David Chadwick’s Liverpool-set American Civil War historical novel Liberty Bazaar gets its UK launch tonight at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation in Manchester.
Link to interview with David Chadwick
Liberty Bazaar has received two 5* reviews in the US.
Kirkus awarded it one of its coveted Blue Stars and the book has been nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize
In Chadwick’s historical novel, an escaped slave girl and a former Confederate general meet in 1863 Liverpool. This modified epistolary novel alternates between two first-person documents: “Experiences in the Life of a Slave Girl by Trinity Giddings†and “Recollections of a Confederate General by Jubal de Brooke.†… Along with the two well-drawn narrators, the novel boasts several wonderful secondary characters, including Lord Harrowby, “Britain’s oldest dandyâ€; States Rights Rankin, a villainous Southern senator; and Josiah Mill, a black apothecary. Shades of Charles Dickens’ work, meanwhile, appear in the novel’s descriptions (“Chilly October day. Liverpool drab-grey below an endless wash of overcastâ€), its twisty plot, and its quirky character names (such as “Cuthbert Longinch†and “Lazarus Hotchkissâ€).
This offbeat, refreshingly absorbing Civil War novel features impeccable research and well-realized main characters.
Check out the full review here
Readers’ Favorite
David Chadwick transports the turmoil of the US Civil War to Liverpool, England, in his historical novel, Liberty Bazaar. An escaped slave, Trinity Giddings, finds safety and friendship among the affluent of Liverpool.
David Chadwick’s prose is brilliant in Liberty Bazaar. He pens a story about a familiar time in history, but gives the reader a different and fresh perspective. Most Civil War novels are set on the battleground or on the plantation. Adding a bizarre twist to a well-known event, Chadwick highlights the plaguing effects of battle and slavery on the southern plantations by placing the narrative in Liverpool, England. Written in first person, each chapter portrays a sequence of events. However the personal perspective changes from chapter to chapter. This technique allows the narrative to be read like a journal or a diary. Trinity and Jubal’s characters grow and arc dramatically, allowing for the saga to crest and then ebb with precision and poise.
Chadwick writes eloquent descriptions by using illustrious metaphors and profound analogies. I especially liked the comparison of feminine attire with medieval armor. Liberty Bazaar is a wonderfully written story.