Surprising with many shifts and turns
    Evokes the time with a visceral atmosphere
    Complex protagonist for whom you have great anger and great sympathy and compassion
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  • D. E. Austin
    4.0 out of 5 stars A challenging read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 August 2024
    Verified Purchase
    An interesting insight into the gay history of the 18th century demonstrating the existence of prejudices that are still alive today.
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  • Ashleigh Nicole
    3.0 out of 5 stars Queer fiction in a unique time period
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 July 2023
    Radical Love is a unique story following queer characters surrounding a Molly house in the 1800s.

    In this book, we follow the life and loves of a priest who agrees to host wedding ceremonies for the Molly house workers and attendees, and his romances.

    I did enjoy the concept of this book more than the writing in this case and I really love the exploration of the 1800s in queer fiction. It's unique and I haven't read anything that looks at this before now. I also think that something that Blackmore did well was not over explaining the element of race in this book. The priest has an affair with a black man in the novel and whilst race is approached it isn't over explained- we can tell from the language that the character uses and from the narration that in certain scenes he is uncomfortable because he is black but this isn't overdramatised which I think is a good way for a writer who isn't POC to approach this. I felt this was a skilled way to hit and acknowledge but not step on anyone's toes or try to educate out of turn and that was really nice.

    I felt that some of the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out as I didn't feel as bad when the Molly house is closed and when we find out why. I think this element could have been explored a bit more to really get it to hit home.

    Personally, I didn't like the main character much and overall I rate this a three star, but I definitely applaud the author for choosing an interesting piece of history to develop.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Filmophile
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating story skillfully told.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 September 2023
    Verified Purchase
    My first action, after finishing Radical Love, was to order another of Neil Blackmmore's historical novels. His sparkling narrative skill, deep knowledge and fluid writing style result in a supercharged page-turner which is almost impossible to put down. Whatever your interest in history – or sexuality for that matter – this is a highly entertaining, fascinating and above all, well-written novel.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Plucked Highbrow
    5.0 out of 5 stars Genuinely moving
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 July 2023
    1809 and England is exhausted by war. The French are targeted and so are homosexuals, who are seen as beyond redemption. John Church is a radical preacher who runs a chapel in Southwark and preaches of love and freedom. Popular with the working men as well as the emancipators John makes a good living but hides a secret. He is a 'Molly' and when asks to perform same-sex weddings he gets involved even though he is breaking the law.
    I really loved this book which surprised me as I was not a great fan of the previous book by Blackmore that I read! I really liked the fact that this is based on a true story and therefore gives a lot more insight into the underground world at the time. Moreover, Blakemore takes a lot of artistic licence and makes Church an unreliable narrator which heightens the story and allows for twists at the end.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Ruth Matheson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Not an easy read but worth it
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 June 2023
    I choose this book as an alternative to my usual murder/mystery ones and although it may not be for everybody, I did enjoy it in a weird way!! Based on a true person and events the book is told by the Rev. John Church and is set at the beginning of the 19th century. What I did think whilst reading it, was that things have not really changed in many aspects of the story albeit legislation has been modified, but we still today have poverty, racism, intolerance towards the gay and trans communities and above all else, the fundamental need to be loved which is so overwhelming in the tale. The book has its high and low moments, its crude and vile times too but it was addictive at times too. If you like historical stories especially factual ones, then this may be for you. I am glad that I read it.

    Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.
    One person found this helpful
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  • ceric7
    3.0 out of 5 stars Hard-going
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 June 2023
    I found this quite hard-going. I normally read fairly quickly, but I plodded my way rather wearily through this, weighed down by some of the more didactic passages, and unenlightened by any insights in the historical and cultural aspects of the story. I am also tired of unreliable narrators and the emergence of this in relation to the Rev. Church came as no great surprise.

    Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the digital review copy.
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  • sophie barnaby
    4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 June 2023
    This novel is about gay men in 1800s London and the oppression they face. It’s beautifully written, each sentence is crafted and there are many poetic lines. The plot is gripping, there is a lot of sex and horrible descriptions of public executions which stay with you. The narrator is unreliable, which adds to the impression that he is more about obsession rather than love. It’s all quite single issue - he doesn’t seem to know or care much about slavery which is odd for a character who is obsessed with society’s intolerance of gay men. Also a lot of the gay characters are drag queens who call themselves girls which felt a bit strange, but maybe that’s how gay men behaved then. And there are no stand-alone female characters, this is all about the boys…. but definitely would recommend as a piece of clever writing and characterisation
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