Margaret the First: A Novel

Catapult Books, a small press publishing "ecosystem" which combines workshops, a community bulletin board, a literary magazine, and book publishing, was only founded this past September and has already published a striking work of historical fiction. Other reviewers have, justifiably, focused on the uniqueness of the book's heroine. Margaret, also known as "Mad Madge," was a real life 17th century feminist and prolific writer. As she explains herself, while other women might write, "(T)he poems they circulated among themselves were anonymous elegies for dead children or praise for noble husbands. My own quill went marching across the page. I rejected any clocklike vision of the world I chastised men who hunted for sport." She is a fascinating character, by turns so shy that she cannot speak and so desperate for attention that she makes a public appearance in a topless gold gown with her nipples painted red. She is the woman who is praised by her king as a celebrity and who remains, all her life, the passionate child who imagines whole civilizations in the "river-foam bubbles." Yet as compelling as Margaret is, what I think is most exceptional about this book is its portrayal of the spirit of the Restoration. The characters, the writing style, the setting , the plot combine to create the experience of living in a remarkable and tumultuous age. It is as deft a work of historical fiction as I've ever seen.Margaret herself was the child of an old fashioned aristocratic family -- a necessary privilege for such a headstrong woman. As a young girl, mobs attack their estate while the family is away, stealing the money and jewels, of course, but also slaughtering the deer and breaking into the private cemetery to defile the coffins and corpses. Later, "The King of England was convicted of treason. The the king of England was dead. It was Tuesday. It was 1649. Parliament hacked off Charles I's head outside the Banqueting House at Whitehall. The mob, previously sick for it, drew quiet after the blow. The people were burdened with heavy taxes. May Day had been replaced by zealous sermons. Was the Civil War over? No one was sure." There is little certainty about any of the political upheavals in this book or the many moves between France, Antwerp, and England and from great rural estates to grimy, makeshift rentals in the city. The world simply changes over and over again in a mad rush, and rather than withdraw and pray for safety, the elite invent a bold new way of thinking.More than anything else, Margaret the First is powered by an almost dizzy sense of new intellectual possibilities. Upper class men, including Hobbes and Descartes, debate one another at Margaret's home and circulate their own pamphlets on the nature of being. Robert Boyle invents a machine that sucks air out of a chamber and experiments on living things. "The bird began 'manifestly to droop.' It staggered, collapsing, gasping. It threw itself down, threw itself down, and then the bird was dead.' 'All this,' she objected, 'to prove a bird needs air?' 'Before devising the pump,' said William, 'he'd had to strangle them with his hands.' Now all London was buzzing with the news: air holds a vital quintessence necessary to life."The word "science" does not exist yet, nor does any real semblance of scientific process. Instead there is a profusion of excited new ideas about what makes up the world around us. Margaret charges into the fray, rejecting the Aristotelian world view and insisting on the worlds within worlds concepts of her childhood. She writes philosophy, poetry, fantastical stories in a passionate trance. She makes herself over into a celebrity, even speaking at the newly founded Royal Academy. Everything is possible in this new age! Dutton tells her story in past tense, present tense, future tense, in first, third, and even second person. It all works because the book is as charged with energy and an adventurous spirit as the world and the people it describes. Margaret the First is a short work, not much more than a novella. I read it so quickly that it lasted about as long as one of Margaret's river foam bubbles, and when it ended I was left with the sense of having witnessed an entire civilization, lighter than air and as fantastical as anything even Margaret could have dreamed up.

Danielle Dutton does a superb job with her fictitious account of Margaret Cavendish, who was a real figure in seventeenth Century England.Dutton's style is unorthodox and wholly suited to describing the life of an eccentric, talented women born of noble birth.Margaret, a reticent young women, is in the employ of the royal household when she meets the worldly,handsome and much older William Cavendish. He is fascinated with her and remains her loyal and staunch ally even when it appears she is being rebuffed by society for her rather outlandish behaviour. It was frowned upon for women to write let alone publish in those times but Margaret is not perturbed and in time has a group of influential admirers, including Charles II.She enjoys shocking her contemporaries and does so with style. At one point showing up at a function dressed as an Amazon with her breasts exposed and her nipples painted red!What a woman! Even if one did the same thing today, in the 21st Century it would be a scandal!Her husband fights on the side of the King against Cromwell's army and when the Royalists are defeated with the beheading of Charles I Margaret and her husband spend some years in exile in Antwerp.Once Cromwell dies and Charles II ascends the throne Margaret and her husband return to England.It is a wonderful story and a fascinating one.I, for one had never heard of this incredible woman so I was intrigued with the entire book.She had her enemies, not just for being audacious but for daring to enter the male world of literature and discussion.This is a small book which is succinct and quite powerful.I do recommend for those who enjoy fine literature.

This novel consists of beautifully crafted prose, so if you appreciate vivid description and the craft of writing (not just storytelling) you will enjoy the author's mastery of craft. The story follows the life of 17th century Duchess Margaret Cavendish, who pursued a writing career despite there being little support for a woman to do so (except, surprisingly, from her own husband). It's a gorgeous book that is also easy to navigate emotionally - no heaving lifting required - making it a relaxing and inspiring read.

this book did not impress me after all the critiques I read , I was expecting more, strange little novel and she struggled with her lot in life, I really think the author could have explored more about her accomplishments amid the struggles of woman in that era but it stopped short of that and left me wondering why that was not pursued much more in this book , just paintbrush approach in my estimation

First of all, the paperback itself was beautifully designed which is what initially drew me to the book - the cover even feels velvety and made it irresistible to open to the first pages. And then - hooked! But hooked in a strange and haunting way throughout the volume. It's difficult to explain how very lovely this reading is, a combo of poetry, imaginative prose and historical truths. It touched something very deep in me. Oh so happy to be a modern woman! I bought two more copies and gave to friends who I knew would appreciate.

It's an oddly told story, but I really liked this novel imagining the life of Margaret Cavendish. I'm definitely going to be looking for a good biography of her now. She was certainly not perfect, but a fascinating person and I like her or at least the her as portrayed in this little novel.

Hard not to think of Virginia Woolf's masterly Orlando in reading this. It's terribly poetic. It's really rich in that respect. There is a serious push, in terms of publicity, behind this; so I'll just end by saying that yes the praise is deserved, you should buy it, and the cover is incredible.

This story, although fiction, was very shallow, and without substance. I found myself waiting for a good part, yet none came. This book about a famous, eccentric , woman, is left wanting of better writing. I would have to believe that Margaret herself would agree.

At face value, judging the book by the cover, I first thought that what I would get was a brief biography of Margaret Cavendish, a pioneering writer and wife of the aristocrat William Cavendish. It looked like I would get through it in about two sittings. But I was to be surprised and pleasantly so. This is tightly written, poetic and sparse but where words are given full reign to delve into the mores and culture of 17th century England. “Mad Madge” is the winner here as we begin to understand her gifts and her courage to take that risk to become a woman in her own right at a time when this was to swim against the accepted tide. I liked the style of writing so much that I was so sorry when I found after a few hours reading that I was coming towards the end. On a personal note, the scientist Robert Boyle has always has an interest for me as he was born in Lismore (Ireland), a place I know and love. In this book, almost as a little diversion and certainly as a bonus, I learned that Margaret Cavendish’s and Boyle’s life intersected in the fashionable halls of London society of the day. The detail was exact, the depth of research on behalf of Ms. Dutton is apparent. I also liked the depiction of Margaret’s husband William Cavendish, a character in his own right who too had the courage to love his wife through all her vicissitudes. Ms. Dutton could well develop his character for another book. I’m a devotee of historical fiction. This little book ticked all the boxes.

A historical novel like no other I have ever read. Short with passages from the protagonist's own writing, I found it a totally absorbing picture not only of Margaret Cavendish but of the times she lived in. Thank you Danielle Dutton for introducing me to this remarkable woman whose life story deserves to be more widely known.

Possibly the most remarkable aspect of this very strange book is the degree to which the writer matches and merges her own spectacular prose with that written by her subject, Margaret Cavendish. As historical novels or biographies go, this one is truly unique."If atoms are so small, why not worlds inside our own? A world inside a peach pit? Inside a ball of snow? And so I conjured one inside a lady's earring, where seasons pass, life and death, without the lady's hearing."In tackling Margaret's story, Dutton takes flight where Virginia Woolf leaves off in "A Room of One's Own". But Dutton's prose is a great deal more palatable and lyrical --despite Woolf's exalted reputation, she could be tiresome. Encompassing the story of Margaret's life, complete with decorative, whimsical prose in only 160 pages, Dutton even proves the virtue of brevity, which Woolf did not.

This is a very surprising read with a great amount of details -- the kind of food that was eaten then, the treatment of various ills and disorders -- and of course the complex historical time of the English civil war and the subsequent restoration. All from a female's viewpoint!!

Margaret Cavendish who died aged 49 in 1693 as the Duchess of Newcastle was a truly remarkable woman. She was the author of 21 books ranging from poems, philosophy, feminist plays to science fiction. She was the first woman to attend a meeting of the Royal Society. Danielle Dutton's 21st century novel explores the life of Margaret Cavendish. Her imaginative and beautifully written book contains echoes of both Margaret Cavendish's own writings as well Virginia Woolf's essay on Margaret Cavendish in her book, 'A Room of One's Own'.After a brief prologue, there comes diary like accounts written in the first person of Margaret's life as the youngest daughter of Lord Lucas of Colchester, as an attendant of Queen Henrietta Maria in exile and as the wife of the great equestrian, William Cavendish, Marquis of Newcastle. After the Restoration of King Charles II and their return to England, the novel moves into a third person account of Margaret's life. At times this includes her rich inner life.I loved the insights into the court in exile, Restoration England as well as the varied circumstances of Margaret's rich and unique marriage. In the book we find a delicate exploration of the interaction between Margaret's inner life and its external circumstances. I highly recommend this fine novel. .