The historical basis is interesting, but the main protagonists are not sufficiently developed.

The author of this book is something of a British national institution; I've been listening to him on the radio and podcasts at least once a week for most of my life. Given the medium of radio, and Simon Mayo's particular skill as a presenter, he's someone I feel like I know well even though I've never met him (I did stand behind him in a coffee queue at a music festival once, but I was too overwhelmed to say anything). His presence on a programme is, to people like me, reassuring and comforting.

He's come to writing fiction relatively recently; a series for young adults has been successful and is now being filmed. This book represents his first effort at fiction for 'grown-ups'. Based around little known historical events, it tells the story of American prisoners of war in England's Dartmoor prison during the 1812-15 USA-England war. Like most of us, I'd never heard of that war; the true events of the novel are even less well known. It's good to approach the book with little knowledge of what's to come, but suffice to say lots does happen. Murder, requited and unrequited love, a national disgrace few of us have heard of and a production of Romeo and Juliet (from which play the title comes). Details are fictionalised, of course, and the play's performance moved slightly in time for narrative flow. But it's a remarkable and powerful story, thrillingly and movingly told. It's to the author's immense credit that it switches between the big picture of the conditions of thousands to shared intimacy between two with ease. There is plenty of Romeo and Juliet parallelism for those who enjoy looking out for such things; and there are big, important themes of prejudice, inclusion and the transcendent power of art, all without a moment of preachiness.

Primarily, though, this is a fascinating and remarkable story we need to hear, told at a pace that grips and entertains with vivid characters and and a flair for describing memorable set-pieces with economy and creativity. The deeper themes ebb and flow to the extent we desire to examine them; otherwise it grips, entertains and informs. It's no surprise it was optioned for film rights before it was even completed; in the right hands, this will transfer to the big screen with much potential. If the author had been less well known, I can't help but think the hype around this would have been conversely even greater; at this stage of his career, to have produced such a novel at his first attempt for this audience, Mayo has produced something to treasure - and to have us anticipating what's next with eagerness.

An interesting read, I learned a lot about a period of history I knew nothing about. I found this very slow to get going and generally just a bit too clunky to be great.

Terrific read, I rather enjoyed the slow build up of tension and the play-like structure. I feel I should know Romeo and Juliet better to have caught all the references. But really enjoyable read.

Little known history

Really enjoyed this book. Live in the South West but never heard about this history. Interesting characters and great descriptions. Will definitely read more from Simon Mayo.

I found it difficult to get into, but once I did I was gripped to the end!

Interesting idea and clear the author has put a lot of time time into the research. Unfortunately, the story is slow without much entertainment in acts 2 through 4. It picks up pace and drama in act 5 but not enough to make reading feel worthwhile.

Original and based on historical fact. Extremely well written, with lyrical references to Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' and though the beginning was slow the pace picked up and was orchestrated with much strong character development and descriptive colour. Not my usual sort of read and the navy prison setting means that there are few female roles but those that are there are drawn with strength. I enjoy listening to Simon Mayo on the chat easily with light humour on the radio, so to encounter his depth of knowledge and talented writing is very impressive.

Based on true events, this extraordinary novel tells an almost unknown tale.Towards the end of the war in 1815, American sailors become British POWs, ending up in notorious Dartmoor Prison. Mayo tells their story during the few weeks following the first rumours that a peace treaty has been signed.

Being structured around Romeo & Juliet as an inspiration and a major plot point, this evokes characters and plot line in an almost shakespearean way. The characters are vividly drawn, the dialogue feels immediate and natural whilst also leaving the period setting intact.
The cast of characters features wide representation, from POC characters to LGBTQ+ romance representation, dealing with the issues raised through that in a way that remains true to the setting but feels honest and direct.

[side note on the audiobook: Rhashan Stone does an amazing job, performing a huge range of well and believably done accents and thus evoking distinct and memorable characters, that feel very much like you're standing right next to the action, equally to your delight and shock. Just wow! This may be one of the best audiobooks I've listened to!]