The Petticoat Men

Description

The Victorian gossipmongers called them The Petticoat Men. But to young Mattie Stacey they are Freddie and Ernest, her gentlemen lodgers. She doesn't care that they dress up in sparkling gowns to attend society balls as 'Fanny and Stella'. She only cares that they are kind to her, make her laugh, and pay their rent on time. Then one fateful night, Fanny and Stella are arrested, and Mattie - outraged but staunch - is dragged into a shocking court trial, hailed in newspapers all over England as 'The Scandal of the Century'.

Barbara Ewing is a New Zealand-born actress and author who lives in London. She is the author of six historical novels, one of which, A Dangerous Vine, was longlisted for the Orange Prize. Visit www.barbaraewing.com

'This spirited novel based on real Victorian events' History Revealed Magazine. 'This well researched novel is inspired' Diva Magazine. 'Ewing's enormously readable novel reconstructs this 19th-century cause celebre in vivid detail ... This is a rich, warm-hearted novel which champions ordinary human decency against the corruption of the powerful ... a moving and compelling narrative' BBC History. 'A well-told account of a scandal' Independent. 'Ewing's strange and fascinating novel zooms in on one of the greatest scandals of the Victorian age and manages to shed new light on it ... Terrific' The Times. 'This is a generous and spirited reconstruction of a 19th-century cause celebre' The Sunday Times.