A Comprehensive Account
The Other Life Of Mary English by G D Harper is an absolutely fabulous historical novel about the lives of Mary English and Manuela Saenz as they intersected in 1820’s Columbia. This is a comprehensive account that blends fact and fiction, educating the reader.
Both women were extraordinary, they saw life and opportunities, and they grabbed them. Both women were ahead of their time as they succeeded in a man’s world.
Manuela Saenz was the lover of Simon Bolivar – but she was much more than that. She was his trusted confident, advisor, and followed him into battle.
Mary English was an entrepreneurial business woman. She had a strong morality code – no slaves would be found working her plantation. “King George had abolished the trade in enslaved people in 1807. No slaves were now found on the streets of London, but… the institution endured in the Empire made me feel deeply ashamed.” Mary English actively sought to improve the conditions of those native to Columbia, and of those African slaves.
As did Manuela Saenz. “Simon was working on plans to make the education of the natives and freed slaves equal to that of other Columbian citizens.”
Both women had had hard lives. Their menfolk died in their forties, as did Mary English. Manuela Saenz lived longer but was buried in a pauper’s grave.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Other Life Of Mary English. The author vividly paints the scenes of life in Columbia for women at the time. This is an inspiring read and one that I can highly recommend.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
The Other Life of Mary English
Two Different Women. One Shared Destiny.
Mary English, a dockworker’s daughter from Faversham, England, travels to South America to escape a scandal from her past. She ends up running a cacao plantation in Colombia, at a time when women were not legally allowed to own businesses there.
Manuela Sáenz, tempestuous lover of Venezuelan revolutionary Simón Bolívar, serves as a colonel in his army. She joins him in battle to fight the Spanish and twice saves his life from assassination attempts.
This is the story of two real-life remarkable women, both fighting oppression, hardship and danger in 1820s Colombia, who come together to change the course of a nation’s history.
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Author Bio –
GD Harper became a full-time author in 2016. He has written three psychological thrillers, Love’s Long Road, A Friend in Deed and Silent Money, and two historical novels, The Maids of Biddenden and Arden.
The Maids of Biddenden was the winner in the historical fiction category of the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the largest international awards program for indie authors and independent publishers, and was shortlisted for the 2023 Selfies Award at the London Book Fair. Arden was placed third in the 2024 Yeovil International Literary Prize. The Other Life of Mary English was a finalist in the Eyelands Book Awards. He has also been longlisted or shortlisted for fourteen other awards.
His books have had over one million page reads on Kindle Unlimited, been number one most downloaded e-book on Amazon UK, number three on Amazon worldwide, and garnered over two thousand reviews and ratings on Amazon and Goodreads, with an average rating score of 4.4.
He lives in East Sussex and, when not writing, can be found wild camping in the Scottish mountains or in the mosh pit at live music events.
Social Media Links – www.gdharper.com Instagram: gdharperauthor
