Review Detail

In England in 1662, most respectable people are Anglicans. They show courtesy to their betters and women know their place. But Susanna and her family are Quakers, a most feared, hated and even outlawed group. When young, well-to-do Will Heywood returns from school to be apprenticed into trade, he's intrigued by the lovely Susanna and her strange yet welcoming circle of friends. But almost before they can get to know each other, the climate of panic and persecution threatens to tear them apart.

No Shame, No Fear is a touching romance, supported by author Turnbull's excellent use of period language (especially the Quaker's particular speech patterns) and great historical detail. There is no doubt that readers will learn a lot more than they ever knew about this specific religious group and its influence on 17th-century society, and the very positive and inclusive way the Quaker characters are portrayed may help to alleviate some of the wariness or even ignorant prejudice modern-day readers may feel about the Society of Friends. The novel also presents many strong female characters, which will appeal to today's readers. Alternating between Susanna's and Will's narrative voices does allow us a broader view of the situation than using a single narrator would; nonetheless, Will's hasty conversion to the Quaker beliefs and his absolute certainty that he must reject all he has ever known will make some readers (and this reviewer) a bit uneasy. Luckily, the empowering ending, which some may mistakenly interpret as anticlimactic, slows the hectic pace of events, cleverly mirroring the calm, deliberate, purposeful atmosphere that seems to surround the Quaker characters throughout the rest of the novel. For anyone who loves romance or historical novels, No Shame, No Fear is an excellent choice.