The Goldhanger Dog
some
reviews of the novel written by Wanda Whiteley and published in 2022
from
the back cover of book...
The Goldhanger Dog: Magical Tudor Tale
of Two Misfits
1553.
Goldhanger, a tiny fishing village on the Blackwater marshes. Fifteen-year-old
Dela's strange bond with animals has her branded a witch by the locals. Running
for her life, with only a rescued dog for a friend, Dela manages to find
sanctuary at the palace of Princess Mary. These are dangerous times, with the
boy-king Edward on his deathbed and the succession uncertain. Traumatised at
first, in an alien world of spies and courtiers, Dela is befriended by a trio
of acrobats and players. But when she is drawn to one of them, she discovers he
holds a terrible secret that promises to tear her fragile world apart.
about the author Wanda
Whiteley...
The
Goldhanger Dog has been hailed by Cosmopolitan as 'a captivating historical
fiction debut' and one of its top May picks. It is Wanda Whiteley's first
novel. She collaborated on the bestseller Streetkid, by Judy Westwater (as
co-author Wanda Carter) - a memoir that spent 4 months in the top 10 of the
Sunday Times Bestsellers List. She enjoys books that cannot be easily
classified, especially those hybrid works that are loved by both adults and
teens. The Goldhanger Dog is a coming of age love story adventure that also
bridges two genres: those of historical fiction and fantasy. In her career,
Wanda has always been a guiding hand for new authors. An ex-Publishing Director
(HarperCollins), she is founder of manuscriptdoctor.co.uk, where she helps
critique new works and builds skills in authors who are starting out. 'Everyone
can enjoy the immersive pleasure of writing,' she says. Visit wandawhiteley.com for more about
the Goldhanger Dog - events, articles and photos. (online reviews and interviews are at the end of this page)
a review by DWN, author
of the Goldhanger
Past website...
It
was amazing to discover this new (2022) paper-back historical based novel being
well promoted on the web and available at Gardners
Farm Shop in Goldhanger. Who, with an interest in local history, could
resist purchasing a copy? From some of the reviews, one is given the impression
that the village itself doesn’t play a prominent part in the book, but this is
not the case. About the first third of the book is set in the village and there
are many references to village streets and locations, appropriately time
adjusted to reflect a 1500s setting. There is an interesting map at the
beginning of the book showing all the locations referred to in the book with
Goldhanger village in the centre...
The
author clearly has a local knowledge and interest in the village, and has well
researched both UK royal history and our local history. For example, the heroin
was born and brought up at Barrow Farm and there once was a Barrow Marsh Farm
on the western edge of the parish along the Maldon Rd. The farmhouse was
destroyed in WW-2 and the site now “Barrow Marsh Caravan and Chalet Park” with
36 mainly owner occupied historic
chalets arranged around a grass quadrangle. Perhaps this gives a clue
to where the author stays locally when seeking respite from a London office?
The
book is well written with many twists, turns and some more gruesome aspects
(that reflect the period setting) to keep the reader’s interest, be they local
or from afar. As many of the online reviews tell us this clearly reflects the
author’s extensive experience in the publishing business. Although later in the
book the heroin moves on to Maldon, Boreham and London, she does finally return
to her home village to reveal a final historical twist - but we could not
possibly revealed it here.
some of the online
reviews...
https://lindasbookbag.com/2022/05/31/the-goldhanger-dog-by-wanda-whiteley/
https://www.rachelreadit.co.uk/bookreview-the-goldhanger-dog-wanda-whiteley/
https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/books/wanda-whitelety-the-goldhanger-dog-1347090.html
https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/people/essex-book-club-the-goldhanger-dog-9119360
https://fromfirstpagetolast.com/2022/06/05/the-goldhanger-dog-by-wanda-whitely-review/
more
about Wanda Whiteley online...
https://www.tripfiction.com/talking-location-with-author-wanda-whiteley-essex/
an audio interview (36min long)...
https://talkingtudors.podbean.com/e/episode-163-the-goldhanger-dog-with-wanda-whiteley/
The same interview on YouTube (interview starts at 5.20
in)...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IiOUGY2Pppo
Virtual
Library - The Goldhanger Dog home